Pentair recommends a straight piece of suction pipe that is 5x the diameter of the pipe size. So if the pipe is 2", then 10" is required and for 1.5", 7.5" is required. However, it is important to understand why they have that specification. I think it was mentioned before but this is to prevent a vortex in the water entering the pump basket. A vortex increases head loss which lowers the pressure near the impeller which in turn increases the possibility of cavitation but only under certain conditions. This usually only occurs at very high flow rates and depends on the head loss in the rest of the plumbing. At lower speeds, NPSHa increases substantially and the posibility of cavitation decreases dramatically so this is much less of an issue. However even at low speeds, a vortex will always reduce the efficiency of the pump some but it is not all that much. I'm not suggesting that you ignore the recommendations of Pentair but it is important to keep it in context. If you don't plan on operating the pump anywhere near full speed, the length of suction pipe becomes less important. However, looking at the photographs that you have, it looks like you could easily run a 10" straight pipe away from the pump close to the opposite wall. Run a 90 back along the wall to a header which connects all of the suction pipes after each valve. This has a few 90s in it but if you use 2" pipe, it is not that much of an impact. Also, 1-90 has about the same head loss as 2-45s so you really don't gain much by using 2-45s but you can do that if you want. The important part is to have the straight piece of pipe in front of the pump. The extra fittings and pipe are much less important. At 60 GPM, a 2" 90 has about 0.27 feet of head loss. 2-45s (2") have about 0.25 feet of head loss. Not much difference and not much in total when you consider most suction plumbing will be close to 5 feet of head. Also, the optimum flow rates for a filter are for the upper end. So you can always go with lower flow rates and still achieve optimum filtering. In addition, you will save much more in energy costs if you can target close to 1000 RPM with the Intelliflo.

Tricky. Have you thought about the 48" ranges with two ovens? I know exactly what you're going through--I had planned on a range with a single cavernous oven but realized I loved my cheapy 27" wall oven and would hate using the big one most of the time. Still working on my issue. hehe. Don't plan to put in the oven you will actually want to use later. You should put it in now. I don't know what the best choice for you would be, but I do think you'll be kicking yourself if you put off installing the practical oven. And I do think a 24 incher would be the practical oven for you. What about a cheap 24" oven (like Fagor or the Whirlpool ones Ikea rebadges) and a countertop microwave while you wait? They might perform better than a toaster oven and if you'll be using it for your main baking, it might be worth the effort. You're gonna need a countertop microwave for life during remodel anyway...

Rhome, you probably liked the first one because you gave me quite a bit of input when I was planning it several months ago. It changed a little after all the great advice I received here. Initially I had the island in that one turned parallel to the range but it was only 6 ft long and I wanted a bigger island so I turned it perpendicular to the range instead. It's funny that you both ask if the coffee bar is going to be open to the family room. It was this photo that inspired me to start playing around with the plan a few days ago... quarrystone I'm so glad I did because I really like the look of plan 2 on paper. I don't know though if I will leave the coffee bar open or not. The interior stone would not be an option, price wise, but I love the way it looks. I had also thought if we do close that wall in, about just doing some shelves above the counter on the kitchen side. What's the word from the other post? Anti-upperitis? Of course, seeing the two side by side like this I notice that my plan has evolved in several other places also over the last few months. That's what I meant about having too much waiting time to play around with it... As far as the laundry room, I'm thinking of having several pullout trash bins in the lower cabinets, that I replace with a hamper to keep clothes out of sight. When redesigning from plan 1 to plan 2, I deleted 2 ft from the left side of the house, resulting in the dryer being jammed into the corner like that. I didn't notice it so thanks for pointing that out. I could easily swap the w/d with the laundry sink so that it is not quite so crowded. I didn't show a door on the drawings between the kitchen and laundry but I like the idea a swinging door here. Do you think that would be a bad idea? Or should I stick with the opening from the kitchen just going to a walk in pantry and keep the mudroom as it is in option 1? For the fridge/freezer, I am planning for the 30" thermador columns. I would love to have the sub zero, but don't think they are in my budget. Good point, phllog, about how much easier groceries would be to put away in the second one. I was just trying to free up some floor space in the mudroom and didn't think about this added benefit. After changing the plan, I then followed up with scale drawings of what each wall of the kitchen would look like. It was then that I realized that I needed a little bit more cabinetry on the sink wall. Here is my rendition. No making fun of my subways now....I love excel! I would like to have the windows (learned on GW) brought all the way down to the counter and extend the soapstone into them to act as a sill. I moved the prep sink to the right one square as suggested. Do you think there will be an issue with crumbs getting between the butcher block and the soapstone? Should I have the end cabinets where the butcher block would be lowered by removing the toe kick? Oh and phllog, the larger vanity in the master will have a tall linen tower attached to it for towels and such. As well as the dedicated closet in the guest bath. I was planning a space for extra sheets/blankets on the second floor, but I could probably convert one of the three coat closets into a linen closet.

Red flags everywhere. TANSTAAFL. You don’t get million dollar work for $1.98 pay. Any Pro will run for the hills reading that. Which is what sounds like has happened. Take a hard look at your expectations and approach. Or you’re going to be paying 2M for million dollar work just because of the pita tax that appears to need to be charged here.