Mr Forbes and I agree

On shower heads, that is. On pretty much everything else we are polar opposites. But on shower heads we have common ground. The Grohe Freehander shower was one of the products we chose for the boys' bath renovation last year. It also made the Forbes Luxe-for-Less home improvement list.
I have loved this product since I first stepped into the shower after the renovation. We kept the same plumbing in this bath, changing only the valve, trim and shower head, which kept costs down and the Freehander was, much to the plumber's surprise, really easy to install. The actual price on the street (or the internets) is much cheaper than the one quoted on forbes.com.
Because you can adjust the arm it really works for my 6' 2" husband (no more twisting and bending to get the shampoo out), and I can pull the arm down to get an arc of water over my head. It looks good, it's powerful and if you set it to "massage" it kneads all the knots out of your achey shoulders. What more can a gal ask of a shower head?


The only change I'd make if I had to do the remodel again would be to spring for the Thermostatic Temperature Control Valve, just to ensure the water is at a constant temperature no matter who might decide to clean their teeth while I'm taking an invigorating but warm shower. That would really be luxe!

Terrazzo - hot or not?

Just as I'm making plans to take out another terrazzo shower base, this time in the master bath, I find that terrazzo is hot again. These days it's eco-friendly, made from things like old toilets (I kid you not) and 100% recycled glass bonded with coloured epoxy resin and turned into bright, shiny countertops.
Our old terrazzo shower base is made from crushed marble set in portland cement, the same as one we took out during the boys' bathroom remodel. It's not a look that I find appealing, more cement than marble and is the devil to keep clean. You might want to close your eyes at this point and surf away as the photo below is quite disgusting. This is what happens when the terrazzo gets cracked and you can't scrub it properly because the water will leak through to the foyer below. Yuk, ugh. I can't wait to take a sledgehammer to it.



The new terrazzo is supposed to be easy to maintain and they even have a product made from actual terrazzo and glass that's suitable for flooring - it looks like terrazzo but is cheaper, and easier to lay. I don't think it would work in our house as it's not scratch-proof. It sure does sparkle though.
I really want to update this house in the greenest way possible but I think that, in the end, I just find the new terrazzo too irregular for my taste. And I'm a little afraid that I might be letting back into my master bath the avocado and fawn beige toilets we took out of the other bathrooms. That's a step too far for me.