danajw, I had the same problem deciding on a fridge last fall. I had a SxS that frustrated me everytime I had to find something in the freezer. Also didn't care for the narrow fridge space too. So, I kicked around the idea of an allfridge/allfreezer but was disappointed in what I found. Fridigaire & Electrolux Ikon had poor construction & maintenance issues. Whirlpool Sidekicks were too "boxy" with no option for a riser like the Fridigaire model. So, I went with the GE Profile FD in ss. Have never liked it! I don't like the layout of FD fridges. I have a family of 6 at home & I am frustrated again at the hide & seek game I have to play to find anything. There is not enough storage room in the fridge because I had to remove 2 shelves (comes with 6)in order to make 2 complete, accross the fridge shelves. Using 6 shelves is a nightmare for a family greater that 2. With multiple tall milk, juice & soda bottles, I had to lower the shelf to get around the light on the roof which is centered in the middle. The fruit & veggie drawers are great and the 1 large pullout tray across the bottom is my favorite because it holds so much & I can PULL IT OUT to find something. When I was looking at a different manuf's model the salesman compared the pullout drawers & told me the one I was looking at was too flimsy & that GE is one of the most solid on the market. I thought, "so what? how often will I use this drawer?" Price difference was minor so I went for the GE. As for the doors, I wish I had gotten 1 door just for the convenience of 1 door to pull & for storage. Too many little buckets... To me, the worst part is the freezer. In the store, they all look SO BIG. But when you get it home & fill it up you realize that NOTHING can be above the level of the bottom of the drawer above it. I am constantly shuffling things around to get them flat so that I can close the door. Not fun when kids help themselves and don't put things back in the exact place. I moved my SxS to the basement when we got this fridge. Now here is the unbelievable part of my story. I emptied all the items from the SxS into coolers, brought in the new fridge, turned it on to fast cool & when I loaded the new freezer, I had SO MUCH FROZEN FOOD LEFT OVER that we had to put a good deal of it in the old fridge in the basement!! I never thought that the SxS held so much more than the bottom drawer freezer. Unless you have a very small family or buy very little frozen food, I find this is a difficult model to live. I had the room for a wider fridge but did not want to spend so much more money on a fridge. We are learning to live with it. I have no complaints with the GE Profile performance except that sometimes the food in the way back tends to freeze & I lower the temp. I would not recommend a bottom drawer freezer unless you have another freezer too. Sorry this is so wordy. Sherry

I can just see someone’s gramma knitting a cozy for a post rather than the teapot. I think there’s a certain dishonesty in all of those looks that makes them far less appealing than if they were just raw concrete or steel. If someone wants modern, and that means support posts, there should be an unabashed LOVE for that structural detail. It shouldn’t be attempted to be disguised like your crazy uncle in the attic that you’re ashamed to have in the family. The current attempt to cross 1002 traditional home details and with large modern internal volumes is what resulted in the horrible atrocity of the NeoEccentric TopHat MishMassAppeal taking over production building. Pop a few Mr Potato Head details on the house of the 70 gables and it’s a Craftsman, or a Folk Victorian, or French Country. Continuing that awkward cross into the interior results in the 10 Acre (Painted) Wood Kitchen, with the Antarctic OutPost Breakfast Bar, where those OutPosts are attempted to be integrated into the whole, by disguising them as Traditional elements. Which does semi work a lot of the time to keep you from bashing your noggin. But, people just don’t have the guts to actually commit to what they are asking home builders to produce. They want a Modern Home, but superficially disguised in Gramma’s apron, pince nez, and hairnet.

Run the long-edge of the plank along the long axis of the house. Example: the planks *should run length wise from the back door to the front door. The next option is to run the long edge of the planks in the same direction as sunlight enters the house. If possible, you do NOT want the long edges 'back lit' by sunlight. And to be clear, you will want to do the deck first and then the flooring. The amount of muck that will enter the home during the deck renovation is going to be substantial. You will want to let the existing flooring take the abuse and then replace it with new flooring when ALL OTHER renovations are complete. Remember: floors go in last.

Do you not have a coat closet near the front door? I don't see one in the pictures. Do you routinely use the front door to enter & exit? Household size, # of bedrooms, climate? Asking because a 21" wide and presumably 24" deep 'coat cabinet' probably won't be useful enough to justify the expense. This is a configuration that I would expect to see in a studio sized apartment. A real coat closet should be at least 28" deep. If you have a closet around the corner, I would suggest using just a bench in the entry area for changing footwear. A closed bottom bench with storage underneath for stashing shoes.