MPG, yes, cut the large arborvitae down around the front doorway, and keep the ones in the backyard. You might also think of removing a few more of the large ones near the garage. I think you can get away with removing half or 2/3 of them, leaving just few for your accent points. I'd take out the large green 'meatballs', and I think you would be fine not to replace them with anything. It looks like they were planted to screen the driveway and it's cars so people outside the yard couldn't see into the yard from the street. If you still feel the need to screen your driveway then think about placing shrubs and trees in the lawn area well off to the sides of the driveway. You have a formal French-Italian villa look to your home, I'd play that up with the choices you make for any additional plants you choose. Since you are in a dry climate, lavender, rosemary, herbs, and a few shrub-trees that look like the olive trees in the Mediterranean area. But do check out books that cover your drier climate. Every place has a palatte of plants that look the best for it's area. And think about painting the white trim on the house, and the trim around the garage a shade darker than the existing color the house is currently painted. If you don't like the house color then, when you remove the large arborvitae, it that would be a great time to repaint. Whatever color you decide on, you would do the same thing, you would paint the details in a slightly darker shade of the main color so they stand out just a bit, almost like a shadow. And when you do remove the plant material, you will have to slice through and loosen them from the foundation before you have them pulled. They have sent roots under your foundation if you are on a slab. You will have to grub out the old plants' roots, and add more soil to those areas where you have taken the plants out since they have used up all the organic matter and all the nutrients. Cruise through magazines and garden books, focus on homes that look similar to your's to see how that style is enhanced with plants. It's not always very formal, the rustic Italian farmhouse and the extremely formal French city villa are miles apart. And check things out through interlibrary loans from your local library if garden books are few in number. Go ahead and remove the extra plant materials, and amend the places well ahead of anything going back in, and take your time living with the blank canvas so you can visualize any new ideas better. I think you have a fantastic project ahead of you, have fun!

