One major factor in deciding how large a compost pile one needs to retain the core heat -- particle size. I agree that IN GENERAL, a 4'by4'by4' high compost pile will retain heat better than a 4'by4'by2' high pile. But I can certainly see a 4by4by2' with shredded leaves retaining heat better than a 4by4by4 pile with medium or large wood chips. Who wants to turn over a three or four foot high pile? Not me. I find turning a large pile only 18" or 24" high to be easier on my back than cranking a tumbler. One time in 14 years a heavy snow melted and lowered the core temp. On that occasion the tarp should have been loosely covering the pile. Keep in mind that 4'by4'by4' is fine if you wanted to have your pile on stilts. But if your pile is resting on the ground like most are; the ground acts to store heat. So you can reduce the four foot height without losing core heat. How much? I'm not sure, but I have not had a compost pile more than two feet high for the last five years. Bear in mind that my piles are fairly tight, medium-fine shredded leaves are my 'brown'. Summer core temps run around 150F with a decent mix

I am sure this is a lot more information then you were asking for but here it goes...It wasn't a DIY persae. I played with a design forever because the space was difficult to work with. Then got some input, then hired someone to do the drawing for the carpenter. I knew that I wanted reclaimed wood, found a guy in our state who had it and I went and picked it out, hired a carpenter to work with the wood, build the cabinets and order the drawers. I ordered the floors from a company in our state too, had them install it, and my brother and I dyed and oiled the floors ourselves. (That's a whole 'nother story)! The concrete countertops were made by a local artist who had worked with concrete but never made a countertop. And the stainless steel counter tops and backspash were made by another local company. The painting was done by my brother (who is a painter by trade) and had been suggested by a color specialist (who also gave me a lot of helpful feedback on my ideas) and I am so glad she did. I would have never picked it but love it! All the appliances, sink, faucet, handles, pantry, etc I found with lots of research, and also feedback from this site. I am sure it would have been a lot easier to hire someone to be a contractor, but I guess that I have learned I am a little obsessive (to say the least) and had to be involved hands on. I think I will follow the advice and wait on the shelves, put up the art and see how it goes for a while. Hope this info didn't bore you to tears, guess I needed to "recap" for my mental health after such a big project!

I had my second colonscopy on Wed. Piece of cake. The day before is not fun, but worth it since the test is so valuable. Colon cancer is called the "unseen" cancer. My mother's was growing for 7 years before she knew....and of course by then it was too late. A colonscopy is a "must have" test.

Did you go to Elizpiz's album so you could see all of her photos and enlarge them? I have several coats of Waterlox on my wood island top. It is a wonderful finish and I have no worries about how it will hold up to the water around the sink. (I am always creating a lake around our sink, and we have kids who cook and bake, so aren't the most careful and neat either.) Our sink could be undermount or self-rimming and we did the self-rimming, feeling it was safer with the wood (and to match our main sink, which was self-rimming because of being in a laminate counter.) Many people here, though, have done undermount in a wood counter. If we did that, I would have made sure to also finish the under side of the wood for a good radius around the sink opening.