Need help with Options and Upgrades - what's worth the money?
kwanii
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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HELP...Miele Speed Oven Worth the Money?
Comments (24)We have owned the speed oven for 8 years (H4080BM). We liked it and compared to other options are getting a newer model the H7240BMCTS. We use it 85% as an oven and 15% microwave. Agree with many comments re customer service. Very frustrating not be be able to get any technical assistance from Miele customer service. Recently, microwave stopped working properly, and produced an open flame on the ceiling of the unit. Metal coating came off on rag where I tried to clean up the burn marks. Sure some food debris likely caused the flame I guess, but why was metal coming off with the food residue. Miele was able to offer no information about this event. One online "service specialist" said this was caused by a bent part that distributes the microwaves and is not reparable. Rather than spend $200 on a service call to find out it can't be repaired we put that money into a new machine. Cleaning is difficult (particularly in between the broiler elements and the glass try is just impossible to keep clean), surface seems to really hang on to stains but that did not bother us. Manual is very poorly written suggesting that it was ok to microwave with metal rack in on one page and that it was "not recommended" on another page. Oddly enough we had no sparking when we left the rack and glass tray in on microwave mode (though I don't recommend this). Does anyone else leave the rack and tray in when microwaving? Sparking? Convection cooking was excellent, fits half sheet pans, no problem. Cooking is very even and temperature seems very precise. We use this oven every day - everything from roasting to baking. Its easy to use. Its the perfect second over to our larger range. We like that microwave does not have a turntable (all other similar speed/combination ovens seem to), makes it a lot easier to heat up more than one plate. All that being said, if we don't get more than 10 years out of this unit we will be very disappointed and looking for a new option....See MoreGoodman HVAC - worth upgrading
Comments (4)House is in Phila Pa. 2 exposed qalls (at 90' angles); 1/2 of one wall is 2 car garage; there is southern exposure on the other sides First floor has 9' ceilings; basement should have 8' to the underside of the joists. 11 windows throughout the house, all Anderson low-E ones (builder grade, don't think they are top of the line). Basement should be mostly submerged. std: GSX130301DB & GKS90703BX 'A': GMH950904CX & SSX160361 'B': GMVC950905CX & DSXC180361 & CTK01 If A&B are oversized, it's my fault: I assumed with a full basement, heating an air condition should be increased. I can't speak to the quality of the construction. There's no option to come in prior to closing to do my own work, ie. get an HVAC crew into properly seal the ducts. There's also no option at this point to suggest any different configurations. And as a brand new house, I have no idea what fuel costs with the standard configuration are. If at least the 'A' upgrade had come in lower priced, I probably would have gone with it. I'm thinking now, even if it was better sized, I'm not sure I'd ever see a payback on the extra cost. Thoughts? And thanks. Jeff...See MoreAre these kitchen cabinet upgrades worth it?
Comments (30)Kountry Wood Products vs. Diamond I don't know Kountry Wood, but Diamond is good stuff. - 1/2 inch particleboard cabinet box sides Go with the strongest boxes you can get. These things are going to be around a long time, and -- as you say -- changing them is a lot of trouble and expense. They're going to be used and abused, stuffed full, leaned upon ... go with strong stuff to start with. - Standard overlay Standard overlay is usually called partial overlay. I'd definitely go with full overlay because it allows you better access to your cabinets -- I'd be willing to pay extra for this. With standard overlay, you get that "post in the middle". Something you didn't mention: Are you going with at least some all-drawer stacks instead of standard cabinets? Drawers give you better access to all your stuff. You also didn't mention whether you're using any specialized pull-outs. I don't think these are a very good bang for the buck. They cost $$$, but they only store a tiny bit. Consider: A similar cabinet concept: If you're using a Lazy Susan in the corner, but sure it's a Super Susan, not just a Lazy Susan ... the difference is that the Lazy Susan (left) is shelves supported by a central post, whereas the Super version (right) is wooden shelves supporting the turn-tables separately. - Flat drawer fronts This is a matter of style. No functional difference. - Solid wood drawer boxes with dovetail joints - Cheap epoxy coated side mount drawer slides - Thicker 3/4 inch shelves - Smooth bottom mount drawer slides with full extension and soft close Yes, pay extra for these things. When they're new, all drawers should work great -- you're paying extra so they'll continue to work well in years to come. I'd go so far as to say you should go with heavy-duty drawer slides on ALL your drawers. And be sure your drawers go allll the way to the back of your cabinet. I know, you'd assume they do ... but I have a 30" deep peninsula with two 20" deep drawers, which means I have about 10" of empty space behind those drawers that's going unused. The style we want is white shaker style. I don't think anyone's bought anything else for the last decade. The builder did say that the issues with the warped doors and loose center pieces can be fixed, but I'm skeptical about that and feel that brand new cabinets shouldn't need fixing I agree with you -- if they're not right on the day they're installed, they'll never be right. Is this the Kountry brand? If so, I'd avoid them. I was always amazed that these giant houses often had the lowest level of cabinets offered by this manufacturer. It might not be 100% ignorance. Don't we see plenty of people on this board building big-big houses, more than anyone needs? I do wonder if some of these people don't reach the finishing stages -- things like cabinets -- and realize that their finances force them to go with builder-basic items because they've already shot the budget. I would steer clear of any company that deliberately misspells their own name. Nothing good can come from that... :) My father's been dead almost three decades, but I can still hear him ranting about that very topic. I wish I could direct my potential clients to this thread when they try to tell me they can get cabinets that “look” just like the ones I’m selling for a much lower price. Yeah, but will those cheaper cabinets still "look" (and function) just like yours in a decade? We all know the answer to that question. I understand that cabinets are tremendously expensive, but this is an area where it makes sense to put in quality -- doing anything else is false economy. Our ceilings are also 9 ft. Our uppers used to be 42" tall with 12" of empty space above. Now our uppers are 46" tall (custom cabs) with 8" of molding above to meet the ceiling. Yes, I totally agree that cabinets-to-the-ceiling are expensive but worth the cost. You can achieve this by buying taller cabinets or by stacking two shorter cabinets....See More9 feet basement ceiling Upgrade -- Worth it ?
Comments (36)I think it depends upon how you are going to use the basement. If it's going to stay primarily a basement, I don't think I would spend the money for either. If it is eventually going to be a finished space I might go for the 9 to have the flattest ceiling possible rather than having it go up and down around ductwork, but I can think of a lot of other things I would do with $15,000 in a house project if it's just going to stay typical basement with small windows and such at the end....See Morekwanii
8 years agokwanii
8 years agokwanii
8 years ago
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