Perhaps this country went astray the past twenty five or so years or were brainwashed in most areas.Everything is a big deal 90% of the people who have gas guzzling pickups no more need a truck than a hole in their head.They all moved to the suburbs from town and ASSUMED a truck was part of the package actually most never need to go to the land fill or recycling center.We do alot of pruning every year and rather than take the trimming away I find spots in the yard over the snow fence behing some evergreens and make a brush pile the birds love it for shelter and it quicker than you would think breaks down in a natual way so r their is room for next years branches.Same idea with leaves ,grass clippings kitchen scraps and dog poop.No need for bins and formal composting equipment.I have areas around the property that need rehab thus I start a new temporary composting area.Recently I realized a large Blue Spruce of mine was on the verge of malnutrision so it is my lastest compost area if my wife complains the paper etc is un sightly I cover with a little bark mulch and dress it up being in front of the house one would never guess it was a compost pile.Add some red wiggler worms and away you go.The Blue Spruce by the way is looking great.

Hi, lovetocook9 - Well, I baked for 6 hours so it was a good time to test the heat off the sides of my BS range. I thoroughly felt all over the insides of the base cabinets on both sides of my range and felt no heat anywhere. As to the amount this range projects out from my cabinets: the main body of the range projects only 3/8 inch from the actual "face" of my base cabinets - which brings it even with the front of my cabinet doors. The oven door extends a further 3 inches and the metal deck in front of the burners extends an additional half inch. From home photos I've seen on the BS website and the BS Installation Manual, this is normal. The specs call for a cabinet depth of 24 inches which allows the oven door to stand clear of the cabinets. My old range fit this same way and was never a problem either. Good luck with your project.

Berlin, thanks for your tips. I just found Heat Stop products on my own yesterday. Nice to know someone, yourself, endorsed them and that you say the joints "can be made" in 1/2 inch thicknesses by mixing it thick. When you recommend mixing in small batches, how quickly does the "stiffly mixed mortar" set? I do have some masonry skills so this is doable for me. Another issue I have is that I will have to mail order Heat Stop, but I can get "Fireplace Patch" manufactured by Rutland in 1 pound quantities from a TSC nearby. So, I was wondering if I could reset all the bricks on a background of regular mortar, because many of the bricks in my fireplace are completely separated from all the mortar that once held them. Then, finish pointing the mortar joints with the Fireplace Patch so that the Fireplace Patch will be in 1/2 inch to 1 inch depth in the joints. That way the regular Type S mortar won't be in contact with any flames but the Fireplace Patch will. Do you foresee any problems with taking that approach? Or should I just get a 50# sack of Heat Stop? One more question, would you, or anyone else, have any tips for cleaning the carbon from the fireplace bricks before I rebuild the firebox, or is carbon on the bricks a non-issue?

There's no sink on the island...so that makes it inconvenient for any extensive prepping. That's why the corner will be much more useful - it has access to water and the range. No taking things out of the refrigerator, taking them to the sink, rinsing/washing, pick them up and move them to the island... The corner gives you: take things out of the refrigerator, take them to the sink, rinsing/washing, continue prepping right there... If more space can be taken from the Dining Room, then you can gain some space, but I'm not sure how much it helps the sink issue - it will not change anything on the range wall or b/w the sink and the corner. It's the window that's the issue, not the space in the Dining Room. Now, if you are willing to make major changes and the sink does not have to be under the window at all, then it might be possible to come up with something more functional... [Since you're getting an apron sink, it will be more noticeable than if you have an standard type undermount sink. However, with the island blocking most of the sight lines, it may not be an issue.]