Lol, I actually did move the dishwasher to the other side of the sink for that reason! Thanks for checking out the floorplan - it's good to hear others' perspectives.

Hi - I am looking for a point in the right direction for where I might find more basic information about choosing appliances - more specifically, a stove (whether range, rangetop + wall ovens, etc.). I am not quit eat the point yet of comparing specific models or even certain features - I need to figure out first whether to just have a slide-in range or do a cook/range-top and a separate wall oven/ovens. I am really a beginner! As reference, our budget is probably only $2500-3000 for these, and I am just a regular family cook. I like to bake, but am not terribly fancy or accomplished. I am searching through the archives for recommendations, but I'd appreciate any ideas of where I might go to start this process - and then I will be back to check in with you experts on specific models! thank you so much....

To what homechef said, I would add four points. One is to check the already available Black Friday deals. For example, Lowe's (I think) is advertising some very substantial discounts if you purchase two large appliances together. Second, the dimensions for your microwave sound like you have an over-the range (OTR) unit. For further research, use "OTR" in your search strings. If the present OTR vents to the outside (as opposed to being set for recirculating), then you might consider replacing it with with a canopy style range hood and a separate countertop microwave (assuming your kitchen space is not so small as to make that infeasible.) Even an inexpensive externally venting canopy range hood can do a noticeably better venting job than an OTR. (The canopy makes the difference in collecting vapors and etc.) The combined price for an inexpensive hood and a countertop MW will likely be less than a replacement OTR. Third, a counterdepth (CD) fridge going to be far and away the most expensive replacement especially because you apparently want external ice and water dispensers. Frankly, it is likely to be the budget buster for you. Even with Black Friday deals, the least expensive CD models with external ice and water are likely to be more than $2k, which is more than 2/3 of your budget. I say this from my helping a friend shop for a fridge several months ago. That said, I kind of recall that there might possibly be a sale priced Frigidaire Gallery or Samsung CD/Dispenser model in the $1700 to $1800 price range. I'd search sites such as AJMadison.com, sears.com and Lowes.com for those models. Before buying one, I also would research user reviews for any recurring problems/complaints and longevity issues. Fourth, have you considered outlet/clearance (aka "ding-n-bing") departments such as Searsoutlet.com? That might help with the stove and a CD-fridge, the two most expensive items on your list.

First the house is nicely laid out. Congrats on that since so many are poorly laid out. Looking first at the master, I'd get rid of the double doors into the master. Think of where light switches will be if you have double doors. :) Same with the bathroom and the master closet. Is your master bath that special that it needs double doors that you'll have to close before finding the light switches? The guest bath has too many doors into it. I would just have the door from the hallway to the guest bathroom. Otherwise there may be problems with doors being locked and doors banging into one another. The advantage then would be that you could instead put a longer, more useful closet against the bathroom wall which would also help mitigate noise from the bathroom. It's too hard to read your plans with the floor drawn in the way it is. I would want the pantry closer to the fridge and the mud entry so when I enter I'm not running back and forth between the two to put away groceries or conversely to take them out when I need to cook. I personally would prefer if you keep the pantry where it is, that it open on the other side so that you can have an L shaped counter. That would give you a nice long run of prep space and make it easier to push stuff to the cooktop. Where is your ovens? Is that a sink on the island? The nook is very small. Do you really need the nook, seating at the island and a full dining room? Only you can answer that. Also have you looked into induction cooking which is actually more precise than gas?