Which appliance brands are a must have in your new home?
12 years ago
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Comments (15)
- 12 years ago
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Do all appliances in new house have to be the same brand?
Comments (9)I'm going to throw my hat in with the "nope" group. A lot of appliances are built by the same manufacturer(s) and given different brand names with just a few differences. There's an appliance411.com website that details who makes what appliance. In my opinion, you should choose the appliance that best suits your needs (price, performance, style) and then find a cohesive look such as all stainless or black or white. OR you could go for a great accent piece (I REALLY wanted a red refurbished O'Keefe & Merritt range but most vintage ranges are too big for my standard 30" slot between cabinets) and then the rest of the appliances can look similar. As for which brand is best, if you're not cross-eyed by searching reviews and options by now, you soon will be! What I finally had to do was figure out what KIND of range I wanted - electric, gas or dual fuel. Then I had to think about performance and how I cook (which is ALL THE TIME). I decided I wanted as few electronics as possible and a workhorse. The last thing I need on an oven is a "chicken nugget" mode. We've settled on a Wolf all gas range. I'm new to this forum, too, after reading and researching for several weeks. It can be kind of hard to find what you're looking for if you don't know exactly what to search or even exactly WHAT you're looking for. I've learned a LOT and most people are very helpful in answering your questions. Good luck! Dana...See MoreNew Home Must Haves
Comments (16)I agree with the majority here in saying that the most important items are: - a good design that fits your family both today and tomorrow. Never confuse "good design" with "huge rooms" or "more rooms". Good design is a layout that makes sense; for example, a dining room located adjacent to the kitchen, nice sight-lines for every doorway /walkway, inviting nooks in which to sit. - quality construction so that you won't be plagued with maintenance issues after (or even before) the new wears off the house. You can always go back and upgrade your countertop or your light fixtures later, but it's much more difficult to go back and upgrade your plumbing or your foundation. Don't skimp on the things that matter. - a house that incorporates all your needs and some of your wants. Keep your needs foremost in your mind, but if you can't get a few bells and whistles along the way, why are you bothering to build? And I'll add a tremendously important detail that's rarely mentioned on this website: - an affordable price tag. It's easy to end up house-poor. It's easy to get caught up in "Wow, refrigerator drawers are cool!" and "Two dishwashers - that sure would be handy!" . . . but those are expensive choices. Even some of the small upgrades that're discussed here add up to big bucks by the time you've said "yes" to just a few seemingly small things. Unless your budget really is unlimited, you're going to have to say "no" to a number of things that would really be great to have. DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT gloss over those all-important, long-lasting items in favor of small-but-fun details. Having said that, here are some upgrades and non-obvious details that are on my and my husband's list for our retirement house, which we have collected over the last year: - All brick, low-maintenance exterior - Partial wrap-around porch, also built in a low-maintenance material - Wide, easy-to-climb stairs . . . both to accommodate foot-traffic comfortably and to allow furniture to be placed upstairs - 7' tall windows throughout the house - Windows on two walls in all the major rooms - House designed and oriented to suit our site; for example, garage placed on the less-desirable North side, preserving the better light for the living areas - Natural rock to-the-ceiling masonry for fire place; direct-vent gas firebox - Built-ins in the living room for books, games, DVD and video game storage - Energy efficient windows and appliances - Ample insulation - 32" doorways and wide hallways to accommodate a walker or wheelchair - Leaf guard gutters - Electrical outlets well thought out: Over the mantel, on both sides of the island, in closets and pantry, by desk in garage entryway, at comfortable height over nightstands (4 outlets on each side of the bed) - Electrical outlet switches for the Christmas tree spot (by a front window -- very important to me) and for the holiday porch lights; these lights will be controlled by a switch located in an odd spot behind the front door -- to avoid confusing them with the everyday lights - All light fixtures are to use standard light bulbs rather than odd sizes (and, yes, we already have our dining room chandelier . . . and it uses standard bulbs!) - Keyless entry on garage (main) entrance - Dimmer switches on appropriate lights - Many ceiling fans (we're in the South) - Hardwood floors throughout the house - Plantation shutters in living /dining room - Dining room small enough to be cozy for 4 people . . . but adjacent to a