How to Repair a Broken or Scratched Apple Watch, or Get a Replacement

Read article : How to Repair a Broken or Scratched Apple Watch, or Get a Replacement

Will Apple replace my Apple Watch if it gets smashed? Or would I be able to repair the screen myself?

Just days after the wearable launched, heartbroken owners were posting images of broken Apple Watches online. Call it sod's law or bad luck, but when you wear something every day there's a decent chance it will get damaged before long. They're sturdy devices but they're not invincible.

But chin up: if your Apple Watch has got scratched, smashed or water-damaged, if its back plate has come off or any other form of damage has occurred, you've come to the right place. Whatever's gone wrong with your Apple Watch, there's hope for getting it repaired or replaced (you might even get a first-gen model replaced by a Series 1), and in this article we'll try to help you through that process.

A separate issue that some owners have complained about is poor battery life. Happily we have another article to deal with that: How to make Apple Watch battery last longer. And for issues with unresponsive rather than physically damaged Apple Watches, you should read How to fix an Apple Watch that's not working.

Read next: Best Apple Watch apps | Best Apple Watch games

Apple Watch screen damage

The Apple Watch shouldn't break easily. The glass is strengthened: in the case of the Apple Watch Sport the watch face is made from Ion-X glass, while the standard Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition feature a Sapphire crystal front - this is supposed to be the hardest glass known to man.

Sure enough, the Sapphire models seem to be coping better with the wear and tear of daily life as a high-end wearable, with slight scratching about the worst we've seen among normal usage scenarios. (That doesn't mean your Apple Watch Edition won't shatter tomorrow, of course, but the chances seem to be in your favour.) The Sports models, on the other hand, have been documented in quite a few cases as sustaining more visible damage: smashed glass and the like.

We mentioned normal usage scenarios just then, and you might be wondering what abnormal usage might look like. Well, how about the drop-tests run by TechRax on YouTube? They found that the Apple Watch "will smash if you throw it face-down at the floor". Which answers that question if you were wondering.

Should you smash your Apple Watch screen, whether or not you were hurling it at the floor at the time, it seems in principle to be fairly easy to replace the screen - very shortly after the launch iFixIt took the watch apart and found that the screen was easy to remove and replace. See below for more information about iFixIt's tests.

Mind you, it's possible that it may not be as easily scratched as some reports have suggested. In a video (embedded below) Consumer Reports was only able to scratch the Apple Watch Sport screen after some pretty extreme efforts, and the site claimed they couldn't scratch the Sapphire screen on the stainless steel Apple Watch at all.

Read next: Best tools for repairing & upgrading Macs & iPhones

[embedded content]

If your watch has got damaged, you may wish to jump ahead to our section How to get Apple to replace a broken Apple Watch.

Strap damage

As well as damage to the all-important watch face, the stainless steel Milanese loop strap has been cited as a possible weak link: you'll observe that it appears slightly scuffed up in the picture below. This isn't all that surprising, because stainless steel can scratch quite easily. And at least the Apple Watch's straps are easily replaceable. (See our roundup of the best Apple Watch straps for advice on that front.)

In any case, this YouTube video suggests that you can fix any scratches on the Milanese loop strap using a stainless steel polish you can pick up in a hardware store.

[embedded content]

Is it possible to repair it yourself?

iFixit rapidly took the Apple Watch apart to see how easy it would be to fix if anything went wrong with it, and the news was mixed. While the screen is simple to remove and replace, repairs to other component parts may be distinctly problematic.

[embedded content]

iFixit said: "Despite rumours (and hopes) of an upgradable product, the difficulty of removing the S1 alone casts serious doubt on the idea of simply swapping out the internals."

As for whether the Apple Watch will be upgradable in the future, iFixit says: "Stripping out the internals will be difficult and time-consuming - not the sort of thing your local Genius is equipped to handle, but we suppose Apple could provide a mail-order option."

Overall, iFixit gives the Apple Watch a repairability score of 5 out of 10, noting that at least the watch band is easily removed and swapped for a replacement; the screen can be removed (which is good news for anyone who has already smashed theirs) and the battery can also be removed quite easily.

However, iFixit notes that removing components is "essentially impossible" as they are soldered onto the back of the S1 and this "fully encased S1 system" makes board-level repairs impossible.

If your watch has got damaged and you don't feel able to repair it, you may wish to jump ahead to our section How to get Apple to replace a broken Apple Watch.

Water damage

The Apple Watch Series 2 officially has "a water resistance rating of 50 metres under ISO standard 22810:2010". It's fine to wear it in the bath or shower, and for shallow-water swimming. The company does warn, however, that "Apple Watch Series 2 should not be used for scuba diving, waterskiing or other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth."

The first-gen Apple Watch is a less clear-cut case. While Apple doesn't recommend submerging this device in water, many owners have discovered that it is water-resistant to a certain extent.

The original Apple Watch actually has an IPX7 rating, which means the Apple Watch can withstand up to 30 minutes of submersion in up to a metre of water.

Apple has not really promoted the Apple Watch as waterproof, which has led to some surprise that it is. This YouTube video shows that the watch can be used in a shower and swimming pool. While the watch continued to work underwater, the touch screen wasn't so responsive when wet, but that's surely to be expected.

[embedded content]

The waterproof element isn't surprising: even Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted to wearing his first-gen watch in the shower. Apple evidently decided not to claim that the watch is entirely waterproof, perhaps afraid of the legal wrangling that could ensue.

What to do if your Apple Watch gets water-damaged

We're working on the assumption that the Watch won't get water-damaged as long as you stick to Apple's guidelines - which essentially call for you to keep it from being immersed in water. However, given that the IPX7 rating indicates that the Watch can withstand being left in a metre of water for half an hour, getting the Watch a little bit damp shouldn't do any serious damage.

But if you do have problems with a water-damaged Apple Watch, the best thing to do would be to follow our tips for rescuing a water-damaged iPhone. Read: How to dry out, rescue and fix a water-damaged Apple iPhone.

In our tests with the iPhone we got the phone very wet and then used various methods to dry it out, from the famous 'Rice Trick' to a slightly more scientific use of gel sachets. The uncooked rice should absorb the moisture effectively but may get dust or detritus into exposed ports, whereas silica gel packets - the kind that come with some electronic components, particularly if they've been shipped from a country with a humid climate, or with handbags - do a fine job over a number of hours.

Give your Watch a few days in its pile of rice or gel sachets for a few days and then see how it fares.

If these tricks don't succeed, you may wish to jump ahead to next section How to get Apple to replace a broken Apple Watch.

Getting it repaired or replaced

If there is a genuine fault with your Apple Watch - perhaps the battery doesn't charge properly, or the screen glitches - this will be covered by the warranty and Apple will replace the watch, as long as you can prove you haven't tampered with it. Your watch will be covered by a warranty for one year. Contact Apple and they'll see you right.

Note that Apple may not replace your damaged Apple Watch with the same model - and this is actually good news. The company has announced that in some cases and some countries, its staff will replace first-gen Apple Watches with Series 1 models (not the most recent Series 2, but still a newer and more advanced device with a faster processor).

Even if the warranty has expired you may still be able to get Apple to help for free. If the back plate has separated from the body of a first-gen Apple Watch, for example - this appears to be a known potential issue with that model - then the company will repair the device free of charge up to three years after the initial purchase.

I sure hope Apple uses better glue for their cars than they do for their watches. pic.twitter.com/JkIThwC5B7

— John Gruber (@gruber)

October 3, 2016

You don't get anything for nothing, though, so ordinarily we wouldn't expect Apple to replace a damaged Apple Watch that you've dropped - just as nobody should expect Apple to replace their iPhone if they break the screen through their own carelessness. Read: Will Apple replace my iPhone?

Legal rights & precedents

What about if a scratch or crack appears and you're sure you didn't drop the watch or do anything reckless? Will Apple believe you? A recent court case offers some hope here. Mr Gareth Cross, a British man from Aberystwyth, took Apple to the small claims court after the company wouldn't replace or refund his cracked Apple Watch. (They said the damage wasn't covered under warranty.) The court found in his favour and required Apple to pay Mr Cross the cost of the watch plus court fees.

