Great thread, thanks for starting this. For me it's Pitcairnia feliciana. To be frank I'm not crazy about its look, but it's the one bromeliad that escaped North/Central/South America and put down roots in Africa (with a little help from migratory birds). I imagine getting a hold of one is next to impossible because of the recent outbreak, but who knows, maybe there are some established specimens elsewhere.

Sigh. So many things. 1. Perform a warrant check on all contractors. That would have saved me a lot of money and heartache and frustration. 2. Be home AT ALL TIMES while work is being performed. I can't count the number of things that aren't quite right, but I have had to let them slide because they can't be undone by the time I get home. For example, I have had to give up on the idea of a trash pullout I planned under the sink, because (even though I told him repeatedly) he did not position the waste outlet correctly, and most of the sink cabinet it taken up with jerry-rigged plumbing. 3. Use specialist tradesmen. Jailbird Contractor was a very good framer. He was an OK finish carpenter. He built fabulous fences and his roofing (I think) is good. He had excellent electricians and drywallers. But he and his "plumber" left a lot to be desired, and despite telling me what a good tiler he was, his handiwork makes me sad nearly every day. Plus, while refinishing my original 100-year old softwood floors, he may have ruined them, and may have made it worse by trying to "fix" his mistake. I am having a specialist evaluation done this week. 4. Move out. 5. Make contractors fix things RIGHT AWAY. Apparently Jailbird Contractor would work on one project until he ran into difficulties, then would abandon that project and move onto another, saying that he would "come back at the end and fix it then". Uh-huh. That worked real well. This meant that the new contractor had to come in, figure out what was wrong, un-do a good chunk of each project, then finish it. This would not have happened if I had cowgirled-up and been a hardas* in the first place, making him finish each project. 6. All materials that I have paid for should have been ON MY SITE as soon as they were paid for. I lost all my expensive trim for the whole house (plus other materials), because Jailbird Contractor was storing it in his rented space (I don't know where that was). He maintains that it was taken when his storage unit was cleared out (presumably because he disappeared and hasn't paid storage fees for some time, since he is in jail). Either that, or he never bought it/sold it. 7. Job cards and inspection records STAY WITH THE PROPERTY OWNER or ON SITE AT ALL TIMES. My paperwork is in Jailbird Contractor's truck. Lord knows where that truck is. 8. Your contractor is not your friend. Jailbird Contractor liked to pull the paternal approach on me, and I will admit to playing along with it, just to humour him and shut him up. Never again. This is a professional relationship, even though you are in my house and my intimate spaces every day. I will be much quicker to call contractors on their cr*p in future. In fact, I plan on having one such conversation with the current contractor this afternoon ... the painting crew came through last week, and I was horrified to discover that they helped themselves to sodas, beer and icecream out of my kitchen. That is NOT...

We're almost a year into a full-house renovation, which will probably end up about 90% DIY. We'd DIY-ed smaller reno projects on our previous home, plus a full refit on a 40-foot sailboat, and all those previous projects had gone quite well, so we felt competent to take this BIG project on. I have to say there have been many times we've regretted it!! To be fair, there have been a lot of unexpected major surprises, though. We thought we'd be totally done (interior + exterior) by now, but I'd say we're about halfway. I think the WORST part is that we've had absolutely no time for our daughter.Every single weekend and after-work free time has been spent working on the house, often in dirty and stressful conditions. The house has been mostly piles of parts, materials and debris all year. Poor kid!!! I have been the project manager and GC and it's been nearly a full-time job at many stages. Researching, sourcing, and ordering parts and materials takes a long time! I've also been the designer for some pretty major changes, with input from architect friends and the talented folks on GW of course! I spent months and months at a drafting board last spring trying to figure out how to add another bedroom and make a workable kitchen, living, dining area. I concur with those above who say that even when you hire subcontractors, you have to be prepared to spend time and mental energy supervising. The times I did NOT do that were the times things had to be ripped out and redone later.... so even when you spend the $$ you still need to do some of the work. I guess that's why people hire General Contractors to do that for them. I'll add a tool that's indespensible for any major project: a compressed-air nailer!! We had access to both a framing gun and a finish nailer, and MAN did they make that work go so much faster!!!!! Tools, I agree, are so important. You just can't do a good job without the right tools. Or maybe you can but it takes a lot more time and frustration! In my Christmas stocking I got a pliers set and under the tree was a screwdriver-tip kit and a new screwdriver set from DH. Romantic, huh? But now he won't worry I'm borrowing his work tools (he works at a boat yard which is GREAT for us since he has access to the whole woodshop there with awesome woodworking tools.) Books: We find that the Taunton pro series is best for really useful info. Here's the scope of our project and what we've done so far: Landscape drainage- 25% DIY, 75% subcontractor Main living space (kitchen, mudroom, dining, living) reconfigured, including moving several bearing walls): -demo: DIY, including walls, tile flooring, subfloor, plumbing & electrical -rough framing: subcontractor -sheetrock: subcontractor -plumbing: DIY, major replace entire kitchen -electrical: DIY, major, rewire 4 new rooms to code -cabinet install: DIY -appliance install: DIY -counter install: subcontractor (marble) -hardwood flooring install and finish: DIY -slate tile flooring: DIY -window/door trim: DIY (ongoing) -backsplash tile: DIY (not done yet, she says sheepishly!) -paint: DIY -woodstove install: DIY -pantry cabinetry build and install: DIY -built in bookcases buiild and install : DIY -heating/radiators install throughout: DIY Master bedroom/master bath/new office-bedroom- -demo: 50% DIY, 50% subcontractor (it was a mold issue and the insurance paid for much of this work to be done in order to eradicate the mold) -framing: subcontractor with close DIY supervision! -sheetrock: ditto above, plus we had to DIY a bit of it. -electrical: DIY -plumbing: DIY except for basic DWV layout -heating: DIY -tile: Bill Vincent!! -radiant heat floor install: DIY -window/door/finish trim: DIY -tub, toilet, vanity, etc install: DIY -paint: DIY Exterior- remove all vinyl siding and re-side with cedar shakes; paint all exposed concrete areas; install 3 new windows; build 3 porches and one deck; paths and landscaping: all DIY Phew. Now I'm really tired. Ugh- back to painting trim and installing toilets and lights today!!!

Odd man out here...From my experience... I'd prefer the cup. Granted I'm not sure of your instructions... but if I recall correctly, with the sticks there are some precautions...like don't let the urine splash up on the stick past a certain point, don't over saturate, but pee directly on for 5 seconds (what if your stream changes?),etc... You also may have to worry about the stick hitting toilet water without even knowing it and maybe deluting the results. And, I wouldn't doubt sometimes enough urine may not even hit the stick. I would just think the cup may be more precise and accurate. If there are no precautions, then the stick may be easier, but if there are and you need accuracy, I would suggest the cup.