It is such a relief to finally get through all the info and get decisions made, isn't it? I want to second what hvtech said and invite you to post back after you've used the range. Your post led me to some additional reflections. First, can you ask the sales rep if the Samsung Chef Slide-In has only ten power settings for each burner (as the manual indicates) or if it has half-step settings between the numbers as the other Samsung induction ranges do? This is really an appliance-geek question. As you have been happily using the Duxtop portable with its ten power settings -- those induction portables are surprisingly capable, aren't they? --- you likely will find the Samsung very satisfactory if it does turn out to have only 10 power steps as the manual indicates. Some of us think we need or want half-step settings for controlling lower heat cooking and pressure cookers, and so are interested in this question if you can find out for us. Second, I'm puzzled by the salesman's denigration of US made appliances. Sounds like he is painting with the proverbial too-broad brush. My experience is that many of the US-made appliances are high quality, well constructed units. I'm thinking in particular of the GE induction ranges, freestanding and slide-ins. One doesn't have to run down North American made products to choose a Samsung that seems to be a superior product for you. The sales-hyperbole and the comment about surge-protected electronics would make me want to read any fine print documents the store gives you and be sure that all promises are in writing, particularly when it comes to service, support and extended warranties. Third, speaking of extended warranties, I'm one of those who usually shrugs-off the sales pitch for extended warranties. However, with your concerns about the quality of your local power service, it might well be worth looking into extended warranties and maybe doing some comparison shopping on plans. Finally, a combi-steam over is indeed a different kind of kitchen tool. It is not a question of whether you need it, but whether you want it. Combi-steam ovens can do things that regular ovens cannot (and vice versa, of course.) Can you test out a few things on your neighbor's oven? An alternative possibility for you, living in the hot Florida climate, might be a countertop unit like the Cusinart CSO-300 countertop combi-steam/toaster oven. About 10% of the cost of the built-in units, and maybe less need to fire up the Samsung's larger ovens during the hotter times of the year. Just a thought.

chloenkitty: It seems to me that, being a novice to this, you probably didn't realize that there are longstanding discussions and debates that get reflected in posts here. You stumble across one of those tripwires and and then find people debating issues as though you were not even in the room. That about how it feels? First, I would say "not to worry." It happens to everybody who spends much time here. Conversations wander and you get lots of opinions on debates that may seem off "your" topic. For every post like Deeageaux's, Wekick's or bmorepanic's that addresses specific concerns of yours, there will be several others debating issues you did not even know you were raising. When you run into this debating society, some of what you may hear will inevitably go over your head, at first, or seem intimidating or even snarky to you. Because the conversation is in writing from folks whose are passionate about their preferences, what gets written may come across with unintended inflections and intonations. As you have discovered, if you say something about it, most folks will be clear that they did not intend anything hurtful or personal. And that is what I saw happening here. Conversations do wander. And when they do, I am again reminded that this forum is a kind of debating society where some of us have been participating for a decade or more. We have well honed opinions which novices may mistake for dogma and factual assertions and direct or indirect assaults on intelligence or integrity. All that has happened here is that you've stirred up a debtate you did not know existed and did not know that somebody might think important. It whizzed by you leaving you in the dust but was not personal. Beyond that, I've got some suggestions for you about focucsing on your developing preferences and proceeding with your choices. First, there is never going to be a right answer or even a consensus on what will be the best choice for you, as Wekick already pointed out. Frankly, every stove represents engineering compromises and design tradeoffs. Different mixes of theses will appeal to different folks and your preferences may change over time. That's one reason there are so many choices. Second, you have developed some specific preferences about design aesthetics. That's part of the package and, for the money, can be important. You do not need to defend those preferences from those who do not share them. In other words, you can get a Mercedes if you want one and others' preference are for a Subaru (or, like me, a used Subaru!). But what I like about hearing these varying voices that that they may help better figure out my own preferences. Third, you asked about getting a "grill" if you got a Viking 30" range but I think you meant "griddle." It is a vocabulary thing. Generally, around here, the term "grill" refers to something with open flame/heat beneath a metal grate, rather like what you see on a bbq grill. A "griddle" on the other hand, is a solid (often thick) piece of flat metal for cooking pancakes and the like. You might be able to order a custom design from Viking with two gas burners on one side and a built in griddle on the other. That would be expensive and, to my thinking, impractical on a 30" wide stove. I think it would be far more practical to buy a separate griddle which (a) will likely have a larger cooking surface; (b) can be stashed out of the way when you are not using it (giving you all four burners for other cooking),; and (c) will be a lot easier to keep clean. Brands that have been recommended here include Vollrath (even-heating aluminum griddle) and Chef King (traditional carbon steel -- can also be used on induction and other electric surfaces, too.) Fourth, Viking can seem an attractive looking choice particularly since they now have three year warranties as standard. (Most ranges have one-year warranties and require you to buy an extended warranty if you want longer coverage.) However, searching on VIking will turn up a history of not-so-great quality control and uneven warranty service for a significant percentage of customers. Also, the company was acquired by the Middleby congolmerate last year and the effects of that acquisition are still uncertain. Fifth, if you are looking at a Viking all gas range, you also might want to consider Dacor products, too. Right now, Dacor's pricing is significantly lower than Viking's and, to all appearances, the current Dacor 30" all-gas ranges seem like a better value. When it comes to electronics and electric ovens, Dacor has had the same kinds of issues that Viking did, but the all gas versions skip most of the electronics and seem inherently more reliable. Some poeple like the looks of the Dacor a lot more, too. Bmorepanic has just bought one and it should be due for installation shortly if it is not already installed. Hopefully, we'll get a report. Sixth, most "pro-style" ranges (such as Dacor and Viking) can be had with or without a riser in the back. (Note that "pro-style" refers to a design style and should not be confused with true commercial ranges of the sort that would be used in restaurants.) They all need a trim piece in the back for the oven to vent properly, but you have choices from "island trim" (about 1" high) on up to a tall-stainless sheet riser topped with a shelf. The island trim gives you what you would be calling a "slide-in." Technically and narrowly, however, the term "slide-in" is usually used for ranges that (a) do not have the thick backsplash/vent/control panel that is characteristic of typical of most "freestanding" ranges from major brands; and (b) also have a cooktop "overhang" on either side (kind of like the brim of an upside down hat.) The overhang is intended to to cover the gaps between sides of the stove and the adjoing cabintes and countertops. Seventh, the GE Cafe ranges are called "free-standing" ranges --- even though they do not have thick backsplashes/vent/risers --- because their cooktops do not overhang the gap between stove and counter. I've sometimes seen them referred to as a "semi-pro" style. EIghth, the electronics in major brand stoves (as with the GE Cafe) give you a lot of conveniences including self-cleaning oven functions. Some folks will not consider a range without self-cleaning functions, some think self-cleaning is undesireable for its potential adverse effect on the electronics, and others have health issues (the fumes can be irritating for those with lung problems, for example.) Ninth, you mentioned having had health issues. I don't know if those include lung problems but, if so, you might want to avoid a gas range and go with a magnetic induction range, instead. Magnetic induction basically makes the pan heat itself (which is different than other electric heating burners which glow like a fire and throw heat that way.) Since you are pretty much starting out fresh, and (I assume) will be getting cookware anyway, you would just need to look for cookware with magnetic metal in the base. You might want to have a look at the new GE PHS920 slide-in model. (There's an active thread on this range right now.) Tenth, if you are looking for a wall oven, I would definitely recommend going with electric wall ovens. More choices and, generally speaking, easier to install. "More choices" is probably not what you want to hear at this point, though. ;>)

