What type of paint did you use to paint with and how long ago was it done? How many square feet of new decking is to be poured? Of the erosion feeders, I like the Rainbow 320 the best. However, with your pump, the water won't move fast enough. Also, with a cartridge filter, dilution will be a problem. Tablets add a stabilizer called cyanuric acid, aka CYA or conditioner. While CYA protects chlorine against the Sun's rays, its the unstabilized levels of chlorine that do the work. CYA doesn't leave the water except by dilution. Therefore, it keeps building up to make the chlorine levels unmanageable. The pool will need periodic draining to dilute it and with a cartridge filter, this is problematic. With salt cells, I like the Intellichlor. The don't add CYA as they produce chlorine. Once the CYA is added, its pretty much done except for when you have rain and need to lower the pool some. Fortunately its cheap and not often needed. I encourage you to go this route. I would check with your local code officials on fence requirements. That type of fencing in my area doesn't meet code and I suspect it won't in your area either. Scott

I've attached some pictures of the property and a screenshot of a rough grading and drainage plan showing where house would be sited. The entire back of the house is currently designed with a large covered patio, the idea was to mitigate some of the western sun with the overhang. It won't. Your patio will be useless for a good part of the year. For those mentioning the east/west exposure, I'm kind of locked in with my lot, orienting it to look N or S wouldn't make sense since there are neighbors either side. Maybe move the master bedroom to the east side and put master bath/closet towards west side. The reason for the second floor deck looking west is to catch the city lights that you can see if you are off to the north a little bit from the hill behind the property. Based on your lot, I'm guessing a person of design talent could create an L shaped house that takes advantage of the N/S orientation with a detached garage with a breezeway that helps tie it and the house together and manage to also minimize the view of the neighbors. In fact it appears from the photos, that your neighbor to your left did just that themselves. However it takes a bit of thinking outside the box and being willing to work with someone of design talent. FYI, this is an ICF house, extremely energy efficient, 12" thick concrete/foam walls. That is smart and it will help. However it won't mitigate the sun streaming into the great room or your bedroom and heating up the house in the late afternoon when the sun is lowest and the air is hottest. It also won't help when you want to utilize your patio. Lot is 1.25 acres in a county island area, there's no HOA and minimal restrictions. Again, all the advice appreciated! Find a person of design talent to work with you designing a house that mitigates the western sun.

Thanks so much. FWIW, to the left of the fridge, I want to put the micro in the upper cabinet and the toaster oven below. (so the fridge is scooted to the right. That 6" endcap is for the broom closet, if I can't find another home). But let me re-measure all of that area and see if there is room for the 15" tall cabinet. Always good to revisit. Thank you! The tall shallow pantry cabinet along the bedroom wall--you are astute! I have one there now (5' long) but...even a shorter one at 12" deep would interfere with the flow if we add an island. The current 48" wide aisle could potentially be cut to 42" but then I'd need to lose 6" in the island. (actually, we had debated making the island 4" wider, so I could have storage for books on the W/D side, but decided a 48" aisle might be good. I may still make the island wider). Another issue is that this corridor is in direct view of the front door, so today when I open the door I see that side of that 12" pantry. I'm trying to clean up that sightline and improve the flow. FWIW, I have a 1940 bungalow, so everything is smallish. Thanks so much for all your thoughts. If you have other ideas, I'd love to hear them. ;)

Some thoughts: A hot water recirculating pump is the next best thing to an electric water heater right at the faucet. I have hot water in my shower and everywhere in 6 seconds. Small expense. Saves water. Instant gratification many times a day. A shower only *needs* to be big enough for an adult to face the spray and rotate with his elbows out. People of any age benefit from a hand-hold at the spray and at the door. Shower seats are dangerous and awkward to clean. Our hand-held spray is adjustable on a vertical bar -- no additional, stationary spray. A swinging shower door is easy to wash; must be far enough from the spray not to require a side seal. Our MBA would be drafty without it's own door. Spend for a *powerful* exhaust fan. I'm glad we installed floor heat under the bathroom tile. We have two large pedestal sinks with 'laying space' on them. Two mirrored-in-and-out 'medicine' cabinets are sunk 5" into the walls above the sinks -- doors close flush with the walls. A full closet holds towels, toilet paper, bottles, soaps, cleaning supplies. There's no stooping to root through lower cabinets, and the room looks larger. I find pocket doors cumbersome for daily use. They have a less secure 'seal', and the sliding motion is unnatural for me. We have only two, on our his/hers walk-in closets, and only close them for 'company'.