Ok, I listened to you guys and hired a landscape architect. The good news: He said the two oaks I was worried about would probably be just fine. Suggested I get an arborist out to give them some sort of treatment just in case. He liked my crude self drawn hardscape plan and had a couple of great suggestions. He said the retaining wall isn't such a big deal. He said to save money, I should use Belgard type of pavers and stop obsessing over wall height and live with a step down or two. He said NOT to do my own waterfall because I'll mess it up. And he gave me a nice planting plan using most of my existing shrubs. The bad news is that he said "Those two oaks over THERE need to be removed before you do anything. They're dying. Cost: $1900. They didn't look so dead to me, but he told me if they are dead on top, they are going to be dead all the way down. What a shame because they are big and beautiful. I may post another question just about dying oaks...

No, it's not enough room unless your serviceman is a midget. It will also be likely to flood in a heavy rain. The motors don't like being submerged, even partially. The foam insulation will get wet and mold/mildew will form in places you can't get at. I don't like saying it but I have to. IMHO, sinking it into the ground, surrounded by concrete is not a good idea. There are a number of custom skinning products that can be used if you don't like the look of the side panels on the spa and want something that better matches the decor and color schemes you like for your backyard paradise. Happy Easter! Scott

Here's the link: https://www.progressive.com/lifelanes/household/painting-brick/ To be clear and so we're all speaking in proper context, the 3 to 5 year recommendation is about REGULAR HOUSE PAINT. Which I have repeatedly stated that regular house paint is not the best product to use to change the color of brick. 30 years ago there wasn't the range of product to choose from like we have in 2019. Also, from the same article. And, again, to ensure everyone has proper context... "The Brick Industry Association also advises using a porous paint for exterior brick walls, so the brick can breathe." " Zumeta recommends looking into having your brick professionally stained, rather than painted. Although it can be more expensive, a brick stain penetrates the pores of the brick, unlike paint, which simply sits on the surface. It creates new color without some of the long-term risks that come with paint." In addition, the article speaks to the substrate. Which I also mentioned earlier in the thread because it matters. Bottom line is it's not okay to make sweeping, generalizing, fear-mongering comments about the pitfalls of painting brick without specifying product and substrate. The details matter. Lastly, from the article, this is bad advice. Which makes me question the article overall. I wouldn't use Super Paint exterior on normal substrates let alone brick unless the budget was Super tight for painting normal exterior substrates. JMHO: “Choosing a high-quality paint is vital for painting brick successfully,” says Watson. Both Watson and Crocker recommend using specific masonry paint products for painting brick, starting out with a conditioner and a primer, and then using a breathable latex exterior or interior paint, like Sherwin-Williams’ SuperPaint Acrylic Latex."

I was thinking about stacked but we did that for the shower wall and want to mix it up. To each their own. I really like natural products and don't like how LVP is basically just plastic. We brought home a few samples but both agreed that we wanted to go with tile. Wood was also considered but we want something that will perform better with water since this room will have a small kitchen bar and we'll be bringing in wet sports equipment. Practically speaking, we will cover a lot of the floor with area rugs so I'm not too worried about the difference on our bodies. Mainly keen right now to see any pictures of a large room where they go with a 1/3 brick offset pattern. I'm normally pretty good at finding pics online but I'm coming up empty.