Kitchen wall tiles

Tiles from Ames:

White Gloss - if you want shiny look

White Matte - if you don't want shiny look

I think these would both work.

Simple fireplaces

http://www.rumford.com/Charlene.html

It would be great to put a big rough piece of wood above the fireplace as a mantel/shelf.

Fireplace picks @ Home Depot

Both available at Home Depot for $1000.

Historic Mantels Limited (link)

Home Depot link: Designer Series Louis XIII Cast Stone Mantel

Historic Mantels Limited (link)

Home Depot link: Designer Series Paris Cast Stone Mantel

Soapstone kitchen counters

American soapstone

Canadian soapstone

Soapstone and granite are both luxury materials.

Because granite is so popular, there is more poor quality stone being sold under the name of granite, and more contradictory information on how to treat granite. Many granites can be damaged by acids such as lemon juice and vinegar. The heat resistance can vary.

Soapstone has been used for a long time as countertops in laboratories. It does not have a problem with acids. It is very heat resistant. It can scratch, but scratches can be fixed.

I prefer a stone that is not shiny. Soapstone is not shiny. Granite can be finished in a way that is not shiny, but from what I hear, granite gets dirty more easily without a shiny finish. Soapstone doesn't seem to have this problem.

A Canadian soapstone company, according to their website, their soapstone is BC soapstone:

http://www.soapstonecreations.com/

Here is another Canadian soapstone company that gets their soapstone from Quebec:

http://soapstonecounters.com/

This is a kitchen counter company in Vancouver that sells soapstone counters:

http://www.ssccountertops.com/products.html

Their soapstone comes from this American company that gets their soapstone from Brazil:

http://www.greenmountainsoapstone.com/

Attic ladder @ Home Depot

Another thing we can get from Home Depot: an attic ladder.

Kinetico

@ Costco

The dealer who was at Costco:

http://clearwaternow.ca/

Kinetico's main company website:

http://www.kinetico.ca/

According to reviews, Kinetico is the "Rolls-Royce" of water filters. The main complaint about it is that it is expensive. I couldn't find complaints about its function. Apparently the water pressure is very strong even with the filter. A major concern some people expressed is that you can only get the parts from Kinetico, so there is a limit to who can service their water filters. If the local dealer goes out of business, it may be difficult to get parts. There was one person who found that costs of repair work is not covered by the warranty, only parts are covered. That case seems to be in the US, it might vary in Canada.