They stepped over the threshold into a domed atrium. Peter’s shoes squeaked on the glittering marble floor as they strode under a beaded chandelier suspended from the top of the stained-glass dome, tinting the room blue as though it were an underwater retreat.

They stepped over the threshold into an majestic, carnival-like atrium. Peter’s shoes squeaked on the glittering marble floor as they strode under a stained-glass dome that tinted the room green and blue as though it were an underwater retreat.

They stepped over the threshold into a domed atrium. Peter’s shoes squeaked loudly on the polished marble floor as they strode under an enormous glass chandelier suspended from the top of the dome, which was embroidered with dark mahogany paneling and rich mosaic art.

What atmosphere does each paragraph portray?

Hey

I prefer the first, although I do agree with over-descriptive writing. I feel you can take out the ‘glittering’ before the marble floor. I’d make the word ‘suspended’ more simpler.

Other than that, I think it’s great, I especially loved the ‘tinting the room blue as though it were an underwater retreat’ – that’s lovely. You’ve used description and enough adjectives to show how luxurious this place is.

Remember it’s not necessary to always use adverbs or adjectives, sometimes less is more – more can easily become empowering.

Hope that helps
~ JLT

The contractor is coming in 3 weeks. I’m supposed to buy the tile and grout. He suggested that I buy tile at a hardware store like Lowes to save money, or at a more expensive local tile store with lots of options. I’d like to find something very neutral, like an ivory tile that might have some marble effect. His only tip was to stay away from mosaic, since too much grout would be harder to keep clean.

My questions are (1) size of tiles? Is 6 x 6 ok, or should I be looking for bigger tiles? He suggested bigger is always better, but I’m concerned that this might pose problems since he’ll have to fit them around the doors and fixtures. (2) Matte or semi-gloss? Glossy seems like it would be easier to clean in a bathroom, but it might be too shiny? (3) he said that he could install the tile on existing walls after he removes the wallpaper and paste because the walls won’t be exposed to water — just steam if the kids forget to turn the fan on. Does it make sense to install tile on the existing wall? (4) I didn’t ask him if he’d put the metal towel racks and one robe hook back up, but I’m going to need him to do that. Any tips about towel rack installation? Do I need to buy ceramic tile rods as part of the project?

I’ve been told I will need about 85 sq. feet of tile for this project. Labor cost is about $1000, so this is actually close to the cost of re-wallpapering.

Please give me your thoughts and suggestions. I’m hoping to give the room a fresh look for resale.

Tile size: Except for kitchen backsplashes, the typical tiles used these days are 12"x12" and larger for most of the remodels we’ve been doing. Smaller tiles take longer to install and require more grout, too.

As for where to shop, we use local stores and their prices are competitive with the Big Box stores. Of course, for us it’s 140 miles round trip to the nearest Lowes or Home Depot which has a lot of influence. Also, most tile stores have installation crews that they favor. Ask them to give you a quote for this project.

That being said, we subcontract our tile installations because the guys we hire have the tile saws and other tools and they are far faster than my own crew. They also charge about 1/2 of what you say you were quoted for 85 SF. I suggest you get a couple more quotes. While you’re at it, ask for references and DO check them out.

Good luck with your project.

The contractor is coming in 3 weeks. He suggested that I buy tile at a hardware store like Lowes to save money, or at a more expensive local tile store with lots of options. I’d like to find something very neutral, like an ivory tile that might have some marble effect. His only tip was to stay away from mosaic, since too much grout would be harder to keep clean.

My questions are (1) size of tiles? Is 6 x 6 ok, or should I be looking for bigger tiles? He suggested bigger is better, but I’m concerned that this might pose problems since he’ll have to fit them around the doors and fixtures. (2) Matte or semi-gloss? Glossy could be easier to clean in a bathroom, but it might be too shiny? (3) Does it make sense to install tile on the existing wall? (4) I didn’t ask him if he’d put the metal towel racks and one robe hook back up, but I’m going to need him to do that. Any tips about towel rack installation? Do I need to buy ceramic tile rods as part of the project?

I’ve been told I will need about 85 sq. feet of tile for this project. Labor cost is about $1000, so this is actually close to the cost of re-wallpapering.

Please give me your thoughts and suggestions. I’m hoping to give the room a fresh look for resale.

Since you plan to sell limit the tile to areas where it’s necessary, strip the wallpaper and paint the rest. Potential buyers may not like a full tile treatment. I’d recommend a plain 6×6 white tile, and neutral colors.

The more you can improve without going custom will appeal to buyers especially since you’re remodeling/updating a jack-&-jill bathroom. Keep it within a modest budget.

http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/tiles/wall-floor-tiles/ceramic_wall___floor_tiles/-specificproducttype-ceramic_tiles/Illusion-Matinee-Marble-Effect-Ceramic-Wall-and-Floor-Tile-Grey-Pack-Of-10-10977501

All help appreciated, thanks

Any solid color mosaic would look the best. Grey ( light or dark) Just don t do a multi tonal or mixed mosaic. It ll be way to busy.
Only contrast I d consider would be a solid black or solid blue that has grey over tones.
Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar. GL

https://twitter.com/aznluvsmusic/status/158416709110337538

Anyways, I have food pellets and freeze dried bloodwarms for his diet. Since I just got him today, I only fed him about 3 pellets. He didn’t seem interested in them, just let them sink. I don’t know if he ate them yet.