"Here is a question...what is it called when you have a look of a saltbox on the front but not steep roof line in the back...just the same façade as the front..." Hi Jennifer, In answer to your question.... I am attaching a drawing (a picture is worth 1,000 words) depicting a soft drop in bearing heights, using an 'uneven bearing' truss. This is the terminology our firm used, but other vendors may refer to the condition as something else. Anyway, you can achieve the same goal using stick frame construction, but trusses alleviate the need for interior bearings. Different roof pitches, front & back on the same roof is referred to as dual pitch . The exterior of the roof shown in my example IS NOT a dual pitch, but it could be. My point is that you can control both the exterior of your roof and the interior of your ceiling heights to gain more room inside and control roof lines outside. This design, a little something I was playing with to learn Revit shows the use of trusses in combination with stick framing. Also ... while I realize you are heading in another direction with your design, that quick footprint I posted for you in our first conversation bothered me after I studied it a bit, so I tweaked it to soothe my own subconsciousness mind. Given the fact that the drawing is done, I thought I'd share the results with you. The closet space isn't what it was in the original layout, but the 2 minor bedrooms are bigger. Hope you found this information useful.

Mom was a good cook. (Aren't all Moms good cooks?) We lived on a small farm during final days of the Depression and through WW2. She made many meals from scratch. During the early '40s, she baked much of our bread, and cornbread, too. Fruit cobblers were popular, made with blackberries, peaches, or apples. For breakfast, it was fried meat, biscuits, gravy, and fruit jelly. The butter was home made. All her cooking was done on a wood burning stove except for a couple of years, we had kerosene kitchen stove for cooking and canning. That was ditched because it was too dangerous to have in the house. There was potential for the gravity fed kerosene to flood and spill out. If this happened while a burner was lighted, a fire would soon follow and our house would be gone. That appliance was moved out of the house. If we had a "summer kitchen", it could have gone in there. (Summer kitchens did burn down on occasion. and that was the reason for having a small cheap shack separate from the house for a summer kitchen. It also kept the cooking heat out of the house during hot weather. Mom learned her trade from her mother who had been born in Missouri during the Civil War. After that war, the family moved to Arkansas for about 15 years and then on to the new State of Oklahoma in 1909. Fish from local streams was part of their diet as was for our's during the warm months. Mother loved to catch a 'mess' of fish in the afternoon and prepare those for the evening meal. In those times, we did not have refrigeration, but that mattered not since Mom's policy was to use only fresh caught fish. At present, when I view the stream we fished, I find that it has become too polluted to employ the practices we once did.