Using stone remnants is a great suggestion. We used remnants for the two bathrooms we are remodeling right now, just as our friends did, all to save some $$. They even used a remnant for their long master bath counter. It's seamed in the middle but since they also added a tower cabinet, it's not noticeable at all (plus the installers did a good job). We will begin our master bath shortly, hoping to use a remnant again. It might be a little harder since we need 88" of counter, plus we're locked in to a color scheme (had drapes for bathroom and bedroom made last year). We'll just have to see what we can find among the remnants our fabricators have on hand. If we can't go the remnant route, our contractor said it will cost us about $500 more to purchase a half slab of granite or quartz, depending on what we choose. As for the tub, you're right, only you can answer this. But maybe the advice given to me by a friend who's a CMKBD (unfortunately not in my area or I would have hired her) when I was trying to decide whether to replace my whirlpool tub with an an acrylic or cast iron soaking tub: If it were my home and it was long-term and I wasn't using it often: acrylic If it were my home and it wasn't long-term and I needed to keep the budget down: acrylic If it were my home and it wasn't long-term but everyone in the neighborhood had cast-iron: cast-iron If it were my home and it was long-term and I was using it often: cast iron. Translated for your situation, it would be something along the lines of: If it were my home and it was long-term and I wasn't using the air tub often: granite counters If it were my home and it wasn't long-term but everyone in the neighborhood had granite counters: granite counters. If it were my home and it wasn't long-term but everyone in the neighborhood had an air tub (or something similar): air tub. If it were my home and it was long-term and I was using the air tub often: air tub. If you opt for an air tub, one way to keep costs down is to reuse your existing sinks (provided they are still in decent shape) and get laminate counters for now. Buy new sinks when you can afford to upgrade to stone counters. Buy enough extra tile now so that you can replace the backsplash to match the existing tile (generally won't be able to save it when you remove the laminate counter). It's much easier to replace a laminate counter than it is to replace a soaking tub.

hire an energy rater to give you specific to your home info. what my years of this type of work have taught me is that the air sealing is the first line of defense. a blower door test will show you where your house leaks and a duct test will show where ducts leak. in new construction nationwide there is 25 to 30% duct leakage in new homes..in existing homes it can be higher..it can also be lower..but not often the case. caulk..not great stuff will provide a good flexible seal that will last (depending on years of caulk purchased) great stuff breaks down and does not expand and contract. if you can stop the air leakage into your house it will be affordable to heat and cool once the air barrier is complete then insulate. insulation slows air movement but doesn't stop it (except foam insulation which when properly applied lowers air infiltration..for a price) when air moves through insulation it lowers the performance of the insulation. when you put a power attic ventilator it pulls air from inside the house (at air leakage sites) and from ductwork located in attic (duct leakage sites). pav's can put the house under a negative pressure causing the house to pull in air via holes ..recessed cans..the oversized cut for the drain under the tub...many of these leakage sites allow voc's into the house which contribute to allergies ect. cellulose insulation has a fine powder that spreads through out the house..entering through leakage sites and spreading via hvac system. caulk caulk and caulk. your biggest payback is reducing the air infiltration. after that the duct/return air leakage then would come insulating attic..biggest savings crawlspace..open cell foam not batts. batts droop over time due to gravity..and condensation forms on the undersides of floors causing floors to rot. as wind sweeps the batts it robs the insulation of R-value (you should see a thermal scan of batt insulation in floors on a windy day!) then lastly walls. air seal walls prior to insulating caulk ceiling moldings to ceiling and wall floor moldings to wall & floor window and door frames to walls gaskets behind plates of switches and outlets. There is a national association of energy raters hire one to evaluate your home and give you real world proven information for your home. www.natresnet.org we are trained, nationally certified unbiased professionals. best of luck

