I'm not sure why you aren't considering the Toto Aquia II dual flush toilet. It's under $300 on-line and is TERRIFIC, plus it has the skirted bottom which is totally the way to go - all toilets should be like this! (And if women were the designers, they would be LOL) We put in an Ultramax in 2003 and loved it, but the Aquia literally (pun intended) blows it out of the water. The seat's another $60, though! Pay attention to the install instructions with the clearances and line requirements; they're different than the standard install. Don't skimp on the toilet or the tub. Like your kitchen sink, they take a lot of abuse, and penny-pinching on them usually ends up biting you in the a$$. You can save lots of money on sinks, cabinets, lights, accessories (towel racks, TP holders, etc.) and flooring if you shop carefully and rigorously. Always remember that hired labor is your biggest component: my sheet vinyl flooring was less than $200 for the highest quality level, but the labor to install it was $500. Check granite stores for remnants if you want a touch of stone bling for your countertop. Use Moen or Delta or American Standard in the mid-price lines and you'll hit the 'sweet spot' for reliability, cost and performance. I have a $30 Waterpik showerhead in our main-floor bathroom that is superior to the $300 Hansgrohe showerspray in our master suite in every way. The Hansgrohe is a huge disappointment; it is simply not worth the extra money for the name. The Hansgrohe is connected to a Delta showerfaucet, the latter of which works very well and saved us another $300 for a Hansgrohe faucet. I mean really, can anybody look at a showerfaucet handle and tell who made it? Of course not. So skip the very cheap and the very expensive, and stay in the middle for your plumbing fixtures. Don't forget stores like Target or even dollar stores for accessory stuff. And hardware stores like Ace and OSH often have great sales on homeware in January and February. If you use acrylic or fiberglass for a showerpan, MAKE SURE the bottom is properly supported. A lot of people skimp on this and it's the worst thing you can do. These two materials can't take any flexing so it has to be solidly set. Make sure you pay attention to mfg's instructions for approved cleaning products. Using the wrong cleaner can strip the top gloss layer off and you'll never get the material to look clean again for long. Easy to replace: - bath cabinets - sinks - faucets (like to like only) - countertops - lights - showerheads - exhaust fans More costly/time-consuming to replace: - anything that needs a plumbing or electrical change - Tubs - Shower stalls and pans, depending on material - flooring

We're on the home stretch of a 12 x 25 addition on front of house. We jumped off the slippery slope at one point--very glad. We were trying so very hard to be disciplined financially. The big money was to go into infrastructure, energy conservation, etc. We had bought ala carte services from a local construction company. They don't have an architect but the in-house designer was essential for some calculations about weight-bearing trusses, ideas about roof lines and integrating old and new construction, etc. He had three brilliant insights that cleared away roadblocks in our kitchen designs--worth gold! And the company is a known entity for the city, so they could expedite the permits and connect us to good subcontractors so that definitely made the designer's services worthwhile. But... Modified Craftsman style is all the rage here and he's in the throes of it. Every iteration of the plans came with exterior elevations featuring angular exterior trim, variations in directions of siding boards, bigger and better exterior decor ideas, etc. etc. etc. Our original little house has painted wide board 1950s redwood siding, which we intended to replace with narrow steel. He had some opinions about the narrow board steel siding we used on a previous two-story addition; he wanted us to use Hardy siding on the addition, which would not match the narrow steel--how would you resolve that without extra bucks and residing the spliced areas? He specc'd out a big wood double garage door "to replace your other one when you redo the garage facade." Whoah! I said "think Swedish Farmhouse for a style. Red and white paint and narrow clapboards." But his gig kept going to the last iteration drawings. I figure we saved a number of thousands of dollars by simplifying his plans for "curb appeal" and DH was able to install the steel siding himself because we omitted all that facade variation and just went straight up to roof with same product installed horizontally. We will be repainting our old absolutely plain but still serviceable garage door in the spring with gray "mistake paint" from the paint store--$5 for a gallon. The front facade was done quicker and entirely DIY than if we'd gone with the design on the plans. I get to use the saved money for landscaping & decorative cement edges along driveway and I can pocket the rest. And I don't need to buy additional stuff to match his vision--exterior lights, mailbox, etc. etc. etc. We have kept the facade from looking dowdy, but it's no Craftsman bungalow either. I did buy some trim stuff like lights & house numbers, but on my own terms. Once the balance of the siding, the landscaping and driveway are finished, we're done. And believe me, the home improvement line of credit will nevertheless be fully tapped out. Slippery slope avoided!

You and me both! (and you and me both on the wasted headroom! In this case, it's not so bad bcs it makes it possible to lift stuff up and over, at least on a couple of shelves.) And I'm feeling bad I didn't take befores. i'm going to take befores of the last shelf to tackle. Maybe even tonight.

Sad to say, no I have not. It is in my Teahouse with several other items for the new kitchen. The remodel project is NOT moving ahead at this point. I want to get it done before DH returns south, but it will be later in the year. The Berta range I have is 24 inch wide, an apartment size I think they say. The 30 inch is a lovely thing. Mine is like a piece of jewelry, very well constructed, not a flaw on it, so smooth and gorgeous, the edges are very professional looking. In my book, it is a "professional range." My criteria was for a burner with high BTUs so I could put a wok on it, and stir fry. That takes high heat. I have decided to swap the stove location with the refrigerator location. The range will go on the south wall, exterior faces south, I can have a more open feeling there with the low range instead of the high french door fridge unit. And, the south wall is always hotter and it makes the fridge work harder. So if I do not install any upper cabs, I can have windows above the cabs either side of the range, letting in super great light and a view of my New Orleans style courtyard. That places the fridge unit on the north wall of the kitchen, and I can then install a tall pantry cabinet (IKEA calls them that) on either side of the fridge, and still have room for some counter space either side. I'm trying to line up the double doorway from living room into dining room, with the one I'll create when we knock out the dining room to kitchen wall, and then the other opening to the old back porch from the present kitchen, you put them all in a line that way and it is called "enfilade" (French) for "lined up", and then I'll have the back door, a glass door with blinds inside the two layers, and it will be a really long view. It is not adding any space to our kitchen, you see, but it is giving a more spacious flow. And, I'm going to have the Bellawood light ash narrow boards installed kitchen and all. I've been saving my allowance to tack onto the remodel budget, above what DH estimates he wishes to pay. I know it will be more, adding in the hardwood floors and then a new metal roof over the whole house. It just has to be done before I come down with Altzheimers! :) Glad you asked, I've been very busy with gardening, my brother ill with liver cancer, and now a close friend down with lung and brain cancer. Life is precious. Peace to all.