I did see this! And yes, I still LOVE it five years later. We still haven't begun the 2nd-floor bathroom, aka the 1925 Hall Bath/Faux Master which is our only bathroom on the bedroom level with a clawfoot tub & a shower ring. So the Starting From Dirt Basement Bathroom is still my favorite place to shower. So here's how to do the Starting From Dirt Basement Bath set up: Hansgrohe Ibox rough in Shower & tub fixtures - Hansgrohe Rain S Showerhead & hand shower S Thermostatic Trim with Volume Control and Diverter (tub to shower) Kohler HydroRail Shower Column and Diverter (showerhead to hand shower) Metris S tub filler The Tub Filler & Hydrorail are tied together at the Ibox by the diverter on the shower trim, the two showerheads switch between each other on the Hydorail. Run it all by your plumber - I don't know if all these parts (especially the hydrorail) are still available! Good luck! Also, here's a link to Part 2 of the Adventure: https://tinyurl.com/ydntvkzc

So the service company came. They did many things to address the rattling door which had no effect: - changed the filter - changed the strainer in the pump - adjusted the air flow next to the pump - blew air through the fuel line back to the oil tank (the burner whined loudly after this then quieted down) - bled oil from the burner - started to remove the flow control from the system then decided it was working fine and put it back Finally they changed the nozzle. They stepped the nozzle down to .75 by 70 degrees and wouldn't you know the furnace is back to its quiet happy self. What a relief! I can sleep again at night. (They did not clean/vacuum the furnace.) The showers have been consistently hot, set at 170, 190, and 15 differential. The tech did not have a tool to test the water temperature. Still need to retest the circulator but much progress!

I am so glad that you love your Marvin windows--we have one small bay window from Marvin that we added in the kitchen , but the fact is, on a house with 46 windows, the cost-effectiveness of replacing that many windows is not justified. At least not here in upstate, NY. That one window alone was over $1000. When I priced out windows this summer (and I looked at about eight different companies), the only ones we could afford were about $300-400 per window. For "crappy" vinyl windows. Still, that was an $18,000 investment on a house that we paid $125,000 for. The numbers just didn't add up. If we went to Holbrook Designs (exclusive Marvin dealership here in Albany), the new wood windows were $800 and UP! Even if we got the $800 windows, we would be talking over $35,000!! In Holbrook's defense, they were absolutely lovely and professional on the phone and warned me of their costs before they came out to measure and give me the ubiquitous sales pitch. Storms were about $120 each. Is cleaning four surfaces a pain? Absolutely. But my two oldest kids can help me from the inside while I work from a ladder on the outside. Might be a pain when I get older, but we do actually have window-cleaning companies around here if necessary. And in a house with three kids and two dogs, we are not exactly "neat-freaks," so deep cleaning the windows in fall and spring is plenty for me. I thought this decision to keep my windows would be hard for me (check out earlier posts I have put on about the same thing...some as far back as 2006--that's how long I've been mulling this over!), but I am really fine with it now. These windows have lasted for 150+ years...I'll let someone else make the decision to rip them out somewhere down the line! Not gonna be me :) I do think it's to each his/her own, however. My sister-in-law has a charming little 1930's bungalow but likes everything new--so she had no problem replacing all of the original windows and doors with new ones--and covering up the old wood floors that needed some TLC with laminate. They love it and are happy with their choices. So that's fine! But for me, I like the solid, somewhat imperfect but historic feeling of our house. In it's 150 years, it has only been owned by three families (one of which was my husband's grandfather), so I can just imagine all of the life events taking place there. And with the windows, I just like imagining how many people have actually looked out those same windows over the years. I know--romantic and corny. But I can't help it--history teacher with a minor in urban renewal and you get a historic architecture sap!! ;) S

I'm glad you asked this question because I'm planning to redo our master bathroom and like you I want to do it thoughtfully to avoid problems of upkeep. I definitely will second that suggestion - no bar soap, only liquid - both hand and shower gels. I too would love a clawfoot tub but not in this bathroom. My tub area is a defined area sandwiched between three walls - no way to get access easily around the tub to clean from different angles. Beautiful but not practical. I can't wait to rip out that horrible whirlpool brand whirlpool tub which not only is a disgusting mess to clean the jets, but also turned yellow instead of remaining white. I haven't had any problems with my glass doors/wall in my shower and I suspect it's because the shower is large enough that the water normally doesn't hit the glass during a shower - I only have to deal with some mild steam condensation which is easy to wipe down. I often wonder about those with bathrooms where the shower has no door - what do you do about the steam - that steam carries fine particles of soap and shower debris and deposits them on the walls - at least if you have some closure on the shower itself, most of that gets deposited inside the shower which is a pain to clean - but much easier to clean a small shower area than all the walls of the bathroom? I love the look of the vessel sinks plunked down on top of the vanity top, but I think they are more difficult to keep clean than an undermount sink - I have no experience, just my guess. I hope maybe others with experience can comment. I will be looked to minimize sharp angles - so I'll opt for an oval rounded sink etc. I'm also looking to minimize nooks and crannies in places where I wipe often - so simple straight lines on faucets is a plus.