WOW! Thanks for the great ideas. srercrcr - post pictures of his first "skirmish". LOL! OK, for now, I plan to ask the builder to make the door on the left a cased opening, put in a wall parallel to that for the actual door to the mech room & treat the area under the stairs as if it were a closet entered from the area between the two walls, above. Is there anything that needs to be to the long side of the staircase (non-mech room side) to allow for future mini windows and/or door? For now, I would just want it to be finished off with sheetrock & we would tackle the real "fort" project in the future when there are non-hypothetical grandkids. Thank - Jo Ann

srahndennis, yeah, it was especially interesting when several were working for competing brands; that isn't a problem anymore :) My brother is very complimentary about Showplace, he says it is the best value cabinet he has been involved with. They do lots of custom work but at a semi-custom price. Well, custom sizes and cabinet configurations, but not custom stains,species, or door styles. He also worked for a custom builder called Actua for awhile, but I couldn't remember that name before. Actua went bye-bye a long time ago during an earlier recession. The guy who started Showplace also started Decora and Starmark; this is his third brand and sounds like the third time is a charm! Crystal is a great cabinet too, but much higher priced; at least that is what I think I know. Lyptus is BEAUTIFUL and has a great "green" story; it ages like cherry and looks like mahogany ... I think darker colors look best, but that is personal preference. On the formaldehyde subject; most national brands that sell in California are required to live by the rules set by California (if you want to get deep into it Google "CARB" to get some "light" bedtime reading; maybe you've heard the term)... those are the best you'll find. The smaller "custom" shops would not have to live by the California rules, but still might be OK; you'd have to specifically ask them.

We have had two closet systems installed Closets by Design. Both times we had positive experiences with the install; just be clear whether you want it to be notched in the back for baseboard, in my opinion it looks better to remove your baseboard so it’s not notched. It’s also worth it to add the baseboard and crown, and increase the height of the system to the ceiling. The salespeople do have a “poor mentality” to make sure they get the sale so you really have to push to add these extras. We are pretty handy, so the third closet system we did ourselves using Menard’s Dakota system for a third of the cost or less. It looks as nice and sturdy the rest.

asharding, Sorry for my slow reply.. we had a family emergency with my Dad. Everything ok now. It’s been a rough week... Well, I wish you had it a few weeks ago too! Yes, prices can be really confusing, but you are already ahead of the game with knowing a breakdown of labor and materials! Many times you don’t even know that, but just a grand total. I have family from the Lubbock area but have not really been there for years so am not familiar with any sources there. Is your fabricator from there? Did they send you to Dallas for slab selections? Did they recommend any places to start with or give you a list of preferred slab yard(s)? Are there any local slab suppliers in your town? Wonderful inspiration picture by the way! Love the stone look and modern details but a very classic feel and very warm and inviting. And the shower with the unusual framing sections around the glass looks great! I had to look up the Ocean Blue because I was not familiar with it. Wonderful looking, but in the pictures it does look a lot like the Silver Travertine. A side note: Are you intending on having the stone tiles on the floor and the shower like your picture shows? If so, you would need to select a stone slab that would likely have tiles to match and that is generally only available in the regular stones like the vein cut Silver Travertine. Or even a regular vein cut travertine which is available in several other shades within the normal beige / cream / taupe range. But you probably prefer the cooler tones of the Silver and the Ocean Blue. If you are not trying to have the tiles be the same stone, then you would probably go with a porcelain tile and it wouldn’t be an issue. As for pricing of the Ocean Blue slabs from Arizona Tile, some slabs are just more expensive due to the rarity or exclusive nature of the stone. Most places like to have some exclusives and something different from the competition. More for us to see and drool over!! Pricing of slabs is actually very confusing. Unlike EVERY OTHER ITEM in construction and remodeling, the slab pricing and structuring is hidden. Slab yards and showrooms will only sell to and give pricing to, the fabricator. If they also carry tile, that they can give you pricing for and will directly to you. But not the slabs. That even holds true for designers, architects and builders by the way who do repeat business with them. Maybe other parts of the country operate differently. (There have been some rare exceptions and then the slab yard has to ask