wide pathway so the table can be expaaaaanded to seat twice that many - Small kitchen with nice finishes -- most storage in the adjacent pantry, which is much less expensive to build and will hide messes - Huge pantry: 21' floor-to-ceiling shelving, self-rotating can storage, 5' work space, storage for cookbooks, storage for large /rarely-used cookware, area for broom closet and storage of cleaners, recycling bins - Motion-sensor lights in the pantry and all closets - Mostly drawers in the kitchen . . . traditional cabinets under the sink /one thin cabinet for stand-up cookie sheets and cooling racks - Lift for Kitchen Aide mixer - Built-in bread storage drawer - Built-in knife drawer - Heated granite on the island - Hidden spot for fire extinguisher in the kitchen - Counter-height window over kitchen sink - Undermount Silgranite one-bowl sink with 1 hp garbage disposal - Upper cabinets are to be tall: Will be 15" off the countertop (I'm short) and will reach the ceilings; include extra shelves for all that height - Glass-fronts in some upper cabinets - Central vac dustpan in kitchen . . . and a few more spots throughout the house - Swing lamps attached to the wall by the bed rather than lamps on night stands - Built-ins in bedroom for storage - Safe built into closet wall - Gun safe built into closet by garage entrance - Walk-in closet big enough to incorporate dresser-items - Open, no-barrier shower /good for accessibility in our elderly years . . . moveable bench rather than built-in - Tornado body-dryer in the shower - Raised toilets / electrical outlet near toilet for Toto seat . . . no silly little toilet closet - Plumbing is all kept to the center of the house /upstairs bath stacked over downstairs bath (huge cost savings) - iGlass in the bathroom (since ours will overlook the backyard) - Plywood behind all bathroom walls to add strength to towel bars /handicapped access grab bars - Heated flooring in master bath - Master bath wired for cable TV - Built-in hamper in master bath with other-side door that opens in to the master bedroom; this will allow us to toss in clothes from either direction - Laundry room located near master bedroom - Large patio with stained concrete - Run a PVC pipe w/ hose through patio concrete . . . so that we'll have a hose on the far side of the patio without having a visible hose - Hose bibs on each side of the house and one in the garage - Small fiberglass pool with tanning ledge and bubbler - Small outdoor kitchen - Ample parking for guests / clear pathway to the front door - All flower beds, etc. edged with brick (or similar) to eliminate need for edging -- mowing alone will take care of the yard's main needs - Outlet in the garage for electric car - Rain barrels to collect water for flower beds - Walk-in attic storage space...See MoreWhy brand of appliances are you using in your new house?
Comments (30)guess I am sort of an exception to the list up there.... did not require anything high end, just looks nice and super functional. Needed all electric in the home due to the tightness. Went with the Samsung 3 door fridge (29cf, great fridge...have been using it in our temp place for a few months now), Samsung flex oven electric range (looks promising with the tray to split the oven into 2 spaces for a double oven), Kenmore Elite dishwasher (.48db...needed something quiet), range hood undecided yet, washer/dryer is Whirlpool high Efficiency front loads Duets. Microwave is a standard on the counter one that will go into a shelf built into the cabinets just above counter height (full height cabinet)....See More8 Must have plants of 2019. Which of your plants made it in the list
Comments (47)I can see trends relevant to growers and sellers, and maybe a few buyers too, but the rest of us are just growing what we like. I notice that garden centres get new perennials in that are expensive when they are 1st introduced, and they either prove their worth or fade away again, like so many “black” tulip varieties. For me, some plant types click and others don’t work, like english ivy?, boston ferns, most palms, ficus trees and african violets. I’ve got some stalwarts I’ve had for years and years, and some came from cuttings from people I’ve known, so they are like living history. I really love my plants and they would have to die or really p— me off for me to get rid of them....See MoreRelated Professionals
Montrose Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · South Farmingdale Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Hopewell Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Omaha Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Rancho Palos Verdes Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Toms River Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Middlesex Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Cave Spring Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Ridgefield Park Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Country Club Cabinets & Cabinetry · Allentown Cabinets & Cabinetry · Aspen Hill Cabinets & Cabinetry · Mount Holly Cabinets & Cabinetry · Tenafly Cabinets & Cabinetry · Phelan Cabinets & Cabinetry- 12 years ago
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