Thank you Glenda...he's a good kid. I'm so happy for him... He's still riding high...he and family were all pretty excited. patti

First, congrats on building your new house! Very exciting. My MW drawer isn't in our island so no picture, but in addition to the electrical question I'm wondering: It looks in your picture like the island counter has an overhang of several inches on all 4 sides (can't tell for sure) and a corbel in the center of each side. Where were you planning on placing the MW? Under the corbel? That seems awfully low. Or were you thinking of having 2 corbels on either side of the MW space? That would make sense to me so it could be higher, but you wouldn't want much overhang above it. So my preference would be sink side, centered between 2 corbels, with only a standard counter overhang. For an under-counter MW, I really like having a drawer, so you can place and retrieve items from above. (That's personal preference though.) natevalsmom - beautiful kitchen! Love your colors, lights, valances, and especially that island counter.

I purchased my first microwave in 1977 and it was working perfectly when I gave it to Goodwill 25 years later. It was a powerful 1000 watt one with a probe for temperature control - something I don't think they make anymore with microwaves. It had dials for settings instead of a touchpad. The thing was huge. It cost me $350. It was great using the temperature probe to keep liquid items like soup from boiling over, but I never really used it for roasts or casseroles because I cook them covered to retain the steam. I am so sorry I ever got rid of it. My next one was a "top of the line" with a sensor to detect cooking instead of the probe. It was completely programmable so just by hitting the menu item codes you could defrost, cook, and keep warm with one setting and not have to keep checking and revising the cooking time and power. It was the most expensive microwave out at the time @$200. "Top of the line" with the fancy sensor and it had a sleek cool design with a tiny footprint. That thing lasted about 8 months. The programmable touch pad went wonky. Now the screen just shows "hieroglyphics" and it won't accept any numerals pushed on the touchpad. I can turn it *ON* or *OFF* with the 'Minute Plus' button. That's it. No adjusting the power. No setting the minutes. No programming for delicate or complicated dishes. I refuse to play into their hands and buy another microwave that will probably last me a few weeks. Or maybe just days. I have actually contemplated buying one of those old workhorses from Goodwill but I worry how it may have been taken care of. Microwave leaks are not anything I want to expose myself to. I am contemplating buying a new range and may buy a matching OTR microwave and fan to free up my counterspace. But at this point I even worry about getting a new range with those plastic touchpads. I am shopping only for ones with dials just like I did with my new washer. ("Top of the line" Maytag washer broke after only three years. MY new current one has dials.)

It honestly won't matter what color you do. In 5 years time, your kitchen will have 5 more years of wear and tear, and depending on your location will probably be perceived as even more dated than most buyers would perceive it today. Most buyers will purchase it wanting to do a complete tearout for a kitchen redo. So, I'd go Craigslist. And that is why I'd also advise NOT getting granite for that kitchen. If you want to change the counters out, do a plain laminate in a dark color without the attached backsplash. Then do a cheap tile backsplash and paint the walls with some soft color. That will make the kitchen "updated" enough to appeal to buyers to hold them over until they can do the demolition. And it won't break the bank or introduce more granite slabs into the landfill.