"thank God i have met you twice in my garden ... or i would question your sanity!!!!" Yeah, sometimes I wonder myself...and everyone else says I have "rocks in my head"! "now.. the bent bar... does one buy that in that shape... or is this a new use for a bar you bent???" Nah, ya can't buy a bent bar...you've gotta do that yourself. Get a good one...and put two fat guys on the end of it to make it that way. Then once you've used it, you'll realize that's how it should have been in the first place. "where is that quarry ... and how much would a rock like that cost.. if you don't mind telling????" I was at a local gravel pit. The price for boulders varies somewhat from place to place...but generally, fieldstone boulders cost $60 to $100/ton. For the size and quantity of rocks I need, that's very expensive...which is why I try to get them for free from farmers and construction sites. " .. in other words, price delivered versus DIY ..." This particular gravel company won't load rocks or haul them, which means you've gotta load and haul 'em yourself. Many trucking and excavating companies won't haul them either because they're hard on their trucks. And if they do, it's quite expensive. "my yard is 500 feet across ... how long would it take to get one across???? .. a couple inches at a time" You've got a big yard! Five feet/minute = 100 minutes. Of course, you always want to unload a boulder as close to the desired location as possible. Actually, to move a rock 500 ft., I'd use one of the alternative methods I'm going to talk about in my next post titled Hauling Rocks on a Stone Boat, Sled, or Dolly. "I already have one of those large 7 ft. bars...It works well, and it doubles as a curling bar, for weight lifting!" Yeah, everything involving rocks takes a lot of energy and work! That's why having a boulder wall installed by a landscaper costs a fortune! For me, I'm a very determined individual, and enjoy the exercise and a good challenge. LOL

Putting in the blocking is a great way to plan for the future. The bars are a good idea at any age, but I understand not wanting to put all of them in till needed. One at the entry would probably suffice if you are not elderly or handicapped. I was very impressed with that You Tube Video on the Secure Mount. I went home yesterday to find they had already sprayed the bathroom walls. I'm not sure if the contractor's stud finder will be able to locate through the marble. If not, we'll just go with the Secure Mount. I returned the 9 inch curved bars, and am ordering the 24 and 18 inch bars after I see the marble install tonight. I wanted 36 inches for the long wall, but DH wants them shorter. My contractor said the marble has two corner shelves and one recessed soap/shampoo holder. I imagine that is rather long, so I'm hoping they didn't place that where it will interfere with the longer bar placed at an angle.

elphaba, I like the 1st one you posted. The reason that the 2nd one doesn't look so "chuncky" is because it is longer - so the length to the diameter ratio is different. This is a guess. But the 2 contacts vs 3 contacts tells me that the one with 3 contacts is longer. From what I have noticed is that grab bars are pretty standard in diameter. I think months ago I saw that there was a web site with different sized diameter bars. But that was atypical in my searches. I bought 2 Kohler grab bars, 1 for my bathtub, and the other for use as my towel bar. They are in polished stainless. They are very pretty in my opinion. Not fancy shaped, just a pretty shinny chrome color in stainless.

I don't remember which company makes this TP holder which also functions as a grab bar. It is extremely sturdy even though only 1 side is into a stud as it was an existing wall. These come with a special anchor which is installed through the wall similar to a butterfly but sturdier. My 87 year old father thought this design was the best TP holder he had ever seen. He liked the grab bar but really was impressed by the pivot which means you can change the roll without any pieces falling on the floor and rolling away. Cleaning and maintenance is another aspect of aging which is often considered secondary to the use of the bathroom. But, not everyone is ready or able to hire help to take care of small tasks like changing TP but those need to be done as well. Hanging towels, picking up the bath mat, carrying towels to and from the laundry are all tough if you are hobbling on one foot or pushing a walker