Whether you want to go through the same legal process is debatable: as Mr Cross himself acknowledged, the case became "a little stressful" and lasted six months. But it's possible that the precedent this sets will make Apple more inclined to offer refunds and repairs in future. We shall see.

AppleCare

In any case, if you're particularly clumsy, you can buy insurance from Apple that will cover your Apple Watch if it does get damaged. We discuss AppleCare in this article: Is AppleCare worth it? To see what you legal rights are read: Is Apple mis-selling AppleCare to UK?

If you decide to get AppleCare, there's an AppleCare+ plan for all the Apple Watch models. The AppleCare+ cover for the Apple Watch will cost £69 and AppleCare+ for the Apple Watch Sport costs £49. The plan will extend the watches warranty to two years and grant you up to two accidental damage claims (although if you do damage your watch you will have to pay an excess of £49 for Apple Watch Sport, and £55 for Apple Watch.

If you want Apple Care for your Apple Watch Edition it will cost £1,500, and there is a £700 excess should you damage the watch due to your own carelessness, but you might consider that small change if you've just laid out £13,500 for your posh watch.

In the US Apple also has three AppleCare+ plans that'll cover both your Watch and your iPhone, presuming your phone is less than six months old. Unfortunately those plans are not available in the UK.

You can purchase AppleCare here, but you don't have to purchase it at the same time as you buy the Watch.

Read next: Latest Apple product recalls and free repair programmes

How to Plumb a Basement Bathroom

Read article : How to Plumb a Basement Bathroom

Adding a basement bathroom

Adding a basement bathroom is a big, complicated project. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Thousands of DIYers successfully tackle the job every year, and so can you.

We will focus on installing the “DWV” system (drain, waste and vent), which is the most difficult part of plumbing a basement bathroom. The DWV system requires some hard labor—breaking up concrete—and enough know-how to construct it so waste will be carried away without problems. You supply the labor; this article will supply the know-how.

The materials for the DWV system shown here cost about $250. Plumbers’ labor rates vary a lot by region, but most licensed pros would charge $1,200 to $2,000 for a job similar to the one shown here.

Figure A: Plumbing a basement bath

Connect the basement bathroom plumbing to the existing drain and vent lines in the floor and ceiling.

Find the main drain line

Photo 1: Locate the main drain

Break through the concrete to verify that the main line is where you think it is and that it’s deep enough to allow adequate downhill slope in the new drain lines.

You’ll have to connect new drain lines to an existing line under the basement. So before you can do any real planning, you have to find that line. First, locate the “main stack,” the large (3 or 4 in. diameter) vertical pipe that runs into the basement floor. From there, the pipe runs under the floor and out to the city sewage system under the street. But it may run at an angle rather than straight out to the street. Look for a cleanout plug along the street-facing wall of the basement. If you find one, that’s most likely the spot where the line exits your home. And usually, the line runs straight from the main stack to the cleanout.

If you have a private septic system, your main line will run toward the location of the drain field. If you’re unsure where the line is, you have a couple of options. You can punch through the floor where you think it is (Photo 1). You might end up enlarging that hole or breaking a second exploratory hole, but that’s not as bad as it sounds; all it will cost you is some wasted time and a couple of extra bags of concrete mix when you patch the floor. Your second option is to get a plumber to help. In most areas, a brief house call will cost you $75 to $150. Some plumbers have access to high-tech equipment that locates lines precisely, but expect to pay $200 for that service.

Slope Makes the Sewage Flow

Drain lines require a downhill slope of at least 1/4 in. per linear foot (see note below) so that waste flows smoothly through the pipes. To determine if your plan allows for that, take a few measurements:

A: The depth of the center of the main line (at the tie-in point).
B: The future depth of the horizontal pipe beneath the drain.

Now do a little math: (A – B) x 4 = the maximum length (in feet) of the drain line, from the main to the end of the horizontal pipe under the drain. If A is 13 in. and B is 10 in., for example, the maximum length of the drain line is 12 ft. (13 – 10 = 3; 3 x 4 = 12).

If your main line isn’t deep enough, you’ll have to locate fixtures closer to the line or install a sewage ejection pump.

Note: Some local codes allow 1/8 in. per foot with 3- or 4-in. pipe.

Plan the system

Once you’ve located the line, you’ll have to make sure it’s deep enough to allow downward slope in the new drain lines that will run from your future bathroom. Then grab a pencil and mark out the whole bathroom on the basement floor: walls, toilet, sink, shower and finally the drain lines.

Consider it all a preplan at this point. Chances are, you’ll have to make some changes as the plan develops. You may want to mock up sections of the system and lay them out on the basement floor using sections of pipe and an assortment of fittings. When the whole system is planned, mark it out on the floor. For photo clarity, we marked out bold lines on the floor. But simple spray paint is fine for drain lines.

Rent a Snapper

A cast iron pipe snapper works by tightening a cutting chain until the pipe cracks. They’re available at tool rental stores. Old cast iron pipe can crush rather than crack. If that happens, you’ll have to abandon the snapper and cut the slow way: with a reciprocating saw. If you have plastic pipe, cutting into the main is quick and easy with a reciprocating saw.

Trench the floor

A plain old sledgehammer will bust up a basement floor. Breaking through at the tie-in point (see Photo 1) may take a few dozen whacks. But once you have a starter hole, the job gets easier because the concrete has space to crack and break off. Within a few minutes, you’ll learn to aim your blows and bust out a neat trench line. Pick out the larger chunks of concrete as you go. Ideally, most of your trench will be just wide enough for your spade. When digging, toss the dirt on a pile separate from the larger chunks of concrete. You don’t want big chunks in the soil you’ll use for backfill later.

Build the drain system

Photo 2: Break out a section of drain

After completing the trenches for the new lines, cut into the main line so you can install a Y-fitting. Our tie-in point was near an existing hub, so we cut out the hub. Make sure no one runs water (or flushes!) while the line is open.

Photo 3: Tie into the drain

Slip rubber couplers onto the main line, insert the Y-fitting, slide the couplers over the joints and tighten the bands. Then plug the inlet and grant your family the freedom to flush again.

Photo 4: Build the drain system

The location of the drains and vents is critical—check and double-check your work before you glue joints together. Determine where the exact location of the shower drain will be after the walls are framed. Cap open pipes to keep sewer gas out of your home. Don’t bury the lines until the building inspector has approved your work.

Photo 5: Patch the floor

Backfill the trench with soil and screed 3 in. of concrete over it. Pack the soil firmly so it won’t settle later. Smooth the concrete with a steel trowel.

Begin the drain system by cutting into the main line (Photo 2) and splicing in a Y-fitting (Photo 3). We used a no-hub cast iron Y-fitting to tie into our cast iron main. But you can use a plastic Y-fitting instead if you glue short sections of pipe into the Y-fitting to accommodate the rubber couplers. Use that same method to tie into a plastic main.

For your DWV system, you can use ABS plastic (as we did; Photo 4) or PVC. Both are easy to cut and join. The hard part of any underground pipe work is building branches that end up exactly where you want them while maintaining a constant slope of at least 1/4 in. per running foot.

Here are tips to help you get it right:

• Buy twice as many fittings as you think you’ll need and a few types that you don’t think you’ll need. Return the leftovers when the job is done.
• If you don’t have a torpedo level, buy one (see Photo 7). It’s the handiest tool for checking the slope of pipes.
• When a section of pipe is complete, pack dirt under and around it to keep it from shifting as you build other sections.
• Know the “rough-in” of your toilet (the distance from the wall to the center of the drain, most likely 12 in.). Don’t forget to account for the thickness of framing and drywall.
• Backfill the trenches with care (Photo 5). You want to pack the soil tightly to prevent settling later, but be sure not to move the pipes as you tamp the soil.

Build the vent system

Photo 6: Build the vent system

After framing the bathroom walls, assemble the vent lines. We ran our vent lines below the floor joists and later framed a lower ceiling to hide the pipes.

Photo 7: Connect to an existing vent

Glue short sections of plastic pipe into a T- or Y-fitting, cut out a section of the existing vent pipe and make connections with rubber couplers.

Photo 8: Position the shower drain

Set the shower pan in place and measure from the walls to determine the exact location of the drain. Assemble the drain and trap without glue. Then set the pan in place again to check your work before you finally glue up the fittings.

