In the beginning, I thought this thread was about making use of what could be made into something good, and getting rid of the rest. I didn't understand that the focus was on using pieces of a landscape somewhere, somehow. It seems to me that many existing "pieces" of the puzzle, if used, will only guaranty an undesirable outcome. There are many smallish, highly ornamental, cute pairs of plants (bougainvillia, topiary, pompoms, etc.) that beg to be used to flank a passageway. But there are not that many passageways that need flanking. There are plants in bad positions that need to be moved, but they are too big to move without a great deal of trouble or expense. Though there are many pictures attached to the thread, they are isolated shots that don't link areas. It's hard to develop a fluid concept of the site. Truth is, trying to make sense of the existing puzzle pieces would be an unpleasant job if I could be there doing it on site. And that would be much easier than trying to do it by remote. I think it was mentioned that it would be a good idea to return some items. I understand the difficulty and unpleasantness with that, but honestly, I think that is the best suggestion. What this situation really needs is a good designer who can make a personal visit, and a willingness of the owner to find another way to dispose of all the things that don't fit or that can't be made to fit without too much sacrifice. I believe the owner does want a finished product that's actually nice. But there only so much a person can squeeze in before the objects begin to work against him. It doesn't need more "objects" as much as it needs continuity and linking. This is not an attempt to say "I'm out." I'm just saying that the project is frustrating and I wish I could help you more, Relleum, but other than offering piecemeal advice, don't know if I can.

Hello! - Can withstand pets. All floors will show signs of wear with time. If you want to go with a wood floor, try one with a textured surface as this will make signs of wear less noticeable. - Does not expand/shrink (meaning, we do not want issues with gaps post installation) Wood is a natural product meaning that it will move with changes to the environment. In the winter (dryer months) it is not uncommon to see small gaps in a wood floor. Engineered floors are more stable and will minimize this. - Can withstand humidity (we have central AC but in SoFla, this is an issue) Again, Engineered wood floors are more stable and can withstand more than a solid wood floor. Does anyone have any advice? Any product that may be recommended? I would recommend a high quality engineered wood flooring. Here are some links that will help you. https://www.woodco.com/news/quality-check-engineered-wood-flooring/  https://www.woodco.com/news/6-questions-to-ask-when-buying-wood-flooring/ https://www.woodco.com/news/wood-floor-texture-do-you-know-the-differences/ https://www.woodco.com/news/custom-wood-flooring-manufacturer/ All the best with your remodel! Let us know if we can help further, info@woodco.com

