We have incredibly hard water, no softener and lots of mineral deposits on everything that touches water for any length of time. The solution is incredibly simple: white vinegar. It very simply and easily and gently dissolves the minerals. We had a shower head that my husband was ready to replace because the mineral deposits had clogged it. I unscrewed the head, submerged it in a cup of vinegar for 24 hours, rinsed it off and screwed it back on. Voila! Like new! I have tried CLR: worthless. I have tried abrasives: all they do is scratch and don't get rid of the deposits. Another spot where minerals accumulate is around the kitchen faucet. I take a bunch of paper towels, soak them in vinegar, then pack them around the faucet over the mineral deposits, keeping them good and wet with vinegar and let them sit for about a day, more or less. Rinse and wipe clean, will look like new! Our cat loves water. His favorite thing in the world is if I fill the bathroom sink with water and let him play in it. What happens? Water spots all over the mirror. Wet a cloth, add a dash of vinegar to the cloth, wipe the mirror... clean and shiny!

Tsilanko, I would always recommend professional installation where needed. But what I am doing here is suggesting that WHEN you are planning to build or renovate, to consider how your plans will affect you in 20 or 30 years time. Split levels are very hep when you are young. A kitchen 3 steps down at 30 is rarely a problem, but might be a hazard at 60, or, as Marjie1059 suggested, if you break a leg. ... All my parents' homes were terrible for old people. They were forced to move to a bungalow in extreme old sge because the location and design of their home was more suitable for an active young couple with a large family than for an elderly couple with stroke disabilities. I would not want to move again, so my present home has features built in that make ageing in place simpler. Mostly small changes, like grab rails, and lever handles on doors and faucets. A major disability suddenly suffered requires major changes if permanent. I did look at this because it came up in the discussion, but if you look at the heading, Planning for Disability, it means just that. Plan ahead so you don't have to make expensive changes later on. But thank you for your advice, yes, major changes are not in the DIY domain.

Thank you Groveraxle for the virtual ! you are too good a designer that is why I cannot help troubling you ;) you have your biggest fan in me ever since your first advice:)) As for an in-house designer I am certainly going to call somebody soon . Just that I get such a lot of options and great advice from highly accomplished and talented Houzz designers ..I would be better prepared after these conversations ..please forgive me for pestering you guys like this:)

I think all white will be a very nice scheme and the differences in the white will just add subtle difference. In the above pic the walls are more white than the table, but mixing with the light tan colours and greyish tones makes this gradient of whitish tones work well.This room is all white as well with the furniture and walls, but adding the punch of the other colours masks if the whites are slightly different as the bright colours become the focus. The walls in the pic below 'read' a very pale grey so that would be an option, just ensure that it is a whitish-grey and not muddy or warm. I would choose the sofa colour as your main colour and accents to match from there.