At times, I am confronted with deep philosophical questions; questions that have a bearing on the fate of humanity; questions like:

Do I need a bathroom backsplash?

Short answer:  Yes, of some sort.

Bathroom backsplashes can range from merely those little dams on the back of pedestal sinks to entire wall-fulls of backsplash (begging the question:  is this really a backsplash or a wall doing double-duty as a backsplash?  My head hurts just thinking about it).

With the world of slap-em-up bathroom backsplashes, none are easier than the one pictured here.  Since we're dealing with a vessel sink, you've got to do something here.  Vessel sinks are just basins glued on top of counters.  Here we've got twelve-inch marble tile set against the wall with a marble border on top.  Squirt bathroom-grade caulk at the juncture between backsplash and counter, wet finger, smooth out the caulk, and...  "Done!" he says, brushing his hands clean.

The hardest part is drilling the holes for the faucet.  Get the tile shop to do it for you.  It'll be just a few bucks or free, if you bought enough tile.

Image:  St. Thomas

In honor of my toilets retrospective, I considered writing a power ballad.  You know, something with a manly, mulleted throbbing late 1980s beat.  Something fist-pumping and uplifting and positive, written by Stan Bush, who penned such classics as "The Touch" and "She's Got the Power."

Why?  Because toilets are such a benign presence in our lives.  They are there when we need them.  Conversely, there are times when toilets aren't there fast enough for us.

They are white.  Lowly.  Quiet.  Or quiet, until the moment they scream back in anger at us:  "Hey, whadda you trying to do?"

And because of that, I felt that toilets deserved a boost.

Did you know there is a toilet called the Kohler Persuade?  Yes, it's what fancy industry mavens call a dual-flush toilet.

Persuade. I love it.

A few things I've learned while looking at bathroom design ideas:

1. Tile Makes the Bathroom

Case in point, my favorite tile manufacturer, Hispano Azul, with their tiled bathroom pictured here.  They have designed this bathroom with massive 23.6 inch tile on the walls, acting as both wall tile and shower tile.  It's one of those funky shower-and-bathroom-are-one-in-the-same setups you only find in shelter magazines and remodeling shows...or renovation websites, like yours truly.

2. Free-Standing Pieces

Another tip is to use free-standing furniture in the bathroom.  Space is limited, of course, but that doesn't mean you can't be creative.

3.  Avoid Vanities

Most vanities, with their solid block-like appearance, can overwhelm a room.  Pedestal sinks or vessel sinks are remedies for this.

4.  Wainscotting is Good, But...

...it does seem to have run its course, trend-wise.  Still, I think it's a nice practical touch.  Here is some unusual non-beadboard wainscotting.

5.  Don't Be Afraid to Try Something Different

Paint the outside of your cast-iron tub.  Paint the door frames something besides white.  Splurge on a pricey tile medallion.

Image: Hispano Azul

Amy Matthews is a cipher.  An enigma.  An enigma wrapped in a cipher in a riddle in a...

You get the picture.  And you'd think that for a woman who is so visible to everyone, via her appearances on DIY Network's Sweat Equity, Bathroom Renovations, 10 Things You Must Know, we should all intimately know Amy Matthews.  Alas, we do not.

Internet forums buzz with "is she single" and "is she hot" type of stuff, sadly bypassing the fact that she is an accomplished home remodeler and licensed contractor.  And that her shows are strong on solid advice, with zero of the dumb drama that you often see on some DIY shows.

So, Amy volunteered to answer ten questions for an article which I so creatively titled 10 Things You Must Know About Amy Matthews.

Not only that, she gives great advice about quick-and-easy (and inexpensive) bedroom and bathroom remodels for the holiday season.  It's not too late!

One great tip that I had never even thought of:  buying materials from your local Habitat for Humanity Reuse Store.

Image:  3M

Am I the first person on Earth to use the phrase "think outside the box" in conjunction with Waste Management's new Bagster waste collection system?

Seems like it.  It's the perfect way to describe the service.

I first took notice of Bagster because it fills the gap between calling a hauling company for your remodeling waste and renting a steel dumpster.

Disposing of home remodeling waste is a huge issue that lots of homeowners never consider when they start ripping down those kitchen cabinets.  I've been there.  Suddenly, you have a waist-high pile of melamine-surfaced MDF particleboard on your kitchen floor.  The smile on your face slowly evaporates.  Where to put this stuff?

Problems to consider:

• It won't fit in your garbage cans.
• It doesn't really even belong in garbage cans.
• A roll-off dumpster is great (and I advise people to get them whenever possible), but they begin at 10 yarders (ten cubic yards).
• It's difficult to park dumpsters if you don't have a driveway.

Bagster is a bag that you buy (rent) for $29.95 at "select home improvement retailers" (hmm...who could that be?), unfurl in your front yard, and fill with up to 3 cubic yards or 3,300 pounds of remodeling or yard waste.  That comes to about 47 sheets of 1/2" drywall--not half-bad.  As with any steel dumpster, if you're filling with rock, gravel, concrete, or other dense material, you have a lower limit.

I cannot vouch for Bagster service.  In fact, I have no idea how much Bagster costs beyond the $29.95 charge for the bag because they don't service my area.  And yes, they do charge for weight on top of the $29.95.

UPDATE:  I tried a different zip code from my own.  In 20910 zip, the pickup charge is $129.00.

Image:  Waste Management

Whether or not you consider electric radiant floor heating to be a luxury all depends on where you live.

For those who live in cold climates, electric radiant floor heating feels very, very good on a cold day.  But my argument has always been that you shouldn't feel radiant floor heat.  The thermostat should be set high enough to take the chill off the floor, but not high enough to heat up the room (or blow your monthly electric bill to smithereens).

