I'm a Master Gardener and checked with the UC Davis plant pathologist who advises our program. She is not aware of any studies that say that rust or powdery mildew spores die when the leaves die. (We don't have much black spot so I didn't ask her about that.) She recommended a very common-sense approach to the roses in the no-spray cemetery rose garden where I volunteer. If the leaves are diseased, remove them, and rake them up. If they aren't, leave them be. I can live with that. It helps, of course, that I have convicts from the Sheriff's Work Release project assigned to me, and THEY are the ones who pick off the leaves in the cemetery! Removing leaves does make it much easier to see where to prune. Anita

The tiles in this shower are different heights, about 1/8 different. The travertine was cut down from 12x12's and the black granite was from 18x18's which are often thicker. My tile guy floated it all to one level. You can't feel lips around the different tiles, and as you can see here, there are an awful lot of areas he had to make the two work seemlessly. He said it wasn't a big deal. This "carpet" is a mosaic, and it was also a different height than the granite and the travertine (it's not grouted in this pic so please forgive them mess). The mosaic is one height, the black granite trim is another, the honey travertine is another, so from section to section he was floating the different height pieces so that in it's finished form (you see that here) it's all the same thickness, and matces the thickness of the wood it runs into. Again, no biggie :) Standing proud is great in the right location...but not for tile :oP

You asked a couple times about wet spots, and expressed concern about water getting behind the tile through the missing grout etc. First off, grout isn't water proof - it's porous and will allow moisture through. So - what method of water proofing did they do under the tile? None of your cosmetic issues matter at all relative to the waterproofing under the tile. Did they just tile over cement board underlay? Did they use Kerdi or another waterproofing fabric membrane? Did they use a brush-on liquid waterproofing membrane? If the shower is built right with the correct sloped bed, drain system and waterproofing, then the tile is purely cosmetic. But if it's not built right, then it doesn't matter much about messy grout because your shower is likely going to leak and need to be redone in 5 years anyhow. Sorry to be blunt, but I'd like to encourage you to ask your builder the right questions given its your first tiled shower. Any pics of the installation?

Just looked up the Gagg...and I think you're right, Plllog! I didn't realize it. There was a steam oven in a rental we used last year on vacation and it was in a tall stack but in the middle, with the counter height splitting it (i.e., half was above the counter, half below) so I didn't really think about it in the layout. I don't have the layout at work, so I'll have to wait until tonight to re-work it, but I think it would work like Plllog suggested...switch it with the speed oven and put the plumbing in the pantry (although you will lose some pantry space on the right wall to accommodate plumbing). I also originally had a 24" sink in the island, but it took up too much space on the left end where prep is ideal b/c of its location relative to the range & refrigerator. The kitchen is a little narrow to be able to "have it all", but I was trying to get as much as possible in it without sacrificing too much functionality. I was able to keep the Prep & Cooking Zones separate from the Cleanup Zone and locate the refrigerator so it was on the periphery and snackers wouldn't get in the way too much of those prepping and/or cooking. I wasn't able to do it with the speed oven/MW, though. I was also able to keep the dishes not only next to the DW, but also convenient to the DR for setting the table and island seating (dishes for snacks/breakfast) as well as out of the way, again, of the Prep & Cooking Zones. The dishes are also out of the way of someone who might be cleaning up & loading the DW while the table is being set. The cabinet in the lower right corner (opening into the Laundry Room door) also limits the island somewhat. Additionally, the space b/w the wall and the door is too narrow to fit a full-depth cabinet. if the Laundry Room door can be moved further to the left, you might be able to fit the ovens there, but it would be with no adjacent landing space so the island would have to be placed just right to provide landing space and the island would have to be shortened to accommodate the deeper cabinets. The other issue is traffic to/from the kitchen, especially people going for snacks, behind the island. If it's also going to be workspace, then a wider aisle is needed if there is to be seating on the long end...but that would mean reducing the island depth and adversely affecting the prep space on the left end in front of the range. There are a lot of wide appliances and "tall" things limiting counter workspace....a 42" refrigerator, 36" range, pantry, oven cabinet, and a need for the 6" pullout next to the wall to allow the refrigerator to open fully for cleaning and/or removing bins. I'll think some more about it later this evening.