I purchased a used Quadrafire Castile pellet stove for the basement. I have a high efficiency heat pump and strips but wanted something for back up that would run off of a small generator if we have an extended power outage. I purchased 2 tons of pellets last winter and when the temps were below 30 or if we were in the basement we ran it on low which is around 1lb or 7500btu/hr. I would turn it to medium when was below 20 and ran it on high when it was in the teens or below and the heat pump was locked out which is 8lbs per hour. The warm floor made the house feel more comfortable which allowed the stat to be a little coolder. It is not hastle free by NO means. It requires regular cleaning and maintenance and the pellets can be a pain for some to deal with. I enjoy going down stairs and sitting in front of it after being outside and freezing all day. I grew up with heat from a wood furnace once you get used to that warmth a heat pump or even heat strips doesn't compare when it is in the teens outside. If the cleaning and maintenance is not kept up then the efficiency will head toward the toilet. There are some models that can go a week or more with no problem and others that need the ashes dumped daily. It isn't horrible by any means but it is not just a pour in the fuel and forget it device. The ability to have a heat source that will operate on stored fuel and less electrical power than a 200 watt light bulb it is pretty hard to beat.

I think most of the unhappy stories about tiled floors are due to the use of Marble and not the fact that they used tiles. If you have a a good GC and tile person, there should be no problems with a tile floor. My current 14 year old showers have tiled floors and have had no problems. All my new showers will have tiled floors.

Julieste, i am not sure. if you have a tiled walls inside of shower, adding tile to floor would look the best, there’s no comparison. I have looked at fiberglass bases but they just do not fit well into a completely tiled bathroom. However, I do believe the insert is the safer option in regards to leakage. However, if not properly installed and sealed will run risk of leakage as well. I have a walk in shower on the first floor of my current home now. it has a tiled base inside. However, it is on the first floor with concrete underneath. it is a raised ranch so no basement. My new build will be a two story with a basement. I just do not want to run into problems with it leaking downstairs into the ceiling. However, I do want a modern bathroom as everything else will be modern. The fiberglass insert is basically like comparing a tub with tile vs tub with plastic insert. There’s no question that tile looks way better.

I believe the difference in color is too great with the white and brown. Why? 3 reasons 1. The products that are cemented to the building you will not redo anytime soon. Messy , dirty, expensive and just not worth the trouble  2. When you add a product to the building structure. Windows , floors they must last a long time. Durability, wear and tear, and STYLE. All equal a story of when the home was designed.  The look over a period of time 10 years + and the home will become "out of date" Needs a face lift . 3. The homes we admire, the Museums, Churches, Libraries, Opera House have one common thread. At a glance they are timeless. Built in 1940, 1990 etc  The crystal clear item is not seen  For this reason I would not go "trendy". Generally our first choice is the right one. Simple and elegant  How do you change this ad time moves on. Color Bedroom a change of bedspread. Bathroom towels become a dark navy or  deep forest green. Yellow for spring  Paint a wall blue, hang a piece of art  The change is simple and your money well spent for resale  Take a moment to do another board  Remove the brown and replace with a neutral. Try an Odegard runner - There are so many options  Enjoy