I like my GE Monogram double ovens and 36" 6-burner rangetop. Have had no problems at all. Like you, I saw the reviews and the prices and I opted to take a chance. They come with a 1 yr warranty after all. Glad we took that chance. As it turns out, the showroom we bought ours from had a cooking with gas demo day and tested the simmer capabilities of the Wolf & GE Monogram--the GE had a lower simmer! It also has the double stacked burners like the Wolf--just no the price tag. Also, at the time we bought ours (last August) GE was running a special-buy a rangetop, an oven and a vent hood get $1K back. The $1K basically covers the cost of the vent hood, so think of it as buy the rangetop & oven, get the vent hood free. My sister has a GE Cafe refrigerator she loves, but I can honestly say that she is the only person I know with a GE refrigerator that loves it. I do believe she did have to have 1 service call on it, though. We opted for a Kenmore badged Samsung SxS counter depth refrigerator. We really like it alot. Huge cost savings vs. a built-in + the built ins are even shallower. That's why so many people recommend the 42"-48" built-in fridge. Ours cost about $3K. Then we have our old fridge in the garage for any spillover. Truly, we used the space in the extra frige for Christmas and Thanksgiving and other than that, it holds restaurant leftovers (those styrofoam containers are so large!) and extra gallons of milk. Even if you did the same fridge we did @ $3K and bought a basic SxS for the garage, you'd still come out ahead vs. doing a built-in (which will likely require a second fridge anyway). Dishwasher recommendations would be KitchenAid or Samsung. If you're going stainless, the base model KA works great and you should be able to get them for around $550-600 each on sale. We have 2 of the KUDC10FX. They're quiet & clean great--even baked on lasagna baking dish on the 1 hr quick cycle and it has a hard food disposer in it--no filter to clean! Our second choice was the Samsung 600 or 800 model which was extremely similar to the KA. As you're looking, the best advice I can give is to not get hung up on the bells and whistles. Think about the features you will really use, and not the ones that are "really cool". It's the "really cool" features that you will likely find you don't use very often and they will drive up the cost. Hope this helps!

Snidely - good point about not removing things if they're not causing trouble - lest they turn out to have been needed. So I have left some things that I have no idea about. I did delete Dell Stage - bc. it's a real pain - gets in the way all the time (my daughter who's had this on her laptop for 2 years confirmed that it's just in the way). I did all the microsoft updates, ran a few antivirus, got rid of what I want to get rid of, and it's mostly good to go. Here's the trouble that remains: I can't get the printer working. It's a Canon Pixma MX850 - on the home network. I did not want to install the Canon disk bc. it has a ton of it's own bloatware. So I went to Canon and downloaded the driver - as well as the IJ utility software (I think that helps the computer find a printer on the network). Went to devices and printers, added the printer and made it the default printer. It shows up in printers and devices, but when I go to print something, it fails. Troubleshooting says the test page didn't print bc. something else is in the queue. But there is nothing else in the queue. I opened the queue from my pain desktop (that's connected to the printer) - and there's no documents in the queue. Went to the printer queue on DH's lapto; - it also shows nothing in the queue. I can print from other computers. Don't know what else to do. And I just remembered that I did not see Java. It didnt come up as needing updating when I ran the Secunia scan. I am not sure which programs need it, but can imagine my husband being stumped if he tries to do something that needs Java and asks him to install. I'd like to install it for him. Got to remember that. I also have a question about Microsoft Security Essentials. Twice now it found something bad - and I selected to remove the couple of files. Does this AV just run in the background or do I also need to run scans? Thank you. Lynn.

Ok...I just copied what it said I needed from the instructions. The installation from my old Dell was all on one disk. I'd be afraid I'd mess up the installation if it ended up on multiple CDs. Maybe I should say that there would be more chance for error on my part. The instructions also said that the USB key should have a minimum capacity of 8 GB. Well, when I go to Control Panel, I see there are 45 programs now with total space of 1.12 GB. So what gives with them saying I need a minimum of 8GB? I'm guessing that it would all go on one of the disks at the link below. About them...it says, "This recordable DVD features AccuCORE technology which is 100x more scratch resistant than standard discs. Fights static, repels stains and fingerprints" Here is a link that might be useful: 25 DVD+RW Re-Recordable DVD 4.7GB

Biggest mistake for me was doing a wall of cabinets pantry vs a walk in pantry. Never again if i can help it! Even with slide out shelves there is not substitute IMO for a walk in pantry. Also in that pantry between wall studs i had single can depth storage shelves placed for all my can goods. So handy! Large deep drawers for my pots and pans. I love them. Have had two versions of them . First directly under the gas cook top and second in the kitchen island. I prefer the first. Of course if you have a range style stove/oven that’s not possible. Which leads me to cook top vs range. When we custom built i thought the only option would be to get a professional style range/oven. I came to find this just wasn’t for me. I’m tall. Bending down for the oven part all the time wasn’t a good fit for me. My favourite combo is a gas cook top and double wall ovens. Deep drawers that can organize your Tupperware/storage containers. Also a very deep drawer that i could stand my foils, parchment paper, wax paper etc. Up In on their side. Made storing them so easy. Built in flatware dividers, built in knife drawer. Im not into having a lot on my counters so i don’t care for a butcher block style knife holder on the counter. Same goes for spice rack. Cabinet with cookie sheet dividers. So nice to have! Built in trash and recycle can cabinet. built in soap dispenser. Especially if your sink is on an island. Not done as much anymore but something i still love is the flip down sponge storage on the face plates under sink. Again part of my not liking anything out and exposed i suppose! if it’s in the budget a pot filler at the cooktop. It’s not a make it or break it but when i had one it was nice! Especially for filling the big pots.