Okay, I got THAT done. I really did read up on the stuff and visited the appliance forum AND took suggestions. So here's what I came up with: Frigidaire Freezer for the pantry (White)- Manual defrost. I'm either going to go with a 20 cu.ft or a 17. I have to measure the space I have. Right now, I have a small chest (freezer that is!) that I am also going to move into my garage in the new place. We have to buy meat and frozen stuff from the mainland and freeze it to cope with prices here! Washer and Dryer: Miele with stands (White). The guy sold me on these. They use very little water and soap and they have a honeycomb interior too, which will really save on the wear and tear of clothes. And they have a pretty huge rebate and energy cash back deal going right now on these. Refrigerator: GE Profile French Door w/ icemaker. (S-Steel) Really nice if you have lots of refer traffic (kids!) like we do. And it's got a nice freezer bottom drawer like my old SubZero, which I loved. (but...I HATE SUBZERO!--arm and a leg to repair! And a ROYAL pain to replace!) I'm also not buying ANYTHING built-in ever again! I got the one with the ice maker in the freezer. They have one with an icemaker and water deal on teh door, but that, for me, is a pain in the neck. The little ones think the water and ice maker are a TOY and I end up cleaning up the mess! No thanks! Microwave: GE Profile Spacemaker (Blk and Stainless): This is such a honey of a microwave!!! You can stop the turntable on it and it fits a 9X11 casserole dish in it or a 20 oz. cuppa coffee! And takes SO little space! I got 2 of these because we are microwave crazy in our house. I'm putting them on a shelf, side by side. Range and Oven (S-Steel) Dacor 38" 6-burner propane and electric: This thing really COOKS! And has convection too. I've had JennAir, Hotpoint, Thermador, etc and this tops them all and is SO easy to clean! Thermador and JennAir are the ones I would NEVER buy again---way too many drawbacks and the downdraft system just drives me NUTS--I will never do downdraft again! Range Hood: 42" Vent-A-Hood (S-Steel): Really SUCKY (and I mean that in a GOOD way!) and QUIET too! Nice design. I got it a little bigger than the stove because that's supposed to keep food smells, etc from wandering out of the kitchen area. Miele Dishwasher (S-Steel): Very cool. Love that the flatware rack is on the top and has its own spray thingy on top and has the ability to wash at 170 degrees. I got the one with the hidden control panel because the babies LOVE to tap, tap, tap on and buttons within their reach! So, anyway, that's what I chose. I'm so glad to be done with that part-my most unfavorite so far. Thanks for the help! It made a difference!

See, I'd just tell my DH that he could enjoy the sunrise while he's doing the laundry rather than while he's making coffee! ;) I kind of like the look of latest rendition, but I'm not loving the function. Leaving the laundry in the MBR would kill it for me. I know you don't mind it, but I can't imagine that it wouldn't be a sticking point for some potential buyer down the road. It would be for me. The issue raised earlier about kids having to come in the parents' room to do their laundry as they got older would be even stickier with the addition of another bedroom--i.e., room for a second kid with laundry needs. Could your stackable W/D fit in that closet area in the mudroom? Also, how will you use this desk? Will it become your home office space? If not, it seems like it would become a clutter magnet, ruining that nice view. I still prefer the rendition above where you reuse your sink and five-panel door. I think it makes the space far more useful in a house where useful space is at a premium.

I looked at mini-splits and they were pricey as well. Here were the 2 quotes for Fujitsu units. The 2 bedrooms are very small 9X10. One major area that the wife didn't like was running the refrigerant lines up the outside of the house. Even with the trim work painted to match she didn't like it. I guess they could be run through the internal walls and I could do the drywall work post install. The company that quoted these also recommended that I retain all the electric baseboard units just-in-case and that was a bit disturbing. This again the wife desires those to be gone so she can reclaim some wall space. option 1: Install a Fujitsu Ducted Mini Split Model 18RLFCD with 7 diffusers and a central return. Backup heat strips can be added for nominal cost (~$200) $7,516 option 2: Install Three Fujitsu indoor units, 2 – 7K units for bedrooms and 1 – 12K unit for main living space, with a 24,000 BTU 24RLFXZH Hyper heating unit rated to -15 degrees. $7,848 >> Guessing the pricing has to do with installing the duct work from scratch. << With a main trunk and return and everything else flex this was a surprise.... assuming the previous Goodman combo was in the $2,500 (I would expect their cost would be less) w/$1,200 install that would make the ductwork fabrication/install around $3,000+ . It's all wide open crawlspace and basement. No ceilings/drywall etc. and ductboard at that! The metal ducts on the Trane quote are probably fabricated off-site at the shop after on-site measurement. I have one other quote in the works for a Broan (Nordyne) HP. Should have that in-hand by the end of the week and will have to make a decision or look for other options. Thanks, Bob

I would like to thank Mtn for asking two owners here a question regarding what owners expect/want from their guests. That is a very rare thing. There is a lot of pressure on owners to deliver, including perfection, for people who have very different standards, so one guest might find a dust bunny and be horrified and write a negative review while another isn't fazed by little things. I think it is important for both sides to have an attitude that, this is a relationship, it is not a one-way thing: Guests are not simply wallets for owners; owners have a responsibility to provide a clean, safe, accurately described rental; and owners are not programmable robots who can predict and meet every expectation of guests. We deal with A LOT of different personalities, ranging from totally cool and wonderful to profoundly difficult. I constantly ask myself what I can do to make my guests' vacation more pleasant, easier, etc. We appreciate it when guests ask us what they can do to make our job easier as well. I'm amazed at how so many renters nod when warned of something or asked to refrain from something...and then go and do it anyway. We have serious and often legal reasons for capacity limits, in my case asking that guests NOT launder the linens and towels (or at least not put them in the dryer to dry, thereby setting stains. I work really hard at keeping my linens and towels sanitary and spotless. Only way to do that is to line dry them), etc. I had a difficult guest tell me after the fact that 'the kitchen was cluttered'. For one thing, that is nonsense. My kitchen is very well organized. The counters are clear of everything but the coffee maker and dish drain and the container next to the stove holding cooking utensils when guests arrive. How is that cluttered? What the kitchen is is small, which is why I have TWO pictures of the kitchen on the Web site, so that people can see that it is small, from both angles, and be very aware of that fact. So you can see, no matter what you do out of consideration, there are always some people you just cannot make happy and always have to gripe. What in have been told in reading reviews is to look for patterns. That makes sense to me. If one person has a gripe, I wouldn't put much credence into it. But if five have the same complaint, that would indicate that it is an issue. Same with positives. One person saying the place is awesome is rather meaningless. Look for patterns, and look for comments having to do with how the owner/PM was to deal with, how responsive they were to issues that arise, etc. But guests also need to be responsive and care about how they are impacting someone else's property.