A raised bed using Railroad ties next to the driveway is not a good idea in my opinion. Several reasons. RR ties smell like a train yard and ooze toxic creosote. You don't want an uneven surface to step out on when getting out of your car. You don't need another edge of your lawn to maintain where it comes up to the bed. The driveway is your edge now and it works. Why break up the lawn more than it is already? You need to keep a flowing shape to the lawn by reshaping the bed where the tree is 'plunked' into the middle of the lawn. Work for cohesiveness in the shape of the lawn rather than a bunch of little cutout flower beds. You don't want to cut off the lawn right where it meets the driveway. Doesn't make sense in my world. Think flow. Mike

Posted by dodge59 Whats the "Latest" with the Elux oven porcelain problem, Wekick? Gary The extended warranty is changing the liner. The appliance company has closed in our area and does their own work but are paying for another company (my choice) to do the work. Electrolux will do nothing, as expected but actually potentially could have cost me needless expense and would not even tell me if the liner could be replaced. When I got the Elux initially, the enamel was flaking off and they replaced it immediately and the guy told me the liner couldn't be replaced and the porcelain was supposed to be fixed on the new one. When I called Elux to ask if it could be replaced, one person told me it could not be replaced and another told me it could but they said I had to pay for a service call to find out for sure as I could not talk to the tech department.. The service company came out and gave me a fixed price and the labor is a fraction of what the other company gives as a starting point for the Wolf. It is a complete tear down as well. I did not have an extended warranty on the Wolf because the salesman(same as for Elux) told me I would never need it for the Wolf as they stand behind the product so well. Ha! I wanted warranties on both for the electronics but the problems turned out to be in the physical materials. Also Gary, I don't know if you remember this but I had Dacor appliances(range and oven) first with blue enamel that when they were delivered had the enamel coming off in 1-2 inch sheets. Some thought they were dropped. They were bought back because the electronics never worked. I sort of wish I had my old Maytag Gemini back. It was trouble free. You can see why I won't be ever buying anything with blue enamel and at this point I don't think I want to reinvest in it for the Wolf. You were talking about the fact that they are making the bottom panel to come out in the new ovens (Wolf) to make it easier to replace kind of makes me think there are a lot of issues. Also the new liner would only have a 1 year warranty! So much for their own confidence in that blue porcelain.

Contact Miele and they should be able to confirm - you can register your DW at the same time. My original Miele was a lemon and the only appliance that I purchased a warranty - so got 100% of my $$ back at 4.5 years. I was not going to get another Miele - but after searching, I knew I had to get another one. I did purchase the warranty again - I had an issue with the softener and they replaced it for free but would have been within the warranty period. I also had them check the filter as the door wouldn't stay closed. The tech showed me how to make it stay but left a new one with me. Now, I just swap them out and send the other one through the DW - so easy! I did not get any other warranties - Kind of wishing I had bought one for my Wolfie oven - but was too late by the time I decided. So far, everything else is holding its own. In general, I have been against purchasing the warranties - but with the new electronics, I am re-thinking my position on warranties. I always figured I could "self insure" and be ahead of the game. So, I take the $$ I would spend on all of the warranties and put it into a virtual bank. Then, if I need a repair, I can figure out the value of my investment and subtract what I spent from my total. So bottom line - decide your risk factor vs investment and make a decision. I think all appliances should come with a 10 year warranty. Some European appliances already have this. It seem ridiculous that appliances are a throw away commodity anymore. Off topic but related - I just bought a new car. It came with a 3 year warranty but I plan to keep much longer. I decided to get the warranty that takes it to 7 years that covers all repairs for the same reasons.

sklka--the housekeeper would take care of the pool. (I have cleaners who come every other week and take care of the filth in the house--I call her a housekeeper for lack of a better word, but I guess 'sanity saver' isn't a job title, but she mostly doesn't clean.) Also, I think anyone with children who doesn't have a very strong system is in the same category as people who leave loaded pistols in their nightstands around small children. It's not a matter of "comfort." It's a matter of actual risk. I'm fortunate that I could write a check for the pool right now. :) My business is finally doing very well. I do want to save for an au pair, though, as that's the only possible way I can have a 4th child and not go crazy. I can work pretty well with a baby on my lap (and have done so with three), but I do need some breathing time. My husband is not a fan of moving. (Also, Hitler was a bad man.) I doubt we will ever leave this house. I'm overimproving for the neighborhood, but I so don't care. If I'm staying here forever (and my husband has been told by multiple upper-level managers that he's considered a core member of the company and they will do anything within reason to keep him--he's famous enough in his field that his name on contracts brings money), I'm going to have the house I want. Even if he loses his job, there are companies lined up to poach him. Even if all that falls apart, I'm the primary breadwinner, and he could just create products on his own and I could support him while his business takes off. My husband was emotionally attached to our first crappy apartment in NM without working AC, to give you an idea of how much he gets attached to places. And he hated New Mexico. tcufrog--we will have the fence as well. The cover is backup and for particularly determined neighborhood children who might decide to take a swim. The alarm system will be hardwired and integrated into the design. Locks up top only works until a kid can reach them on a stepladder, though that's where we'll place them, anyway. Mine are...exceptionally inventive. ourgeorgiahouse--I know what drowning looks like. :) I've taken water safety courses and am a certified diver, so I've done some basic water rescue practice, too. The fact is that if my poor kids depend on me to TAKE them to the pool, it will happen at most 6 times a season. Now that I have a FT housekeeper, that can be more often, though at a sacrifice of other things. The pools are a good distance away, especially those that don't completely suck for children. "square or rectangle, and larger (believe it or not). Put a large bank of straight-edge steps, and sitting shelves in a couple of places where the water is deep so there is the ability to get out of the deep end as well." The diving well can't have any obstacles, but I do have a shelf planned along the rest of the pool. Even in the 3.5' deep area. And yes, it's angular. A true L. The baja shelf is on the short leg of the L. There will be no pool without a safety cover!