If you are on a budget, it's hard to find better quality for a reasonable price than Amana. Their ADB1600 is the lowest cost DW that I know of that actually has 3 spray arms and can get your dishes reasonably clean. It won't be that quiet, but your dishes will sparkle. It retails around $350/$400. Amana's AER6011 retails for around $700 and is self cleaning with convection. It also has a "dual choice" element that allows you to select the size of the element based on your cooking needs. For an OTR, their AMV2174 retails around $350 and has 1000 watts of cooking power with sensor cooking. THat's a nice feature to have as it keeps overheating you stuff down to a minimum. It's "vent" is only 220 CFM, which is wimpy, but most of the OTRs are pretty wimpy in that department. A better choice if you can afford the room is to put an actual vent above your range and put a countertop MW/convection oven elsewhere. You can get a basic NuTone/Broan for around $150 and an inexpensive countertop one with convection for around $200. That give you more versatility when the MW craps out---as it inevitably does. Now you can afford a nice new refrigerator also. If you want a French door, the Amana AFF2534 is a good candidate at around $1500. It misses being Energy Star by just a smidgen, so you don't get that certification, but it IS "energy efficient" when compared with the older one you might be using from your relative. The ice is in the bottom, meaning you'll have to scoop it out, but it's very sleek and pretty without the ice dispenser on the door. THe temperature controlled drawer is a great feature and it has scads of storage space. The crispers have humdity control, which you don't get on a budget refrigerator. If a side by side is more your style, then the Energy Star ASD2526 retails around $1300-$1499 depending if you can find it on sale. You get the ice and water on the door, humidty controlled crispers, a temperature controlled deli drawer and the standard 25 cubic feet of space. There, you're at/under budget, and you have ALL of your appliances brand new! Several stores are having Earth Day promos and several states are offering rebates for Energy Star appliance purchases which may bring your costs down even more. Put the model numbers in Google and they can help you find the best prices.

I wish we could do seed. It just isn't possible with the grass we selected. Also, the grass has to be complete when we move in. From the UF Extension: With one exception (not Empire Zoysia), zoysiagrasses must be planted vegetatively by sod, plugs, or sprigs. I may request smaller plants on the inner courtyard, as that will be hidden mostly by the front gate & wall of podocarpus. That is a good idea. The landscape budget was set by one of the landscape subs, so i don't think it is out of line to want to stay in budget. I also just think the 2nd sub was trying to rip us a new one with the sod, so I am hesitant to trust them. Our GC really doesn't want us to DIY anything. He offers basically a lifetime warranty on the home (his quality of workmanship, not the obvious like normal wear & tear), & he wants all work done by his subs so he can guarantee his work. I definitely am capable of doing the shrub plantings, if I could get him to agree to it. My brother is a small builder in another part of the state. He said in our price-range, most people get ripped off because the subs get away with overcharging, the GCs tolerate it, & the homeowners don't always do their homework. I have reached out to a third landscaper for a quote. If she comes back high, then we will cross that bridge. This post was edited by wishiwasinoz on Wed, Oct 23, 13 at 10:42

If you want a built-in fridge in this remodel you will have to reuse your existing one. Otherwise you'll have to convert to a freestanding fridge since a built-in isn't in your budget. The double oven, as well, will make it tough to stay within that budget. You'll get more bang for your buck with a range.

Consumer Reports does a great job of reviewing cars. Their advice is spot on. But, kitchens? Not so much. Heck, in their annual kitchen review, soapstone wasn’t included in countertop reviews until 6 years ago, and even at that, it was filled with misinformation. Miele wasn't on their radar, either, and, they were way behind in including SubZero fridges, too. wdcruise is a Whirlpool fanboy. He has a tendency to call high end appliances, “fancy pants.” He’ll tell you a basic Whirlpool fridge is as good as SubZero...which is hilarious. I‘m not saying you need to get the top of the line in each “high end” appliance brand, but I can assure you that any Bosch dishwasher will out perform your Maytag (which you said you hate), and other, less expensive brands. We have the 800 series, and love it. However, there have been posters here who have the lowest Bosch, the 100, say it does a great job. It’s just noisier, and doesn’t have as many cycles. Miele is the other top brand to consider. There are two appliances I would not cheap out on, and that’s the vent hood, and the fridge. Wdcruise is suggesting you consider Home Depot for a hood. You will not find a quality venting system there. I’m not the first person on this site to say that. Go to an independent appliance store...not a big box store...to get your hood. There are several high end quality hood makers. Vent A Hood and Modernaire, are two. Many people like their Wolf hoods. When we were doing our research, we found the Wolf too noisy. We got a Vent A Hood, and are very satisfied. It does a great job containing odors, grease, and any steam or smoke, and is pretty darn quiet, even on high. As for fridges, I have 40 years of experience with SubZero. Our first, a 36” over/under, was still going strong at 36 years old, when we sold our home. In our new (to us) home, we installed a SZ 42” French door, paneled. Great machine. It fits a ton of food, and keeps food fresh for long periods. Almost 4 years now, and not a lick of trouble...unlike the stories I’ve read about LG, Samsung, and others. Also, as has been suggested by several posters, if you stay away from through the door water and ice, you’ll reduce the chances of needing repairs. That goes for any brand. Oh, and btw, SZ has the best costumer service in the industry. I would suggest you find an independent appliance dealer for all your appliances. Their salespeople are much better educated about the various brands, than those at HD, Lowe’s, and the like. If you purchase all your appliances from them, they’re likely to bump you up to a higher model dishwasher, at no cost. That’s what happened to us, anyway. Also, many independent stores have their own repairmen, who are certified to service Miele, Bosch, Thermador, SZ, Wolf, etc. Should we have a problem with any of our appliances, we just have to call our independent store, Appliance World (Huntington, Long Island, NY), and they’ll take care of everything. Well worth the piece of mind.