Disclaimer - We are the contractors in this story who saved the day, testified in court, and established a great relationship with the homeowner. An educated consumer is our best customer. On GC's and subs- 1- Give me a good price on this job and I'll shovel you tons of work. This is an old tactic used by GC's to drive the cost down / raise profits. After the first job the sub is fired and quickly replaced. Subs who haven't been burned by this before, or are hungry, are young, or didn't know this happened to them are easy prey to this scam. If the sub stays on and wants to get paid his full amount, he is quickly replaced. 2- My subs have been with me a long time. What is a long time? Months or years? Did you speak to the sub himself? 3- Most GC's have bare general knowledge about what their subs do. They don't have the specific knowledge of the trades. If you have specific concerns about waterproofing, it's best to ask the sub directly before the job starts. Having done your homework on John Bridge, or Fine Homebuilding will help you immensely. 4- GC's are salesmen who add 25% to 35% to what the sub is charging to make their living. IMHO most GC's view subs as commodities not skilled craftsmen and are not willing to pay a skilled craftsman the rates they deserve. The best craftspeople I know around the world are all self employed and don't work for GC's. Most work aside the GC, directly for the HO. On the rare chance I do work under a GC, the HO is actively involved in the process and has usually brought us in specifically. 5- GC's prefer to price items by the square foot or some easy (brainless) method. I find this a great disservice to the HO. If I am tiling the floor of a car dealership (wide open space) the price per sf will be lower than a dentist's office (tiny rooms and hallways) IN these instances a per sf price would be useless. Then we get into prep work, access to the jobsite, working conditions, and a myriad of variables unique to each jobsite. Is there a gate that needs to be kept closed all the time? Limited hours we can be on the site? Is the building heated and cooled? There is no way a flat rate of $/sf is useful when it comes to certain trades. 6- GC's are not inclined to pay for prepwork. They pay for finished product. While we all want the finished product to be gorgeous, prep work is critical. Certainly in a shower, waterproofing is what you are really buying. Tile is just the pretty surface. This is why so many showers fail. I've actually had a GC say to me - "I don't pay you for prep work, I pay you to install tile" Prep work usually drives up the cost of a job considerably. Customers sometimes don't want to hear this or think we are adding to the scope of work unnecessarily. We don't work for such folks. 7- Why don't contractors just tell HO's they are busy and will have to wait? When a potential customer calls, asking when they want the work completed is my first or second question. This comes with a lot of risk, mainly losing the job all together. My 40 years experience has taught me that most HO's call contractors when the HO is ready to start the project and is eager to get things rolling. Telling a HO they will have to wait a few months in the first phone call is usually the kiss of death. My thought is - Would you want to hire a contractor who isn't busy? Granted there are job delays and cancellations, but a good businessman knows how to keep his schedule full and workers busy. It takes some sales skill (and empathy) to save that first phone call from going down in flames and losing the opportunity to educate a customer on the process of hiring a qualified contractor. 8- Not so news flash - Not all great contractors are great businessmen. Makes sense once you think about it though. The manufacturers have reps to show us their products, there are trade schools and unions, but teaching a contractor how to run his business is woefully lacking. Being a craftsman in any trade doesn't make you a good businessperson or a good salesperson. Some good contractors become subs as to have the business side of their job taken care of by the GC who feeds them a steady stream of work and a reliable paycheck. Pounding the pavement, making sales, maintaining a website, and giving estimates all take effort, skill, and time not everyone has. 9- Not so news flash #2 - Not all great salesmen are great contractors. This is the hard part for the average HO to sort out. A slick talking young man in a pressed shirt can have all the right sounding answers. So what's a HO to do? Start by asking; Who will be coming into my home? Will they have seen the jobsite in person or pictures before they knock on my door? Or are they just given my address that morning? Ask what products will be used and why. Talk to the manufacturer's reps for those products. It's a good sign when the rep knows your contractor. It's a good sign when the rep backs up what your contractor claims. Ask the Rep about any installation tricks/hazards to watch for. Every manufacturer has YouTube videos giving detailed instructions which MUST be followed. An educated consumer is our best customer. 10- Not so news flash #3 - There are good people on YouTube and then..... there is the rest of the crowd. As mentioned above, the John Bridge Forum and Sal Diblasi's videos are spot on. So are the videos made by the product manufacturer or a trade association. A HO will have a hard time discerning the good from the bad YouTube videos without trade knowledge or a trained ear which is why I recommend the manufacturer's videos and talking with their reps. The reps get paid for this, its their job. When you find a good contractor who provides excellent service the best compliment is to recommend them, give a good Google / Angie's List / Yelp review. This will also help other HO's in their search. I could go on for pages, but y'all are probably bored by now. If you have specific questions, I'd be happy to answer.

@Dianna B We bought/renovated a house near the beach 2 years ago, got all the permits to list it as a vacation rental (this was an ORDEAL, so make sure you look into what it required!), signed a contract with a property management company, got pictures taken and the website set up to list it on all the vacation rental sites, and were ready to go live... on March 5. Yes, that would be March 5, *2020.* :P So, instead of renting it out, we moved our family into it -- since everyone was working/schooling remotely, it was perfect. And every single day, I'm grateful for our beautiful kitchen!!!! (The house we rent where we 'live' is a tiny homage to the 70s, in all the bad senses of the term homage. The greenish-yellow counters, the inability to open the fridge and the oven at the same time, the lack of a functional venting system... well; at least it's very space-efficient! haha) So yes, to @Michelle Maurice's point: you never know how you will use your vacation house. :D