That doesn't make any sense. An air cooled reflector doesn't turn light into heat any more or any less than a normal reflector. Any time a photon hits something it transfers some of it's energy in the form of heat. Shiny surfaces absorb less heat than dark ones, etc, but no mirror is perfect. Glass absorbs some energy, air absorbs some energy, EVERYTHING absorbs some energy from the light emitted until eventually it's all absorbed in some form. Energy, like matter, cannot be created or destroyed. So if you put a light in a closed box and none of it's energy were absorbed you could turn it on and then off and there'd still be light inside. The bulb puts out X amount of energy regardless of what kind of fixture it's in. The only question is how much reaches the plants. A reflector of some kind improves this. By using an air-cooled fixture you remove waste heat more effectively. You're not significantly impacting the amount of useful light that reaches your plants, and you're massively reducing the distance your HID's have to be from your plants to avoid cooking them. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you can put your lights twice as close without harming the plants a little drop in light output is moot.

How did a discussion about windows turn into a cultural disagreement and charged political discussion? Left, right or wrong, please save the personal attacks. That said...I have an old (circa 1840s Greek Revival home with 6 over 6 double hung windows. Unfortunately, I had to replace them because they were in just too bad of a shape to restore economically. The closest I found in an affordable stock size and style was Brasco Boston 6 over 6 ADL (authentic divided light) windows (sash replacement kit--sash and balances only, no frame). A local mill was able to make custom wooden storms to match an original storm I found in the barn when I purchased the house. The windows cost a little over $100 each, the storms about $85.00. With a little ingenuity, I was able to make the Brascos fit into the original openings (the size difference was only about a 1/2 inch or so). From the outside, the house looks the same as it did in the photos I found at the local hisrorical society. The only drawback is the balances, which are vinyl with a spring mechanism. I was able to hide those with some creative interior trim work that doesn't look out of place. The net result is my heating bill has dropped significantly and my home is a lot less drafty. In the back turn of the 20th century addition that I had to completely rebuild due to structural issues, I bought pricey (stock) Marvin low E with argon 6 over 6 SDL's (simulated divided light windows--(prices ranging from $500 for a single unit to $1,100 for a mulled unit). The muntons are about an 1/8th of an inch thicker than the Brascos which matched the originals, but not noticeable since they are consistent on that portion of the house. Net net...The Marvins look great, operate smoothly (thanks to the quality balances) and are tight and completely draft free, but expensive. The Brascos look very close to the originals and with the storms seem to be as efficient. If I were in the position of the original poster, I would probably get removable interior storms and only put them in during the coldest months. The good ones don't look too bad and are a lot less expensive than replacing the windows. And my guess is the energy savings would pay back the cost within a few years or so. Perhaps Oberon can do the cost recovery calculation for you.

Smallhouse: Thank you for the links to your friends new kitchen. I like it! And it is so helpful to see how some ideas have worked out in small space. TBB123: Our upstairs is not too-too convoluted, but we do have a room that was divided in half. Both rooms are useful, but one is a weird shape. If your son ever puts info on his house online, I'd be very curious to snoop into what they've done with it. (I haven't gotten the chance yet, but I will map my other two floors and post the diagrams to this thread.) Brewcat: Happy hunting for renovation ideas. I am going to order a copy of the book you mention. I have read a little bit on rowhouse history, since I live in one and am (barring a massive career shift) setting down roots here. But what I read was not super detailed. I bet the book would be very illuminating. Maybe I could even figure out when our house was built... I have a rough idea but its really rough. Thanks for your observations re: the real estate market. My broad impressions are in line with yours on Fed Hill and Canton. I am uncertain what is true in my own market (Hampden). The market is not, I think, nearly as robust; at least, the home values are not as high as Canton. There has been a noticable uptick in buying and selling since I got here (I bought during the housing crash), and all the sudden people are gutting properties and doing the total overhaul inside that tbb123 and 4kids mentioned. Will the trend continue? It seems very recent, almost like it started last summer. I'm not sure I trust it yet. It does make me feel optimistic about the wisdom of smaller projects, esp if they improve aesthetics. I did try to do a little survey of what was up for sale this spring. A lot of houses have 2 baths, and many of them - not even the totally overhauled homes - have those baths above or below first floor. A lot of people who could use a basement seem to have done so. But it's also not super hard to find places that do have the first floor bath. So if a buyer wants it, she will have a choice of houses, and some will offer it. My suspicion is that, in terms of the market especially, there is wisdom in holding onto the powder room. One reason a person might consider Hampden over some other areas is that you can get a little more space for your money, you may be able to get a little yard, and the prices for the not-totally-overhauled houses is still reasonable. My observation is that this has attracted a lot of couples with babies and toddlers. And that, as some have pointed out, makes the first floor bath an asset. Also, having looked over our house very hard this last weekend, I realize that it might be difficult to find (a lot) more bathroom space on the other floors. So if I have space for a powder room on floor 1, it might be a bad idea to erase it. One advantage of the daylight rowhouse layout is that even if we keep the back partially blocked by the powder room, we could invest in nice windows all along the wall that is not shared with neighbors. It is mostly closed off right now, but it is south-facing and very bright. I suspect it that more windows would really open up and brighten the space.

@Jan Moyer we are hiring a professional contractor. I sent the plans to him yesterday. waiting on his estimate. i have spent a lot of time on it. during my initial consultation with him he didn’t think to turn the tub. He did however say that a 34 inch wide shower was fine since it’s 54 deep. i actually don’t want the chandelier direcyltky over the tub. I’m thinking id like it centered in the section of the “room” with the tub. my husband wants to keep the tub parallel to the window and says 34 inches will be fine in the shower. so yes i got more gray hair over this for nothing. cest la vie! we kept the wood louvered doors original to the house so thats why I’m putting the mirrors on the wall. i am toting with the idea of having them trimmed up on the walls likr this the original 70s bathroom had giant unframed mirrors surrounding the tub like walls. I still have all those mirrors. i know this type Of trim work will be expensive. I‘d like to get an estimate on it though. i just moved the closet door away from tub. That was still the original/existing location.. back to the hall. I’m not sure why my blue & yellow lines pic didn’t post. Trying again one yellow line is the wall I’m talking about. The other yellow line is the distance/walking space I’m talking about. The blue line is where the wall exists now. I know 56” is enough in the bathroom and that 40 or more is enough in the hall. I have to move the wall no matter what though so i‘m trying to figure out the best place to move it to. The hall is 20 feet long. and is currently 40 inches wide then widens to 64” wide after you pass the kids bath. as it is on the plans, the hall is 48” inches after the kids bath, and the space between the vanity counter and the wall with shower and water closet is 56”. The contractor thought i should give the other 8” inches to the bathroom and make the hall 40 inches. Then he went and looked at the hall and said well it is a long hall so i can see why you like some extra width here.