This'll be useful - I'll take some measurements from my 65W this weekend and post similar measurements for comparison. I am also in the process of setting up my bank of T5s so I can take some measurements from those too...this will be a good resource for anyone interested in setting up lights. Brooke - your measurements with and without the reflector definitely show the importance of reflectors - someone on another forum showed the same thing with T5s actually - it makes a huge difference! Just for the record, I have *heard* that aluminum foil is bad material for making reflectors, as no matter how smooth you get it, it still scatters the light undesirably. Apparently, plain white is the best reflective material - it would be interesting to try the measurements with either 3" tin foil extenders, or 3"white paper extenders. Lacontessa - I was also a bit confused about the lumen-foot candle thing...hard conversion to do but I found: http://www.lightingdesignlab.com/articles/metrics_quantity/metric_quantity.htm (very good diagram!). From what I've read, essentially foot candles/lux is a measurement of the amount of light that falls on a certain area (aka intensity) whereas lumens is simply the quantity of light flying out of a source. 1000 lumens spread over 10 feet = 100 foot candles. 1000 lumens spread over 1 foot = 1000 foot candles. 1000 lumens spread over 0.1 foot (which is roughly what you get right up at the bulb) = 10,000 foot candles. If the lumen rating on bulbs describes essentially the amount of light flying out of the bulb, then it I'm not sure you're correct in saying that lumens = foot candles at 0 feet....theoretically, by the definition of foot candles as light landing over an area, as your area approaches 0 (which will happen as you move closer and closer to your point source) your foot candles can approach infinity as the amount of light your outputting is concentrated over a smaller and smaller area. Btw - is this actually clara from before with the big bertha?? why the name change?!?

I'm a grad school trained Biochemist w Botany (physiology) minor. Mostly worked with mycology lignocellose biodegraders and bioremediation R&D, including some work with biodegradable plastics. Worked quite a bit with shiitake mushroom cultivation and enzymes and biological pulping of wood too. My passion since 12 yr old was growing plants. Mostly indoor orchids. Over last 16 yrs worked to get outdoor gardens at home lush enough to make them feel lush and maybe a little tropical. We live on a circle, which limits the front yard size. These are a couple photos of the front yard design going in last summer. With so many deciduous bushes there I have a lot of spring bulbs. Crocus, Hyacinth (50!), small yellow and large Mt Hood daffodil, Poet's Narcissis, Muscaria. Along the other side of the walkway are highly fragrant Sarcococca coning into bloom now. In summer the hydrangea will fill on and just touch eack other. The tree rose at 5' now is a nearly thornless 'Zephirine Drouhin'. An heirloom of that's still popular, it's a quintessential 'Old Bourbon' fragrance class rose. It runs 20 - 30'. So, I'm going to run it up the front house corner and also over the front porch. Late fall 2016 plant design staging in the back yard. Much installed just before first freeze. Japanese Iris Bog is behind the canna on right. Yes, this is the same area above with Canna 'Tropicanna'. On left of walkway are rainbow of German Bearded Iris (not in bog) and modern warm colored Echinacea and Red Hot Poker varieties. Japanee Iris, Peruvian Daffodil and Colocasia 'Diamond Head' stage for planting. Now much is planted. This is the Japanese Iris Bog (connected to Giant Gunnera bog water pit, but not the fidh pond). Late season with cold nights just before frost makes it look rundown. Some of the varieties installed here are below. They are sorted in the yard by increasing height but are random by color. The goal is a mind boggling changing landscape of color. There a other places in the yard with banks of color, such as a fragrant moongarden, where my wife likes to hammock bask in the summer evenings. There's some nocturnal fragrance magicians there such as Brugmansia 'Little Angel, Nicotiana 'Fragrant Cloud, Night Phox 'Midnight Candy', 4 O'clocks and Evening Stock. As you walk there or the wind changes direction, one detects new scents. During the day the Echinacea and Oriental Lilies are quite fragrant too across the yard. Then we have Hydrangea with cool blue, white, purple, pink and red colors all around the yard and gazebo edges. Lacking warm yellows and oranges, they contrast with the perennials.

I bet you are referring to the Home Depot granite top at 31 inches. I had the same problem. The first counter top worked great in my hall upstairs bath - was the 41 inch or whatever that size was. Powder room was like yours though - my vanity butts up against the wall and is 30 inches. Would not work for me b/c if I allowed a 1 inch overhang on the side, I found the bowl to be off center. May not be noticable in your room but it was in mine. the sink was not even with the middle of the vanity. Someone did post a link though about how to use a wet saw and do it, etc to shave off the extra 1/2 inch or you can take it to a granite yard and have it done...

For a working island and exposed bulbs, you and your standing guests will be most comfortable if the fixtures and especially the bulbs are mounted above eye level. So, the bottoms of the fixtures should be at least 6' high.