The vent system is a lot simpler than the drain system. We ran vent lines under the floor joists (Photo 6) and framed in a lower ceiling later. If you want to preserve ceiling height by running pipes through the joists, you’ll have to bore some large holes, which can weaken the joists. To avoid that, see “How to drill through floor joists.”

In most basements, you can tie your new vent system into the line that vents the laundry sink. Our plumbing inspector allowed us to connect our new 2-in. vent line to an existing 1-1/2-in. vent. Before cutting a section out of the old steel vent, we installed extra metal strapping to support the pipe during and after cutting.

Note: Plumbing codes vary by locality. The rules we give in this article generally follow the strictest codes. Your local rules may be more lenient about issues like vent sizing, the choice of fittings, etc.

Waste line Q & A

When should I use a T-fitting?

Use a T-fitting in drain lines to connect a horizontal pipe to vertical pipes. It can also be used to tie vent lines into horizontal drains or to join vent lines.

When should I use a Y?

In the drain system, use a Y-fitting to connect horizontal pipes (Photo 3). Along with a 45-degree “street” fitting, you can use a Y-fitting to run vertical drainpipes into horizontal pipes as shown. A Y-fitting can also be used in vent systems.

Why does the home center carry three different types of L-fittings?

• A standard L-fitting is used for horizontal-to- vertical flow in drain systems.
• A “sweep” or “long-turn” L-fitting is OK for almost any situation and is required in two situations: horizontal-to-horizontal turns and vertical-to-horizontal turns (as shown). But it can be used in any situation where space allows.
• Use a vent L-fitting only in vents.

What’s a street fitting?

Standard fittings have hubs that fit over pipes. A street fitting has a “streeted” end that fits into a hub, so you can connect it directly to another fitting without using a section of pipe. That saves labor and space.

What size drainpipe should I use?
The toilet requires 3-in. or larger. Use 2-in. for the others; pipes smaller than 2 in. aren’t allowed beneath a concrete slab.

Venting Q & A

Vent L-fitting

A vent L-fitting can be used anywhere in the vent system, but only in the vent system—never where waste flows. The other two types of L-fittings are OK for venting, too.

What’s the vent for?
A plumbing vent is kind of like the air intake on a gas can; it lets in air. Without venting, a slug of sewage racing through a waste line creates air pressure and vacuum in the pipe. That means noisy, gurgling drains. Even worse, vacuum can suck all the water out of traps, allowing sewer gas to flow freely into your home. Yuck.

Vent-to-trap distance—there’s a limit
Every drain needs a trap, and every trap needs a vent. The maximum distance between the trap and vent depends on the diameter of the pipe.

Memorize these distances for midterm exams:

For 1-1/4″ pipe, the max. horizontal distance to vent is 30″ For 1-1/2″ pipe, the max. horizontal distance to vent is 42” For 2″ pipe, the max. horizontal distance to vent is 5′ For 3″ pipe, the max. horizontal distance to vent is 6′ For 4″ pipe, the max. horizontal distance to vent is 10′

Note: A toilet has a built-in trap, so it doesn’t need one in the drain line. It still needs a vent, though.

Can vents run horizontally?
Yes, but horizontal vent lines must be at least 6 in. above the “spill line,” which is the level where water would overflow the rim of a sink, tub or toilet.

What size vent pipes do I need?
A typical bathroom like the one we show (sink, toilet, shower or tub) requires a 2-in. vent. You could run smaller pipes to the sink or shower, but it’s usually easier to use one size for the whole system.

Required Tools for this Project

Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration.

In addition you will need a cast iron pipe snapper and a
torpedo level.

Required Materials for this Project

Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Here’s a list.

Master Bathroom Remodeling Ideas | Master Bath Remodel

Read article : Master Bathroom Remodeling Ideas | Master Bath Remodel

Master Bathroom Remodeling Ideas" class="pin" width="620" height="620" />

Put yourself in this picture. Finally at home after a long day at work, you head directly for your spacious master bathroom. First, a workout on the stationary cycle. Next, a quick shower before you slip into the whirlpool for a soothing soak. But not before you've dimmed the lights, switched off the evening news and dropped a favorite CD into the entertainment unit. After you've soaked, wrap yourself in a heated towel. Or skip the soak and take a few minutes to relax in a steam shower.

Get up to 4 Free Quotes!

Sound like an impossible dream? Like something from a movie set? This sybaritic fantasy can be a reality if you're willing to add or borrow enough space to create an at-home haven in a master bathroom.

In the not-so-distant past, builders put little emphasis on bathroom space. The result: Full baths in many houses more than a decade old measure a minimal 5 x 7 ft. and contain a utilitarian and uninspired collection of the three necessary fixtures—bathtub, toilet and washbasin. Lighting consists of a lone fixture in the center of the ceiling. There's a single tiny window and, in rare cases, a fan for ventilation.

But, times have changed. Today's new homes offer bigger, more luxurious bathrooms—often called power bathrooms—with all kinds of comfort and convenience features that add value to the home when the time comes to sell. As a result, the owners of older homes can feel a bit more confident about jumping on the remodeling bandwagon. If you own an older home and add or expand a bathroom with the aim of creating a master suite, not only do you get to enjoy the space, but you also help your house become just as desirable to buyers as newer homes.

A new bathroom takes second place in the list of the most popular remodeling projects. A well-designed and well-executed master suite can be expected to return a nationwide average of 87 percent of the construction costs if you sell your home within a year or so. And that figure rises in hot real estate markets to as much as 135 percent in Denver, 117 percent in New Haven, Conn., and 125 percent in San Francisco.

Where to Start

Bathrooms are not only costly, they are complex to remodel. They demand lots of function packed into a small space. And there are myriad details to consider, ranging from door-swing clearances to building code requirements. Bathroom remodels demand the skills of all the major crafts. And while you might be able to take your sweet time about remodeling the family room or even the kitchen, no family can exist comfortably without at least one fully functional bathroom for even a day or two.

A safe way to minimize some of the potential problems of a bath remodel is to hire a bathroom designer. There are several ways to go about this. Look in the Yellow Pages or ask friends and neighbors to recommend an independent bathroom designer. They'll charge you a fee, ranging anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on the complexity of your job. In return, they will meet with you, discuss your needs and wishes and then draw elevations and plans that you can execute yourself or take to a contractor to have built. You can also find many bath designers at kitchen and/or bath dealerships or home centers that offer design services, products and installation. The fee for their design time is generally rolled into the purchase price of the bathroom. 

A design fee is often money well spent if it helps to maximize the space you have and avoid even one glitch in the project. But keep in mind that all bath designers are not created equal. Ask about their training and experience, and check references. 

What to Include

Everyone's idea of luxury is different. To some, it's opulent materials. For others, it's an extra bit of storage space or privacy or the space to work out at home. Begin your bath remodel by defining what luxury means to you. Make a list of everything your "ultimate bath" would include—you can eliminate some of the frills later if the cost becomes prohibitive.

Get up to 4 Free Quotes!

"Today's master suites are luxurious in terms of comfort rather than glitz," says kitchen and bath expert B. Leslie Hart. Instead of acres of marble and gold faucets, bath remodels today focus on space. "You won't find too many telephone booth showers in today's remodeled baths," says Hart. But you might note an effort to incorporate outdoor space into the bath via a small patio or garden shower or just a large window that takes advantage of a great view. Tumbled marble, nickel, pewter and antique brass hardware finishes are most popular. 

As a rule of thumb, the components of the luxury bath suite consist of some combination of plenty of space, a soaking or whirlpool tub, a sauna or steam generator, a large shower (with multiple massage jets and a seat) and a toilet and possibly a bidet that are separated from the rest of the bath in a private compartment. In addition, the room will have good lighting from a variety of sources (perhaps a skylight or greenhouse window), sufficient, well-planned storage so that all you need for personal pampering is right at your fingertips, and good ventilation. If space allows, designers may include a dressing room, laundry facilities, perhaps a small refrigerator, microwave oven and coffee maker, and enough space for some type of exercise equipment. And don't forget the entertainment system—with telephone, television and sound.

