We all look at prices, discounts, free delivery and haul away (really free or mail-in rebate too), payment options, etc., but be sure to compare the service plan as part of your purchasing decision if you plan on getting one. Because of my recent experience with the Calypso as well as all the electronics on the new machines we are looking at, we figured we should get something. I know the question about getting one comes up from time to time, so I thought I'd post oue experience. Here's what we've seen: Sears had a sale that offered a lower price on the machine we were looking at, and because the sign on the color floor model was displaying the white price and the salesman told us that was the price for color, we also got credited the difference and didn't have to pay for the color (they are less this weekend, so it's about the same deal anyway). We thought we had a pretty sweet deal, and Sears gives you 90 days to return if you are not happy. I nearly fell over when he said the service plan on the pair was $658. It does cover an annual check up, but that price easily pays for 4 calls (5 yrs minus the first year to get there) without parts or problems. Didn't get to read the fine print, but I have seen other policies where they annual checks are also required to keep the contract inforce, so they could be a trap if you aren't aware or forget (is the Sears plan is like that it could be the most expensive and least likely to cover your repairs). Their no lemon policy requires 4 repairs in a 12 month period, and you would have A&E service. I had good luck with one call and a nightmare with another -- which one would you get next time? I remembered the night before our scheduled delivery that we bought the Whirlpool version of the Calypso from Best Buy instead of the Kenmore because the prices for the machine were the same but the service plan at Best Buy was less. I looked it up and found that if Best Buy didn't price match, we would get about the same deal, but if they did price match and we got their service plan, we would save about $400. DH said keep it -- they would probably compare bottom line and we wanted to get the machine sooner since we'd been without since May. Evening comes and no call from Sears. I call to get my delivery time -- they've moved it to Sunday without contacting me! We cancelled. Best Buy has a 5 year plan for $199 -- saving $459 over Sear's price. Sears was willing to discount the service plan 10% like the washer and dryer, but we still save over $400 with BB. No preventative calls, but less chance of getting hung up on forgetting to make a call for a machine that is working well. It includes surge protection and doesn't use A&E service. Their lemon policy is 4 service calls, but they give you only 30 days to make a return. We got the same delivery date and saved over $400. I didn't get the details at Home Depot (DH didn't want to buy from the sales person there and the prices were higher) or Lowe's (model availability). Whirlpool has a plan you can purchase directly from them -- they send out an offer once your warranty or other service plan expires (what we had on the Calypso). The cost is more than Best Buy's 5 year plan (I think we paid $300-400 and the new offer that came recently would have been around $600), covers up to 3 years and is the most restrictive of all. They require 4 service calls for the same part before they replace the machine, use A&E service (who installed 3 wrong parts on my machine and spent enough doing it that they won't repair my machine now), and if they can't or won't fix your machine, you do not get a replacement. The plan says they will send you a credit towards the purchase of a new Whirlpool product and the credit is tied to a percentage of the replacement value. The older the machine, the more you pay for the contract and the less you will receive. In addition, they don't send you a credit as stated, they send you a letter to send back with your new model and serial number after you go out of pocket and then wait weeks or longer for a check. There are other variances between the terms and conditions and the practices they have in place, but that's another story. Just know what you are getting if you buy a service plan and include that in your bottom line. Make it an educated choice -- at least the best you can based on what they will tell you up front (you often don't see the terms and condition until much later). And if you aren't getting something with a lot of moving parts or a lot of expensive electronic parts, maybe you don't need the headache at all.

If two painters ever agreed on what "primed and prepped" meant, I'd be surprised. Can tell a painter it's primed and prepped but he's still likely going to include some time/labor in the quote to prep them his way. Two-coat coverage colors to a DIYer night not necessarily be the same to a pro. Additionally, formulas and colorants change more regularly than people might think and painters know that better than anyone. A color he/she used just one week prior that covered in two might not cover in THREE the next. It happens. Especially with yellows/golds. My guess is the painter giving the bid has been burned and learned from it and is making sure he's covered (no pun intended) and not going to lose money on the notoriously challenging ultra deep, deep, light yellow colors. More colors usually cost more money because of materials, labor, tools. Requires more brushes, rollers, pans and/or time/labor to wash brushes and rollers for color changes. Plus, they have to plan a lot more to execute with multiple colors. It becomes a game of strategy as far as what colors to start where, first, last, etc. Overall, more colors equal more work and experiences painters know how to up-charge accordingly. IMO, this is the sign of a painter who knows his business and you're probably going to end up with a great paint job.

Theresab and cloudswift, thank you very very much for the drop dead gorgeous photos. I was debating blue granite for a long, long time, both because it is so amazingly expensive and because I was having a hard time visualizing whether it would work (and then what if I was wrong on such a pricey item?). It didn't help that all my friends thought I was crazy and my KD was dubious. I found this site because I was searching for photos of macaubas installed in a kitchen, and yours helped me see that yes, it would work (and would look beautiful if it turns out as nice as yours did). So, again, thank you.

We're using a slab of back-painted glass for our backsplash too. Look for a glass shop that does mirrors, shower doors, etc. They usually do a variety of things and will have samples of all types of glass. They can back-paint the glass literally any color. They use an automotive paint called Chroma Base. You can bring a sample of your paint, tile, countertop, your favorite sweater, what ever you want, & they'll be able to match the color. They have a color chart but are happy to do custom matching. Also you can request Star Fire glass which has a low iron content & makes the glass very clear. The colors are more accurate because you don't get the green tint of regular glass. Or if you like the greenish tint go with regular glass which is a lot less expensive. We're doing a bright white so we're going with StarFire glass. The same shop is doing our backsplashes, shower doors, stair railings, & mirrors. Good luck with your project!