Based purely on aesthetics with a couple of my personal preferences tied in. 1. I would make the path wider, ideally around 5' (5' is roughly the width it takes for 2 people to walk comfortably side by side). I also like the functionality of wider paths for hauling in and out furniture etc. I like stamped concrete and brick. I would not recommend gravel or stepping stones since it messes with its primary function - safe travel. 2. I wouldn't plant anything on the lawn side of the path. And keep the first 1-2 feet on the house side with low growing plants, 6" to 18" tall. You do not want to have people having to "lean" away from plants growing near the path. 3. With regard to plantings and flower beds. Always make sure the soil slopes away from the house. Do not plant anything that will eventually cover up windows. I would say roughly 1' of clearance around the whole visual border of the window (or 1/3 of the window space around the edge). You need to maintain emergency access out of the house. I personally would recommend against thorny/sappy plants under windows unless you are very concerned about theft/crime. 4. I like to use flower bed borders. It helps keep the lawn out of flower beds, and makes things more tidy looking. I use 2 horizontal bricks with a vertical partially buried brick on the flower bed side. It gives you a nice edge that prevents plants from growing underneath and a good edge for mowing the lawn and for using an edging tool while keeping things relatively flat so you can mow all the way to the edge. You can also do concrete or plastic edging too, I just don't like the appearance as well. 5. It depends on if you like a more structured French style, a dense free-flowing English cottage style or Asian meandering soft and textured gardens. I tend to favor more color and free flowing, especially for low maintenance. With that in mind I would make the flower bed on the far side of the house with rounded meandering edges to add interest and make it less structured. 6. Plant things in odd numbers (1, 3, 5,7 etc). It helps make the garden space look more natural so we are less likely to want to create symmetry out of the garden, thus reducing maintenance. 5. I am guessing that your house is north facing based on the picture but not necessarily super shady. I would consider adding hostas, periwinkle, violets, astilbe closer to the house where it is shaded most of the day. Variegated (striped) varieties are often a good choice. As long as it isn't TOO dark, you can get most anything to grow in shade, it just won't bloom as well and will be more "leggy." 6. Perhaps along the far fence line place some low maintenance shrub roses, lilacs, lily, iris, and for a more wildflower feel Shasta and Fiesta Daisies, and Black-Eyed Susan. I personally find evergreen junipers very boring, so look for plants that you like and will grow in your climate. You will have a lot more options than you realize. 7. A tree out in the yard could be nice, can't really tell from the picture. But I would probably go with something fairly short. Make sure to follow the golden ratio, or essentially think in thirds. Keep spaces at 1 or 2 units away for every 3 units tall (or 3 units away with 1 unit tall etc). It is naturally pleasing and helps prevent you from planting something that is too tall and close to the house, in case of a toppled tree or something. 8. Always plan for the final size/result. It is okay to pick something fast growing or annual to fill in the gaps, just realize you will have to remove them once things "fill-in." 9. Landscaping/gardening tends to be a process where you end up identifying new needs/wants after a few years as you develop your personal tastes. Don't feel like you have to do the entire space at once.

I don't know the brand so I can't help there, but just wanted to say I have a 36" cooktop and would never ever downsize. I have only a family of 5 and would love to have more than 5 burners! so I say go for it. Hopefully someone here knows the brand and can give more specific feedback. HTH

I agree that it could be dangerous - I suppose an easy test regarding the pressure is to put something smokey like a cigarette next to an outside door or window, and crack them slightly and see which way the smoke goes. Somebody made the excellent point that a gas stove in a well-sealed house could be dangerous and they were wondering why/how the rules are so relaxed compared to furnaces and hw heaters....I would like to put a gas stove in when we remodel our kitchen, and it made me think. We dfinitely want a kitchen exhaust fan that goes outside instead of our useless recirculating one, but realise that exhaust fans, dryers etc can produce undesirable negative pressures too... A whole-house erv would be nice to have, but the ones I've seen for sale are huge and I don't know where I'd fit one....but in books I've seen smaller ones that might fit near my furnace, and I could conceivably put the cold air intake parallel with the intake for the furnace/cold air return (I have a duct that draws cold air from outside which runs directly into the upper part of the cold air returns where they join together.

I had a cat who reacted terribly to car rides: he would vomit, pee and poo inside the carrier and wail the entire time, even if it was just a 10 minute ride. It didn't matter how big the carrier or how pleasant the destination. I was moving alot at that time and was desperate to find a way to make it easier on both of us. I finally did, and here's how: First, I would start dosing him with Rescue Remedy at least an hour or two before getting into the car. If you haven't yet tried this, you can find Bach's Flower Essence Rescue Remedy in any health food and most better pet stores. It's supposed to be a calming tonic for humans and animals alike. Then, I had to be a passenger while someone else drove. I kept the carrier on my lap, with the top open (I always use a carrier that opens from the top anyway, because its easier than fighting to get a cat in sideways when its legs are splayed out over the small opening!) Then I would just pet my kitty while we drove, and I found that he was much more relaxed. It worked like a charm. In fact once I moved 5 hours away, he did absolutely fabulous on the entire ride...I was even able to get out and have some lunch while he napped! I think it's being contained in such a small area that freaks them out the most, so if you have someone else that can help you by driving while you comfort Max, that may help a lot. Incidentally, I did try on my last move, to just dose him because my BF & I had two vehicles filled with stuff so we both needed to drive. That time poor Napoleon didn't do so well - he went back to spewing bodily fluids out of every orifice possible, so I tend to think it was more the open carrier with comforting caresses that did the trick. Good luck!