What You Will Spend

What will it cost to have luxury like this? The exact price is hard to pin down because you can put in an $80 faucet or $2,000 faucet, a $400 or $4,000 tub. But it's not unusual to spend $20,000, $30,000 or even $50,000 depending on materials and the scope of structural work necessary. As a rule of thumb, plan to spend about 2 1/2 times the cost of the products you choose on construction. According to Remodeling magazine, upgrading an existing 5 x 9-ft. bath with new fixtures, lighting, and ceramic tile floor and walls will set you back about $8,563. A 6 x 8-ft. full bath addition that includes a standard tub and shower, lighting, linen storage and a ceramic tile floor and walls within an existing floor plan carries an average price tag of $11,721. The average cost of adding a 24 x 16-ft. master suite that includes a separate bath with whirlpool and separate ceramic tile shower, ceramic tile floor and a double-bowl vanity over an existing crawlspace is $37,388.

Finding the Space

Obviously you can't fit all the components of a luxury bath into the typical 35 to 65 sq. ft. allotted for a bathroom in many homes. So you'll need to be creative and look elsewhere for the space. Or add the space for the new bath along with a new master bedroom.

Because so much has to do with the configuration of the other rooms near it, there is no ideal size for a bathroom. But, if you aim to include anything more than the three necessities, allot at least 90 to 100 sq. ft. of space.

If an existing bath backs into a garage it's relatively easy to steal space for a larger shower or tub. If there are neighboring hall closets you can live without, consider eliminating them. Take over all or part of an adjacent bedroom. But don't do this if it means you convert your three-bedroom house to a two-bedroom house.

What to do if this sounds wonderful, but your home doesn't have any spare space? Not to worry. Even a 5 x 8-ft. bath can offer some luxury if it's well-planned. Many of the features mentioned here, such as innovative lighting, proper ventilation and a combination steam room/shower, require very little, if any, additional space.

Use a combination whirlpool/ steam tub/shower unit. If there's just enough space for a 5-ft.-long tub, get a deeper one instead. Several manufacturers offer uniquely shaped shower enclosures made of tempered clear or tinted safety glass. For high-end function as well as appealing looks, opt for a number of pulsating showerheads that provide an all-over body massage. Storage space should be well-organized. Maximize storage potential with clever vanity design, rollout trash bins and shallow drawers, instead of just leaving a cavernous space behind two doors. Plan shallow shelves recessed between the studs and an oversize vanity top that extends over the toilet to create a bit more countertop space.

In the case of a small bath, create luxury with materials, not volume of space. Think about using marble and mirrors, decorative moldings, ceramic tile and/or glass block. Consider a skylight, or roof windows, to ensure the bathroom is bright, even on dark, dreary days. And be sure to plan for more than a single electrical ceiling fixture. Consider specifying low-voltage lighting in the vanity toe kick to provide drama and to function as a nightlight. And plan adequate lighting around both sides and along the top of the mirror so you can see what you're doing when shaving or applying makeup. A tight budget doesn't mean you can't create a power bathroom. Careful choices can keep the budget in line and still produce a luxurious personal retreat.

If cost is your primary consideration, choose laminate over more expensive solid surfacing materials, wood paneling over marble. If you decide to use ceramic tile—one of the most popular, cost-effective and easy-to-maintain options for the bath—select carefully. Tile prices start at a reasonable $2.50 to $3 per square foot, uninstalled. Or you can spend 10 times that. Other suggestions: Forgo high-fashion or custom-color fixtures or hand-painted washbasins, and choose white, which is usually less expensive. And stay away from precious metals for faucets, towel bars and other fittings.

Get Ready

Spend some time in your existing bath and see what's lacking. Notice how you use the space for things like dressing, applying makeup and drying hair. What would you add if you could? Before you order components or begin construction, check local code requirements.

For example, a whirlpool for two will require a 3/4-in. waterline instead of the typical 1/2-in. supply line so that the tub can be filled in a timely fashion. And you must plan ahead for how you'll access a whirlpool tub motor, or the steam shower generator. If you choose multiple showerheads, the contractor needs to know that before planning the configuration of the rough plumbing that will service the shower. Where is the water supply coming in? Is the line large enough? What is the water pressure like in the area?

Careful planning will help you create a bath that adds convenience and luxury to your life as well as value to your home. 

Tub Tip

A whirlpool or soaking tub is a substantial investment, costing anywhere from $200 for a basic model up to more than $20,000. Most fall in the $1,000-to-$5,000 range. Shop for one just as you would any other consumer good. Examine size, material, price, style, safety, color and optional features.

If you decide to include a whirlpool in your new bath suite (not a must, according to bath designers and real estate agents, as long as at least one other bath in the home has a tub), your first consideration is size. Do you want a unit that is large enough for two? Would your needs be better served by a smaller tub and a separate shower? Is your choice limited by available space? And remember, the larger the tub, the larger the water heater, the water bill and the cost.

A word of caution to those who enjoy an occasional soak: You wouldn't dream of buying a suit or pair of shoes without first trying them on for size. Likewise, you shouldn't buy a tub without sitting in it first. If they won't let you climb into the tub where you're shopping, shop someplace else.

Keep in mind that the slant of the backrest as well as length and depth of tubs vary. Make sure the tub fits you. Some whirlpools let you choose the number of jets, usually ranging from four to eight. If your prime interest is in therapeutic massage action, opt for a tub with at least four jets located so they reach the major muscle groups and joints of your body. Some tubs offer jets that are directionally adjustable while others allow you to adjust the air-and-water mix.

The size of the motor determines how powerful the flow of the water is. Motor size also affects how much noise the whirlpool generates. If you find the prospect of motor noise unpleasant, be sure to discuss tub and motor placement, as well as extra insulation, with your contractor or bath designer.

Because a whirlpool is both a plumbing fixture and an electrical product, both service requirements must be taken into account. Most tubs require a 15-amp, 115-volt electrical service that should be placed on a separate electrical circuit. And if you opt for a heater to maintain the water temperature (don't expect it to heat up cold water) you'll need an additional heating circuit.

Consider the faucet to fill your new tub, too. Manufacturers recommend a faucet that flows at 20 gal. to 30 gal. per minute for a standard size whirlpool. If you opt for a larger tub, consider a faucet that flows at a rate of 55 gal. to 120 gal. per minute.

If you do purchase a tub, be sure that it will fit through existing doorways and that there's sufficient maneuvering space to get it into the bathroom. Measure any tricky or tight turns in hallways and stairwells that could sabotage your plans. If you must remove walls to get the tub in, installation costs will soar.

Copyright © Popular Mechanics 2001. Reprinted by permission.

Get up to 4 Free Quotes!

Monday Profile: Joe P. Ruthven took risks, led the way for Lakeland - News - News Chief

Read article : Monday Profile: Joe P. Ruthven took risks, led the way for Lakeland - News - News Chief

Founder of The Ruthvens warehouse business started small, building large

Marilyn Meyer @marilyn_ledger

LAKELAND — Joe P. Ruthven had been telling his children he’d retire when he turned 90, but now he’s thinking 100 would be a better age.

At 90 years and 1 month old, he walks two to three miles several times a week with his wife, Judy, and follows her lead in eating a healthy vegetarian diet. He takes only one prescription medication; his energy is strong.

A few hours behind the wheel of his car is no problem so he can easily visit any of the 85 properties built by the warehouse development firm he founded and owns, The Ruthvens. All the properties are within 25 miles of the downtown office at 41 Lake Morton Drive.

“Joe P. Ruthven’s impact on Lakeland is huge,” said Weymon Snuggs, chief operating officer for Citizens Bank & Trust. “Through his warehouse development business, he has helped bring new companies into the area, creating jobs for our community while providing space for businesses of all sizes.”

Ruthven knows what it is like to be a struggling small businessman, to dream, take risks and put in long, hard, worrisome hours. He likes to give a boost to small tenants and is delighted when they succeed.

“I know of several situations that a business was having some challenges and he was working with them,” Snuggs said. “Joe and his family are so great in the care that they give the tenants. These are not just someone leasing their property; these are people with relationships that Joe and the other Ruthven family members have built.”

Although The Ruthvens owns 3.5 million square feet of warehouse space, the company is still growing. Showing his company’s warehousing complexes near Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Ruthven points out acreages he’s purchased, some ready to go into development, others still lying fallow.

