Lenore, who is installing the granite slab shower? Start there and make your priority be hiring a VERY experienced tile professional - one you have vetted carefully to insure that their qualifications meet your design requirements and product selections. Stone slab installations are not for the B team, and especially in a wet area. Can it be done? Yes, depending upon the structure over which a solid surface stone is installed and the methods used. We install solid surface shower walls regularly, but from an empty cavity which we build to meet all specific design and installation specifications, including the pan. A solid stone slab cannot be supported by the pan (it is not meant to support a slab wall). A slab wall is pinned and tied so it is self supported, not supported by a pan. This is a very complex installation. A LOT to consider. As one example, the thickness of your slab? 2cm. 3cm? (effects the weight load on the space). And I could go on. After you have carefully vetted the qualified tile contractor, have this conversation with them. If you question or want to clarify their recommendations, check back or seek professional advice from other qualified sources. Please consult with a professional onsite. Good luck with your project.

Good decision! I thought, too, that manufactured stone looked real, until I started looking a little closer. Outside a local bookstore they have faux stone and I thought it was real, and what I wanted. I looked closer when it got time to choose stone and could tell the pattern right way lacked depth. I went to my stone people and they recommended the Natural Stone Veneer (NSVI) to us as well. I love the look of our fireplaces and front porch posts done in it. Its called Canyon Creek. I will post below the brochure showing it and also some pictures (taken with my cell phone, so not the greatest). We're not in our house yet, but everyone that I've taken to see it loves the stonework. I'm so glad we went with real. The color in the pics is a little washed out. Partly because of the cell phone camera and partly because of all the lights on. I have to adjust my track lighting shining on the fireplace - it was just installed. I'll take some more pics with a regular camera. The color is more like the book, I'd say. Picture from NSVI book: My fireplace

Sorry to OP for hijacking this thread! Gardenchick! Thank you for your advice. Hadn't thought about the ledgestone on the gables. That might be what is making me think twice about it. We will have 2 gables accented with the stone and also a border around the house. DH and I are trying to compromise on this one. As far as the grout, I was thinking that the type used on Limestone makes a big difference in the look. Can't decide which one I like better because they all are very nice. In addition to going to look at the Cultured Stone, there is an area close by that has a lot of very old stone homes and an old farm nearby that has their old home and barn in stone. I'm going to drive through those neighborhoods and examine their type and style. Hope they don't think I'm some crazy lady! We are in the northeast. Building on 21 acres, with pond and some wooded area, not in a housing development. We are placing the home on top of the property, overlooking farmland, woods and our pond. Started the dig for the driveway and gas well awhile back. I guess our style of home is a mix. I jokingly said on another thread that it was old world meets the mountain or something like that. Inspirations came from lots of searching on the net,(this site included), driving around neighborhoods and new construction, from the different style of those to the style of the HGTV 2006 dream home and just recently added to that eclectic mix, the MidWest Living 2007 Idea house. We also want to make sure our home fits the property, but most importantly our family and our lifestyle, (4 young boys.), and yet something different then what is being built all around us, if that makes sense. DH really wanted to do all brick and stone but the cost for both would make us have to cut other things...some that DH didn't want to lose, and I just can't live without the stone, so we are compromising with shakes/board&batten and stone. We are meeting with hopefully what will become asap "the" builder tomorrow. Wish us luck, cross fingers, send prayers...we need it all!! LOL! We just want to start already--UGH!!

We had an gas insert put into our main fireplace in the living room and we all LOVE it. It has a remote control with a timer and you can set the temperature as well. For example, set the temp for 68 and it will automatically come on and the house will be toasty warm when we get up. It has a blower to circulate the heat through the house but it so quiet, I really don't hear it. The blower can be turned off as well if we really don't want the heat but want the fire on just for "show." We loved it so much that we added another gas freestanding stove to our sunroom off the kitchen. That one has a thermostate on the wall to set the temp. Both have real "fire"-to me it doesn't look one bit different than our old "fire" but oh boy, what a world of difference. No work-nothing-push a button! we use them all the time and never even use the whole house heat anymore. Please go look at the stores before you decide because this was one of the best improvements we ever made! The things I hated about the "real" wood fireplace, getting the wood and having it in a buggy stack outside, hauling in pieces and the mess it made inside, "tending" the fire, sparks flying, cleaning the mess, worry of having it still burning if we had to leave the house and trying to put it out, and most of all, our pediatrician told us it was really bad for the babies. She said even the best of fireplaces contributed to indoor air pollution. Things I love about the new insert and freestanding stove-pushing the button! Being able to set the temp to come on automatically, being able to raise and lower the flame to change the look, the realistic looking embersm NO cleaning other than once a year the company comes in and cleans the glass and checks it out for a minimal cost. Just for your info, they really can get HOT, you don't want to underestimate the power just because it is an insert. Ours seems to be much more efficient than the real wood fire and I would not put it too close to my kitchen table!