Hi Steve, To address your original questions about soil heat cables.......we live in a very cold climate here in Wyoming at over 6,000' elevation with winter temps as low as -40 degrees F. We have not used soil heat cables in an outside grow box - but did decide to experiment with a grow box inside our unheated GH. We bought the cable length we needed based on the area we wanted to cover - 30" X 96" and according to the spacing the cable manufacturer recommended. We followed instructions and mounted the cable to 1/2" hardware cloth and then mounted the hardware cloth to cattle panel for extra stability and ease of moving/storing. We purchased a thermostat and set the temperature at 55 degrees F and placed the cable buried 4"s in a raised bed within our GH and made a polycarbonate cover to create a box with lids. We tried to grow salad veggies during the winter months - November thru March. The daytime temps in the GH on a sunny day were between 30-70 degrees F even when OS temps were 0 degrees F so I would raise or remove the lid during the day and cover the box at night when OS temps were as low as -30 degrees F and IS GH temps as low as around 0 degrees F. The soil heat cables were usually only running during the night so I did not notice much difference in our electricity bill. The photo below was taken on January 31st. We are in Zone 3 where danger of frost remains through June 1st and there is snow on the ground usually through April but we have had snow and frost in every month of the year during cold spells. I think most would agree the experiment was a success! The cons in my opinion is the cost of the cables, wire and thermostat and the daily covering/uncovering of the lid (although the polycarbonate only needed to be removed on sunny days because of the heat build-up). When I retire I may do this every winter but for now - it is nice to have a winter break from the GH. We also use the Soil Heat Cable as a germination mat on top of the soil in the GH in February - March as an overflow box from our inside grow lights - that works well too. We are building grow boxes this year OS for our squash and other warm weather plants and appreciate your design!

I'm in a similar situation--we chose polished chrome faucets for durability & ease of cleaning, but otherwise we don't especially like polished metals and don't want it in the rest of the bathroom. Now we're looking at light fixtures that are in either polished chrome or satin nickel (no satin chrome, which would be ideal) and then we need to figure out towel racks, drawer pulls etc. which I was figuring would be stainless steel. This is a small bathroom and I'm a little bit nervous about the different metals looking mismatched or "busy".

I did it in my kitchen because I thought about it and liked the way shiny chrome sparkles at the sink in front of the window, but my prep faucet was going on a dark counter and I didn't want it so shiny -- I wanted it to look older. My cabinet hardware is all brushed or matte. I think it is fine as long as you have a reason for the change and don't just look like you ran out of something or didn't notice the difference. I think a frame on the wall is significantly different enough from a metal faucet to be different. Add another frame on a print, a wastebasket or other details in brushed silver tones and it will look fine.

I don't know that I mind that combination: all chrome and nickel sconces. Maybe do a mock-up? Can you order the sconces and have a chrome back-up plan? I planned on using all chrome and had installed a chrome shower/tub fixtures. Then I picked scones in antique nickel, so even though I had chrome in the shower, I decided to do polished nickel everywhere else. Well none of the nickel finishes match either, the sconces are "antique" and the faucet is noticeably warmer tone than the cabinet hardware and towel ring. I'm really happy with the look! But if I did it over, I probably would have just had the sconces in nickel and kept chrome everywhere else. I think my fear of the chrome fixtures mismatching the nickel sconces was unfounded. Chrome would have been cheaper and easier to pick a towel hook, TP holder, etc. Here's a pic of the vanity area. The chrome isn't in this view, but the mismatched nickels are. I think your choice is a bit riskier but I wouldn't discount the option off hand.