Hi Liz, Since I have been growing for over 25 years I have found that the 4' fixture is best for my plants and also the most economical. When I was working and could afford them I used Varilux bulbs which I found gave the plants a great growth rate, however, they are expensive and cost retail over 12 dollars each. Since retiring I switched to 40 watt cool whites which I purchase by the box at Home Depot or Lowes. They work well and give me no problems. I have on occassion in the past used Gro-Lux and Gro-Lux WS. Both bulbs give good growth to the plants and make the plants look really beautiful and healthy under the light. But when you remove the plant from the light into natural light there is great disappointment. They loose their color and look rather ordinary. The Gro-Lux WS bulbs were always cheaper than the Gro-Lux. Many people prefer to use one cool whit and one warm white to grow. Since I cannot find warm whites I now use cool whites exclusively. Hope this helps. Fred in NJ

I have a Bluestar range top. My experience is that the burners light on 1 to 4 clicks. If there is a pan on the burner it tends to be a 1-2 click light. I believe that the pan contains the gas and blocks drafts. The 22K burners are the quickest to light the simmer burner routinely takes the most clicks to light. I infer that it is related to the amount of gas around the spark (click). The shutter adjustment definitely has an effect on the ease of ignition. My experience with other gas range tops is that as they age (the Bluestar is still new) they become harder to light. This could be probably be migrated by cleaning and adjusting frequently. I had a Wolf (commercial hot plate) that, without a pan on the burner, you had to blow on the burner to get it light. This is just not a big deal for me; I consider it part of the cooking with gas experience. It sounds to me that given your concerns you would be a good candidate for induction.

I'd opt for shorter lights that wouldn't require a truck mounted boom lift to service.

The room is lovely. if you have no where else, i would figure out how to convert one of the cabinets or place the tv on the small wall on the other side of the window from the fish tank. lets see lights and tables. I gave some wood to give some differential in the room. with no art space in the room you need texture color? let me know what you think.