Thanks, Chicka!! This is his life-long dream, and as much as I joke about it, I'm truly happy for him. :)))) DH took up the plane for his 2nd flight yesterday! He flew for about an hour and 15 minutes. Then he found out from the crop dusting place just north of here that he can park his plane there! So much more convenient, and he has a runway at his disposal - as long as he "keeps out 'the way of the crop dusters," said the owner. LOL He made his 3rd flight when he moved the plane over there from where he landed it down the road earlier in the day. He said he had a rough landing thanks to the warm air conditions, so he'll refrain from making afternoon flights from now on. WHEW! :D He's already talking about going this morning. I'm plugging my ears and "lalala-ing"! LOL I looked over and saw the ol' neighbor guy watching him fly yesterday morning. He flopped his arms in amazement and disgust - at technology as a whole. LOL!! I was able to get 2 fuzzy pics (zoomed all the way in) and a movie before the batteries went dead on the camera. I just have to remember to watch him either with the lens or without....not both. LOL Easier to keep him in view that way. :D Brenda

I agree that soundproofing is important. Since you're gutting the space (I assume that means plaster is being pulled out?) then now is a great time to install insulation between the walls. Not only does it cut down on noise but it allows you to set your heating at different levels. You may also want to insulate the ceiling, even if it's upstairs, as sound and heat will escape in to the rest of the house through there. And the floor could be improved too. This isn't the cheapest option, but it will last the life of the building when installed correctly, and being able to say it's a fully soundproofed apartment will make it very attractive to renters. I've soundproofed several rooms/walls in my house. My house is a crazy mixture of brick and stud internal walls. I soundproofed the kitchen as it's a noisy room, and I did the bedroom and main bathroom. Untill you've lived in a house with soundproofed walls, you really cannot apreciate the calm silence it creates. Of course I still hear the house and activity around me, but it's pleasantly muted and inoffensive. Another good choice would be quiet flushing toilets. There's something nice about pulling the chain and *not* waking up the whole house... If you allready intend to replace the toilet, it makes sense to buy a quiet one.

I've never seen a contract so specific as to stipulate whether it was the door trim or countertop that would be notched, so frankly, I don't think you have legitimate grounds to ask for a redo. Your countertop installers took a lot of time and trouble to notch your quartz around your door trim. If they did a good job, then there's nothing wrong with what they did, and you can bet that the person who did the work is feeling pretty proud of himself for having done it well. Being married to the kind of guy who does work like this, I can tell you he'd be plenty hurt and angry if you were to ask for a redo, done the easy (in his book, wrong) way. Let it go -- And try to appreciate that your installers put forth this much effort to do a superior job.

More light as well as more storage. Replace those table legs with a stack of drawers (look at Ikea's "Alex") that you can use as your desk legs - I have them, and their height is perfect to add a tabletop onto -- that's one of their intended uses. You can get all drawers, or drawers and a filing drawer like the one pictured. You might want to consider some type of wall-hung storage, but it depends on your style and the kind of things you want stored.....but I like them as they add to empty walls and make them look less empty. Things like this hanging magazine/file rack, or this one that is 4 hanging canvas bags that could hold anything from your phone charger to emergency flashlight or extension cord.