Jackie I cheated. I dragged your rose pic over to Photoshop and used the magnifying lens. (My eyesight is not the best.) But I spotted Le Vesuve! It's going to be spectacular when it matures. Great setting! I love the lush flower cover companions for your in-the-meantime enjoyment. Yours is a trick that I used with impatient design clients who wanted something to look at besides their gallon-sized shrubs and the neighbor's ratty old hammock. How do you keep your hollyhocks so healthy? Mine often rust like old skillets. Carol This post was edited by PortlandMysteryRose on Tue, Jun 11, 13 at 19:06

Wonderful!

Hmm I'd never thought about the taller toe kick before - that's a great idea! Are your LEDs hardwired then? I'm not as sold on the built-in bench as DH. I think he imagines more "steamy" shower sessions than I do (IYKWIM). I've been looking at those fold down/wooden benches and I think he's warming to the idea. I also am not totally confident in built-in benches for water tightness. Will definitely consider this. The code here for toilet space is indeed 30" - we have a little less in our current bathroom (like 28) and I'm not sure how we passed inspection. Anyway, the pony wall kind of defeats the purpose of the curbless shower but if we have to go curbed I'll definitely reconsider this. It'll be cheaper than glass! enduring that vanity is amazing - I love the idea of furniture as fixtures. Very classy and thanks for the advice! We'll have an exhaust fan installed where the heat lamps are currently - those things terrify me!! All the electricity is wired to the exterior wall, you are correct. We're having new ductwork run through the entire house, so I'll have to consult with the HVAC guy next week about where to put the vent - it'll come up from below so I'd probably have him mount it under the glass block window on the floor. I do like the idea of putting it under the vanity though - and it would be even easier if we did the tall recessed toe kick like you guys have mentioned. Do you find that your lotions and stuff stay nice and warm in the winter? Haha added bonus! Again, great ideas! What do you all think about in-floor heating? Would it work under a "wet-room" situation? I'm having my doubts about the life expectancy of those electrical systems and doubly worried about it setting my house on fire. Since we're ripping out an existing bathroom, I'm not sure what the subfloor looks like. Would the thickness of the electric tiles under the floor screw up the slope for the bathroom? We're having hardwoods installed in the bedroom and I don't don't don't want a transition strip in the doorway - in fact I'm not even sure if we can with the pocket door. Either way I'm worried the extra thickness plus the mortar he'll need to use for the tile plus then the tile on top would put us above where we'd need to be to have a flush transition with the wood. Did you guys contend with that?

Thank you, writersblock, for including my shop and pics in this forum! I'm flattered... Well, I've seen very pricey chandeliers that didn't look all that expensive, and rich chandeliers that weren't all that expensive (like mine!) As everyone pretty much mentioned, the quality of the crystal has everything to do with a chandelier. Austrian (Strass) crystals are the finest quality and carry a hefty price. Behoemian/Czech crystals are also fine quality, but Swarovski is noted for superior optical quality. If you look at My Gallery page in my shop, you will see a French Empire chandelier that I designed with Swarovski crystals in the Gold Teak color. While the beauty of the crystals on this fixture brought tears to my eyes (I become attached to the chandeliers I build :) ), the crystals alone cost over $1,000.00. I use a lot of vintage crystals in my fixtures, and have found that many of the prisms are on par with Swarovski ~ I believe it has much to do with lead content. Vintage prisms work well in my wind chimes designs, because they sound so beautiful (again, lead content and glass quality). I also use Italian and Czech crystals because they are good quality, they sparkle, they are durable, and they are affordable. I do use Swarovski crystals, but sparingly due to the price. Unless a client specifically requests Swarovski, the chandeliers I have custom built are dressed with European and Czech crystal. Whether you choose Schonbek, Crystorama, or a custom fixture from Sheri's Crystal Designs, you are getting a great chandelier!! Thanks for letting me chat here!! Here is a link that might be useful: Sheri's Crystal Designs