"I don't understand the need for 2 ovens - clearly I don't have enough parties." 2 ovens definitely--the holidays were enough to convince me of that. You can't bake anything else when the turkey is in the oven. and let's face it, that bird is in the oven for a LONG time! "Kenmore is made by Whirpool, who also makes KitchenAid, correct? I think I remember reading that Kenmore Elite is basically the same as KitchenAid brand products?" I always heard the same thing until today...I heard the French Door KA refrigerator was made by LG which I think is made by Samsung (or maybe Samsung is made by LG?) Anyway, it's something I would ask when you go to the outlet. My local outlet rep told me if what I want is not on the floor & it was something Sears carried, there was a very good chance they could get it for me at the outlet price brand new. Don't know how true that is, but worth a try! "...all my pots and pans are stainless steel or cast iron, so I won't be needing to replace any of them." Not always true. Those pots and pans have to be completely flat on the bottom--no medium/large recessed imprints of logos/brand names, no raised ring around outer perimeter of pot/pan bottom, etc. We talked with a lady who was enthralled with her new Electrolux induction cooktop except that her pots & pans didn't work even though they were stainless--they had a recessed imprinted logo/brand name on the bottom. It was just large enough in the center that the induction wouldn't work. If you have a store in your area with a working display, I would take one or two pieces of my cookware in to try it out and be sure : )

Most induction has the elements paired, usually back and front. They share a maximum power draw, hence the difference between standard and boost power. Boosting one of the pair limits the other. That's why the total draw is less than the total possible adding up all the elements. You can't use all the possible draw at one time. In reality, for most cooking tasks you could live perfectly well without the power boost. It's great for getting a fast boil on that big kettle of water before you drop your dumplings in it. Or for some quick wokking (many units limit boost to about 10 minutes). It's basically for hotter faster. A lot of things start hotter faster, but most cooking is done at medium and simmer. Most people on a poll here not long ago admitted that they rarely used more than 3 burners at once. I will add an assumption that those three are rarely on full boil all at once (though I can think of a few times they might be). But even so, you can boil without boost. It'll just take a little longer. The cooktop part has plenty of power. What's the oven like? Re slide in vs. freestanding, the latter is your basic range. It has sides, back, feet. Slide in fits into surrounding cabinetry (made to accept it correctly), for a more built in look, and to eliminate that awful pulling the range out to clean behind, beside and underneath (UGH!). (Sorry. Most people are fine with it. I had a glass bottle of ketchup break when I was injured and couldn't do that. There was no way I could move the range and I was finding all kinds of nasty for months.) The slide in range doesn't have decorative sides or back, because it's surrounded by the cabinetry, and has lip edges on the top that sit on the cabinet supports. You still have to clean the cracks, but there isn't that open side for things to fall down. OTOH, slide in requires the customized cabinet and can't just be moved around.

In the list the OP posted and the description Bevangel provided, the only Allowances needed are for the material for counters and cabinets. The Unit Prices for tile and flooring are useful but they are not Allowances; an allowance must be a total price so it can be aded to the contract price and you don't want to be telling the contractor how much material to order. Describe the kind of finish and the installation method and put the Unit Prices in the appropriate place in the contract. Appliances are usually bought by the Owner and installed by the Contractor. You can often get a better price through your designer or on your own than from your contractor. Recessed lighting and switches should be shown on a lighting plan and the housings and lamps (bulbs) specified in the fixture schedule. This determines the correct number of fixtures and the number of dimmers and the correct lamps so you don't get cheap inefficient R lamps in all of the cans. There is no mystery about insulated and air sealed housings, it's all in the building code and your designer will be modify a schedule from a previous project. "Other lighting fixtures" are usually bought by the Owner and installed by the Contractor unless you want the electrician to help you choose them. Plumbing fixtures and fittings should be selected and specified in the base bid even if you are still thinking about them; they can be changed later. There are only a few that look good and work well and your designer should know them well. Make your designer earn his/her fee and enjoy the construction process instead of worrying about the contractor getting ahead of your decision process. Save your emotional energy for the problems and that inevitably arise in construction and use a complete set of documents to help protect yourself from them.

Splurge Coffee - like French Roast but buy Costco Kirkland which is a good deal. Beer - DH likes small breweries beer or imported. It is one of his few expenses and he works hard so deserves it. Food - Occasionaly we will buy something special like the expensive creamy blue cheese or lobster. But only a couple of times a year. Egyptian cotton sheets/towels - After 32 years of cheap towels and sheets I finally broke down and got some nice ones. My old skin appreciates it. Kitchen Appliances - Finally remodeled our 1971 kitchen and since we DIY, we splurged on the appliances but nothing else. Hobbies - DH occasionally has to buy new tools for the remodeling projects. I buy tools and materials for my metal and glass art projects. Dog - Elvira get special diet food, she needs and deserves it. Anything she needs medically she gets and once a year teeth cleaning (so expensive!). More expensive TP - My old B*t can't take the scratchy stuff anymore. Don't Clothes - I buy a lot of them at Ross and other discount places as well the thrift store. Shoes - Buy them at Payless or Kmart. I hate shoe shopping! Purses - Buy them at the thrift store. Books & DVDs - check them out at the library. Dinners out - we only go out on special occasions. DH says I cook better healthier meals at home. Wine - $2 Chuck is fine with us. Latest electronics - I wouldn't have any of it if we didn't need to but DH does need a cell phone for work, got the cheapest prepaid we could fine. Basic Satellite - We are in a rural area in the mountains so we get nothing without it and keeps DS happy, but again got the basic package. Manicures & Pedicures - I finally got a manicure at 56 YO and wasn't impressed so never again. Haircuts - Go to the cheap chain places. I had my haircut by a stylist 28 years ago and I am still in sticker shock. Hair color - out of a box when on sale. Furniture - All bought used or unfinished (32 years ago) and refinished. Vacations - Haven't had one in over 8 years. DH uses the time off to work on the place and do remodeling projects. (Should remodeling go under the Splurge category?) Cars - We buy the less expensive ones that have been returned to the dealer after a short period. You save a bundle that way. And keep them 11 to 13 years. House - Bought a small place on 2.5 acres that needed a lot of work and have been doing that for 22 years. We could have got a mega mansion and really gone into debt forever but don't need the space. Veggies & fruit - I have a big garden and fruit trees. I can, freeze and dry a lot of what I grow plus have a garden all year long with the basics like lettuce and carrots, etc. Hired Help - Never use any, do all the work ourselves. Have only hired someone when it required big or specialized equipment. We dug out our septic tank, cut down 80Ft trees, ran our own trench lines for watering. You get the picture.