I am so happy to see you here! I will have to go back and see if i can retrieve my posts... thought I would make them into a little book for my daughter, with photos. Quick run-down on the bathroom (not travels, no time) - The kitchen has a rather elegant sliding door with beveled glass panels. Painted white, since this was the original colour. GD's new bathroom has the doors I had picked earlier; i thought of polishing them but decided sprayed automobile paint (on a resin primer) would wear better. Especially since it is such a small bathroom, and she is so splashy. I have this finish in my kitchen and it has lasted 15 years now. A tad chipped here and there, but only needs a wipe down once a week. Same finish for the balcony doors, also split like the bathroom. We have a new wardrobe, a study table with built-in shelves, and a small chest of drawers for her odds and ends. I want to re-tile the tiny balcony, more as a little statement. Currently we are looking at Portuguese tiles, though I did think a mosaic with a funky cat might be nice. Let me see the costing. The room will be painted a neutral adobe, with bright white woodwork and an off-white ceiling. This means she can go wild with cushions and covers. Other changes in the flat; We have changed the glass in the master bedroom and living room from small cramped panes to a single pane for each section with a 1" bevel all round. Doubles the cost of the glass, but looks so elegant! The air-conditioning is being re-located. The compressors were all mounted in the bedroom and living room balconies, which looked terrible and meant the balconies (very narrow, only 30" deep) couldn't be used for anything. Not even plants. So they are being moved so that the compressors can be mounted at the rear of the building. two down, one to go. Now we can put in some nice plants, fishtail palms etc. The kitchen counter on one side came out intact and will be reused elsewhere. I am planning overhead storage, cupboards, and a draining cupboard for plates and glasses. Right now there is no dish washer, though a place is earmarked, but for now I will put in a cupboard with steel racks for cups, glasses and plates, all hidden behind pressed glass doors. This is all in the planning stage.... Pictures in a little while, they are mostly on my ipad and don't transfer well to the mac. They come without numbers... so I have to rename the or something. Somebody tell me how to do this!

Yep...shade or blocking direct sunlight from getting into the home is the BIGGEST passive option. And you want to keep the heat off of the ground AROUND your windows/doors as much as possible. That's why you see massive verandas with 20 - 30 ft over hangs in colonial homes in Africa/Asia/India. In N. Africa there are ancient devices (used by the Egyptians during the time of the pyramids) called "wind catchers". These are still in use today in areas of the Middle East. Again it is a passive system. Reduce the amount of WINDOWS that you have. Thick walls and great insulation will all keep the hot sun out. Remember: it is easier to plug in a heater for 2-3 months than it is to remove 30C worth of hot air for 8 months a year! Keep the sun out. Keep it OFF the walls/windows/doors by using over hangs or shade. If you need to add heat for 2-3 months a year, then small heaters are well worth their purchase cost. Highly efficient heaters with well insulated walls = comfortable 2 months of "cool".

Hi Ashok, Leh being extreme cold region will need planning and structure a bit different than our regular home. Factors such as temperature all year round, the extent to which it has snowfall or maximum and minimum temperature drop, the topography of your proposed location, wind speed, these are among many factors that will play role in while planning of your ideal home. With advanced engineering methods and technology, we have many methods to build. Double wall will ensure enough warmth inside the house. -Thanks, -Neelam -Lines and Profile

Anita Vitrified tiles by themselves do not particularly allow the walls to breathe, and hence are prone to cracking. That being said they do not collect moss either. If you are however set on using these tiles, I suggest you use them in a mosaic fashion, where smaller tiles or broken pieces are used. This will allow the wall to breathe, though the moss collection might be more due to the greater amount of grating.