We’ve been here 20 years. If I had started to keep records electronically, they probably would have been on floppy disks. Technology changes. I have a folder with upgrade records, and a shelf of paints. Low tech and reliable.
Talked to an interior designer today. Blue vanities for MB are HOT now. I ain’t painting mine!!! This sounds like a fad. 
@BunsenBurner Funny you mention blue! I saw a link while online for 10 colors decorators which customers would not use, and guess which color made the list?
I have the Kohler Ledges sink in aqua in my hall bath. It’s set in a white vanity top. I put it in four or five years ago and it still makes me happy. http://www.us.kohler.com/us/Ledges-undermount-bathroom-sink/productDetail/bathroom-sinks/425919.htm?skuId=397622&brandId=429848
My master bath has a Pegasus vanity top where the sink and counter are all one piece of aqua colored glass. I love it too. The rest of the bathroom is white except for a glass tile border that picks up the teal/aqua color of the sink. It’s like this one, but 48" wide and I didn’t put the backsplash on: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hembry-Creek-22-in-W-Tempered-Glass-Vanity-Top-in-White-with-White-Basin-PBI25W/100531333?MERCH=REC--nosearch3_rr--NA--100531333--N
^^@mathmom, your master bath vanity top is gorgeous!
@collage1 and it was really inexpensive too!
We have a glorious flat one-acre property. Does anyone have a ballpark of what installing a sprinkler system would cost?? I don’t mind watering my plants, but the grass at this time of year always starts to look brown. Sprinklers would help.
First-world problems, I know.
Does your water district impose a surcharge on water consption over x? Ours does, and it skyrockets. Watering our measly 4,000 sft lawn cost us $400 a month last year. For comparison, our normal water bill is $25-50 a month. Plus, you will have to test the backflow valve o the system every year. PIA and $50 here.
Around here most properties have irrigation wells for their sprinkler systems. If you don’t have one, it can be pricey to install but will probably pay for itself in a few years of water consumption savings.
I always knew our sewer bill (the much higher portion) was based on our water usage, so always tried to be very conservative watering in summer. I recently studied the bills more in depth, and discovered there’s a minimum sewer charge no matter how little water is used. Watering the lawn, the plants, and part of our shallow foundation in summer added maybe $50 - $100 to the total summer surcharge. Perhaps not the most sustainable choice, but I decided the green (and lack of foundation cracks) was definitely worth that amount.
Yes, check how your water district charges for your water. Some charge progressive per CCF charge if use exceeds certain thresholds. Here is ours:
Base charge includes 0-1,496 gallons (0-2 CCF)
3-25 CCF: $4.83/CCF in winter or $6.03 in summer
over 25 CCF: $7.27/CCF in winter or $8.47/cCF in summer
Yikes.
Checked my bill as it was sitting on the table handy. Paid $35/month for water for May-June.
Some cities assume that ALL water used goes back into the sewer and assess sewer fees based on the actual monthly water consumption. Others use the average of the two lowest months of usage and base their fee on that usage. Some use other formulas or require a separate water meter for irrigation line. Then you pay 2 (!) base fees for the meters even if you don’t use the irrigation one in the winter. It is CRAZY.
In the town next to me that has public sewers, you can install a separate irrigation meter that feeds your sprinklers. Water billed to this meter doesn’t get charged for sewer usage. The irrigation rate is the highest water rate, but compared to the combined water/sewer rate it is the cheapest, by far. They charge around $400 for the meter, backflow valve test, and shutoff/turn on service, and you have to have your own plumber hook it up, but I would imagine for most people the payback is pretty quick.
How does watering your foundation prevent foundation cracks?
@VeryHappy --I can’t recall how much it cost to have the system installed, but the ongoing costs include: water bill approx $75+/month higher during watering months at my house; increased sewer charges (although not all that much higher given how much higher the water consumption is); annual charges to open, repair & close the system. Repair only needed if someone runs over one of the sprinkler heads or if a pipe develops a leak during the winter.
Well, I also found this: “A professionally installed system for a typical ¼-acre lot is $3,000 to $4,000.” Since I have one full acre, the price would be multiples of that – maybe not four times, but at least twice and maybe three times.
Never mind. Not gonna happen.
Mine was about twice that for 2/3 acre, but we had a lot of garden areas so needed more zones and special sprinkler heads. We could (and probably should) have saved some money by keeping it simpler. Water is cheap and plentiful here, so using it is not expensive.
Does your town or state regulate irrigation systems? In my town, you are not allowed to install one that covers more than 15,000 sq ft.
The water bill to water an acre would be brutal.
There are DIY methods to do it on the cheap, and if you are handy you can rent machines to trench the pipe with minimal damage to your lawn.
@VeryHappy , I suggest that you go over to Rings End and buy an adjustible sprinkler head for $15. 
Where I live, your water bill can be your second highest bill, just behind your mortgage. We live on 1/3 acre, and have been transitioning to less lawn, more shaded beds as the trees grew, but we have had water bills in excess of $400 in the past.
Our town now requires rain sensors on new systems, but there’s still lots of wastein commercial areas.
My October water bill is usually about $300, because they bill quarterly and that covers July/August/September, which are the only months we run the sprinklers much. The other quarterly bills are about $100.
Sprinklers are a PIA. So happy there is not a blade of grass at our “new” place.
In other news, SW stock is sharply down apparently due to lower than expected earnings.