Ionized, i understand that if all/most all the loads in my house were active at once and power went out, I would need a large generator (reportedly 15kw) to auto kick in and continue to power the whole house. Alternative 1 is for a smaller generator (reportedly 8kw) and an auto transfer switch and sub panel that will only power critical circuits. In my case that is not a cost effective option because of my main panel and 2 distant subpanel setup with critical circuits in all 3. Alternative 2 is a portable generator (reportedly 8kw) with a manual transfer switch. Power goes out and I manually shed non critical loads in my 3 panels (including AC) fireup the portable and power just the active loads (fridge, freezer, sump, etc.) Even with this setup one contractor says 8 kw is minimum, yet an electrical engineer colleague does just that (alt 2 whole house critical circuits only) with a 3.5kw. The only reason auto backup is being considered is because I have ample propane supply and my propane supplier will only plumb a dedicated generator. I like the propane idea for ease of fuel use, no gas storage or carb clogging with age plus less wear and tear on the engine. I could go gasoline portable for Alt 2 and not get the benefits of propane or convert the gasoline to propane. But the supplier will not plumb it unless its dedicated, hence the question of dedicating a portable to outside use under a cover/enclosure and thus what are the required setbacks. Lastly Alternative 3 is a modified Alt 2. Can I install a dedicated 8kw outside fed by propane but not run it with an auto transfer? Since its not a portable it makes my gas guy happy and he can connect. And when power is out, I manually shed loads in all 3 panels and powerup the dedicated, propane fed 8KW for critical circuits. I would likley need to exercise it manually if I overrode the auto setting but are there any other draw backs to manual operation (battery trickle charge, battery heater, signals between generator and manual switch I am not aware of , warranty, hour meter, low oil indicator, etc.? Thanks for reading through this mess.

I agree that the micro/cabinet arrangements should be looked at again. You really can put an inexpensive micro on a shelf up there. Also, look at ones with a built-in kit. In any event, microhoods are deeper than the cabinets are - so it may cause door problems to the 9" cabinet next door. If you were thinking of a 9" pull out, that's not going to work well. To see/reach stuff in the back of the pullout, you'll need to be a contortionist. Do think about doing a 15" cabinet next to a 24" cabinet with a micro shelf or perhaps getting a 9" and 30" cabinet with the 30" cabinet made deeper (18"!) for using one with a trim kit. There are some micros that mount under the cabinets. I'm including a link to the GE version mostly because of the photos showing it hanging and with a trim kit. I think the range where you've located it is fine. I've used plenty of ranges that were up against a wall and it was ok - this is much better without the elbow bumpers. BUT... the banquette. I can envision it being mighty weird to have someone cooking 8 inches from my head if I was seated there. And maybe a little dangerous. Possibly a two-sided hazard if you have kids - little guys pulling hot pots off by accident, reaching over to "cook" and other kid type hazards, plus perhaps hot stuff spitting on to the banquette or anyone seated there. And making a mistake while taking a pot off? Let's not even go there... I have kind of a bad attitude towards keeping originals in a functional area like a kitchen. Our kitchen when we bought the house was different than the original layout. We found the original layout helpfully sketched on the back of a piece of drywall we removed when we first did this kitchen. It had enough room for a sink in the pantry (now the only first floor bath courtesy of the PO), a stove, a hide-away ironing board and one 30 inch piece of space for a work table. I could have restored the original layout from the helpful sketch - but why would I? It's different if the original kitchen works for you or if it was a time-capsule kitchen where all of it is intact. So, even tho the nook seats are original, I'd consider removing them. Possible also the cute little arch, but not if it holds plumbing or radiator pipes. Add the ovens in a stack and a little extra counter to the left of the range. Possibly move the ref to where you show the ovens so it didn't block the door anymore. Possibly add a 14" deep pantry across the space where the ref and the little open wall was. - Or - leave the ref, pull out the built-in, the little bit of wall and add a long shallow pantry that used the entire wall area. That -or- thought has a "might be structural" warning - it looks like someone might have taken down a bit of wall at the nook area before. That would explain the otherwise odd position of the vent. That room has three radiators? That must be a treat in winter! Here is a link that might be useful: Undercabinet GE mounting

I think you have done a beautiful job. You are obviously not a lost design soul! For 2k, I wouldn't try to do a lot of little things, or the quality of each will suffer. It is also an issue of focus. I think you had it right with the counters. If you like granite, that's great, as others have said, maybe a marble remnant for the island. But even a plain laminate would be an improvement. It's become too much now that you have the textures of the tin backsplash and the curtains, which are nicer. I would also consider lighting. Not just "more" but considering the overall lighting scheme and the quality of light. Having all the light way overhead means you make big, harsh cones of light. So when you lean your head over, you cast a shadow, like an eclipse. Then people say "This kitchen is so dark, I can't see anything!" and keep upping the wattage, til they come on here asking where to find 200 watt bulbs, when it's really because they're blocking the light with their own heads! Too much overhead light also really unflattering -- it casts shadows in peoples eye sockets and makes tiny shadows out of every wrinkle. I'm serious! So having light at different levels is the way to go. You might try this right now by plugging in a lamp (somewhere away from the stove or sink) and see if that improves things. Then I would suggest a pendant in the place of the can you have over the island, to bring the light down to a more human level. But what you've done already is really beautiful.

Sorry -- it's a off-brand semi-professional stove made by a company called Capital and the species name is Culinarian -- "Capital Culinarian" == CC maybe that should be C. culinarian. I always have to check whether it's "Capital" or "Capitol" - It's Capital, just Capital! Well actually, I can't quite say about that. Folks wax near-elegiac on the appliances forum about it. I don't think I've ever even seen its namesake, those Viking and Wolf stoves and the like, so I can't make any comparative report. I'm finding my experience with it uneven, some of the low points almost surely attributable to operator-error. Or expectation. But I don't regret the purchase; I just feel as if I'm still on a long slow learning curve. And the shape of that curve, also, has more to do with external circumstances than it: house still under renovation, kitchen incomplete, loss of CSA (sniff. That is, weekly delivery of vegetables), absence from a highly-functioning kitchen for 1.5 years, etc. Ths stove is -- or was -- much cheaper than its competitors. But thanks in large part to this forum, I think, the machine has been very popular and they upped their prices. The range has open burners, bazillions of heat units worth of output and no smaller burners, the massive one is supposed to be sufficiently responsive to permit a "true simmer". I'm not sure I quite buy that last one, to tell you the truth, but again, I'm definitely still working with the assumption that any issues I find are attributable to me. Mostly, I love having 6 burners though there are ramifications for the oven size with that decision which I hadn't anticipated.