One major company, Warmly Yours, claims that electric radiant floor heating can be used as a primary heat source.  Even the U.S. Department of Energy says that it can be used when you need to extend your heating to a distant locale--a new addition, for example.

I still look at it as a way to supplement your primary heat source, but that's just me.

When the manufacturers say that electric radiant floor heating costs "just pennies a day," that's not too far from the truth.  You can program the floor thermostat to run during certain times of the day (why heat the floor at midnight?) and/or you can set it at a temperature, which means the system will turn on or off as needed.

Image:  Watts Radiant

Travertine floor...  Now we've really hit the big-time.

If you're considering travertine floor for your home, take note:  it's not for everyone.  And before you say, "Who is that snob?" I'll say, "It will probably never be in my home."

Not that I don't want it (I like it).  I especially like the travertine-and-slate mix pictured here.  But here are the reasons:

1. Travertine flooring is expensive.
2. I have a 5 year-old son.

First, the bit about the boy.  Travertine is limestone, and due to its composition it does not fare well when it comes in contact with any kind of acidic or corrosive substance.

Orange juice is regularly mentioned as being Travertine's Public Enemy #1, but think also of:  tomatoes, vinegar, etc.  This means that travertine--at least unpolished, unsealed travertine--may not be the best type of flooring for the kitchen.  That, combined with the dirt and grime of boys, means that travertine is more like a "grown-up" flooring material.

Travertine Cost

Did you think travertine would be cheap?  The travertine here (Jeffrey Court) comes in at about $10/square foot.  Some varieties of tumbled travertine can fall in the $8-$10/square foot range.  And of course, you can always buy higher, should your heart desire.

As a reference point, Brazilian cherry flooring can come in for as low as $5/square foot.

Even though $10/square foot may not seem bad, consider how much it would cost in a 400 square foot room ($4,000), and then adding in installation costs (maybe another $3,300).

Image: Jeffrey Court/South Cypress Floors

Funny how the term Brazilian cherry flooring has become the linguistic signifier for all things swank and luxe in today's homes.

And it's all a marketing ploy.

Recently, I set my little uneducated mind to the wheel to figure out why everybody loves Brazilian cherry floors.  I came to the conclusion that it's the name.  For many of us, Brazil has exotic connotations:  rainforests, Rio, and thonged babes on the beach (well, at least that's what I think).  Cherry wood implies something very traditional and substantial (George Washington?).  Combine the two words--dropping the wood's true name, jatoba--and you've got a killer marketing campaign.

At least, Brazilian cherry floors have good points.  Actually, many good points:

• Extremely hard wood, scoring high on the Janka hardness scale.
• It stains well.
• Returns great value (just say you've got Brazilian cherry on your floors when it comes time to sell).
• Looks great even unstained.  It's a rich salmon color, often with attractive dark streaks.

Downside?  Well, it's popular; and because of its popularity, it is high-priced.  Over-priced, in my opinion.

Of course, you could always "fake it" and buy Brazilian cherry laminate flooring!

Image:  South Cypress Floors/Mohawk

Everything you feared about getting rid of water in your crawl space is true.

It's dirty, costly, frustrating.

Recently, I had the pleasure of spending $3,600 on a local company that specializes in permanently ridding crawlspaces of water.  While it's not rocket science and over time I could have done the job myself, it's that "time thing" that's the problem.  A job that took this company one day to do would take me weeks.

You first need to take care of the exterior causes for water in the crawl space...

• Got any drainpipes shooting right into the foundation?
• Any rivulets running toward the house?
• Are your gutters functioning?
• Etc.

But let's assume you've already taken care of those issues.  In my case, the problem was that the entire hillside above my house was like a giant sponge.  It leaked water toward my house--and the houses of everyone on the street--365 days a year, though very slowly.  Nothing you can do about that.

So, what you do is set up a border within your crawlspace that is the same dimension as your foundation.  Then you dig a trench.  Then you schlep hundreds of pounds of drain rock through your house--right past the fine Limoges china in your dining room--and down into the access door.  Then you drag hundreds of feet of perforated pipe through the house, and down again.

Line that trench with the pipe, cover with gravel.  Install a sump pump at the low end of your perimeter.  Got a GFCI in your crawlspace?  Probably not.  Call an electrician to install one.

Arrange sump pump's discharge to go to the house exterior...well away from the house.

Then you re-cover the entire crawl space with 6 mil. vapor barrier.  Done.

And of course, when I say "you," I mean "the company you hired to do this."

Image Lee Wallender; Licensed to About.com

Waterproof laminate.  Sound like an oxymoron to you?  Like saying Sharp-Dull (which by the way, I just found out two minutes ago is the Greek root for "oxymoron")?

Yes, for years you had to keep laminate flooring far away from high-moisture areas.  By high-moisture, we're talking about places that can flood.  Places where you might end up with a high water mark.  Places like basements (which can, and do, flood from outside sources) or kids' bathrooms (which can, and do, flood from inside sources...I'll say from personal experience that 5 year-old boys do not pay a whole lot of attention to where their stray water goes).

Oh wait, laminate flooring should be keep away not only from high-moisture areas, but even places with moderate amounts of moisture, such as bathrooms for grown ups.

So, what does the flooring industry have to say about all this?  Typically, they lace their warranties with all kinds of prohibitions against installing laminate flooring in places that could get even an eyedropper's worth of moisture.

Or, they try to better seal up laminate flooring's seams, essentially preventing the moisture from even getting to the water-susceptible fiberboard core in the first place.

I have found two authentically waterproof laminates out there.  One is Mannington ICORE, which patented the "waterproof laminate" idea in 2003.  Another lesser-known product comes from Foresta Flooring.

What these waterproof laminates do is strip away the spongy, water-loving fiberboard core in favor of a water-shedding thermoplastic core.

Image:  Mannington