Thanks, Lori

I went to Island City Tile two days ago with blueprints in hand to get quotes on bathroom tile, and Lori Neilson (who runs the place with her husband, Marc), walked me through all the decisions Robert and I had made months ago -- though they needed a few adjustments, with availabilities and all.

As promised, she was back with a quote within a day -- and with a money-saving tip. We wanted a really deep blue in the master bath -- Royal Blue in the American Olean catalog -- that was $11.60 a square foot. Not outrageous by tile standards, but not inexpensive by any means. She volunteered to look for a substitute.

In minutes, she called back to say her recollection was right: Dal Tile has a color line called Cobalt that sells for $6.51.

I went over today to confirm the order and put a deposit down, and she had done more homework: Yep, the two are made in the same factory, and if you put one next to the other, it's hard to tell the difference.

She and Marc lost $5 a foot, but they gained a very loyal customer.