There are myriad solutions to this. The access panels can be put in an adjacent closet or can come through an adjacent wall. Or if on the first floor, they can be on the bathroom floor with access from the basement below. You can do a wood wainscot with removable panels. You can do a fully tiled apron, with a removable tile panel. Often times the "grout line" between the tiled access panel and the permanent field tile will be filled with color-matched caulk instead of grout. If access is needed, score the caulk with a utility knife and pop the panel off. The panels can be held in place with magnets, velcro, or some other mechanical means. I'm not a big fan of the caulked option, I'd rather do a removable tiled panel that has a lip to it, the lip can be tiled, a rope design, a piece of tile as the trim, etc. But that's my personal preference. As a builder and a tiler, I look at easy access for future or periodic maintenance. It's not that the caulked panel is difficult, I just prefer totally accessibly and non-destructive options. A tool-less panel that can be popped in or out at will. If you want your front apron to be just plain field tile though, then the caulked panel is your best bet. You can tile the apron, but have a wood "cubby" built in to the apron. Think a small niche. The cubby can be used to hold rolled up towels, or small notions, what ever. The niche can be popped out to access the tub's mechanicals. We've had a few threads about this, but I did a search and came up empty. Don't let your builder's lack of skill or imagination restrict your design.

Most towns do have those restrictions but somehow they get out of them. I think that the town directors are like "sure, they will bring in so much money in taxes that we should let them do what they want" grr. i just read in the paper this morning that our town is just one step closer to putting a stupid Wall-greens (you know what those are!) in the place of an old stage coach in. but the inn needs some repair, so it should be knocked down. Or at least that is what the town says. However they are going to put a little memorial plaque next to the new store to show where the inn was. great, that will more than make up for it. I am just so disappointed i can't even describe it. I know that the person who owned the site had to sell it as they didn't have money to upkeep it but I still can't believe they will knock it down. how sad. I am waiting for the day when someone knocks on my door and asks me to tear down my house because it needs some repairs or because it looks so much different than everyone else's house. I have wrote the town historical society like 20 times asking about my house and about research (our house may have been built around or before 1850) Our town isn't much older than that. You think they would care but they don't seem to care at all. how sad. What scares me the most is that my husband and I have put so much care into our house and I am afraid if we move someday that someone will just tear it down. -renee

I agree with Popi's post. Our relationships with our adult daughters is quite a dance. We have so much loving advice to give them, and we want so much to help them all we can. Sometimes it's easy to forget that our daughters need to feel free and confident to find their own way and make their own mistakes. I'm assuming your daughter is a good mother. If so, then think about what you're saying in your post. We have advised her of keeping her daughter warm arriving in 17 degree weather with no jacket or hat .She started saying I'm just going to the car but all we wanted was to keep her daughter warm. Each time any thing that is said to her about taking care of her daughter she gets very defensive and angry which makes us feel incompetitent. Probably you are making her feel incompetent as well. You say, "each time anything that is said to her about taking care of her daughter", but are you considering that each time you are telling her she isn't taking care of her daughter the *correct* way, you're telling her she's incompetent to make that decision? I told her you make me feel like a irreresponsible teenager. Probably she feels the same way - that you make her feel like an irresponsible teenager. When your husband calls her husband lazy, he's basically calling your daughter incompetent to choose a husband. And of course she's going to tell her husband what her dad says. You mentioned in your post that you are overprotective. I think most mothers would sympathize with you about being overprotective. Our daughters are so precious, and we love them so much and want to protect them as we raise them in safety and love. I think a lot of us, if not most of us, could be called overprotective. I was raised by overprotective parents. If you were an overprotective mother, it's quite possible the dynamic you've set up all these years between you and your daughter has a lot of bearing on how she relates to you. Some of us daughters of overprotective parents have our adult boundaries set in stone. Mine are. My daughter and I had a rocky road together during her teenage years. One thing I did was to take her to lunch once a week at a place she liked. That was our "safe" place. There in that place I bit my tongue off. We talked about what she wanted to talk about. I tried not to give advice or criticism or ask questions about anything she didn't want to talk about. Sometimes when a relationship gets rocky, it helps to have some healing time when you just enjoy each others' company. The other advice I would give is to try not to mind so much about some of the things you mention. Not mowing the grass is not the end of the world. Mowing the grass is VERY important to me and it would annoy me and grate on me to have one of my children chronically not mow the grass. Trust me, I feel your pain. But it's not the end of the world. If he has a job and loves his wife and daughter, not bringing in firewood or mowing the grass might be small potatoes to her. And it's her opinion of him that counts. Not having a coat and hat on the baby - maybe that's small potatoes, too. My son got hot easily as a baby. Older people frequently said something to me about not keeping him warm enough, but the pediatrician specifically talked to me about not keeping him too warm. If I was just going back and forth to a close parked, warm car in 17 degree weather I probably wouldn't have put a coat and hat on my baby, either. Not letting a dog owner keep a baby - there are a lot of mothers like that. I hope you can work something out with your daughter. Sometimes it's hard to work out those mother/daughter relationships.

Before I tell you the decision that the "Judge & Jury" decided was, "reasonable", let me 1st say, "WOW"! "You're ALL AWESOME"! I cannot begin to Thank all of you for your input, insight & innovativeness! I would love to answer each & everyone of you individually, however, my schedule does not avail.. Therefore, I hope that you are all interested enough to follow-up to check-in to see if I am following up, for I am indeed checking each of your generous posts daily. I did not ever anticipate so much intelligent imput and sincere concern in this matter. People actually do care... I always knew in my heart that there is hope, good & faith in each & everyone after all... I hope if anything else good can come out of this forum for me and everyone else involved is that, we can always find some good in those that we believe fall short of our expectations... Remember, God don't make junk. & Most IMPORTANT OF ALL... "DOG spelled backwards ='s GOD". & May God Continue to Bless You & Yours' each and every day! THE JURY IS IN: I'll keep it plain & simple, It was a No-brainer after all. It really was not negotaible after all. I simply chose my "Partner for life, Maximus". His pawprint is actually tattooed on my left thigh. Some day, I will commission Kat Von D, should I be so fortunate should I be able to afford her services to tattoo his headshot onto my left thigh. I shall remain friends' w/"Great Guy", should he so choose to, I think w/his career schedule and our communication so far, we shall at least be able to enjoy this much for the meanwhile. If he cannot handle this, well then, he wasn't so great after all. I then say, "NEXT"! LOL :) I WILL TRY TO POST A PIC. OF MAXX FROM MY OTHER COMP. IN THE MORNING. A FEW OF YOU REQSTD. THIS. THX. HE'S GORGEOUS!! I give you all my word to try to be their for each of you should you need my advise in the future. Sincerely, Retired NYPD K-9 Unit Det. Sgt. Jo Ann B. & Retired K-9 Unit Maximillion Von B. a/k/a "Maximus" "Big Maxx" (Meine Liebe und Engel!) forever, always by my side... I AM DAMN PROUD TO BE A FREE, INTELLIGENT WOMAN & EVEN MORESO I AM EVEN PROUDER TO BE AN "AMERICAN" AMEN... "IF YOU AIN'T THE LEAD DOG, THE SCENERY NEVER CHANGES..."