“Have you ever seen so many trucks?” he asks, as he pulls alongside a 100,000-square-foot building leased to Forward Air, a logistics company that distributes goods to retailers, employing 100 workers and 50 drivers.

He rattles off the variety of products distributed or manufactured under The Ruthvens-leased space: cotton balls, tomatoes, Purina foods, spice packets, caskets, rum, water, pharmaceuticals, clothes, vitamins and a wide variety of suppliers to Publix.

“Joe was ahead of the curve in warehousing, before it was in vogue, long before Amazon and O’Reilly’s came to Lakeland,” said Gene Strickland, a former Lakeland city manager who became friends with Ruthven in the late 1960s and early 1970s when Ruthven was on the City Commission.

“Many times The Ruthvens puts in a small unit, a company leases it and grows into a bigger unit,” Strickland said. “I credit Joe with not only what he did in building the warehouses but the spinoff of what he did, the ripple effect.”

Ralph Allen, a financial adviser and chairman of the family-owned firm Allen & Co, “I am sure if it was not for The Ruthven efforts, many businesses would not have started business interests in Lakeland.

"The Ruthvens were able to be a partner of the city of Lakeland, the Lakeland Economic Development Council and the Chamber of Commerce to convince outside businesses that Lakeland was business friendly, a good place to open plants and businesses," he said. "Joe has always been a super salesman for Lakeland.”

Ruthven said arrival of Amazon’s million-square-foot warehouse/fulfillment center has been a huge boon to the Lakeland economy.

“When companies in New York or California or anywhere in the country or abroad hear that Amazon came here, they know Lakeland has been checked out thoroughly and they want to come too,” Ruthven said.

Keeping The Ruthvens’ buildings in the 100,000 square-foot and under range allows the company the latitude to recover if a leasee moves out, or worse, if a tenant’s business fails, Ruthven said.

The early years

Joe Perry Ruthven was born on July 9, 1927, to Agnes and Joe Ruthven, the third of five children, on a small farm in Chesterfield County, S.C. There was no electricity, no running water; chores began at 5 a.m. and picked back up after school.

He grew up during the height of the Great Depression in one of the poorest counties in South Carolina. He recalls one sharecropper family from a nearby farm so destitute their children went naked until his mother made them clothes out of flour sacks, and later, regular clothes.

And he recalls the changes that came after President Franklin’s Roosevelt’s Work Progress Administration and other relief programs came to the area.

His family did relatively well and each year his dad tried to add 10 acres to the farm where they grew tobacco, cotton and other crops, he said.

But he realized early-on that he did not want to be a farmer, staring at the rear end of a mule, he said. Still, the work ethic of a sunrise to sunset day stuck.

“I guess I carried that over into the rest of my life,” Ruthven said.

He had graduated from high school just before his 16th birthday and spent a couple of semesters at the University of South Carolina before enlisting in the Navy at 18. He was in boot camp when the Japanese surrendered, ending World War II.

While thousands upon thousands of troops were returning from overseas, he was assigned tug boat duty at Norfolk, Va., helping pull into harbor the huge ships bringing the battle-weary men back to American soil.

They would discharge 4,000 to 5,000 men as they came off the ship, pay in hand and nowhere to go, except maybe downtown Norfolk, before heading home, Ruthven said.

"We and everyone from the area knew not to go downtown after a ship had come in; it was wild," he said.

“But I’ve often thought it would have been better for the men if they would have sent them to a base for a while; let them acclimate," he said. "But they came directly off the ships and back into civilian life.”

When Ruthven was discharged from the Navy, “I stopped by the farm only three days, long enough to get my clothes and head back to the university," he said. "I knew if I stayed longer, Dad would have me behind a mule.” 

Ruthven said, that he as walked back on campus his first day, he saw a couple of girls shooting pool and stopped to introduce himself. One of them was Jeanette "JJ" Chiles of Lakeland, who would later become his wife. The couple had two sons and a daughter. JJ died in 1982. In 1984, he remarried, to Judy Story.  

The GI bill paid his tuition and, for spending money, he took a part-time job with JC Penney.

Upon graduation with a business degree in 1948, Penney's offered him a full-time job at $200 a month which sounded OK but then BF Goodrich gave him a better offer, $250 a month, he said.

So he went into the tire business. He moved his growing family three times as he went up the management ladder over the next decade.

Coming to Lakeland

In 1957, he and friend Eugene “Blackie” Black decided to start a tire store in Lakeland. Ruthven’s father-in-law Lawton Chiles Sr., gave Jeanette a lot at 600 Memorial Blvd. for the store.

After hiring an architect to design the building and a carpenter to pull permits and supervise, the two partners supplied the labor. Five months later, they opened an OK Tires.

They had spent most of their combined $10,000 on the move and construction so struggled to stock the store, but managed to do it after securing a $1,000 loan, plus securing a supply of retreads and used tires.

That first year, he and Black did all the work: sales, changing tires, bookkeeping and keeping the place shined. At the end of the year, they had made $7,500. After that, they not only survived, they grew and started hiring employees, including Ruthven’s two brothers, Jerry and William Ruthven. Eventually, the partners opened a second OK Tires store.

In the late 1960s, the home company, OK Tires and Rubber, wanted a warehouse in Central Florida and asked Ruthven if he could find a 10,000-square-foot space near a railway. 

"I was interested in branching out into real estate," he said.

After looking at available spaces, he decided to build the warehouse and lease it back to the company. A friend, Kirk McKay, agreed to sell him 10 acres on Mine & Mill Road with only $100 down and a personal note, starting Ruthven on a new career. 

The acreage was large enough that he was able to double the square footage and quickly found a second tenant for the other 10,000 square feet.  

In those early days, Ruthven bought most of his lots with $100 down and a personal note — not something anyone could do now, he said. “A lot of the people had inherited property and were paying taxes on it so wanted to get rid of the land.”

Financing the construction was another issue, especially because he was building on speculation, something others were not doing. He would go from bank to bank trying to get loans, he said.

“I would get turned down about three times more often than I was approved,” Ruthven said.

But after the loan officers realized he was able to lease the space and he was making the mortgage payments, it became easier to get financing.

“I don’t think we have ever missed a mortgage payment,” Ruthven said, although there were times when he was worried whether he could put groceries on the table.

In 1974, after 17 years in the tire business, he and Black sold OK Tires, Black’s wife wanting to return to South Carolina and Ruthven wanting to go full time into real estate.

The office

When Jeanette Chiles and Joe P. Ruthven married on Sept. 4, 1949, his parents stayed at the Lakeshore Hotel at 41 Lake Morton Plaza. Some 25 years later, Ruthven bought the old 32-room hotel.

“I thought it would be fun to run a hotel,” but it only took a day to change his mind, he said. That first morning, a retired professor, a 97-year-old man, who rented a room came downstairs and said he was going to take a bath.

Ruthven said, OK, but then the old man said someone had to sit with him.

“I told the woman who was working the desk with me, you sit with him and I’ll stay at the front desk to answer the phone."

From there as he watched the comings and goings, he realized a staff member kept coming from the back room to get clean sheets.

“It took me until 6 o’clock that night to figure out they were running a small prostitution ring out of the back room — $10 whether they stayed an hour or all night. I fired them all.”

“It was only two blocks from City Hall and no one over there knew what was going on,” Ruthven said, still amazed more than four decades later.

Ruthven was looking for an office so decided to convert the stately hotel. It took two years to reconfigure the 1920-era building. Since then, it has been renovated twice to fit the needs of The Ruthvens.

“It is challenging” to keep up a 100-year-old building, he said, recounting a recent country-wide search for tiles when the roof leaked.

Politics

When Ruthven and Jeanette Chiles married, her younger brother, Lawton, was still a student. But Lawton Chiles later became one of Lakeland’s most famous native sons, a Democratic politician who served in the Florida House and Florida Senate through most of 1958 through 1970, the U.S. Senate from 1971 through 1989, and as governor of Florida from 1990 until his death on Dec. 12, 1998.

Even before he met his brother-in-law, Joe P. Ruthven was a confirmed Democrat.

“One day when I was about 11 or 12, I came home from school and there was a truck with lumber in it," he said. "Several young men with the Civilian Conservation Corps were there to build our family an outhouse.”