I was just doing resesarch on rocks. (my two semesters of geolodgy long ago didn't help, sigh) Here goes. (I'll sign off now, rather long, best Sherry) .......................................... Before I mention rocks, your fish list is mixed. Ie your combinations (I am assuming you might mean all together) require different environments mates. cichlids need higher ph, hardness. Danios which type, but giant dianos (again much research as I was considering them NOT now... except for large globe tank where they can go round and round, they need huge tank with a big enough school or can be agressive).. Schooling fish, tetras, dianos so on, can be very agressive, the school reduces this agression. Watch them carefully at the store, you will spot this behavior... bigger school bigger space (certainly 55 is big enough for most save for giant diano) Gouramis, again get agressive - some exceptions, but as they mature they set up territories like bettas, and the weakest gets picked on and disease sets in.. then the next one, so on... (just gave them away except for one for each tank, and one even went after my catfish) these were dwarf, unless you have a huge long tank several feet of territory each, pleanty of wood plants. And then their is the dreaded gourami disease, which from vet research may even be viral due to their being bred in horrific conditions now. Even called ticking time bombs by breeders. There are always exceptions. I love this fish, but was very dissapointed and after researching seems a common problem these days. Most of the fish you have listed are not of the peaceful nature, certainly not the gouramies and esp the cichlids! lol I personally do not use fish as water cyclers, cycling can be done and fish need not be stressed. Just go slow and add two to start so on. Some dianos are so frenzied for other fish, slower moving ones, they discombobulate the whole tank... (again from reading much of others experience) (sorry for my horrible spelling) So, decide on cichlids which would be alone and possibly with loaches depending on type. (loaches are a great fish mho) Here is a link mentioning plecos with cichlids.. some do some get eaten (plecos that is) http://cichlidforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=115 Loaches (some have spines so have to be careful when bagging) are a schooling fish.... Loaches and cichlids? http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27255 (where paste is from) Go to www.cichlidscene.com This website shows you that you can mix clown loaches with Midas, Red Devil, and etc.> http://www.cichlidscene.com/ Plecos get huge, and need wood. (ie don't overstock, even 55 will fill up fast with fish that need territory, and plecos do as well, under logs mostly, I had two and each had his place, then one day the one was dead (think he sat on heater and I didn't realize he wouldn't know to move, oops) Mollies need higher salt content then the other fish you've mentioned. Mollies would go with platies, guppies which also like higher salt. Mollies would be nice food for most cichlids..... Rocks: Question number one is what type of environment for which fish are you using rocks. This will make a difference if the rock is safe or not. Cichilids can handle rocks that contain calcium/lime so on (sorry did much research but was focusing on something I found, granite/sheitz (sp) rock. so read links to your specifics) (after many hours, I gave up and am going to take it to my college alumni geology department)....(found it when a hole was dug up in nyc, but has mica and iron in it so not sure if its safe except for my blind cave fish which was not what I was going to put in this tank but may change cause it looks great) First, ones collected from rivers, lakes, so on with fish safest. Vineger not best test (read in link below). Sandstone can contain lime. Many many types of sandstone so depends. Best test mho is if fish living in water with rocks in it. ................................ I agree, bleach and other cleaners not good choice, may be softer part of rock that absorbs. You can use hydrogen peroxide instead. I use it to clean all things as it breaks down into water. http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/aquascaping/rocks.shtm Has great photos, and can be beginning to further research. http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=55806 http://www.thekrib.com/TankHardware/rocks.html ................................... Pillow Lava: (I grew up in Oregon and collected obsidian but never heard of this type) Make sure no glassy sharp edges otherwise safe.. IE inert. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillow_lava Pillow lava Pillow lava (NOAA)Pillow lava is the rock type typically formed when lava emerges from an underwater volcanic vent or a lava flow enters the ocean. The viscous lava gains a solid crust immediately upon contact with the water, and this crust cracks and oozes additional large blobs or "pillows" as more lava emerges from the advancing flow. Since the majority of Earth's surface is covered by water, and most volcanoes are situated near or under it, pillow lava is very common. Examples of this can be seen at Llanddwyn Island. .................... Sandstone: Well, as you can see in the following link, there are many types. IF you got it from river with fish (fresh I assume) then it would be ok. Again, it is the one worth questioning, as there are many types. I put my baby guppies in my 20 long with rock, both to cycle (I always use bio bugs, bio filter from other tanks, and change water often, and add fish so slow, never get spikes so on) But want to see about the rock, so far all is well) Pillow Lava: (I grew up in Oregon and collected obsidian but never heard of this type) Make sure no glassy sharp edges otherwise safe.. IE inert. PS. Wikipedia is great as one link leads to another, can go on forever! So, some sandstones safe for certain fish, some not. Again, depends on fish/rock combo. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandstone Terrestrial environments Rivers (levees, point bars, channel sands) Alluvial fans Glacial outwash Lakes Deserts (sand dunes and ergs) Marine environments Deltas Beach and shoreface sands Tidal deltas, flats Offshore bars and sand waves Storm deposits (tempestites) Turbidites (submarine channels and fans) [edit] Types of sandstone Sandstone with quartzOnce the geological characteristics of a sandstone have been established, it can then be assigned to one of three broad groups: arkosic sandstones, which have a high (>25%) feldspar content and a composition similar to granite. quartzose sandstones (also known as 'beach sand') which have a high (>90%) quartz content. Sometimes these sandstones are termed "orthoquartzites", e.g., the Tuscarora Quartzite of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians. argillaceous sandstones, such as greywacke, which have a significant clay or silt content. .................... Question - Can I use rock from a creek to decorate my fish tank? If so, what do I do to clean the rocks? Thanks very much! Answer - Dear Jay, Sure. Most all rocks are "aquarium safe" in a sense. But some do in fact release mineral substances that can raise your pH and hardness to levels that your fish may certainly not appreciate. Try is setting the rock in a small bucket of water, testing the pH before adding the rocks and then again about a week later, if the pH has risen then you know those rocks may not be safe. Calcarous rocks are good for african cichlid aquariums whom love harder water. ~The way I clean rocks is to thoroughly scrub the rocks in hot water. Don't use any soaps or chemicals. Just a very good scrubbing with hot water under the tap. I really hope this helps! Only my very best wishes! Karen~ ....................... WEll, not applicable but beautiful photos of rocks! As I said, I searched everywhere! lol http://www.terragalleria.com/pictures-subjects/granite/granite.all.html

I did not read many posts. Did anyone comment that your tiles look like there is a lavender cast to them? I see that especially when you have it up against some of the greenish grays above, like the "Light Pewter". It is not the direction I would take the paint. If you go with blackish vanity be sure it is not a greenish black, but one with more purple in the undertones, IMHO. I think the navy with a bit on the reddish side would look nice, not a tealish navy, again IMHO. with the walls I'd try a very light, white rendition of the vanity color. I think it will need to have a hint of lavender.

See if there's any leftover stain in the garage or basement. Take it and your photos to the local paint store to ask how much color change is possible with an opaque stain. Your available options depend on what is there now.