Hi cinnamonsworld and vidyaram: Thanks so much for your kind comments! I just have a hard time deciding on things. I keep going back and forth on whether to use chrome or oil rubbed bronze hardware and whether or not to use a carrara marble top or not on the vanity. This hall/guest bathroom gets used everyday and pretty heavily when my sons are at home. Vanity Choice: From Bathroom Choices Vanity Mirror: From Bathroom Choices Tile Floor Choice: From Bathroom Choices Toilet Choice: From Bathroom Choices I'm also going back and forth on whether to use a carrara marble countertop or a tempered glass top with an integral sink. One will look more traditional and the other more modern and easy to clean. I will be using a Daltile Carrara Marble look alike tile for the tub surround with a Kohler Mendota cast iron tub. Will ORB be out of style or look too harsh against the white carrara look alike tiles in the tub surround? Is it more difficult to clean than the chrome fixtures? Will the tempered glass top look too modern with the other elements in the room? To make matters worse, I bought almost the complete set of Price Pfister Ashfield fixtures over time at Lowes and Ebay a couple of years ago. I have heard a few complaints about Price Pfister on the boards here. Bathroom Faucet: From Bathroom Choices I haven't bought the tub/shower components. Perhaps I should buy the Restoration Hardware ORB Dillon single operation shower set? So confused...comments welcome...I'm going for a slightly modern take on the traditional bathroom. The toilet comes with a chrome flush lever, so if I go all bronze should I replace the chrome lever on the faucet, too?

Instant hot water heaters such as the Insinkerator HC-View (which we have) produce small quantities of boiling hot water, for uses such as making tea or oatmeal. The water is much hotter than the normal 120 degrees or so that you use for showering or running your washing machine. These have a small, insulated tank that holds and heats the water until you need it. And they have a special faucet - you really don't want scalding hot water coming out of your regular faucet. There are other under sink hot water heaters that are designed to heat the water to normal hot water temperatures, so that you don't have to wait for hot water to wash your face. One example is the four-gallon Insinkerator W-152. I have not used one of these, but I would want to know how much volume it can handle before I hooked it up to a dishwasher or other high-volume appliance. Also, these are electric, so the cost of heating high volumes of water will be higher than if your house has gas for its main water heater.

I give up! I am also trying to make up my mind about a new kitchen faucet. I went to a big box store last night to see some in person. FWIW, many of the faucets on display have been abused to a point. Of course it made me think that my family is not the most delicate with any appliance or intstrument! Some of the "brushed" faucets looked as though the 'brush' was worn off, dulled and almost down to the original finish. So I think it was helpful in making me decide to stick to a chrome or stainless steel finish which is usually standard or cheaper anyways. It was NOT helpful to go to the Big Box store to compare features within a group of faucets. The pullouts are harnessed down within the display so you have no idea of what range they have. Many of the faucets on the very top of the display were out of my sight line to see if they had a "faceplate?" (not sure of the appropriate term) but I only want a single base coming out of my granite. Sometimes there were boxes within reach that I could look at for this information, but not always. In all, it was an excercise in frustration and I think that I will do more research on line.

My parents kitchen (which is about 30 years old) has a straight run of cabinets across the sink, no extra "head room". Four of us lived in the house (just two living there now) and the sink is used for hand washing every single night. We ranged in heights from 5'1" to 6'1" and no one ever bumped their heads. Think about how you work at a sink; are you really leaned that far forward over the sink? I think functionally, as long as your faucet fits under the cabinet above, it works just fine. Visually of course is a different matter. If it bothers you looking directly at a cabinet, you might prefer to have raised cabinets or open shelving. Personally, in a straight run with no window, I kind of prefer the straight run of cabinets with no change above the sink.