If there is any one thing I've learned over the last couple of years, it is that proper watering goes a long way towards preventing disease and death in grass. If not in-ground then hoses and sprinklers. Improper watering is my own worst habit - I'm lazy about dragging out the hoses. Before you decide you want to renovate and to what degree you need to decide if you are going to care for it and for how long. Meaning following the lawn care basics over the next few years religiously. If not, your work will be for naught. That said, your lawn is not too bad. You could cut low, rake out the dead grass, core aerate, overseed tall fescue or a tall fescue/perennial rye mix, fertilize and water. In 30 days you'll have a nice dense stand of grass.

In my own limited DIY experience, mounting in or on the tile will be a whole lot less problematic than the mirror. It will be annoying, but the time is negligible in the grand scheme of things. That doesn't mean your contractor will like it and may make it take longer and cost more than is really reasonable. He/she really should have consulted you first, so that is his mistake. But, he may still make it more difficult than it really is. Another option might be to get a directional ceiling fixture and point it toward the wall/tile and have it reflect back to where a person would stand and use the vanity. A down light, as I am sure you probably know as a photographer, in the middle of the room will not reflect a lot of bounce light and even less to be useful where someone stands to look in a mirror. It will be great back light! ;-) It's a problem that is a shame you have to solve so late in the game. Unless you are really agnostic about the lighting in the bathroom, you aren't going to be happy with any of these solutions. You will pay now or later to be happy. make them change it now while workers are on hand. If you really are not _that_ worried about the issue, but you want to avoid the downlight effect, then cut both down lights (including the one over the toilet) and put a nice, bright, modern flush mount fixture in the center-ish of the room.. You have to figure out how much you can and can't live with. That my opinion. Joe

Additional Information . We also need to know something about you and your family. We're not being nosey, we need this information to help both you and us understand how your space will be used now and in the near future. Please answer the following questions: What are your goals? E.g., more counter space, more storage, seating in the kitchen (island? peninsula? table?), etc. What is your family composition? Adults? Children? Age ranges of children? Current? Future? How many kitchen workers are there? Cook(s)? Cleanup? Helpers? Now? Future? (E.g., if you have young children, plan for them to be helping out very, very soon as you begin to teach them to help out and, eventually, cook. Also, plan for them as teens for "sizing" since that will also arrive much sooner than you think!) Do you or anyone in your home cook? (No, this is not a facetious question. Some people do not cook and their kitchen is a show place only. If that is what works for you & your family, that's fine! We just need to know that.) How do you see your kitchen used? -- Just for cooking/cleaning up? -- Children doing homework while you cook? -- Party place? -- Something else? Do you entertain a lot? If so, formal? Informal? Do you want your kitchen to be a "hang out" place? Parties only? Everyday? Do you have a separate DR? Do you use it frequently? Infrequently? If infrequently, do you want to begin using it more frequently (e.g., for daily/nightly family meals)? Would you like to open up the kitchen to adjacent areas? Close it up? Do you plan to merge two rooms/areas (e.g., Nook and Kitchen into a Kitchen only) Do you have a basement under the Kitchen space? Crawl space? Slab? Where are you flexible? -- Can windows or doorways change size? -- Can windows or doorways be moved or eliminated? -- Can windows be raised/lowered? -- Does the sink have to be centered under a window? -- Does it have to be under a window at all? (Sinks under windows are an old paradigm left over from the pre-Dishwasher days. Today, we spend far, far less time cleaning up; in fact, the majority of our time spent working in the Kitchen today is spent prepping.) Note: The more constraints you put on a space (e.g., sink centered under a window, not willing to move plumbing, electric, or gas lines), the fewer options there are. So, be sure any limitations/constraints you mention are true constraints. You could say you would like something to not be moved/changed or placed in a certain location, but if it is not a must or truly impossible, then mention it is a preference but that you would consider something different. BTW...do not assume something is "too expensive" to do...check around before assuming, you may be pleasantly surprised at how little it costs! (E.g., if you have a basement, moving water or gas is generally relatively inexpensive.) If one can be fit... Do you bake a lot and do you want a Baking Center? Do you want a coffee/tea/beverage center? Do you want a snack center? Appliances... What appliances do you plan on having (it helps to figure out work flow, work zones, and types of cabinets...upper/lower vs full height, etc.)? Range or Cooktop or Rangetop? Single or Double or no Wall Oven? Warming Drawer? MW? (Advantium, MW Drawer, OTR MW/Hood, countertop, built-in, shelf?) DW? Standard or drawers? If drawers, 1 or 2? Refrigerator (French Door (FD), SxS, or all-fridge/freezer? Counter-depth (CD), standard-depth, or built-in?) True ventilation hood? Other? Sizes of desired appliances (e.g., 30" or 36" or 48" cooktop; 36" or 42" or 48" wide or other Refrigerator? etc.) Pantry... Built-in or cabinets? -- Types of built-in: Reach-in, Step-in, Walk-in -- Note that built-in pantries are the most cost effective and the most functional. In the Kitchen or outside the Kitchen (e.g., Mudroom or hall)? . ***** Very Important ***** Is there anything you: Cannot live without? Definitely do not want? Would like if you can find a way? . All of this information will be valuable to not only you, but also any Kitchen Designers (KD) you may hire or talk to. (If a KD doesn’t ask you these questions, I would seriously consider finding another KD.) Additionally, if you have been haunting the site, you will have noticed that we also help with almost all aspects of a remodel. If you do ask for help, then all of the above information will help us help you. Sometimes we stray from what you think you want to give you some ideas that you might not have thought of, but this is your kitchen and you can veto anything...we may argue for something (we are very good at that!), but in the end it is what you want. And remember, we are just giving you ideas and layout options, in the end when you finalize your design it is whatever you want and decide on! After all, this is your kitchen! [Keep this advice in mind if/when you use a Kitchen Designer or when dealing with a Contractor -- again, this is your kitchen, not his or hers...do not let them talk you into anything unless you are sure it is what you want! Remember, you will work in this Kitchen for years to come, the Contractor or KD will not. You will see it every day; they will walk away when done and never see it again. So, be sure it's what you want. Listen to what they say so you can make an informed decision, but in the end any decisions should be yours.] Good luck!

Be careful not to go overboard using different neutrals. Some neutrals are warm toned, some are cool toned. You can combine warm and cool in a space but it is hard to pull off. If you aren’t confident in your decorating skills, pick one neutral tone and stick with it. Then add interest with accent colors. A good place to start is to find a properly sized fabulous rug with colors that work with your floors and walls. Then build the rest of your choices from the rug style and colors.