@fatcatz, I don't know if you like Traditional style, but I am about to buy Moen's Weymouth Single Handle Pull Down Spray faucet in polished nickel. I've been researching for a few days and came across an article from Starcraft Builders saying Moen's Polished Chrome, Polished Nickel, Polished Brass, Brushed Gold, Brushed Nickel, and Classic Stainless finishes are PVD. The remaining finishes are either Powder Coat or Electroplate. It's a great article, really goes in depth on the PVD process. Echoed your point about not always being the metal used in the PVD process. That being said, in reading the section on Electroplating, taken from the article: "Undercoats of copper, zinc, or nickel usually precede the final decorative coating. The undercoats have two purposes. Some metals, chrome being one, do not adhere very well to naked brass. One or more nickel undercoats are usually used before the chrome is applied so the finish does not flake or peel. If finishing a zinc component, undercoats of copper then nickel are commonly used. The copper sticks well to zinc, nickel adheres tightly to copper, and chrome bonds securely to nickel. Undercoats also help smooth out any small imperfections in the faucet material. It is not uncommon for faucets to be electroplated with nickel and chrome and then highly polished before a final PVD coating is applied. This process eliminates any potential flaws in the surface so they don't show up in the final PVD finish." Link to the article follows, below. Very high marks for customer service, Starcraft actually ranks Moen's customer service #1 in North America. http://www.starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.Moen.htm

Ugh.. So DH just talked to electrician (E) and E thought that the plan the entire time was to move the can and put a smaller can on a separate switch above the sink. Not sure why I do not remember making this decision-- but I must have. So my thought was to just change the smaller can to a pendant/fixture of some sort. DH does not want to since E already purchased the smaller can. Also to put in a fixture it would involve putting in a box/adding 2x4s or something like that. Now DH does not want to change it to a fixture since E already purchased the smaller can. DH says we can change it down the road if we want to. Arghhh.. :( Thanks for all of your help!!

Just going back to the farm / market garden use for a minute: washing and packing fairly large quantities of vegetables for market is not something most home kitchens are designed for. Have you ever done it? If not, before you finalize your new kitchen design, can I suggest that you go visit someone who does it on the scale that you plan to, and ideally help them actually do it a couple of times. It will give you a whole different outlook! Also, what are your local health regulations like on this subject? There can be definitions of processed vs non-processed veg that don't fit with "common sense", and there may be requirements for you to have a commercial or inspected kitchen for certain products like washed and bagged salad mix. Even basic washing operations may require you to have specific equipment (like a 3-bowl sink) or an completely separate washing area or who-knows-what. Many places won't let you do certain things in your home kitchen at all.

sombreuil_mongrel, weedmeister, pracrtigal, enduring, Thanks so much for your questions and feedback. 1) The question of water/valves and drain: Maybe the photo of the inside of my sink cabinet (below) will answer your questions. All I know is that the plumber assured me that all the necessary hook-ups were in place, and we passed the rough plumbing inspection: In terms of the vent for my dryer, it goes through the wall that's on the back of the dryer and into my bathroom, then goes out into the rooftop deck. See photo below: My carpenter is supposed to build me a shelf or some sort of box to conceal the vent. We'll see. I've continued to search for a way to create a nice barrier between my kitchen sink and stackable washer/dryer. This is the idea that a kind soul suggested and is now at the top of my list, unless I come across a better one: Get half inch plywood board that goes from the ground (between the sink cabinet and washer) and up to the top of the dryer. Get a stainless steel sheet that goes from the bottom of the dryer to its top and to the wall (in other words, from the counter height and upwards). Have this SS sheetâÂÂs front edge bent 90 degrees so that it goes over the front edge of the plywood. Glue this SS sheet to the plywood. IâÂÂm actually thinking that if I go with the stainless steel barrier, I might also go with a stainless steel shelf for my dishrack. Due to space limitations, I planned on building a shelf above the sink and below the upper cabinet for my dishrack. I just measured my current dishrack and saw that I would need a shelf that is 15â by 15âÂÂ. I could get a stainless shelf that has holes so that water could could drip onto the sink. Funny enough, IâÂÂve seen various IKEA stainless shelves in a local Goodwill store. Maybe I should pay a visit to the IKEA store in Stoughton, MA and see whether thereâÂÂs one that is close in size to what I need (IâÂÂve never been to an IKEA store). Or, if I do not get a shelf with holes, I could have the shelfâÂÂs front edge sloped downward, just slightly, to let any water to drip down into the sink. I also plan to tile the wall above the sink where the shelf will be mounted. The more I think of the stainless steel option, the more I like it. But I'm of course open to your feedback.