Hi Nine years ago when we were building our house, I had read that the big box stores sell an inferior product and made sure to purchase through a plumbing supplier so as to have the best quality. That said, I wonder if its actually true or if it matters. Our Kohler Vinatta faucet started leaking awhile ago. I called Kohler and they sent out a cartridge for free. The faucet continued to leak after replacing the cartridge so Kohler sent out a whole brand new gorgeous faucet at no charge. They have a lifetime warranty and never asked me where I bought the faucet. Their only question was if I am the original owner. So, I'm thinking what does it matter as long as we stay with quality brands that carry a lifetime warranty like Kohler, Moen or Delta? After our nightmare experience with Newport Brass and their stingy one year warrantee I'll always buy lifetime warranty over pretty bling bling (My new Delta Brizos are pretty snazzy anyway and warranted for life). I say go with the best price.

Hi squarefour, We worked directly through our local plumbing supply house for all faucets and plumbing fixtures, but we had to make it clear to our GC (who had to let his plumber know up front) that we would handle the purchase of all fixtures. Our local plumbing supply saleswoman gave us about 40% off retail (maybe partly because it was the 2nd whole house remodel we did w/her). We bought mostly Kohler fixtures with some Hansgrohe and Grohe. I price-checked against several online retailers and found, on most items, she was giving us a comparable, or sometimes better, price as those found on efaucets.com. You can save even more during the efaucets free shipping or 10% off promotions, which they run quite frequently. In a past remodel, we had a plumber get quite upset about the fact that we intended to buy fixtures directly through the supply house because (unknown to us) he had bid the job with the expectation that he would also get a markup on the fixtures. We ended up working it out with him and paying him a bit more, but our GC had not explained this process to us (it was a cost plus contract) so we assumed it was okay for us to do our own thing with fixtures. During our most recent remodel, we knew the question of who buys plumbing fixtures was one we should specifically ask the GC before the contract was signed (both for plumbing and electrical). It was fine with him and was perhaps different because we were on a fixed price contract and maybe that makes a difference, but I don't really see why it would, as long as you make it clear to the GC and his plumber that he should not assume he'll get any fixture mark-up on the job, and his bid numbers need to reflect that. Also, some plumbers will try to convince you that it's important for them to buy the fixtures because they will then stand behind them, but I've never understood that position because the fixture warranty is what matters on the fixtures, and the contractors' work is supposed to also be guaranteed, so if there's a problem with either within the set period of time, you should technically be covered. If, for example, there's an issue with a faucet and you have to pay a plumber to come back and fix it, you'd probably have to pay for the plumber's time (unless you get the manufacturer to agree to cover it all) so you'll have to weigh the risk/benefit of getting the lower price on the fixture. I'm sure others will disagree with this strategy, and of course, I'm speaking from the homeowner's perspective, not the contractor's. Regarding light fixtures, as it turned out, I wish I bought these online. My electrician told me he and many of his clients have had great luck using online retailers. Instead, I used my local lighting showroom, after researching the types of fixtures I wanted online. They did give me a fair price (which I, of course, doublechecked against online retailers), but actually, the local showroom service left a lot to be desired. We had a few fixtures that came in damaged, and they did not "pre-check" them so they sat in my garage unopened yet damaged and then when our electrician came back to set fixtures, we found several of them were broken and, as it turned out, were on backorder so it took about another 4-5 weeks to get them in and could have delayed the final building inspection. The electrician claimed that it was the lighting store's responsibility to check the fixtures for quality control when they arrived in the store before we picked them up. We also paid one of the lighting showroom "designers" a $100 fee to come out to the house, give us design advice for proper fixture sizes, review our order and make sure that our downrods were correctly sized for chandeliers, etc. As it turned out, when the fixtures were delivered, she had not ordered long enough downrods on the DR chandelier and two of the ceiling fans. Again, another 3 week wait for these with another return trip by electricians! Very frustrating. So, you can get poor service either way, and who knows, I may have been better served by going online. There are some excellent lighting retailers online who offer good phone support, as I've since found out. Here are my favorite online retailers for both lighting and plumbing, all of which seem to offer excellent prices - For lighting - www.1800lighting.com (the store is actually called Capitol Lighting, but this is their website address) www.lightinguniverse.com For plumbing - www.efaucets.com - they seem to offer around 40% off retail, but I don't have any experience with their service. Also, do a google search for ongoing coupons for all of these websites and you may find they have a weekend sale of 10% off or some such thing frequently. Best of luck on your project!

Well, I am a woman and I find your kitchen very appealing. :) I am a lot older than your applicant pool so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but the Hansgrohe pictured just above wouldn't turn me off at all. It is more modern than the vibe of your kitchen, though, you're right. I think if you get a high-arc faucet, either pull-down or side sprayer, you will already be ahead of the game. I vastly prefer one handle for its greater usefulness when one is Actually Cooking (i.e. has at least one hand full or messy most of the time). My plumber warns me against big box store faucets that might have plastic insides; he says if they feel heavy, they're OK. Most of our faucets came from Ferguson but I caved and ordered the most recent one (a Moen, like almost all our others) from Faucet Direct because it was so much less expensive there, and it is the same model as at Ferguson and of the same quality. (Ferguson might be able to price match if you want to check.) One last note. I don't see any problem with a white stove and a stainless DW, but the third tone (the almond trash compactor) is sort of one too many in my opinion. I know exactly what you mean about piecemeal updates, been there and still doing that to some extent. It's OK, it means you replaced things as needed instead of just for looks. The trash compactor color would definitely not make me turn walk out and rent something else -- I might not even notice, if I were a prospective renter -- but if you are going to change an appliance, that would be my vote instead of the stove. (This might be the place to remember that I am middle-aged and not swayed by stainless like younger HGTV-watching folks might be...) One last last note. I like chrome faucets fine. They are less expensive too. Just my opinion.

Have you tried Amazon, Organize.com, eBay, or googling "2-tier fruit basket (chrome, silver)"? I tried all those briefly, and came up with a 2-tiered basket (tiers of equal size) in chrome each time. The problem is that you want something ornate and Victorian in design like your posted picture, but you want it in chrome. Chrome is not a finish that is paired with ornate/Victorian. I think you need to choose which you want more, the ornate look or the chrome finish. Here is a link that might be useful: 2-Tier Fruit Basket in Chrome at Target