After seeing your very pretty living room, I understand your hesitance to go red on the front door. If the room is an example of your taste, you go for more muted tones. Don't think I'm crazy for suggesting a "purple", but there are two really lovely Sherwin Williams muted plum colors that might give the feeling of your gray but be a bit more interesting. My friends has the same color shutters that you do with SW Expressive Plum on her front door and its soft and lovely. I also really, really like the one shade darker on the color card but I can't find my card or remember the name. But this is just a suggestion, you may hate plum! I have door that is one color (in my case wood) but sidelights and transom are white like the trim around my windows, etc. However I think it works on my house b/c I have the transom, flagstone steps leading up to a portico with a copper roof. All of those things give the entrance more weight/importance. Since your entrance is more flat, I think your next best bet (and cheapest!) is to give the entrance more weight by making it look bigger/more important...ie, painting it as though it is all one unit. And maybe going with a slightly more interesting color (but still muted they way you like.) But I do think you went a step in the right direction painting the sidelights like the door! I don't know that painting those vertical trim pieces a third color would help...that would still break up the "unit". (And just to clarify, just the vertical white trim b/t the door and sidelights. The trim around the entire thing is good the way it is.) Its a pretty nice color but have you thought about going a shade or so darker? As you mentioned, outside in the sun things can look very light.

Hey Samantha. I'm also a recent beginner this year and live in Florida too (South Florida specifically). Two of the biggest lessons i've learned with this unpredictable Florida weather are: 1. Pay attention to water needs 2. Some plants that are marked as liking Partial to Full Sun really can't handle a full day of Florida sun You might read articles on some plants only needing watering once a week. This won't always be true for flowering plants in Florida. The afternoon sun is harsh down here and soaks up the water quickly. Having self-watering containers are helpful, but also having soil that maintains a decent moisture balance is important too. If the soil you buy drains extremely well, because of the heat, you might have to water the plant more often than what is stated online. Also, pay attention to the forecast. We tend to have rainy summers. If it's guaranteed to rain one day and your plants are fully outdoors, then you might not want to bother watering that day. Mother Nature will handle it. On that note, if you have some potted plants that specifically have low water needs, you might wanna consider (when possible) temporarily removing them from open-air if a thunderstorm is coming. Late Spring/Summer thunderstorms in particular can last all afternoon or all night. If they get caught in the downpours, just refrain from watering them manually for awhile. You can always just check the soil a few days later to see if it's dried out enough for manual watering. I basically learned from trial and error. My pots of Pentas, for example, which are Partial to Full Sun lovers, let me know immediately that they can't handle a full morning and afternoon of South Florida sun without lots of water. Otherwise by 5pm, they would be wilting and the petals shriveled. Then i would water them and within a half hour, they'd be upright and happy again. My apartment faces North, so i rely on the strong mid-morning and afternoon sun for my plants. To fix the situation, i just positioned the pots near my door where they get the harsher afternoon sun, but are exposed to less hours of it and the result is that i now water them less and they are blooming normally, with no wilting whatsoever. I don't have this issue with my Marigolds, Celosia, Gomphrena, or Purslane. Also always keep in mind that caring for potted plants can differ from caring for them in-ground in Florida. With flowers like roses, i'd rather grow them in a container due to the nematode issue in Florida soil (and not having enough space for a big garden). There are only certain kinds of roses that will do well in Florida. And always remember that with in-ground planting, it's helpful to mix compost/organic soil to add the nutrients Floridian sandy soil tends to lack. Lastly, always buy the plants adequate for your zone (for quick purchases, your local Home Depot/Walmart/Lowes will sell them) or buy seeds for flowers that will thrive in your zone. You can also purchase roots online, but always zone check. It will save you from a lot of potential hardship and disappointment. Anyway, pay attention to what your plants are telling you as they will let you know when there's a problem, and slowly make adjustments when necessary. Good luck!

I live in Arizona. I’m currently having a new home built and just had my 8’ sliders installed in one guest room and master bedroom. The sill on my sliders is about 1 1/2 ~ 2” and I have kicked it several times now. Was just wondering today why is it so high? My contractor for my foundation told me I would have ALL level Entryways going from outside to inside and vise versa.. therefore myself or anyone else would never have to worry about tripping over any threshold.. I definitely have two tripping hazards! I will be contacting my foundation contractor first I guess.. hhhmmm

I have not seen an impact sliding door that can achieve a high enough design pressure rating without a generous sill riser on the interior to avoid leakage. Last year the International Builders Show was in Orlando and all of the Florida manufacturers were on display and everyone had tall sill risers. PGT has several sill risers on their doors and the lowest being 2 ½” but the positive DP is only 38 to achieve DP60 you need the 3 1/2” rise. Best solution is to drop it into the floor. Below is a link to a picture of a 3 ½” riser on a PGT Vinyl Impact door. https://www.dropbox.com/s/7o4xl1zngb4awzm/PGT-SLGSill.jpg?dl=0