Hey it's Summer 2026 - I ordered panels in November 2025, this July they finally arrived and are 48.5 inches wide vs. the 50 inches they are supposed to be. Because I had to wait NINE months for the panels to arrive, I had to have the contractor install the rod without the curtain panels. So, I measured for 100 inches and now have 97 inches of curtains. For blackout, every inch matters. Not to mention that there are 10 rings on the rod for each panel and, whoops, the curtain panels only have hanging slots for 9 rings. AARGH. Now I have an extra, empty curtain ring on my brand new window treatment. This is the second set I ordered - the store associate ordered for me the first time and the panels were six inches too long. So I brought those back and got put to the back of the line for shipping the replacement panels. I purchased PB because I thought that a large company would make a consistent product. WRONG. Very frustrating. No wonder they don't permit comments about products on any WS brand website. Anyway, just a rant. Good luck to all.

I am looking strongly at Kobe, Electrolux, and also some others such as Zephyr, Faber, and Windster. The Windster is quite affordable. The Faber and Zephyr brands have some ones that have some 'rounded' design elements on the pipe area and front of the vent that look sort of nice. Gives a bit of personality to the hood, but not too much. Lots of my hem hawing has to to with what 'style' but the spec thing adds to the confusion. I look at them and try to imagine them over my stove and in conjunction with the other elements in the kitchen and after a while I am so addled that I shrink away from them all! I think that when you are in a remodel, all the decisions that you have to make begin to wiegh on you after a while and even little things can make you 'tilt'. I love my E-lux gas range - it was a find - a small scratch made it very affordable. Love my micro - an LG that looks like it was made to go with the range. Fridge is 'panel ready" - a challenge in my design where stainless would have made it easy. We will probably do something over the top like making leather or cowhide panels for it. We train horses for a living and as the saying goes, if you dont know what to do with it, cover it with cowhide. :) That is a challenge for another post and another day. Using rough slate on the floors - a natural and easy choice for us since we have a slate porch and lots of leftover tiles. Very interesting stuff and very tough. For now, however, the decision is about the range hood. It is gonna be focal, so has to be pretty. Cirone - you mentioned here that a 36 inch hood was put over a 30 inch range. How does that look? I have heard that it is recommended that the hood extend three inches out to give better capture area, but am not sure I would need to worry about that since I am not a major cook. I have ordered from Overstock and they were easy to deal with - made it right when my sink came dented. Ironically, Dianalo, I just talked to a sales rep at a Sears outlet yesterday and they have one chimney style Kenmore there with a scratch that makes it affordable. Long drive for me to check it out since I am in the middle of the woods but may have to go look. Would like to order online to make it quick and easy. Sparklekitty - Havent heard of Eurostoves so will have to look at them. Sounds as if they were good to work with. Artemis - which Kobe did you get? When it comes in, you will have to post about how you like it! Happy that you got your decision on that behind you as I know how hard the choosing can be! I am glad to see that I am not the only one that has gone round and round over this - thanks for all the feedback. Makes it 'feel all better'! :)

Mojo, I get it, I'm packing now! It seems the more I pack, the messier the old place becomes! Books, after all, are neat and rectangular. I've taken 5 bags to the Library Book Sale donation so far, but have boxed up many times more for the move. Some I've schlepped up already. (It amazes the GC!) I've recycled all the old computer books, and those house design books people gave me when they knew I was building - you know, those useless house plans where frequently there are NO windows on at least one outer wall... I've brought up most of my clothing. With our current heat wave, I wish I'd left more short sleeved things down here! The only kitchen stuff still here (besides food) is the stuff that matches each other, since when the place does go on the market, this would be nice for staging. (We call the other stuff, "mutant-ware", and it is handy for camping... or getting a new residence started...) I did have to buy induction ready cookware, so the old rangetop cookware remains here. I'll be moving most of my current furniture. So most of that is staying here until I sell. I did buy a new IKEA sleeper sofa, as the cost of recovering the old one to fit into the new house would be prohibitive. I am also replacing the LAST of the old "college grad do whatcha can afford" presswood bookcases with finish-them-yourself pine book cases, and I bought a NEW office chair ($70, clearance from $200). I know this means my house won't really tie in together as House Beautiful, but it will be House Comfortable and Affordable. I've lived here since 1991. I do like this place, but hated both the kitchen (dysfunctional) and the driveway (steep, curvy, not winter-friendly). Most of the stress of moving is not from leaving here, though I will carry some good memories, but from just sorting through EVERYTHING! Indeed, I've already decided that a couple ceramic cats I brought up about a month ago will be donated to a fall auction held by a group I belong to. Nice, but... they just don't want to be in the new home. (There are some things I like well enough but don't feel the need to continue to house - I like them well enough to not wish to send them to Goodwill - which may well trash them, but rather find homes where they'll be appreciated.)

I love my Panasonic moisture and motion sensing vent fan. We have to keep the door to our small bathroom shut so that it does not turn on every time we walk past. It may run too much (this is adjustable) but I can’t hear it over the hum of the Toto bidet seat! Check and see if the HD version and the one you buy through the bath showrooms are the same. If you can’t get all the functions you want in the ones you find, you can order them through the bath showrooms. You are talking about converting to a steam shower. Look into that some more. A steam shower needs to be built like one from the first. You can’t turn a normally built shower into one.