Thank you, Sandandsun, for that compliment. It is nice to know that people have enjoyed reading about my roses even if they weren't living in such a cold zone themselves. I must say that after all these years, just that smidgeon of decreased cold to garden in is exciting to me - although you'd never know any difference from the brutal winter just past! So I had to go out onto the patio to refresh my olfactory senses regarding Kordes' Savannah, where the roses on the wagon were snugged up to the glass door over night (it's only 32 degrees out there right now.) The only wide open bloom has a damask scent to it - not very strong, but the bloom is old and it's very chilly. There are two more buds that will open if we get some sun and warmth and I'll be sure to note the type of fragrance for you when it's fresh. I did snap off the open bloom and bring it indoors but I'm afraid it is competing with the overpoweringly heavy scent of Easter's potted hyacinths which is filling my house right now! Still, sinking my nose right into the bloom, I think of the damask, old rose scent. Yum.

Good luck on that. The typical folks that deliver these appear to be jaded and uncaring. To them we are just another ahe hole customer who will biatch and gripe and make them do more work than they want to. When I just dropped two grand on something, I want it (and expect it) to be right. But, I also want the best of both worlds. I want rock bottom pricing *and* I want knowledgeable, caring installers. Those guys are probably mostly employed the Mom & Pop shop whose reputation relies on taking care for the customer rather than the $7 an hour guy who delivers everything under the sun for Lowes.

cajewel first of all you need to recognize that you live in probably the most expensive state in the continental US, the most heavily taxed and teetering on bankruptcy. I would expect HVAC to be significantly higher. I assume when you refer to a dual zone system, you are talking about zoning controls for each floor. What size AC and furnace do you have now? What is more important-cooling or heating? I suggest you get a competitive quote on another brand/system for comparison purposes. I would want a new and correctly sized lineset plus a whole house filter cabinet. I think I would want another opinion/diagnosis on your AC condenser. Is that a Lennox coil or a third party coil? I would be opposed to third party coils. IMO

I remain a skeptic on the raised tile over a range, from a grease cleaning perspective. I'm not a fan of that last tile anyway, it's a little too organic in the Gaudi kind of way. JMO. As to what I was thinking when I said herringbone, I was honestly not sure. I just threw it out there with no real thought behind it. Herringbone brick uses 2 bricks, right? Two going one way, two going the other? Google herringbone subway tile or subway tile patterns and I bet you get some hits. Honestly, though, I'm probably getting too cute here. If it's hard to envision, it's probably a bad idea. Deb PS - Maybe it would help to get a better handle on the goal here...is it to add color, or texture, or shine, or...what?