Hey Brad There is a woman in our OS who has done exactly this - she has a section of the basement enclosed, with several HID lights inside. Her plants are absolutely magnificent, and flawless - basically it's like growing outdoors but without critter damage, sun burn, or water splash damage. She lets the heat generated from the ballasts create the diurnal drop that so many orchids enjoy, and waters with rain water. The room is sealed with some sort of plastic - much easier to work with than glass. Not sure if she does this, but the lights can be run at night, thus saving electricity costs. Not sure about the whole LED light thing - I haven't been following the debate, but haven't heard anything conclusive yet and it seems like the cost is prohibitive...with three HIDs, you can light up a pretty decent area...but I am suspicious as to how many LEDs you would need. Also, the red/blue glow looks hideous in my mind! I think the advantage of HID lights for a large room environment is that the huge range in brightness allows for multiple light niches. With something like a fluorescent T5 tubes, sure you get a rectangular area directly underneath with good light, but move a foot in either direction and your light is essentially non-existent. I believe she has the lights on a light mover as well. Looking forward to hearing your updates to this project!

I'm curious to see what ventilation strategy for a home with no a/c, Sorry I can't be of help, we put a supply grill for a/c in closets & baths here. as far as the skylight goes there are good ones out there Vellux (I believe) has low e coatings which will filter out uv and heat and add light. the negative is that you are cutting a hole in your roof so proper install and flashing are a must. the install is the biggest problem I encounter with my clients and the installer of the skylight. even with a top notch install, it only delays the not if it will leak, but when. I would give this some thought... for less cost/worry than the skylight you could install more lights.There are qiute a few options that are energy efficient and will work well. although I'm not a fan of recessed lights..if you look at that as an option make sure that you get ICAT cans insulation contact air tight instead of the standard IC light. IC will allow hot air from attic and reduce the value of the insulation surrounding it in the attic. Buy ICAT and put cfl's if you go that route, best of luck.

You don't need 3 separate faucets. I have two: the main faucet I use for washing (which isn't filtered) and then a small hot/cold faucet that's hooked to the filter and the instant hot. I left the filtered cold dispenser out of my original description because it's integrated with the instant hot system. The filter faucet I have is this one, I think. The only thing I don't like about it is that the hot lever is spring-loaded as a "safety" feature, so you have to hold it down to keep the water flowing. (I put "safety" in sneer quotes because I think it's less safe to force me to keep my hand near the hot water.) I actually have a ice/water dispenser on the fridge too. It dispenses chilled water, but it comes out quite a bit more slowly than the non-chilled water from the hold/cold dispenser by the sink. I tend to use the one on the fridge for a quick glass of ice water and the one by the sink for filling pitchers and other big stuff. I didn't try hooking the main faucet up to a filter because I think it would take a big filter to maintain the water pressure and flow rate you'd want from a faucet used for washing dishes, rinsing vegetables, etc. If I have time I'll try to post some photos of what my set-up looks like from above and below the sink. I may have to do a bit of cleaning first, though. :-) Depending on how carried away you want to get, a whole-house filter is an option. My next-door neighbor the plumber re-piped his house and put a big whole-house filter and softer system in his garage. It's two sealed units about 1 foot in diameter and 4 feet high each. He says they have to be changed every 5-10 years depending on how bad the city water is. I can ask him for the brand and model number if you'd like. It looked like a big job to install, though, not a DIY project. (Even for me, and I'm not afraid of sweating copper pipes.) And I'm sure we're talking at least a couple thousand dollars for the equipment and labor. Laura

Your descriptions are a bit confusing. In the text with the first picture you stated that the 2" on the upper left side is the vent, while the 2" extending to the right is the drain line from the lavatory (bathroom sink). If that is correct, then both of those lines are illegal. If that were in fact a vent line with nothing else attached it would be illegal because code prohibits any horizontal run of a vent until the vent reaches an elevation at least 6" higher than the flood level rim of the highest fixture served by that vent. If that 2" line is in fact the drain line from the lavatory it is also illegal. The code mandated size for a lavatory bowl drain is 1-1/4". The code will permit increasing the size of a line or trap by a maximum of one nominal trade size, which would then be 1-1/2" so 2" is again illegal. (Note: the lavatory bowl is the only fixture in a house that is permitted a 1-1/4" line. Most plumbers now opt to use the code exception and install an 1-1/2" trap and line to preclude the necessity of maintaining a separate inventory of pipe and fittings for this limited use. In fact, installing the 1-1/2" trap and line have become so commonplace that most hardware stores and home supply centers no longer carry 1-1/4" pipe and fittings, although they do carry the 1-1/4" traps and trap adapters) Under your second picture you state that the 2" to the right is the drain line for you bathtub. If that is the case, then am I correct in assuming that the line on the upper right is connected to you lavatory? If that line is connected to the lavatory and if there is a vent line extending upwards from the lavatory location your vent is correct. The portion up to the lavatory tee connection would be a "Combined waste & Vent" and it may have a horizontal section. Now in regards to your fittings; If that riser on the left is going up to the lavatory then extending up to the roof for a vent you may install the 2x3x3 sanitary tee as you have it laid out. The Wye fitting for the tub drain should be a 3x1-1/2x3 Wye and the side opening MUST BE configured so that the side opening in on the side of the pipe. If you are under the IRC you could then have up to 6Â of 1-1/2" pipe from the Wye to the tub trap without requiring any additional venting, or you may opt to use the 2" that you have in which case the line could be up to 8Â from the Wye to the trap. (If your under the UPC a 1-1/2" line may extend 3Â6" or a 2" line may extend 5Â without any additional venting) The 1/4bend under your closet flange is correct and the water closet will not require any additional venting.