Seeing what Roosevelt and the Democrats were willing to do to help his family and his community, “I decided right then I would be a Democrat for the rest of my life.”

Ruthven said he and other family members often had helped Chiles with campaign duties so it was not much of a leap when he he decided to run for Lakeland City Commission. He served on the commission from 1969 through 1971, the last year as mayor. Schools were being integrated and racial tensions were high, Ruthven said.

A 1971 editorial in The Ledger summing up the year and Ruthven's service said, “racial problems at Lakeland High School drew the mayor into the news as an intermediary. His Youth and Adult Community Relations Committees opened unprecedented links of communications between the races in the city, the school got a new principal and the year ended on a note of optimism.”

And, the editorial continued, “long-simmering tensions in the Washington Park Homes public housing project surfaced strongly this year, leading to a barrage of charges and counter-charges among tenants and Housing Authority officials. Again the mayor became involved, this time with a bi-racial investigation committee which promised to hear all viewpoints and seek long-range ways to improve the relationship between tenants and city.”

Ruthven said Dr. John S. Jackson, an African-American physician, worked closely with him; the two attended community meetings together, bolstering one another. And at the schools, Willy Speed, a coach at Kathleen High School worked alongside him.

There was a lot of unrest and “I am glad that time is behind us,” Ruthven said.

Marilyn Meyer can be reached at marilyn.meyer@theledger.com or 863-802-7558. Follow her on Twitter @marilyn_ledger.

Blogmas 2015 Day 23: Molton Brown Oudh Accord and Gold

Read article : Blogmas 2015 Day 23: Molton Brown Oudh Accord and Gold

In homage to the Three Wise Men bringing gifts at Christmas, I am bringing to you the gift of Molton Brown. As the story goes, the Three Wise Men: Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior brought gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to the newborn baby Jesus. This year Molton Brown have released three limited edition collections; Festive Frankincense & All Spice, Wonderous Myrrh Musk & Cypress and Oudh Accord & Gold. I have been presented with the gift of Gold and I would like invite you to experience the wonder behind this special collection from Molton Brown.

I have been using Molton Brown for many years and although it falls into the high end budget, I do think that it is worth every penny. Not only do the items scream luxury, but they look beautiful displayed in the bathroom and the scents are just divine. I’m a frequent user of the Black Pepper scent, and the more feminine version, Pink Pepperpod. There’s just something about the heady scents that calm my mind and body and put me in a state of relaxation. Oudh Accord and Gold is no different and the scent blend is not only heady, but refined and mysterious. Perfumer Phillipe Bousseton has created a fragrance range that combines cinnamon leaf oil with spicy citrus elemi oil that leaves behind a rich oudh accord. I am obsessed with Oudh, and its rich, leathery notes that scream sensuality and refinement.

Molton Brown Oudh Accord and Gold" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6502" />

Molton Brown Oudh Accord and Gold" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6503" />

Molton Brown Oudh Accord and Gold Single Wick Candle" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6504" />

Molton Brown Oudh Accord and Gold bath and shower gel" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6505" />

Molton Brown Oudh Accord and Gold body lotion" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6506" />

The Oudh Accord and Gold Bath and Shower Gel would make a perfect gift for any Molton Brown fan. As per the usual collection, the bottle is the same shape and design, but with the added extra of a limited edition gold cap and the gel is suspended with 24 carat gold flakes. The use of gold in skincare dates back to Egyptian times where it is said that Cleopatra used gold face masks to preserve her flawless and youthful complexion.

After feeling like royalty after washing in gold, the Oudh Accord and Gold Body Lotion softens and scents skin with its mesmerising rich fragrance and added droplets of gold. I prefer to use Molton Brown as a post shower treat and save it for more special occasions, especially as the aroma is quite heavy and unbelievably beautiful.

To make any bath time feel special, the addition of a candle, and maybe a glass of champers, fits the bill. A candle addict like me can’t get enough of filling my home with deep fragrances that make my house smell incredible. The Molton Brown Oudh Accord and Gold single wick candle not only compliments my bath products, but the scent is intensified by vetiver and tobacco. Although it sounds unusual to have a tobacco note with a home fragrance, it really is something to be experienced. In most candles that I have in my bedroom, I find that I veer towards the heavier, more sophisticated scents so the Oudh Accord and Gold fits in with my tastes beautifully. Not only does it smell fabulous, but it is wrapped up in a gorgeous gift box with grosgrain ribbon decoration, making it a pretty gift.

Have you tried any Molton Brown products? What are your favourite scents?

Follow Anoushka Loves on
Bloglovin’ ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

*Contains PR Samples

Share this:

Like this:

Like Loading...

You may also enjoy:

TC - AquaSpa Majuro Shower Bath

Read article : TC - AquaSpa Majuro Shower Bath

TC - AquaSpa Majuro Shower Bath - Left or Right Hand OptionThe AquaSpa range is a High Powered Whirlpool System with an Air Spa System Also

The innovative AquaSpa system offers all the benefits of a whirlpool system (aquajet) with additional air spa jets.

Strategically placed air jets in the base of the bath produce a constant stream of bubbles that gently, but firmly, act on your skin and work deep down into your muscles to ease away all your cares.
Water Purity is maintained throughout the bathing cycle by the Ozone sanitizing system, while a variable power control allows fingertip adjustment to the force of the jets.

All Baths in the range come complete with a front and end bath panel and bath waste as standard

The Hanoi is a Shower/Bath designed in a "L Shape" to provide standing room for Showering. The bath is 1800mm Long and is 800mm wide but increases to 900mm wide in the showering section.  

The bath has No tap Holes and needs to be used with either a wall/deck/floor mounted bath/shower Filler ( Sold Separately). 

Bath Features

• 1.2 HP Pump
• Touch Control Panel
• Digital Radio
• 6 Body Jets
• 8 Spa Jets
• Massage Intensity Control
• LED Underwater Light
• Water Level Safety Sensor
• Ozone Sanitizing System

Product Details

• Dimensions - W1800mm x H640mm x D800mm & D900mm 
• No Tap Heads
• Waste Included
• L Shape Shower Bath
• Left or Right Hand Option
• Front and End Panel Included

Please select left or right hand option from drop down menuThe Bath/Shower screen is sold separately

Note - Please note images are for display only, you will need a wall/deck/floor mounted bath Filler to fill bath.

‘Twin Peaks: The Return’ Episode 14 – “We Are Like the Dreamer”

Read article : ‘Twin Peaks: The Return’ Episode 14 – “We Are Like the Dreamer”

