I have the same problems as you, with trying to find cheap containers. This year I experimented with milk crates and landscape fabric. So far, it's worked out pretty darn well. I'll try to post pictures of them. Basically what I did was measure, cut, and sew the landscape fabric so that I made a rough cube, with enough fabric at the edges to let it overhang when I stuffed it into the milk crates. It gives plenty of aeration, and plenty of drainage. I figured out how to make a good tomato container as well, using two stacked milk crates. I cut out the bottom of one, using a heavy duty serrated knife, then I cable-tied them together. Then I just made an extra tall landscape-fabric liner, filled with soil, and planted my tomatoes. They seem to be pretty happy, at least with all the room. You'll have to invest a little cash into buying the landscape fabric, but not too much -- $10 for 3'x50' at Lowes, and it gave me quite a few containers. The milk crates I scrounged around for (free). You don't have to use milk crates though, anything that will support the fabric is fine because you're just using it as a frame. So, I had left over wire laundry baskets that I used for containers, old wicker baskets, an old plastic hand shopping cart, an old wire trash basket....

Euglossa viridissima - Green Orchid Bee Green Orchid Bee over Passiflora - Butterfly World, Florida Euglossa viridissima. Neotropical orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini) have been reported only twice from the United States of America; once near Brownsville, Texas and more recently near Silverbell, Arizona. In each case, a single male Eulaema polychroma Mocsáry 1899 had strayed north of the border from breeding populations in northern Mexico. During the summer of 2003, however, several male Euglossa viridissima Friese 1899 were trapped around Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by USDA employees in the fruit fly monitoring program and sent to the Florida State Collection of Arthropods for identification. To date, more than 50 males and several females have been reported. Neither the exact location of the introduction nor the current distribution in Florida is known. However, observations point to an accidental introduction around Butterfly World, Coconut Creek, Broward County--likely as a nest inside a wooden object (shipping pallet, bamboo furniture etc.)--followed by a southward spread to Dade County in 2004. *Taken from Florida Entomologist Here is a link that might be useful: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEOTROPICAL ORCHID BEE EUGLOSSA VIRIDISSIMA (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) IN FLORIDA

You might find it much easier to take the whole roof off and replace it, especially if you want to make the wall taller. Sounds like you're re-roofing anyway, so you're most of the way there. Just do it once and right. Either stick build it or use trusses, it will probably cost about the same either way. Saving the old material doesn't seem worth the effort.

That faucet is gorgeous. I have to see what shower set might go with it. It is the printmakers, and we definitely stepped away from Tudor style a bit with it. We didn't want to go too dark since it's a north facing room. I'm worried about the vanity and quartz making it too modern or industrial, which is why I'd like the other choices to try to bring in more of a vintage and feminine sort of feel to balance that more masculine piece. Almost a soft industrial, if that's possible. i was thinking of doing a frameless mirror like this.... Do you think that would work? any wall sconce suggestions? should I stick with the brass for things like towel bars, shelf brackets, etc if I go with brass faucets? Or should I introduce black there to pull in the dark color of the floor?