Some basic questions as I have recently replaced the older appliances in our home. What type of range are you currently cooking on? Do you already have a gas range/cooktop? The reason I ask is that when your used to one type of heating switching can be a surprise. I've had the Frigidaire FGGF304DLW (in white) all gas double oven range. I've only had it for a week so I'm still getting used to it. So far I really like to double oven feature. We've only used the larger oven once, but the small upper oven preheats quickly. Can't really comment on temperature uniformity/accuracy but the temps don't seem far off. The one surprise is how much heat is 'wasted' on the cook top with the sealed burners. We had an older (not sure how old) coil top electric stove before. If I try to boil a cup and a third of water in a 6" diameter pot (an AllClad) it seems to take longer than the old coil stove. Also we've found out that our over the range microwave has a overtemperature feature that turns on the exhaust fan. It had never gone off before. I'm still on the learning curve so I won't give a full review. Just to let you know if your going to a different system, you may be surprised at how different it is. If your already using a sealed gas cook top, it might not be that different. The Consumer Reports appliance review did mention that even the electric smooth top ranges are more efficient than the 'consumer' gas ranges they reviewed. In terms of your other selections, we have Kitchenaid DW and cabinet depth french door fridge that we are happy with. Also look at the 'distributor's' in your area. These are the companies that sell directly to builders, they may also sell to consumers. I'm in Cincinnati and the one I've dealt with has come close to on-line prices (definitely beats big box stores). Also see if there are stores that have scratch and dent show rooms. Often the slight damage is in the unexposed area.

Maybe take a look at the various Electrolux wall ovens, at least one full extension roller rack depending on model, Icon models have 3, lots of cooking features, lower price points,and well thought of by some here. Cooling fan noise lower than the lowest blower speed of a good exhaust hood. The full extension racks really are a convenience and safety benefit. This post was edited by venmarfan on Sun, Mar 23, 14 at 2:12

I would advise anyone who just purchased or is contemplating the purchase of a front loader to google front load spider failure. For those who would like to watch a video from 2007 showing a disintegrated spider assembly and other quality issues on a GE/Kenmore machine. After seeing the horrifying GE build quality in this video, people should think carefully before buying a GE washer. One school of thought regarding spider corrosion has to do with alkaline residue. Aluminum corrodes much more quickly and easily in a highly alkaline environment. Guess what? That's exactly what detergent does - it creates an alkaline environment inside your machine to facilitate cleaning. When you have a sudsing issue, the suds can rise up and settle onto portions of the spider assembly that may not ever get rinsed off. If this happens, you will have highly concentrated spots of alkalinity on the spider which can cause a very localized corrosion that can spread throughout the aluminum structure. This is also why better detergents contain some sort of corrosion inhibitor, often in the form of silicates. Natural detergents often don't contain these corrosion inhibitors but still create an alkaline environment inside the machine. Draw your own conclusions. This is also why, if your washer has a clean machine cycle, the water level is so high and the water highly agitated. This mechanical action tries to get rinse water into all the places where suds can settle, evaporate, and cause localized corrosion. Once your spider suffers from corrosive pitting, it's only a matter of time before the whole thing falls apart. The best practice, in my opinion, is to avoid it from happening in the first place. That means you should dose detergent appropriately, ensure every load is properly rinsed, and run a clean machine cycle on a regular basis as a check. Another preventive measure is to acidify your rinse with vinegar or citric acid. A lot of people here in Gardenweb already add vinegar to their final rinse. At least in theory, this could help prolong the life of your machine by neutralizing any remaining alkalinity in the rinse. There is no proof that this is actually the case, since no studies have been performed on this sort of thing, but it can't hurt.

Main layout is fixed at this point, and I'm not too concerned about the traffic element. Old layout was worse on that point, and there just isn't a lot of kitchen-dining room traffic other than during the (occasional) dining room meal setup, so folks brushing past the work zone is fine. We don't operate with the traditional clear differentiation of cook zone / onlookers - it's generally much more of an 'all hands on deck' operation [someone at the stove, someone else prepping other aspects of the meal, kids setting tables or otherwise assisting, etc.] and I feel like the cooktop itself is relatively well protected by the island from folks going by, while the prep sink means you won't be dodging people getting to the sink when draining a pot of hot water (a problem we had with our old layout.) I also prefer this orientation as it keeps the individual prepping facing towards the public areas of the house / looking out windows, so it's a more pleasant orientation within the space itself. Aside from all that we are well underway with construction / busted slab for plumbing / etc., so at this point those elements are a done deal ;) We may also at some point flip the uses of the 'library' and 'dining room' spaces, though that's still up for debate (I'm team flip them, husband is not.)