The tank I’m using is a 2 gallon, hexagon with a LED light and a very quiet filter that doesn’t bother him. I didn’t use gravel for his tank, but these marble-rock like things. Kind of like in mosaic tiles. I also have a bridge I bought at the same time and my mom insisted on adding this fish standee and floating bobber that held a fish as well. I used natural spring water from the store to fill the tank. He has plenty of space to swim around in.

Ever since I put him into his new tank from that small, plastic cup, he’s been sticking to the side of the tank. I’m not quite sure but I’m assuming he’s seeing his reflection and trying to attack it. He also gapes his mouth open ever now and then then closes it. About 20 minutes ago, when I walked up to the tank to check up on him, he started wildly swimming around for a moment then went back to the side. Was he excited to see me?

I would really like to know if he feels comfortable and what I could do to make him happier. Any advice at all would be appreciated, I read up on bettas last night so I’d like to learn things from other people too. Thank you~

The responders so far don’t seem to be any better informed than you are, so I will make some suggestions.
First: do NOT use bottled water of any type. It lacks essential minerals. Use room-temperature tap water treated with a conditioner/de-chlorinator. AquaSafe and Start Right are two good brands.
A proper home for a Betta is at least a 5 gallon tank with hood, heater, and gentle filter. Anything less is cruelty to these beautiful fish. Bettas must have heaters, they are tropical fish.
I recommend going to a book store and/or library and getting some beginner’s books on aquarium keeping, and also on Bettas. There is a lot more to learn than what can be absorbed in one night.
It is normal for a Betta to not eat for a day or two after being put in a new tank. He needs to get settled in. He will not eat food after it has sank. Net it out if he doesn’t eat it, to keep from fouling the water.
Do further research and get him a proper home if you’d like to see him live the full 5+ healthy, happy years he is capable of.

Way back during the eighth century, Europe was still knee-deep in the Medieval period. That’s not the only thing they were knee-deep in. In his book, “The Day The Universe Changed,” the historian James Burke describes how the typical European townspeople lived:

“The inhabitants threw all their refuse into the drains in the center of the narrow streets. The stench must have been overwhelming, though it appears to have gone virtually unnoticed. Mixed with excrement and urine would be the soiled reeds and straw used to cover the dirt floors. (p. 32)

This squalid society was organized under a feudal system and had little that would resemble a commercial economy. Along with other restrictions, the Catholic Church forbade the lending of money – which didn’t help get things booming much. “Anti-Semitism, previously rare, began to increase. Money lending, which was forbidden by the Church, was permitted under Jewish law.” (Burke, 1985, p. 32) Jews worked to develop a currency although they were heavily persecuted for it. Medieval Europe was a miserable lot, which ran high in illiteracy, superstition, barbarism and filth.

During this same time, Muslims entered Europe from the South. Abd al-Rahman I, a survivor of a family of caliphs of the Muslim empire, reached Spain in the mid-700’s. He became the first Caliph of Al-Andalus, the Muslim part of Spain, which occupied most of the Iberian Peninsula. He also set up the Umayyad Dynasty that ruled Al-Andalus for over three-hundred years. (Grolier, History of Spain). Al Andalus means, “the land of the vandals,” from which comes the modern name Andalusia.

At first, the land resembled the rest of Europe in all its squalor. But within two-hundred years the Muslims had turned Al-Andalus into a bastion of culture, commerce and beauty.

“Irrigation systems imported from Syria and Muslimia turned the dry plains… into an agricultural cornucopia. Olives and wheat had always grown there. The Muslims added pomegranates, oranges, lemons, aubergines, artichokes, cumin, coriander, bananas, almonds, pams, henna, woad, madder, saffron, sugar-cane, cotton, rice, figs, grapes, peaches, apricots and rice.” (Burke, 1985, p. 37)

By the beginning of the ninth century, Muslim Spain was the gem of Europe with its capital city, Cordova. With the establishment of Abd al-Rahman III – “the great caliphate of Cordova” – came the golden age of Al-Andalus. Cordova, in southern Spain, was the intellectual center of Europe.

At a time when London was a tiny mud-hut village that “could not boast of a single streetlamp” (Digest, 1973, p. 622), in Cordova…

“…there were half a million inhabitants, living in 113,000 houses. There were 700 mosques and 300 public baths spread throughout the city and its twenty-one suburbs. The streets were paved and lit.” (Burke, 1985, p. 38)

“The houses had marble balconies for summer and hot-air ducts under the mosaic floors for the winter. They were adorned with gardens with artificial fountains and orchards”. (Digest, 1973, p. 622) “Paper, a material still unknown to the west, was everywhere. There were bookshops and more than seventy libraries.” (Burke, 1985, p. 38).

In his book titled, “Spain In The Modern World,” James Cleuge explains the significance of Cordova in Medieval Europe:

“For there was nothing like it, at that epoch, in the rest of Europe. The best minds in that continent looked to Spain for everything which most clearly differentiates a human being from a tiger.” (Cleugh, 1953, p. 70)

During the end of the first millennium, Cordova was the intellectual well from which European humanity came to drink. Students from France and England traveled there to sit at the feet of Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars, to learn philosophy, science and medicine (Digest, 1973, p. 622). In the great library of Cordova alone, there were some 600,000 manuscripts (Burke, 1978, p. 122).

Actually they were and still are the main reason for the dark ages and at those times they were also responsible for the Bubonic plague.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

my balloon mollies had 7fry and they are 2black and white,3orange and black,and 2 look just white.iv never seen a blue or red molly.not sure about the others cause i dont own them.

Thanks

You need to sit down with a builder local to you. If you want some rough estimates, have a real estate agent show you the prices of her new construction listings in your local area.