Are you wanting to stick with just siding or are you thinking about introducing another material such as stone or brick? Are you doing vinyl siding or cement board? What sort of colors do YOU guys like? Blues, greens browns? You couldnt go wrong with a medium blue gray as the field color, accenting with possibly shake style gable siding in a color such as brown, and maybe introducing a cream colored limestone veneer on the front bumped out section? Creamy white trim and windows would set it off nicely. Select a nice brown stained mahogany style door. That is just my quick suggestion :)

Capital is a great brand - they have a new model about to ship - the Culinaire - there are a lot of threads on this forum about it - the 3K model is most likely the older precision line. 600 CFM is probably right for your situation. Broan is how it's spelled. A lot of people do like vent-a-hood but it doesn't have baffles like many hoods and some find it a lot harder to clean. With a hood make sure the ducting you have matches the size the hood needs - 6" or 8". Another good brand to look at is Kobe. KA makes good DWs. I have an 8 year old top of the line and am quite pleased with it.

this is what we have and we are very satisfied with all: Miele DW, diamante plus, but i think its discontinued, cleans great Miele speed oven: Love this oven. if u get this u don't need a microwave, its does it all!!! Wolf "E" series full size oven. we got a floor model from appliance store so saved $$, no problems with blue flaking although others have a had this problem. cooks beautifully, even/true temps Miele 36" induction cooktop, Love induction, would never go back to any other type. easy to use/clean, just a great appliance. other brands also get pretty high marks on here, i really never read a bad review about any induction tops. i guess u decide on layout, looks and cost. was going to get wolf, but miele was cheaper and i loved the look of it, no SS edges like the bosch, just a real clean, simple design. Liebherr 36" FD frig, love it and no problems. looked a sub-zero, but liebherr was much cheaper. i wanted a paneled frig, so that really narrowed down my choices., not a fan of SS frigs so i knew i was not going that route at all. we are a family of 5 and the frig is more than adequate but we also have a freezer in laundry room. you can also check out ebay and your local craigslist to try and save some $ i know gwers love the thermador frig/freezer columns, so that might be worthwhile to look into. these appliances are around 3 years old.....

First I want to ask, have you gotten a chance to see these appliances in person? If not I highly recommend you do so. Just looking at appliances in person will often reveal "deal breakers" that you may never have found online. This is a great way to narrow your list quickly when you're overwhelmed with choices. I've been reading a little more on hoods on garden web. From what I read, it seems a 600 CFM should be sufficient and 24" depth by 42" length would be best...does that sound about right? If we go with 600 CFM we won't need makeup air correct? What do you think of vent-a-hood? Looks like that would not require the separate blower.Or do you think baffle is preferable? I think there may be confusion here as to some of the terminology. Baffle refers to the type of grease filter in the hood. It is the same type of filter as found in commercial restaurant hoods. The alternative to a baffle filter would be a mesh filter, which are mainly found in lower end hoods. Baffles are what you want, especially for a more powerful hood. Internal vs. external blower is a separate issue. Internal blowers are cheaper and easier to service, but external blowers can be quieter. Most inserts can be ordered with either an external or internal blower option, including the Faber you were quoted, so you don't need to go Vent-A-Hood to get an internal blower. I have never owned a Vent-A-Hood, but my overall impression of them from reading Gardenweb is that some of their advertising claims ("Magic Lung") may be a bit far fetched, but that they do make a quality product. It is true that best case scenario, the hood should overhang the cooktop by 3" on each side, so yes 42" would be the optimal width hood for a 36" cooktop. As for depth: remember that you are NOT buying a hood here. You are having your hood custom made, and buying an insert to put into it. The depth of the insert for example, could be 19" like the Faber you were quoted, but the overall hood depth would be 24" which is what you ultimately want. Still no idea on the fridge. Thinking of probably doing the 36" french door style and having a second cheap one in the garage or pantry (would add in the future, not now). There are too many options for french door! It is completely overwhelming. Do any stand out? Do you think the columns would look nicer than a typical 36"? "Nicer" is a subjective word, but the columns would definitely give a higher end look than a typical 36" (even if in reality they cost about the same). You're right that the french door options can be overwhelming. If you go that route, start by narrowing down your options. Do you want it to be counter depth or do you need the extra capacity of a standard depth? Do you want ice and water thru the door? If no, do you want an internal water dispenser? If yes, do you want dual icemakers? Which ones do you like the layout of the most? Work from there. Thanks again for all of this guidance. Sorry for all the questions. We have a very short time line to figure everything out and I am starting out with a knowledge level of close to 0. No problem. You came to the right place!