Okay, this is where I'm at right now. Let me know if you think I'm on target now. The only thing I'm unsure about it where to go refrigeration wise if I can't make the Thermador Freedom columns work in my kitchen. What's the best fridge quality wise if going with a side-by-side while not having the stomach to pay Sub Zero money. Kitchen Aid or Jenn Air pro? I have a two year old Jenn Air in my current kitchen (Amana with the fancy handles). Also, is it a no-no to do a built in look and have the water and ice in the door? I know it looks better without but man I'm going to hate to have to open a door to get ice and water. Appliance worksheet Option 1 1. Wolf Range top RT366 2. Wolf single or double wall oven SO30F/S - Classic Stainless Framed or DO30F/S - Classic Stainless Framed 3. Sharp microwave in kitchen island 4. Thermador dishwasher (Bosch) DWHD64EP 5. Thermador freedom collection fresh food and freezer columns Option 2 Wolf Range DF366 - 6 burners Sharp microwave in kitchen island Thermador dishwasher (Bosch) DWHD64EP Thermador freedom collection fresh food and freezer columns

Increasing your loan size and investing the difference is an entirely different conversation which requires knowledge about your overall financial picture and spending habits which no one on here should be advising you on. All advise on all forums is general advise and, of course, needs to be filtered through the needs of the individuals. However, since we are giving general advice mine isn't controversial or particularly dependent on the OP's financial situation. While giving significant life planning advice maybe something that requires a better understanding of goals, etc. That is not the case here. We know the OP has the option of financing the $3,000 and is considering not doing so because the OP asked, "I'm technically paying interest on for 30 years. Why not knock $3,000 off my build price by saying no appliances, lower my monthly mortgage (I know, not by much), and I won't be paying interest on them for 30 years. Am I wrong in my thinking here?" So my advice specifically addresses his question. And the answer is: yes, because you are forgetting about the time value of money when doing your calculation. The total payments of $13.47 per month over the life of 30 years is $4,489.20, so at first blush it may seem a no-brainer to buy them. However, the purchasing power of a dollar goes down over time, the real value of $13.47 per month is about $3,179.16 once adjusted for inflation. I think it is fair to say that spreading payments out 30 years for only 179.16 of lost buying power is a fair trade. This assumes that you will not exceed the standard deduction so you will get no benefit from the mortgage interest deduction. If you do exceed the standard deduction by $105 then your total inflation adjusted payments would be $2,826.31 which of course is a savings of $173.69 of buying power. We can also look at the investment in a municipal bond fund. Investing the $3,000 into a 3.5% municipal bond as a sinking fund will still be better. Investing in a broad market mutual fund with 6% performance will make all the payments while amassing $4,352 of money saved. The lowest annualized performance for a 30 year period of the Dow Jones Industrial Average was from 1954 to 1984 when the annualized return went all the way down to 8.17%. Using this return for our $3,000 investment we will make all the payments plus have $11,940.64 after 30 years not including the tax benefit for mortgage interest deductions of $481.32. Now in the interest of full disclosure that $11,940.64 will probably only have the buying power of $4,762.95 in 30 years. But then again it is money you wouldn't have had anyway so all good. In the end, I feel my advice was pretty solid and generic enough to not need to do all the calculations but now you have some more information to make an informed decision.

While I agree with you that the Electrolux looks great and seems comparable to the other brands, the reality is, Electrolux has numerous design flaws in several appliances and lacks any customer support. I too fell for the looks of an Electrolux built in ICON double oven and regret it. I have a Subzero side by side and love it. My sister has a Subzero side by side that is 15 years old and has only ever needed one out of warranty repair. Subzero does require an upfront investment; however, this will pay off over the life of the appliance. Electrolux spends a lot of money on looks, marketing and special incentive offers. This is all designed to lure the customer in and overlook the quality issues. Electrolux filters all reviews on their own website. When called out on this, they say the reviews are "reviewed" by a third party to distance themselves from this filtering process. Just look at their FB pages, comments and postings, over the course of a few random days. You will see for yourself the myriad of complaints about Electrolux products flaws and lack of customer support for yourself. After awhile, you will see for yourself the eerily similar stories from consumers. i wished someone had drawn my attention to the lack of any ownership of malfunctions by Electrolux and the aggravation of no customer support whatsoever. Avoid Electrolux and save yourself the aggravation.

Helen "As for dripping on toes, again I guess that's a personal thing, but I don't know what would be dripping especially since I would be able to better ensure that all items were level " It's a safety thing. I am not talking about a little drip but an accidental sloshing of a water bath, roasting pan with fat or unexpected bubbling of sphagetti sauce out of a pan onto your foot, ankle or leg. It can run in your shoe. This is also why I mentioned about the rolling racks here. They are a relatively new thing and some come out much more quickly and you can slosh liquids right out of the pan and burn yourself. I know people who have had bakeware shatter when taking it out of the oven because you exceed the thermal tolerances of the dish taking it out of the oven. You might have an unexpected child or animal come out of nowhere. You can teach and warn them to stay away from the stove and no matter how carefully you watch them, accidents happen. In my line of work I have seen people wind up with skin grafts with kitchen spills and resulting burns so I am more aware of these things than most people. No one intends for these things to happen and being a kitchen, you can't eliminate all risks but it is a good thing to be aware of them. I know you said you can only access all the wall ovens from the side so while a consideration for you, I have no trouble at 5'3", standing in front, as my oven door (Electrolux) is only about 20" tall (Bosch is 22 3/8) and I can reach the racks with my back straight and my arms bent, so not everyone loses "all ergonomic advantage" by choosing a pull down door and the protection of the door providing a barrier may be important. The great thing about this forum is that there are often many sides to a coin. You consider pull down oven door a hinderance while I consider it a benefit. Some people are strictly concerned with the design for its aesthetic value so make their choice based on that. Each person has to balance the benefits and risks of each configuration for themselves and their situation and the more information you can gather, the better the decision.