Enduring, After I had posted the glass block framed thingee and had a day to think about it I realized how much I disliked it! Still, for the right person and application it could work (though the one I had in mind had a frame all the way around and the frame was smaller). I always appreciate the help and postings on this forum. Overall, it seems to be about the friendliest and most supportive forum I have ever visited. When people take their time to respond I try to do a good job of saying thanks and also thinking about thier ideas. Even if I don't like exactly what they suggest it often leads to another idea that may work. But bototm line when a perosn takes their time to offer help it is something I always appreciate. The glass idea.. I need to meet with my contractors shower glass person. I have no idea what options he offers. I have seen shower glass with ORB trim on the top edges and actually think I like that especially if it helps avoid the brackets. I had not thought about ORB trim on the glass piece so thanks for suggesting that. It may very well work nicely. I had seen a shower glass web site which offered a bronze colored glass and thought it might be worth considering but the trim may do a better job. Given how small this will be I am actually feeling better about the glass idea. it is also very non invasive so if we do it and ayear later hate it, it can always be removed. I am now 1 week into the renovation (day 5) and while we are a bit behind in schedule it is shaping up. Tub frame is in, shower layout is in place (framing), floors have been leveled 9for tile), the wonderful popcorn ceilings have been scraped and Monday should bring in the plumber, electricians Tuesday and we should be off and running! At times this has been a tiring project and mentally draining but again the help I have received from you guys has been invaluable. Many many good and unique ideas!

There is a lot of variation in appliances, and most have quirks. There isn't a this is good quality/that is bad, except for a very few. Your best bet to start with is to go to all the independent appliance showrooms near where you live and talk to the sales help. If you get someone who seems clueless, ask nicely if they have someone who knows more who can help you. Look at the measurements and prices, and check out the lists of features. Then go home and check out the ones that looked appealing on the makers' websites. Download the manuals and see what the features are, and check the reviews. When you have it narrowed down to a few choices for each, come ask about them and let the members talk through your choices with you. Recommendations: These may cost a bit more, but you should check out induction cooktops. They're also electric but don't have the pitfalls that standard glass electric stoves do (hard to clean, poor control, etc.). You do need to use iron or steel (inc. clad) cookware that is of sufficient quality to react with the induction, but it's far superior. Most people like it better than gas, too. A convection oven is a good thing so long as you can turn the convection off if you need to. The way modern ovens are made, they don't necessarily heat evenly. Convection helps make up for that. What you should look for is "true convection", "heated convection" or "European convection". Some ovens just have a fan added to a regular oven, which isn't all that useful. The three terms above, generally, all refer to an arrangement where the air the fan moves is heated by an extra element. "Natural convection" is usually used to mean use of top and bottom heat to make the air move around without a fan. A couple of very high end ovens have a curved ceiling to create natural convection as well. Every new oven takes some getting used to. Your times and temperatures will inevitably be different to what you're used to. Adding convection means that it's just a bit of a bigger transition. For items that cook in under an hour, the rule of thumb is to try 25 degrees less or 10-20 minutes less with convection. It's just a matter of getting to know the oven. Once you get used to the oven, you'll get an instinct for which recipes need changing a little and how. Newer recipes often assume convection. I'm not sure what you meant by microwave convection oven combo. If you mean a single unit, that's not the best idea if it's your only oven. In that case, or when you read about speed or steam ovens with convection, that means hot air convection fans only, and not a regular bake or broil element. (Some of the speed and steam ovens now have modest broil elements, but I've never heard of a convection microwave that does.) There are also units that are a single item with an oven and a microwave, or those plus a warming drawer. When one breaks beyond repair, you have to replace the whole thing, and often, when it breaks, you can't use any part. Perhaps you just meant you were going to do a MW over an oven. That's fine. If you want to save some money, instead of getting a built-in to match your oven, you could get a freestanding Sharp or Panasonic (they make most of the microwaves that the other makers sell anyway), and trim it out so that it looks nice with your oven. When you're looking at dishwashers, bring a couple of your bigger items (clean) to try them on for size. One of your dinner plates, your everyday big pot that you want to go in, cereal bowls, etc. My DW, for instance, doesn't fit more than a few cereal bowls well, but we use more rimmed soups, which fit better. Miele, at all feature levels, seems to be the best loved dishwasher. In a fridge, the most repair prone part is an ice maker, and even more so if it's through the door. Through the door also takes up a lot of space. If you'll use it a lot, get it, but don't assume that you have to if it's not going to get enough use to be worth it. With a French door, make sure you have plenty of room on either side for the doors to open. You can choose among the brands to have a lot of freezer space that you have to bend far into to get to the bottom, a shallower easier freezer that doesn't hold as much, a two exterior drawers freezer for more space but easier access, or two/three drawers where the top drawer is flexible temperature and can go fridge or freezer. Check the interior layout and make sure the shelves and dividers work for you. Make sure you're comfortable reaching the top shelves of the fridge. Also, make sure the doors open and close easily. Fridge capacity is measured in cubic feet, which is fine for seeing if a couple of different styles are similar sizes, but doesn't actually translate into space you can easily use. If you want to compare usable fridge capacity bring a bunch of containers, bottles, etc. and fill 'em up. If you're into gallon milk jugs, tall bottles of wine and other hard to fit objects, make sure they'll fit. I won't say a lot about hoods. There are some experts here. In general, I think most people are happy with 600 cfm power on their fans. Many are rated more in the 400 range, and might be adequate for you, but in general a stronger hood on a slower setting does a better job than a lesser one on a higher setting. Search the threads for more info there. Good luck with your shopping. If you keep looking and imagining yourself cooking and using them, and reading about them, you'll start to get a feel for which ones you want for yourselves.

Praire, I very much like the look of the shower that you posted, but I do have one big concern about this layout: You can't place grab bars on both sides of that shower. If you're concerned about aging in place, the bathroom is the first place you want to direct your attentions, and grab bars are kind "rule #1" for elder-friendly building. Will this matter to you in the future? None of us can possibly answer that question today. If your elderly years are still decades away, I suppose a reasonable, middle-of-the-road answer might be, Build what you like /need now ... but make the shower wide enough that -- if you need to do so -- you could add a pony wall that could support grab bars. You wouldn't have to change the shape of the shower, just add a wall, if it becomes necessary in the future. I definitely think you should go with a curb-free, or barrier-free doorway. Even a small step-over can be difficult for an elderly person, and that's harder to fix later (because it entails details about the floor /drain). As for the shower seat /teak stool question, I come down solidly on the side of the stool. I like the idea that it's moveable. Today you can move it out completely if you're taking a two-person shower. In the future, if you're ill, you could place it in such a way that you can sit down while someone stands behind you and washes your hair. Or you could "sub in" a real hospital style chair with a back and hand holds, if necessary in the future. The stool is more functional than the built-in seat. Another option to consider: A fold-up seat.

If you paint everything one color, it will all blend together. You won't see the panels anymore. Is that cedar siding for the outside of a house on the wall in the back by the couches? You can remove that. What is your definition of modern? Do you mean all one and fresh? I'm asking because the furniture you have isn't modern. The flooring isn't either. So, pick a nice color that ins't dark and paint it all the one color, see if you like it. If you don't, you can change paint easily.