Piegirl: If you would like me to use the fireplace tiles in the shower, I'll send you the bill!! ;-) Thanks all for the feedback. It was sort of like I expected- mixed. I'm just not sure of what I am going to do. Obviously I'm not 100 % sold of this style or I wouldn't have sought feedback, but I do have to reign in the budget somewhere. Perhaps if this is acceptable in the long run, I can make it work and it will save me some money over the more expensive options. I guess I should have told you a little more about the overall look of the bathroom. I'll try to refrain from using the overused cliche, "spa-like" and just say I'm looking for a relaxing natural area. We think we are going to use the MTI caribe and fill the overfill area with river rocks (about the size of lemons.) The tub will stick out into the room and will be surrounded with tile and wood trim. There will be a tile feature wall behind it complete with an alcove which will house a slate and copper fountain. If I truly could afford it I would make this wall a stone wall, but I'm 95% sure it will have to be tile. The shower will be completely enclosed except for the door. For the sinks and vanity we are once again undecided, maybe concrete, many a slab stone or maybe just tile. Dark cabinetry in a mission style, french doors leading to hot tub and deck/patio. Windows all douglas fir stained in a medium brown. And keeping our fingers crossed here....(and I know some of you will be repulsed)...wallpaper in a green and tan foilage print. If everything goes as planned I'll use William Morris' Willow Boughs which I'm pretty excited about. Well that's about it. Any more comments?

The installers did not use a leveling system, just regular tile spacers. I'm not as concerned about the lippage (therefore I didn't choose photos that featured it), because 1) it isn't much worse than I expected given a brick pattern with 12x24" tiles 2) doesn't seem realistic to fix it (please correct me if I'm wrong) However the color inconsistency seems fixable? Perhaps I will ask the contractor to color it. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether there is enough grout in the joints. I assumed the edges of the grout should be flush with rectified tile, since there is no bevel.

Jennmonkey, the $30 comment was in the context of the story - that she was always asking for more. I didn't say anything like the rest of what you mention. I don't know where you got it from or why you used it to defend Lori. Lori didn't even say anything like that. I said it to the woman because I paid her $25 for the run, but she was asking for more. There is nothing in this story about the size of jobs. Nor is what Lori indicated that I am wasting money and time when I can do them myself. It came from nowhere except her own intention. NyceFarm, you and Uxorial asked the same thing, which is a good question. Because I never saw her at work or saw a paystub, all I can say is I have called her in the wee hours of the morning only because I knew she was at work. At her house, her husband answers the phone if I call after 11pm to let me know he hates calls at that hour LOL. I wouldn't dare call their house at 1 or 2 in the morning. A couple times she came around 3 or 4am to pick up that morning's deliveries. That's the time she got off work on those nights and came here so as not to have to make the trip again. I'm only 3 or 4 miles off her route, whereas she lives quite a ways away. It was better for her to come at that hour than to come back this way at 8am. Also, she directed me to a website for certification last year. She needed me to download some forms because she didn't have a computer. I realize none of that is proof though. So, I guess the answer is I really don't know, but I can't see all the charades either. LindaKathy, nope she didn't pay cash. She paid by debit card. I expected she would stop at the place and pay, but she preferred not having to stop. I wouldn't ask anyone to use their credit card, but that she did was fine with me. She called with the confimation number and brought the balance of the money the next day, less the $150. This was three weeks ago. Is that you were asking? Kathleen, that makes a lot of sense. As far as being tired, she fell alseep on my sofa or laid down in the boys' room several times after getting off work. One morning, she got off at 7 and was supposed to come here to pickup an order. It was to be delivered at that funeral home two miles from her house. She didn't show up and called around 8 to tell me she fell asleep in the nursing home's parking lot. I could understand that happening, knowing how often I work through the night. However, I don't want to give the impression that she was working so much for me. As I mentioned, business was way down the last year, so I didn't have to call her all that steadily.

Michelle we sprayed our trim (we as in DH and I) and a small portion was put down after we had sprayed and I rolled it. It is smooth, totally smooth and I cannot see the transition between spray and roll. Those brush marks would drive me crazy. Good luck girl.