No sorry, I think I was mistaken. For some reason I was thinking the swale was 4" below grade when as you state its actually only ~2". This complicates it as you wont be able to relocate the swale to the far end of the patio and retain proper drainage (+ - 1"/4') across the 19' of patio as I had mentioned. In light of this, if you don't want to compromise your patio space I think you need to install a drain near the centre of your patio and redirect the swale to the left side of the patio. The drain will allow you to keep the patio perimeter above the unchanged swale gradient. That option however is conditional on 1) the ability to redirect the swale to the far left side of the patio, as I assume its source is outside of your control and thus can not be completely replaced by said drain (this may require you to modify the patio shape you have designed to allow for the swale to contour it). And 2) that you have somewhere to run your drain to, i.e down toward the street. you did say though, "That swale carry's water towards you in the picture...though the way our property is setup, would could technically carry the water either toward or away." Perhaps this means the swale can be leveled to a lower gradient and allow for what I was initially saying about relocating it and working with 4" slope on patio (4" across 19' is cheating but is not completely unacceptable). Or if you can gain 2" against the house without interfering with siding as mentioned by a poster above then you will have your patio elevation and be able to relocate the swale. sorry this advice is based on limited info and a picture, I hope its helpful nonetheless.

I didn't know you could have a window extend into a shower surround. We were planning on reframing and replacing a window in order to fit a stand alone shower and separate tub into our master bath. Leaving the window alone would be easier, cheaper, look better from the outside, but I would still worry about moisture. The whole impetus for this remodel was a water issue leading to rotten subfloors. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed about the health of the floor joists. As for the grout question, I think white would look better. Sealed properly, it will be easy to keep looking clean and beautiful. Grey will just look like it's dirty right from the start--just my opinion, with a little experience.

Another vote to try the buffet under the window -- it appears to be the "natural" spot for it -- and it won't block too much light. OR: Leave it on the right hand side -- and do hang your larger artwork beind the table -- and then hang two or three (depending on size) smaller matching or co-ordinating artworks vertically over the buffet. You may have to hang the smaller ones FIRST -- and then stand back and judge where to place the larger artwork so that it connects to the table AND the newer artworks. Another idea would be to add two or three dark shelves (look for substantial chunky ones!!) over the buffet -- and add plates (matching ones or co-ordinating ones) THEN hang your larger artwork -- and both areas would work! Jan

Update: So far things have gone surprising well. I started a return via ebay. The seller replied very quickly and offered a very small refund if I would keep the item, or offered a return. I asked for the return, and she quickly supplied a prepaid return label to Amazon. Everything is documented on ebay, including that the refund should be in full, and the tracking number. Again, I'm surprised at how smoothly this has gone, but won't be comfortable until the full refund is back in the account. I had wanted to order directly from Amazon, but given that I am not a prime member, they were showing that it would be 2 weeks before the item arrived. We usually wait at least that long for Amazon orders, so I try to avoid them for the most part. This seller could provide it much sooner for not much more, and I didn't think it would need to be returned, so took a chance that it might end up being an Amazon drop ship... Guess it's another lesson of things to look out for. Thanks again to all :^)