This is so ironic... I thought I'd look on this site to see what would be good to plant for quick privacy. Our huge 40-foot old arborvitae split from all of the rain and wind last week. It had 3 limbs and split right at the bottom sending one limb onto our garage. We now have a perfect view into our neighbor's house. The single-leader advice is definitely worth following. Regarding the cypress suggestion, I planted about 35 leyland cypress 10 years ago (nursery going out of busines sale $3 each) and they're now over 30 feet tall. Amazing privacy. The only bad thing is they don't put down very deep roots relative to their height. We usually have to pick up one or two each winter and brace them back up when we have a particularly wet and windy winter. Even with this minor inconvenience, they're still well worth it and do a great job of screening out our neighbors' 2-story addition. I might try a tall, fast flowering shrub. Any advice on one for a dry, partial sun area?

Wow! Thank you for all the responses. I'm clipping every post so I can refer back to the great advice you've given. I think y'all are right. I'll go with the black dot rather than gray. I was just afraid the black would be too stark, but there isn't very much of it. Also, a row (or two) of black pencil liner with the white subways would be just the right amount of trim. I'd love white beadboard wainscot & it would fit since we will have it some other places in the house. That's probably something DH & I would DIY. I'll also start looking at medicine cabinets. I'm assuming that the vanity should be white. I know that's not the right faucet, so I will continue to look for a cross handle. Danze has one that is reasonable. We're getting our fixtures from Ferguson's so the Mirabelle is an option. Thanks for the link. Here's another idea. What about this decolave sink that can be partially recessed: I think that would look so nice sitting on a marble top. The only problem is that it needs a single handle faucet. There are several variations on the one below. I'm just afraid it might be too "precious", but it does make me think of the hand pump I used as a kid at my grandparent's summer home. If I go single handle, an alternative is something on the order of one of these: DH & I love, love, love toile. But, I think we will use it in the breakfast nook & keeping room, so chintz is a good choice for the guest room since it is "homey". I did a quick look online & there are so many pretty patterns. I plan to sew the drapes, pillow covers, cushion, for the window seat, etc. so I'll find a pattern that has a ton of coordinates. I may also piece together a quilted coverlet & crochet a throw in colors pulled from the fabric. I have so many shampoos, lotions, etc. from hotels that I can probably supply the guest room for a decade. LOL! Actually, once we move & I have my large crafts room, I'm going to start making soap & other toiletries again. It's real soap made with lye, but not the harsh stuff great-grandma's made. It took me months & dozens of batches to perfect my formula. Anyway, I'd like to create a "house" scent blended from several fragrance oils so our guests will bath with something unique they can only get at our house. This is going to be fun. What do y'all think about the window seat? It really is charming & DH wants it. DD and I think it might be better to omit it and have what looks like a writing table, but actually is a small desk where the guest can use their laptop. I'd keep a full size USB keyboard & mouse tucked in the pull out drawer, have a surge protected power strip for the laptop & other electronics charging & they would be good to go. Honestly, I think a guest would get more out of being able to use their laptop in some peace & quiet rather than sitting on a window seat. Yes I do wish that the door to the bath could be elsewhere. The plumbing on the lower level is fixed, but they aren't suppose to start the main level until after we go there in a few weeks for the electrical, mechanical walkthrough. The main issue with changing it would be putting the tub on the outer wall. I think a guest would rather have some natural light available for shaving, etc., than having a window in the shower. I don't really want the door opening into the toilet, but I guess we could switch the vanity & the toilet and then move the door closer to the tub. I need to think about that (quickly). I don't feel the need to make the guest suite "authentic" to any specific period, I just want it to have a feeling of nostalgia, if that makes sense. Like, the guest turns a crystal or porcelain knob to enter & something tinkles around in their brain on the order of "I remember something like that from Aunt Fanny's house." The suggestions for keeping the guests comfy are fabulous. Thank you so much. I guess what I really need help with at this stage is making a decision on the sink since that drives the faucet and the plumbing. Thanks, again - Jo Ann

My husband's opinion is typically based on what is the best value for the money. I have finally convinced him that I am standing firm on wanting to do a color range, so he is okay with that even though he thinks it is silly to pay a lot more just to get a color rather than stainless range. He is actually the one who originally thought of the idea of just having the Legacy with no countertop to the left of it. I am truly struggling with how much heat and power one needs. I know that there are many here who swear (actually I just made a typo and wrote "sweat" and wonder if this was a freudian slip) by their super-powered stoves. As someone who has managed to cook pretty well for years on a pretty ordinary gas range, I do wonder how much I need. And, I also hear all of those who say it would be a bad idea to put in a 36" with only an 8" counter next to it when there is a traffic pattern there. (We have completely eliminated the possibility of just having one side of it free-standing.) This started out with a desire/need for new countertops. Then, we decided we might as well replace an aging range prior to doing the countertops. There is a certain symmetry to the layout of our kitchen, and we don't want to move any other cabinetry around other than being willing to remove the counter to the left of the current range and get something smaller to replace it. As far as venting, we have been told by several salespeople that even with a high-powered range like a 30" Bluestar a 600 cfm should be adequate. Thanks again all.

No, I typed in a . so that this duplicate thread would drift down and off the page.