I have a Keystoker Automatic Stoker Stove 105,000BTU. I've had it for 1.5yrs. I have it in my finished family room in the basement. I use it to heat both my first floor(1200 square feet) and my finished basement(700 square feet). This particular stove has no problem at all keeping both floors of my house at a cozy 75 degrees. I chose this stove because of the optional 6-inch top convection air vent. The stove has a blower which blows hot air out the front of the stove, but also has a 6 inch top vent that blows air out the top. I have 6 inch duct work hooked to the top vent, and vented to a register directly above the stove. Hot air blows 50/50 out the vents, but you can close either off to get 100 out of either vent. My only complaint is this: with my thermostat on the first floor and set at 74, the temp will rise and fall between 73 and 76. Downstairs, on the other hand, the temp will rise and fall between 65 and 80. It was a bad winter and I went through 5 tons of coal at 200/ton =1000. Would have spent 3000 in propane to heat my entire house at 75 degrees. My buddy has the same stove with same house size and heats the same way, only his duct work runs across the ceiling of his basement and into two seperate registers. I have no problem with using just the one.

I've seen quartz of various brands run from $44.00 to $85.00 a sq. ft. Or you could get this pre-made marble vanity top which has a sink built in for considerably less. Here is a link that might be useful: Carrara vanity top

Jakabedy, I like the idea of opening up the wall above the closet and creating storage space. We had that in our house that was destroyed by Katrina. The things up there survived where my first Viking Designer I sewing machine down low in the closet, well, it died a horrible death. Even if you open up that extra space and have no doors on it, the total depth of even a shallow closet is usually 24 inches. They have storage totes that could be slid into that without you ever changing the closet beneath it. At least, if you have a high ceiling, the space above the hanging areas of your closets would accommodate a pretty deep box. Do you have 8' or 9' ceilings? If you are able to do it that way instead of tearing out the closet woodwork and doors, it would be less expensive. I bought a Sunset book on designing and reorganizing closets just this afternoon. I was in the midst of reading it too. I have to install the wire shelving in our new walkin closet, and the soft cover book has plenty of ideas. But mostly, I'm thinking I need to get rid of a lot of clothing. My DH needs to have his socks organized. His old t-shirts need to be "recycled" so he can find the new ones. These closet design books seem to think folks need a gift wrapping station. I personally do not like to keep wrapping paper around, why not go get it when you need it.....does anyone else feel that is a waste of space? I agree with FlGargoyle that large sets of dishes/china can kill your storage spaces. I like to have a set of 4 plates etc which can be displayed in the Euro style plate racks, maybe changed out seasonally. But my DH has a few pieces left that was his mama's from when he was a child. And he is 78 now, so I treat that American Limoges "Hollywood" design like it was the most valuable treasure in the world. It is cream w/a gold band, just simple, but I think I could display a couple of the pieces on the walls somehow. And using up my fabric is the best option, instead of buying more. I'm now thinking about painting some of the heavy canvas as a floor cloth, sealing it of course, and then using it like a linoleum rug out in my new Teahouse. I've always wanted to do that, if not now then when. I'm running out of time! And finally I have both the fabric and the funds (thanks to DH) to buy the paint for the project, and restore the building to do it in...What a blessing. Well, I've gotta go listen to State of the Union. Keep warm, everyone.

chefwong, unfortunately I am not surprised. I recently spent $900 on a 31 x 19 inch white quartz vanity top. I'm pretty sure it is Caesarstone Pure White but I never asked about the manufacturer. My top is a double thickness around the edge so it appears to be 2.5 inches thick (although it is normal thickness at the sink cutout. I saw a model on display and loved the clean, pure white color and super modern look and just told the person in the kitchen and bath store that I wanted a top like that. He took care of ordering it, but forgot to tell me the price. When I asked about and he sent me the bill, I was shocked to see it was $900. The ironic thing is that while I loved it in the showroom, it is my least favorite thing in my new bathroom. It looks really white (almost too white) when compared with my darker tile and Toto toilet. I also notice the water spots on it. In retrospect, I wish I had gone with something with a little pattern.