Win Harper | Life and Leadership Coach

Well, it seems like I have spent every waking hour this past few days thinking about, looking at, and deciding on toilets, showers, tubs, and faucets.  We are building a home here in Canandaigua, New York, and the process is fascinating.  I know more about toilets than I ever wanted to, or even thought possible.

Until now, the decisions on the house have been easy.  We got the house plan off the Internet, and hired a contractor.  And Shazaam! the house was framed in and had a shingled roof.  There were decisions about the basement, roofing material, windows, doors, siding, but they were simple.  We knew the look we wanted, drove around the area looking at other houses for color schemes, asked our builder for his input, and made our decision.

One day, in 10 degree temperature, we walked through the house with the contractor and the electrician to place the lights, outlets, switches, etc.  Most of those decisions were based on the electrician’s expertise.  Here is how the conversation went:
Contractor:  “Where do you want the lights in this room?” 
Me:  “Matt (the electrician), where do you recommend we put the lights?” 
Matt:  Pointing at several logical locations says, “Here and here.” 
Me: “Great! Let’s do that.” 

I have discovered that there are more varieties of toilets than mushrooms, and the same is true for showers and tubs.  Toto, American Standard, and Kohler are the most popular three, but there are plenty of others to look at.  Do you want comfort height, especially good for OLDER people?  Do you want an elongated or round seat?  Left or right hand flush?  Single or double piece?  Class 5 or 6 flush technology?  What color?  What design?  Then you can go to the next level where you are literally and figuratively bowled over by the porcelain edifices flush with technological.  I saw one with an L.E.D. display!!!  I did not get close enough to examine it, but from a far I could see that a timer was included.  A timer?!?!?!?

Tubs are no any easier.  Whirlpool – air or hydro?; soaking?; tub/shower combination?; 60”, 66”or, 72” long?; oval or rectangle?; corner or alcove?  There are the outside dimensions and then the bathing well dimensions and the back angle to consider.  The Internet has a website with all the standard dimensions for everything: the Dimensions Guide .  I got lost in there for a while.  My high school geometry has long been forgotten so In order to determine the crucial back angle I went to this website: Triangle Calculator.  The biggest problem with tubs is that the one you want is not in a showroom, so you are not able to actually sit in it.  So, I have laid out the dimensions of the various tubs on the floor and simulated soaking in them. 

Then there are the faucets!  Going on line is the slippery slope to hell.  Just when you have decided on what you want, another style appears; maybe that one will be best?

The point of all of this is that there comes a time when you have enough information.  You need to accept the fact that you will never have perfect information for any decision. 

Here is what I have learned from this process:

1. Know what you want.
2. Get the information you need.
3. Ask the advice of professionals.
4. Decide!

Trust yourself and decide.  And have fun with the whole decision making process; we are.