No- certainly don't feel that any ideas would be offending!! Not at all!! Some won't work- the way my house is designed I just can't section off a room. It is an unusual house to say the least. I might be able to appeal with LIEAP- I have a call in to a 'higher up' person. Because what heat source I have is not able to be used by myself someone said 'it is not adaquate- so they are supposed to make it adaquate'. Cross your fingers and toes. For those of you who are trying to 'prepare' for the possibility of Work Comp/SSI/SSD....there are either 5 or 7 states that do not use the Federal Work Comp(AIG Insurance), these states have much less support and you may end up with alot less Work Comp settlement/payments. SSD highest payment is $600/month. If you have worked steadily for 20 quarters, you can apply for SSI, which the monthly payments are dependent upon what your income was. You don't get both- you get one or the other- depending what you qualify for. Something I have learned the past 3 days of being on the phone solid...Salvation Army, United Way, do not serve all areas. There is a chapter in Billings, Montana, but they do not cross county/state lines. Here, where I live, there is neither. As Patches said- there is very little help available in Wyoming. People do not seem to be in the mind frame to help others 'for free'. Whatever they do, they want to be paid for it. If you and/or a sig. other are considering moving, retiring to another state, check out beforehand what services are available in case you get sick/hurt. In Billings, there seems to be ALOT of help- in Wyoming-zip. Patches- you say your cousin may be needing more surgery. If she is close to me (Cody), maybe there would be something that I could do for her when the time comes. If so, I think you can email or pm me. I can imagine how hard it must be to be a single mom with kids and need surgery/recover, without help. Right now it seems to be a waiting game for phone calls to be returned... pris- maybe I forgot to say, but I have already been on SSI for 10 years. As I mentioned above, you don't get Work Comp and SSI. Even when you get a settlement, say for example, you get $25,000- it is doled(sp), out over a 3 year period- so you never get a 'chunk' of cash. You must live off it each month. You can never get anywhere with the Wyoming system. cynic- it is good you are preparing also. I LOVE electric mattress pad!! I try not to use space heaters, as they are 10 times more expensive to run than a regular electric system. I give in though in the bathroom- you just can't take a bath in a 45* room! Well, I guess you can- our anscestors did it.... cynic- have you thought about an electric bed? I slept in one when I 'dog sat' at a friends- it was a foam type- a little warm, but I could get fairly comfortable in it! I have an electric bed on my wish-list.... Maybe I will hear from someone tomorrow. Oh- I talked to someone with the Wyoming Energy today. About solar energy. It would give me all my electric for spring/summer/fall....but Wyoming only gives a maximum of $5,000 grant- leaving a cost of about $20,000 for a small system. Well, I guess THAT won't be even a little dream... The government needs to make solar available if they want us to use it so we use less fossil fuel... So far, it isn't even near to being available to a low income person. Later...

I had written a post about my problems with a payoff of almost $8,000.00 on my Sears MasterCard which for two weeks went missing. I also posted about the loan that I received from my bank and Why there was a $25,000.00 HELOC with a payment of $231.00 and a $25,000.00 Fixed Rate account with a payment of $217.00! Both due on November 4th. First, the $8,000.00 was not missing. For some reason, CitiBank insisted that my loan officer and I had to be on the phone together to acknowledge the payment to the account? It, (the payment) had been sitting on someone's desk for two weeks! No reason given on why .. the same bank, (CitiBank) accepted and applied my payoff on the Costco Visa Card and wouldn't do the same on the Sears MasterCard without the above hoops! (Three way call) Both cards are owned by CitiBank. The bank loan thingy was quite simple. My loan officer opened a HELOC (home equity line of credit) which is akin to a credit card, took out all of the money and paid off the high percentage credit cards and deposited the rest into my savings account. After doing that, my loan officer converted the HELOC account to a Fixed Rate account where my payments will be $217.00 a month from now on! YAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! That HELOC account was charged $14.00 for interest and draw-down charges which is why there was a $231.00 payment due instead of $217.00 I wrote a check today for the $14.00 on the HELOC account which will effectively close that account! She (loan officer) did it this way to save me on the appraisal and other fees associated with a regular Home Equity Loan. I am now in a very good place with a lot more breathing room! From almost $900.00 a month in payments to $217.00 a month!!!! I still have almost $100,000 equity in my home too! The Math works out just fine! Thank You Everyone!!