your fabricator permission to give you pricing, but you never really know how accurate that is). So in Dallas at least, the fabricator you select and the price they pay for the slabs are related to how much business they give the particular supplier / slab yard. I don’t think that is very well known. When asking the stone yard for their suggested fabricators, the intent is to assist the customer in completing their project with the best fabricator for the job. That list of preferred fabricators is an always current list of their top performing, least complained about, easiest to work with, best communication with and most active companies. A side benefit of this is they will receive the preferred pricing which most pass along to their customers. By the way, fabricators that have repeat customer complaints (bad seams, poor sink cutouts, etc) or have poor business practices (missed picking up slabs, poor communication, etc) do not stay on their favored list. Sometimes you may have a stone that is more delicate and takes special handling (like Honey Onyx) or may be difficult to cut and cut an edge (like some Quartzites or slate) and the salespeople at the slab yards can recommend a fabricator with recent experience for your best results. A great salesperson is your best ally. It is always important, but especially in busy times like now, to be polite and patient and you will get better service. Not everyone is and they appreciate those that are. IF YOU ARE WILLING AND HAVE THE TIME TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH, you can find out the places your fabricator should get his best values. And conversely, you can find out the best fabricators of where your favorite slab is. And then compare the results. 1) First, ASK YOUR FABRICATOR that gave you the quote what their top stone yards are. I have no idea if they are in Lubbock what their answer will be. But ask who their main number one, two and three places are. They may be in different cities. A) Call these slab yards / slab showrooms and ask if they have the Ocean Blue slabs. It may be known in different places by different names, so you can email them some pictures and see what is most similar. (it will be fastest if you can email them right when talking on the phone with the sales person). Then ask if they have a vein cut Silver Travertine (and what other particulars like a 2cm or 3cm and polished or honed) You may want to ask what other vein cut travertine or other stones they have in stock as well. (You can ask a price range and they may give you a scale of levels or general categories, but it will not be actual prices, but might help comparatively). Most of the travertine in recent years had always been the cross cut variety, but now the linear slabs are popular again, so more of the Vein Cut slabs are becoming available. You can also ask if they have anything like that coming in. They typically have photos of their incoming stock and it can be a great advantage to know what is coming and schedule a first viewing and get first crack at the entire lot! Get the names and sizes of these slabs that interest you, photos and bundle numbers if you are really serious about some, and ask if they can either email the info to you or your fabricator, to be considered. B) Then contact your fabricator and ask for an additional quote, just for comparison’s sake, if you used the slabs from a, b and c company, using that material and how that might change the previous quote total from them. Sizes of slabs vary and will even vary within matching bundles (although book-matched slabs are almost always the exact same size) and may alter your needed quantity and if it is a difficult stone to fabricate, may increase the labor. That will give you a good indication of the price variations you can expect from your fabricator. Sometimes there are great differences and sometimes they are surprisingly similar. The pricing for the Silver Travertine from different vendors should be the easiest to compare since that is probably available from most vendors. 2) Then, or while you are waiting for answers from the above, CONTACT ARIZONA TILE (talk to their ‘Slab Desk’ department) and ask them for their top two or three fabricators. You mentioned 'finishes' in your description of tweaking the costs. If the slab is currently one finish and you want another (if Polished and you want Honed or vice versa), then you need to add that capability into your request for a fabricator. Not all fabricators have that capability. It takes a special machine. So selecting a slab that is already finished the way you want will maximize your budget. A) Call these fabricators and ask for an estimate for your details that you mentioned, giving the countertop and tub dimensions, edges, sink and tub cutouts, undermount or drop in, and any finish details. Give all of these fabricators the same details using a first choice of Ocean Blue and a second choice of the Silver Travertine, all from Arizona Tile. Tell them that you are getting several estimates. Mitered edges are relatively new and not all fabricators will have experience at doing them properly. By the way, before finalizing your selection