An episode of connections.We’re so close to the end I can taste it, but I can’t identify the flavor. With only five episodes before the conclusion, whatever that may be, the plot is still ramping upwards. This week’s episode was, for lack of a better word, PERFECT. It had the artistry of episode 8 and more meaningful narrative clues than any other episode this season and maybe in the entire series. I almost fainted at least four times during the episode, which it took me 90 minutes to get through because I kept having to pause and process. Deep breath, Peakies, here we go:The story continues in Buckhorn, South Dakota, with Gordon Cole making a phone call to an old acquaintance: Lucy in Twin Peaks. After a brief catch-up, Lucy connects Cole to Sheriff Truman, whose call he’s returning. Cole thinks he’s getting Harry, but it’s Frank, who shares his brother’s condition with Cole, then goes on to bring the director up to speed on the missing pages from Laura Palmer’s diary Hawk found hidden in the station bathroom which seem to suggest there are two Coopers. Frank thought Cole might want to know this, even if the Sheriff doesn’t know what it all means. Cole can’t comment but to thank him.Elsewhere in Buckhorn, Albert is sharing the details of Blue Rose Task Force case #1, the one that “started this whole thing,” with new recruit Tammy Preston. In 1975, he says, two young agents were sent to investigate a murder in Olympia, Washington. The agents arrived to arrest the suspect, one Lois Duffy, at a motel, but before they could apprehend her, they heard a gunshot from her room so busted in and found not one but two women there, one dying from a gunshot wound, and one holding a gun. Lois was the wounded one, and shared with them her last words: “I’m like the blue rose.” Then Albert says, almost like an incantation, “She smiles, she dies, then disappears before their eyes.” The other woman, the one holding the gun who’s screaming her head off now, is also Lois Duffy. Not a twin – they checked – but another Lois. This Lois goes to trial for murdering the other Lois, which she swears she didn’t do, but before the verdict comes in, the living Lois hangs herself. Now Albert reveals the names of the two young investigating agents – Gordon Cole and Phillip Jeffries – and asks Tammy what’s the one question she should be asking back? She knows: what’s the significance of the blue rose? The same question Sam Stanley (Kiefer Sutherland) asked Chet Desmond (Chris Isaak) in Fire Walk With Me but Desmond didn’t answer. Albert asks if Tammy also knows the answer. She says a blue rose doesn’t occur in nature, like Lois’ disappearing death, it’s a conjured thing, “a tulpa,” which is a Buddhist term for a concept in mysticism of a being or object which is created through sheer spiritual or mental discipline. It’s also translated as “magical emanation,” “conjured thing,” or “phantom.” Sounds to me like a dream made real, something one imagines and then somehow translates out of imagination.Courtesy ShowtimeCole interrupts to let them know Diane’s on her way. Sure enough, she enters and immediately lights up. Cole asks her about the last night she saw Cooper, not in the prison but at her apartment in Philly all those years ago; he wants to know if Cooper mentioned Garland Briggs. Diane doesn’t want to talk about that night – we remember an insinuation of sexual assault – but Cole persists. Diane says Cooper did mention Briggs. Albert takes over and brings her up to speed on the Briggs case, how he died, or was supposed to have died, and how he really died. He also reveals what they found in Briggs’ stomach, the wedding band inscribed to Dougie from Janey-E. Diane seems to know what this means, and then drops the biggest connective bomb of the entire third season so far: she has a half-sister named Janey who’s married to a man named Douglas Jones; everybody calls him Dougie, and her Janey-E. Last she heard they lived in Vegas, but she doesn’t know for sure, she and Janey are estranged, or, more specifically, Diane hates her. They haven’t spoken in years, and it would seem like Diane has never even seen this Dougie, as he looks exactly like Cooper (at least to us, and to him. We’ve seen him seeing his reflection in a mirror, but I don’t think we’ve seen a picture of Dougie to this point. He could look like someone else to the world). Cole jumps off her recollection and has Tammy get the Las Vegas FBI branch on the horn. He tells the agent, Randall Headley, to get him everything they have on Dougie and Janey-E, pronto. Cole then thanks Diane, dismissing her. Cole shares what he learned from Frank Truman with Albert and Tammy, as well as the fact that last night he had another Monica Bellucci dream, referencing the actual, beautiful Italian actress of such films as Irreversible and Matrix Revolutions: he was in Paris on a case when Monica called and asked to meet him at a certain café, she had something to tell him.The picture shifts to black-and-white, the scene to a Parisian café. Monica and Cole meet, and Cole says Cooper was there, only he couldn’t see Dale’s face. Monica was very pleasant and she’d brought friends, a man and a woman. They all had coffee. We see Monica shed a single tear, then she recites what Cole calls “the ancient phrase:” “we are like the dreamer, who dreams and then lives inside the dream.” Why do I feel like Lynch just gave away the whole shebang right there? Cole told Monica he understood, and then she asked a question for her coda, the same question we were all thinking after what she just said: “Who is the dreamer?” Any guesses? I’ll save my speculation for the end of the recap. In the dream, Cole says a very powerful and uneasy feeling came over him. He says Monica directed him to look at something over his shoulder, where Cole saw himself from long ago. What he’s seeing is the scene from Fire Walk With Me when Coop comes in to tell him about a dream he had, the 10:10 February 16^th dream. Is the implication that we’re all in Coop’s dream? Which Coop, though? This, of course, is the infamous Phillip Jeffries scene, and right now I’m sweating I’m so excited. Sure enough, we see Jeffries (David Bowie, to whom the episode is dedicated), specifically, the part of the scene where he points at Coop and asks “who do you think this is, there?” For a quarter-century Twin Peaks fans have been debating this one facet of the scene, and now it feels like a revelation is on the horizon. What kind of Moebius strip are Lynch and Frost plotting? And which Coop was in Philly, then, bad posing as good? Conundrums on top of conundrums. Cole had forgotten about all this until just now, as had Albert, but now they’re both remembering it, and recognizing its significance.In Twin Peaks, Andy, Hawk and Bobby are setting up lunch, but it’s really just a sting to arrest Chad for his part in the Chinese designer drug traffic.A fog settles over Ghostwood Forest and Frank, Hawk, Andy and Bobby are now preparing to ascend the mountain to reach the coordinates left by Major Briggs. Electrical wires hum tellingly overhead: there’s power in the air. They start off. Shades of Coop, Harry, Doc Hayward, and Hawk hiking up to Jacques Renault’s cabin in the original series; I’m hoping for a character-fan shot or a Log Lady run-in, but get neither. Our foursome arrives at the site of what’s left of the station where the Major worked and was “killed.” Bobby went inside the place a couple times when he was younger but doesn’t know what his dad did there, it was all classified. He just remembers a bunch of machines. There is one spot on the property Bobby knows all about, though, Jack Rabbit’s Palace, basically an old tree stump, but to Bobby it was a father-son bonding place where he and the Major traded tall tales. It’s also the starting point of the Major’s directions. They put soil in their pockets as per his instructions, then Bobby mentions a cautionary memory: his dad always told him never to wander around here without him. I bet they all wish the good Major was there now. They press on until they round a corner and find a cloud, fog, steam, mist, smoke, or something of the sort, but very localized, covering just one spot. Light flashes, crackles more like it, from an unknown source. Then the smoke or whatever clears and we recognize the locale: Glastonbury Grove, Twin Peaks’ entrance to The Black Lodge. The circle of 12 sycamore trees, the ring of stones holding a puddle of scorched oil, it’s all there. And so is a body, female, naked. They turn her over. It’s the eyeless woman from the inside of the tower overlooking the purple ocean, the woman who led good Coop to the cube in space then fell into the cosmos right after turning on an electrical devise (like the one in the Dutchman’s quarters that triggered the belching of the Laura bubble in episode 8), and right before we saw the floating head of Major Briggs. Naido is her name according to the credits, and she is alive. She is trying to speak but her words are that same scrambled whisper-echo from the last time we saw her, thus indecipherable. Frank looks at his watch and confirm it is now 2:53, the time the Major’s instructions said they were supposed to be there. Right on time, another vortex – like the one Cole experienced in Buckhorn outside the abandoned house where they found the body of Ruth Davenport with the Twin Peaks coordinates on her arm, these coordinates, most likely – opens in the sky. This time they all see it, and it seems to cause Naido pain. Andy, who is holding her hand, drops it, hypnotized by the vortex, and stands. It’s like something is calling him. Light envelops him and he blinks out of the scene, only to reappear a second later in the Dutchman’s quarters. The Dutchman approaches and sits opposite Andy, just as he did Cooper in the season three premiere.