size and price is irrelevant ... you need to buy a named variety ... so that you can predict the output of the fruit[???] .. so that you can predict its genetic background ... which you can not do on a homegrown seedling ... e.g. ... presume you love red delicious apples .. then you go buy a RD apple tree .. which was grafted onto understock.. it will take a few years.. but you WILL end up with a RD apples .... if you take a seed out of a RD ... you will.. not unlike children .. get anything the family tree wished to dredge up ... lol .. but odds are high.. that it will NOT be a RD ... so if you really want a tree that produces a known quantity ... then go buy that tree ... and that may or may not be what the bigboxstore offers ... in CA.. its hard for me to believe.. that there are not specialty nurseries around.. that offer many many varieties of what you are looking for ... all that said.. avocado is not something i grow in MI .. lol ... so maybe that matters, and i have no clue on any of this .. but genetics matter ... so correct me if i am wrong ... but i doubt it.. lol .. now.. if you are just looking for a green tree .. and dont really care if you ever get anything worth eating.. go for the best bargain ... good luck ken

I agree with all of you: they're definitely Hollywood Regency. And I should recharacterize my own style, which is probably better said to be "*in* transition" rather than transitional. (: I do like clean-lined pieces, and our DR set is very Mission; the adjacent LR combines Mission and Art Deco; and our bedroom, where these chairs would go, is your basic Recovering Graduate Student/Random Wedding Present room. So funky/eclectic would fit in just fine there. And there's just something about these chairs... The room is a long rectangle. The half without windows is for the bed (not a bed per se, but rather mattresses on a metal frame) and the dressers, which are mismatched yard sale finds. On the other side of the room, I'd like to create a sitting/reading area next to the windows, with a gorgeous view of the mountains (by far the nicest thing about the room!). We got a red and tan handloomed Peruvian folk-art rug for our wedding, and that's what we'll use to set off the seating area. Also on that side of the room, framing one window, are some slender dark walnut modern-styled bookcases. And then the part I'd like to replace: a heinously ugly loveseat that a friend gave us, also on that side of the room. I'd much rather find some reading chairs and an ottoman than a loveseat anyway; the room's not that big, and the loveseat makes it a pain to open and close the curtains and shades. I agree these chairs don't look too comfortable, so they're probably not my ideal reading chairs. But they'd be good for draping the bathrobe or pulling into the LR for extra seating. I love the idea of velvet, and maybe even the box-pleated skirt -- hadn't thought of that, cool idea, thank you! I agree that they're great in a pattern, but I don't want lots of patterns clashing in my bedroom, I don't think. What would you think of a tan velvet on the back and the bottom of the seat, and then the top, round seat cushion in something like this: Here is a link that might be useful: I'd use this pillow cover to reupholster the seat...

