novaplantguy, over the years I have gone the gammit from your situation, to an acre and back again. Some ways that I have kept my fingers dirty are Hydroponics units and artificial light gardens. My hydroponic units (with artificial lighting) work great for fresh herbs and salad plants, while my light gardens grow anything from begonias to ferns to orchids. I have found or made light gardens to fit into any decore and every conceivable nook. Ever filled your house with the wonderful perfume of Hyacinths and Daffodils? It's easy to do and doesn't require any garden at all. Feel free to contact me for more ideas and information.

I wonder if I carve a little channel into the grout joint where it meets the wall if that will help somewhat? Where I have the red line marked. Maybe even raking away the grout build up there. The shower below is my own and me and my four girls all use this one shower. The grout takes a beating from cleaning but the shower niches do not hold water. In the large niche with the light I purchased a larger tile to ensure that the niche bottom was in one piece of tile. This is key I think for any shower sill or niche. If you are going to have grout lines less is more

No-casings and painted sheetrock returns are the right look for a modern house, and the major brands of windows have all gotten on board with all-fiberglass or for Andersen, all fibrex, windows, this class of windows having relatively shallow frame depth, and all offer dark colors same outside as in, to achieve this popular new look in "modern." The #1 favorite color is black, followed by dark bronze. To do it right, the carpenter needs to properly shim the opening before the rockers get there, so reveals are consistent all around. Insider Carpentry channel on YouTube has a great vid on how to do this right. The rockers need to mask well, then use a tearaway bead at the window side, and a good corner bead at the outboard sides. The best look, IMHO, is to have a 3/4" thick sill at bottom with the same window reveal as the sides, so the bottom of the opening is not shimmed in as much as the sides. To get this right, the window sits up on shims at installation time and the bottom of the opening is only shimmed to get it dead level and flat for the drywall corner bead. That sill gets no apron under and has to have a good plate-like bed. Anything more than 3/4" looks to beefy. Sills should have tiny returns. Here is a 3D render done in Chief Architect of a window with sill and another without. The windows are modeled at the same dimesions as the all-fibrex Andersen Series 100, the wall is 2x6 framing, and the depth of the returns to the drywall face is 4-9/16". Note the very shallow bullnose on the sill edge, and the small return. A painted wood or stone, metal, or composite sill is going to be more durable and easier to wipe clean than painted drywall, no matter the paint. And as for the dust on those vertical returns at jambs, or horizontal across the head, and durability, you have all kinds of drywall corners eleswhere in the house. Why are corners at windows going to behave differently. If your builder has not done these no-casings openings before, think twice before asking him to do it. If he has, insist on seeing examples of work. You don't need to be a first time event for the builder, his carpenter, or his sheetrocker.

@Darlene. You may wish to start a new thread. There are several professionals here willing to help. Yes you can fill a small gap with setting mortar depending on the mortars limitations. Some form of backing or reinforcement will be needed. As I stated above always go directly to manufacturers for installation instructions. Yes showers have a high degree of difficulty with a lot of details that must be followed. If you choose to proceed please purchase a TCNA Handbook. A $35 investment well worth it. You must use caution when seeking advise nowadays. I have found YouTube will have more bad info then good. Again go to the manufacturers videos! Unfortunately Handy Huber with his 1 project experience has resorted to name calling while providing you with bad advice. "then you have to run the cement board vertically from bottom to top." FACT Cement board is installed horizontally with staggered seams. ANSI 108.11 page 57 A-4.8.5.1.4 Cement board recommendations such as "new piece so that it's snug" "nice and tight." FACT The manufacturer instructions state leave a gap. https://www.usg.com/content/dam/USG_Marketing_Communications/united_states/product_promotional_materials/finished_assets/usg-durock-cement-board-with-edgeguard-installation-guide-en-CB237EG.pdf "And most importantly make sure when you get to tiling that you use trim tile ALL around the window frame! It's a crucial extra layer of protection against the constantly wet conditions and protecting the seams." FACT Tile has nothing to do with waterproofing. If you can't run the shower without tile it is not constructed properly. Many feel as I that showers are not a DIY project. Can it be done? Certainly. It's all in the details. Good luck with your project.