of a fabricator, always ask to see their ACTUAL edge samples (or pictures of ACTUAL samples if you’re out of town), NOT drawings or cross sections on a page of all of their edge selections. But get a quote regardless. B) When talking to them, ask how they work and how they charge for the entire job and the details like the edging and cutouts. Email them your inspiration photo if needed or sketches of the layouts. Some will charge separately for everything. Most will have some included edges at no charge and an additional charge for more complicated edges. If they do charge for edges, it is typically charged per linear foot. If they include options, have them call that out separately. How sinks and tubs are priced are OTHER QUESTIONS TO ASK and are either drop in (with no finished edges) or undermount with a finished edge. Sometimes for the tubs, it makes a difference on price if it is rectangular (less expensive) or oval (more expensive). Also ask how they handle out of town jobs - it is trip charges (to template and install) or an increased percentage of labor. By asking about two different stones with the exact same fabrication, if they don’t itemize the quote, you can tell the difference of the stone cost by comparison. This second step will tell you the best case scenario of your preferred stone from a few different fabricators. And when you compare that to your initial fabricator, you can tell where they are in the pricing from the others. You may be very surprised at the comparisons. Your initial fabricator may be charging less for the labor and more for the stone. Arizona Tile’s preferred fabricators might be less for the stone, but may be more on labor or for travel for an out of town job. But this will give you what you need to make an informed decision. Something to keep in mind on the budget is the overall VALUE for your best results, which is more than just the cost. Don’t overlook a fabricator’s skill, experience and ease of communication. A mitered edge is exacting work and not everyone does it well. It is a relatively new edge treatment and some are not really familiar with doing it. And communication and ease of working with them are even more important if you are in different cities. For BUDGET ISSUES, with your current quote, you also mentioned asking for suggestions for cutting the labor / fabrication costs. Do you have the labor itemized so you can see where it can be tweaked? Your inspiration picture shows an undermount sink. That is a more expensive cutout than a drop in or top mounted sink. Of course the cost of a modern top mounted sink may be more expensive than a simple under mounted sink and it may be a wash on the budget, but the labor to fabricate the stone would be less. Instead of the mitered edges everywhere, you could do it just at visually noticeable places like the vanity top but on others like the vanity base, you could have a simple butt joint instead. Take a look at your vanity and the tub deck at the corners to see what edges are prominent and what are not. If it does not show, use the less expensive butt joint. Also in the photo, it appears like the shower base and top are of the slab and the floor and walls are tile. You could look at this and see if the just tile can be used. But if you are not using matching tile to the slab, that may alter the design and may not be what you want. Another MAJOR QUESTION is how you are being charged for the slabs? Are you paying for the entire slabs regardless of how much you use? If so, you might as well use up the slab(s) as much as possible since you are paying for it anyway. If you are paying for the entire slabs, if you have remnants, can you sell them or are they just yours? Are they charging per sq ft of only what you use? You need to know that to maximize your budget. Sometimes you can extend your budget by purchasing major elements ahead of time (slabs, tile (get more than you need), plumbing hardware, cabinets, cabinet hardware, lighting, sinks, tub, etc as you can afford it and wait till you have a majority of those before actually starting the project and that is easier on the budget. This does not always work out, but has for others. Of course, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and accept what you want is more expensive and you can adjust elsewhere. For example, if you are using the framed shower glass like the picture, that is less expensive then a frameless style. And using 3/8 inch thickness is less than the 1/2inch. And especially if you are going framed (which looks great with the entire look by the way), the thinner won’t be noticed. You could select a more economical shower hardware and cabinet hardware, lighting scones, etc, etc. Your choice. Also your choice if you want to go with everything you want in this room and budget in different ways or different parts of the house to get what you want here. Which ever way you choose, you have a beautiful inspiration and you will have a wonderful bathroom. I hope my answers weren’t too long winded. I was trying to give you complete information. If you need clarification on anything I have said or have additional questions, just let me know. Cindi