I have to agree with Jake on this one, that first response sounds like a bunch of hype to me. Let us review the facts: Both PEX and Copper provide an very good system however the aforementioned statement that a PEX homerun system saves water, Maybe it does, but then maybe just the opposite is true, depending upon the layout. Consider this, if you have a Main and Branch layout the lead time to get the hot water from the tank to the fixture will remain equal. On the other hand, if you have a manifold and home run system it is true that the smaller lines contain less water, but consider this. You go in the bathroom and turn on a faucet at the lavatory. The hot water must then travel from the water heater to the manifold and through a dedicated line to your lav, then you step to the shower and wait again as the hot water leaves the tank, travels to the manifold then up the dedicated line to your shower, and if you happen to have two lavatories and the wife turns the water on at her lav once again you wait for the water to travel from the water heater to the manifold, then through a dedicated line to her lav. If we were to realistically compute all those losses in most instances the end result would be nearly the same, if not less in a main and branch layout. On the other hand, there is absolutely nothing in the code that would prevent us from installing a manifold and home run system with copper. If reducing water consumption is the main concern, then the best method would be to install a Main & Branch recirculating system, which provides nearly instantaneous hot water at the fixture. Taking this to the next level, if your desire to conserve water is based upon environmental concerns then here again a recirculating system wastes much less water however, if your concerns on saving water is based upon savings on the water bill, it is highly unlikely that either system will have any major effect because even though most municipal water suppliers do measure the exact number of cubic feet of consumption, generally they bill in blocks of 100cu.ft. One hundred cubic feet of water is approximately 600gallons and it is highly unlikely that you would waste 600gal in a month even with a long lead time to the fixtures.(Typically a 3br residential structure will average 300gal per day total consumption.) Many will argue that PEX is cheaper than copper, but here again, that is not always true. If we install PEX in a main and branch layout then PEX defintely has the price advantage but if we install a PEX manifold and home run system we must then install a both a hot and cold dedicated line to all lavatories and the shower plus and additional dedicated cold water line to the water closet. Thus at a minimum we have 5 lines from the manifold to the bathroom whereas with a main and branch we only have i hot and 1 cold line from the main to the bathroom. Now when you consider that one PEX fixture stubout will cost nearly as much as a bag of 20 copper elbows in the end the material cost for a PEX manifold system is almost the same as a copper system. In can be argued that the labor cost to install PEX is much less, but here again, this is not true. While it is much easier to run the PEX tubing, if the PEX is properly installed per code and manufacturers requirements PEX can ultimately involve more labor time, by example, the manufacturers installation specs state that PEX must be protected from UV light, both direct and indirect. Technically speaking, if you run PEX through an open stud bay in a basement, and if that basement has windows the you are required to cover the underside of that stud bay with a light proof material. When the manifold is wall mounted it must either be in a windowless utility room, enclosed in a cabinet or provided with a light proof membrane curtain. Copper requires an hanger within one foot of every major change of direction and one hanger for every 48". PEX is required a hanger for every 38" and the hangers must allow movement of the tubing. In addition, all PEX runs must have an additional 10% overall length to allow for expansion and contraction. (Now ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a PEX installation that was done by the book? In my jurisdiction we have a plumbing inspector who is hell bent on insuring all PEX is by the book, in fact, he brags that he has yet to see a PEX installation that would pass on first inspection.) For re-work PEX has the distinct advantage that it can easily be fished through walls, but then, the same can be done with roll copper. For new construction if PEX is run in a main and branch configuration like copper the overall cost advantage certainly goes to PEX but when we consider how much more tubing is used in a manifold and home run system most plumbers will offer a PEX maifold system or a copper main and branch system for the same price. Now in regards to angle stops at the fixtures. The codes require that all fixtures with the exception of tubs & showers must have an individual shutoff valve, which in most instances is the angle stop, however with the advent of the manifold system the valve on the manifold meets the requirement in most jurisdictions. On the other hand, some jurisdictions such as mine have ruled that the manifold valve is a Zone valve, and they still require the individual angle stops at the fixture. IMHO i would not have a fixture that does not have angle stops. Consider this, you have a minor drip from the lavatory faucet. If you have an angle stop you can easily reach under the sink and turn the water off, make the repair, then easily turn the water on again. On the other hand, if you have a manifold and no angle stop you must go to the manifold to turn the water off, and with my luck, your in an upstairs bath and the manifold is in the basement, no doubt at the opposite end of the house, so you go down two flights of stairs across the house and probably have to move bicycles, lawnmowers and who knows what to get to the manifold, then up two flights of stairs to make a simple repair, followed by another trip down the stairs to turn the water on, back up to check your work and pick up your tools. Personally I am getting too old to be running up and down the stairs all day, oh, but it does have its compensation because I am billing additional labor time for all those stairs..LOL. It is also argued that PEX will tolerate freezing and thawing without bursting a pipe, which is truc, but on the other hand what they don't tell you is that rodents of all varieties, mice, rats, rabbits, and opossums seem to have a sweet tooth for PEX. In fact, in the last five year we have made more service calls to repair rodent damage to PEX than to repair frozen copper lines.

Please understand that I was the guy who has had to look at the leak in the ceiling and deduce where it is leaking. Mind you, not where it is showing, but where it is leaking. I had one lady who was really PO'd that I didn't magically know this. How dare I inconvenience her. On my second visit I brought the kids Ouija board. It can happen to you! As you will be spending a lot of time in that area, I would suggest a radon test prior to doing the re-model. rweigand, how different we are;) Someone shows me sparkling compound, tape and sandpaper and I'm heading for the door. Your post makes it sound joyful. Even sheet rockers don't like it. Matching a finish on a ceiling after a repair is exceedingly...touchy! If you do go with the rock make sure that they install some 1x3 strapping across the joist prior to the rock. A good electrical can fish from there. The difference between the basement and the first floor is that the entire distribution system is in the basement. That is where all the mains are for all services, electric, water, gas, heat, phone, etc. From the basement, the first and second floor are served with risers off of those systems. I can assure you that the plumber didn't anticipate covering the whole shebang. It is your house. Certainly decorate as you choose, Just be aware of what you are covering. Take detailed photos and measurements and SAVE them where they are accessible. That means not on your current PC. By the time you need it you may be 3 machines on. What that means to me is print the photos and do a scaled drawing and put the drawings in the 81/2x11 plastic sleeves and into a 3ring binder. Put that in the boiler room and tie it to something.