Actually, according to Thomas Watson, they do not need to be hardened off again. (See the 3rd paragraph above the end of the article, not counting the copyright line or anything below it.) I myself have had plants that went indoors for a lengthy time of inclement weather and then went into the garden when the weather got better with no adverse effects. One caveat: if there is lots of new growth, it may need hardening off. But as I understand it, the new growth should have the same charactaristics of the previously hardened off growth. Bets Here is a link that might be useful: Hardening Off and Physiological Changes

R/F: I'm partial to SZ, having had great performance with multiple units (in multiple houses) over many years, & have SZ in our new kitchen. Beverage Center: have you looked at the Monogram one? Great looking & racked well. We ultimately went with Monogram refrigerator drawers because we wanted food storage capability too. Beverage centers don't get cold enough to safely store food. Range: I was impressed with Monogram, never could see a BlueStar in our area. Both the Monogram & the BlueStar have the power you need, so the slow simmer should be your main decider. If both are satisfactory to you, then it's down to your decision between electric or gas oven. (We chose a DCS all gas 36" range, all burners, because of our wiring and we also have an electric wall oven. It can do low simmer without a diffuser. The infrared broiler in our range is more important to us than the lack of self-cleaning, and the oven can switch to convection.) DW: We've had KitchenAid & it's good, much better than the JennAir it replaced. We have Miele now, which cleans better than our KA and is much quieter. Faucet: We have KWC Domo & love it. We have the side control pullout version on our main sink, and the top control pullout version on our prep sink. Microwave: I'd prefer a drawer in an island.

I've made both and I can attest to the fact that making a duvet cover is much simpler. Bonus points to the duvet cover because you can remove it to wash easily and make more than one to change the look of the bed. Easy to sew with flat bed sheets and close with velcro. For making one from scratch you can use polyester batting that you buy at a place like Joanne fabrics or a blanket (use more than one layer for a richer look). You will then have to attach all the layers to keep the comforter intact. The hard way is to hand stitch a beautiful pattern like you see on handmade quilts - this is challenging to do well. A slighter easier method is to use a sewing machine to sew the layers together similar to what you see on commercially available quilts. Last you can take small single prick stitches to keep the layers together - I can't remember what these are called but they can create a really pretty look if done well. Sky

Thanks! @hollysprings, we are planning to extend the kitchen into the breakfast room, although between stairs and entry it's not as much useable space as it seems. @klem1, the main sewer line is located just behind the washer/dryer in the utility room, so about 5-6 feet beyond the kitchen sink drain. No one has suggested tunneling, or given me many details at all; we were all set to start with a contractor in September whose firm then imploded. So now we're waiting for a bit more warmth to start fresh. I wanted to get an additional quote on the cabinets, which is when a KD insisted that I was crazy to consider cracking the slab.