Nice machine... these I would love to drive in by hand after doing over a hundred wood pressure treated 4-5 inch by hand.

El bumpo

You don't say whether your FP washer is a TL or FL. In my opinion and experience, having to buy ANY washer & dryer these days is a dilemma in itself. If you buy some Top Loaders you can have some control over the water level; otherwise, forget that with any and all Front Loaders. My Speed Queen FL (cost $1800) is built like a tank and works like a charm except for the water level (13.4 gal split between washing and rinsing!???). San Diego Steve will tell you that is plenty and he has even posted that he sold that model and bought the newer one which uses even less total water per wash cycle (11.xx gal I think). He and I are in complete disagreement on how 4 gal of water can rinse a set of King size sheets that remain in a wad. So FL vs TL is the first hurdle. I'm not sure how much water a SQ TL uses, but that would be my first question. My FL spins like crazy. I would have bought an FP but they are not sold anywhere in the Dallas, TX area. Maytag used to make a Centennial model which my daughter in law has and it has a deep rinse which fills the tub, but might no longer be made. Sorry not to have any more helpful information. The Chinese factor would scare me off as well with the FP. Good luck and please post your final decision with the outcome. It will be up to date and may help others.

This is an interesting project. Buehl has asked a question about a "Layout Help" FAQ. Someone linked this thread as a response to her inquiry. My comments are about considerations for building site acquisition and location. Environmental issues are a concern for me, such as flood plain maps, frequency of flooding. How will flooding impact your commute and access to emergency medical. How does water move through your landscape. Fire hazards. What is the area's typical rainfall/year, and will that impact your site. What are landslide risks. Earthquake risk. Tsunami escape paths and evacuation locations. Is there a local master plan for future growth in the area and what does this look like. Are there any hazardous waste sites nearby.