“I am the Fireman,” the Dutchman says, and raises his right hand. Andy is holding something now, like a large rose made of paper, very angular and with a spout in its center that spits smoke into the air. This smoke is sucked away through a skylight or something like it, a large, domed, lit circle. Andy looks at this, his concentration slipping into it. It goes dark. We see the box monster (billed in the credits as The Experiment), the mucus strand it regurgitated that birthed BOB, the convenience store, the Woodsmen milling about it – essentially all we were shown in episode 8, including “Gotta light?” guy. Then scenes from the original series: the unknown student running across the TPHS quad upon learning of the death of Laura Palmer, the curtains of the Lodge, Laura’s homecoming photo flanked by reflections of an angel, I assume the same angel who came to Laura at the end of Fire Walk With Me. Then Naido, unresponsive on the ground. Then the two Coops, good and bad, side-by-side. Then a ringing phone, Andy and Lucy in the Sheriff’s station, everything trembling. He’s showing her something, Lucy, but we don’t see what. Naido again, trying to speak. Then the 6 on the telephone pole from Fat Trout Trailer Park by which long ago Teresa Banks’ trailer parked, the pole by which, presently, I think Becky, Shelly’s daughter, might park her trailer. Then the message is over.Courtesy ShowtimeAndy blinks out of the Lodge and back to Jack Rabbit’s Palace, where the others are waiting for him (because of the soil in their pockets, I think, it’s a metaphysical anchor that tethers them to reality). In his arms Andy holds Naido. They have to get her down the mountain, he tells the others, as she’s very important and there are people who want her dead. She’s fine physically, he says, but needs to be in a cell for her safety. He tells them to say not a word to anyone. They don’t object. In an aside, Frank asks Hawk what happened to them out there, but neither can remember.Courtesy ShowtimeIn a cell at the station, Lucy helps Naido into some spare pajamas. Chad heckles Andy from his own cell nearby, but gets an earful from the Deputy for his thoughts. A drunk in another cell with a busted mouth parrots their conversation. In her cell after Andy and Lucy leave, Naido feels the air and makes her strange sounds, which the drunk also imitates. This drives Chad bonkers, but he deserves it. The drunk bleeds profusely from his mouth.Across town at The Great Northern, a pair of security guards are on break. One of them is James Hurley, who mentions they have one more job then they can hit The Road House. The other guard, Freddie Sykes, a young Brit who has a glove on his right hand that makes it difficult to crack nuts, knows James just wants to see Renee – the girl who cried tears of joy while watching him sing last week – then adds this interesting tidbit: Renee’s married. What is it with James and unavailable women? Laura was with Bobby when she and James were together, Donna was technically with Mike Nelson when James moved on to her, Evelyn Marsh was married when they had their tryst, and now Renee too is bound in the eyes of god to another man. Get a new type, dude, for your own safety. And side-note: “Freddie Sykes” is the name of the one-armed man, the true killer, in The Fugitive movie (in the TV show the one-armed man was called Fred Johnson); this is not the only such reference in Twin Peaks – the human name of MIKE, the one-armed man of Twin Peaks, is Philip Gerard, which is the same name as the detective in The FugitiveTV series (Sam Gerard in the movie). Coincidence? Not bloody likely, especially since Freddie, like MIKE, has a limb issue. James mentions today’s his birthday, then changes the subject by asking about Freddie’s glove. Freddie says he can’t take it off, he tried once but bled like crazy, it’s a part of him. James asks where he got it, but Freddie isn’t supposed to tell, he doesn’t think James will believe him. James convinces him otherwise. Freddie was living in London six months ago. After a night in the pub he’s walking home alone and turns into an alley. He gets a peculiar feeling like he’s wasting his life, out drinking when he should be helping people. Then, for some reason, he jumped onto a high stack of boxes and above him a vortex opened. A Lodge vortex, sounds like, especially when Freddie says the vortex sucked him up and put him in front of a fella called himself “the Fireman.” The Fireman tells him: “Go to the hardware store near your flat and there you’ll find a rack of green gardening gloves. One pair will already be open, with only a right-handed glove inside. Purchase that package and place that glove on your right hand. That hand will now possess the power of an enormous pile driver,” and then poof! He was back at home. Freddie did as he was told, found what he was supposed to find, but the hardware store clerk didn’t want to sell it to him since the package was open. Freddie insisted, but the clerk held firm. Freddie tossed the cash on the counter and headed for the door, putting on the glove as he went. The clerk attacked him and in defense Freddie popped him with his gloved hand. It almost killed the clerk, and in the moment Freddie remembered one more thing the Fireman told him: “Once you put the glove on, go to Twin Peaks, Washington, in the United States of America, and there you will find your destiny.” So here he is. James, and I, am flabbergasted. He wants to know why Freddie thinks the Fireman chose him, a question Freddy asked the Fireman. The answer: “Why not you?” Furthermore, when he went to buy a ticket to America, he was told he already had one. It was all arranged. Help me out here, gang – what’s a word that means painfully curious?James goes to check the furnace in the boiler room, the last job of the night. It’s predictably creep AF, and it has me thinking of the boiler room in which BOB revealed himself and his intentions at the end of the international pilot back in 1989. The whole place is throbbing with power, with electricity. But nothing happens, nothing we see, at least, only a bit of attention on a closed door.Cut to Elk’s Point #9 Bar. A figure walking towards it in the dark, smoking. Shades of a Woodsman. It’s Sarah Palmer. She enters the bar and bellies up, orders a Bloody Mary. Seems like foreshadowing to me. At the end of the bar there’s a man with a ponytail and a ball cap nursing a shot and a beer. He notices Sarah. Doesn’t seem like a good notice. He pounds the rest of his shot and approaches. “Truck You,” his shirt says, so you know he’s classy. Turns out he means to hit on Sarah, but she wants to be left alone. Truck You has a hard time taking a hint, and in fact he’s a rude prick. Offensively rude. He tells her she eats cunt. She says she’ll eat him. He finds this funny; I realllllly don’t think he should. Sarah is too calm, scary-calm, dangerous-calm. Truck You threatens physical violence, and then the shit hits the fan. Sarah TAKES OFF HER FUCKING FACE, just like Laura did in the premiere, but where there was light behind Laura’s face, behind Sarah’s there is murky darkness and a bony hand, fingers splayed. In a crackling voice Sarah asks Truck You, “Do you really want to fuck with this?” Hell-to-the-fuck-no, sir, you do not. But it’s too late. She bites his throat out, then screams and acts like she doesn’t know what happened. The bartender naturally questions this. The cops are called. Sarah is unconcerned. Or should I call her BOB?Courtesy ShowtimeThen we’re at The Road House at a table with yet two more lovely young ladies, Sophie (Emily Stofle) and Megan (Shane Lynch, but not related to David; she is, however, the daughter of actress Kelly Lynch). They’re talking about how Megan’s been hanging out at what Sophie calls a “nuthouse” getting high, which Megan denies, explaining she only gets high at home. Then another connective tissue. Sophie asks Megan if she’s seen Billy, Audrey’s Billy. Megan hasn’t, not for a few days. Seems like the running answer around town. Sophie heard Megan was among the last to see him. It’s true. Megan was in the kitchen with her mom and maybe her uncle, and they saw Billy jump a six-foot fence into their yard, running like he was being chased. He busted into their kitchen with blood coming out of his nose and mouth. Everyone started screaming, natch. Billy hung his head in the sink, then turned to look at them, then ran out the back. Sophie can’t believe they didn’t tell anyone, but Megan wants to know what were they supposed to tell? She says she knows Billy and her mom had a thing, and that means either Audrey has a daughter as well, or Tina does, and Tina was also banging Billy, which would explain why Audrey doesn’t care for her. Megan confirms this latter theory, her mom is the mysterious Tina. Anyway, Billy took off and left blood all over their kitchen. Megan still can’t remember if her uncle was there. This “uncle” has to be someone we know, or at least someone of significance. Then the music starts, Lissie, and the episode ends.___This hour was all about connecting storylines: Diane and company to Dougie Jones, to Twin Peaks; Cole’s dream hearkening back to the Jeffries scene in Fire Walk With Me; Andy et al to The Black Lodge and Cooper’s guide Naido; Freddie’s mysterious connection to The Black Lodge, to the Fireman/Dutchman/Giant/?????; Megan, Tina, Billy and Audrey, the unknown uncle – the strands are lining up to be braided. It was a masterful episode, no doubt about it, and one that hints at the structural genius of the series, how the pieces have been in places for decades waiting to align into a complete if mystifying narrative. There’s never been anything like this in the history of television or film, there’s never been a narrative this complex and captivating, this ingenious and insidious, this nuanced and multi-layered. This makes at least the second time – this season – that Twin Peaks has changed how its medium tells stories. TV, more so than film, is a mainstream art form, meaning it’s largely designed for various common denominators. Twin Peaks isn’t designed for anyone, for any standards, or for any expectations. It’s independent TV, for lack of a better term, it doesn’t adhere to the medium’s restrictions, it reshapes them. If you’re out there right now writing your first TV series spec, start over, the rules have changed.There’s a showdown coming, one bound to be set in The BlackLodge just as the showdown at the end of season two was, but if you’re expecting a clear-and-true resolution, watch Game of Thrones; that’s not Twin Peaks’bag. I have ideas on what’s coming – who is this dreamer, and just how long have they been dreaming? We did see little Sarah Palmer (who I’m calling the black-and-white girl who swallowed the bug-BOB in episode 8) fall asleep back in the 50s – but I know they pale to what we’re actually going to get in just three short but soul-crushingly-long weeks.Fourteen down. Four to go. Brace yourselves.More to Read: