How it looks from my perspective: If the decision to reuse container soils is an economic one, who can disagree with the decision? If you aren't concerned about expense and are willing to go to some minimal extra effort to build a good soil, that is what I would elect to do. Here's why: Container gardeners need to direct primary focus to insuring that the soil they are using will remain able to provide adequate air to roots for the expected life of the planting. Along with the ability of the soil to hold ample air, comes good gas exchange and drainage for rootage. All the other major cultural variables affecting growth are easily manipulated. Water, nutrients, sunlight, and to some degree, temperature can all be controlled easily. Aeration cannot and its consideration is as important as water and light to plant vitality. The breakdown or collapse of soil structure occurs at an exponential rate. If we imagine the usable life of a peat based container soil from a bag, it deteriorates from a reasonably good soil when fresh to unusable after 2 years. It's not unreasonable to expect the soil to lose at least 20-25% of its air holding ability by the end of the first growing season. In the first half of the second growing season, it will lose about another 25% of its air holding ability and in the second half of the second year, near total collapse is likely as the remaining 50% is lost. Though this is an example of an imaginary soil, it is very close to what actually occurs. Another way of saying it is: Even though a soil might be performing acceptably at the end of the first growing season, you should expect a rapidly accelerating collapse in the subsequent year. So, if you use a soil for 1 year and mix it 50/50 with a fresh, similar soil, 50% of the soil will have totally collapsed by the end of the growing season, and the other 50% will have lost about 25% of its ability to hold air. If a soil is not holding enough air, it's holding too much water. Water and air retention vary inversely in soils and when one increases, the other decreases. When soils hold too much water, you have to hope that the plant will use enough water or that enough water evaporates to prevent root rot issues and even minor cases of over-potting can mean terminal misfortune. At risk, I speak out often against the use of compost in container soils. It supplies nearly nothing in nutrients and clogs the soil macro-pores container gardeners should covet. Containers are not gardens and much of what works in the garden can cause difficulties in containers. Additional possible considerations are carry-over of fungal spores, the possibility/probability of insects in various stages (eggs, larvae, etc) and carbonate precipitates from your watering water. A slow soil will also have accumulated fertilizer salts and possibly insecticides that you may have applied and forgotten about last season. I suggest that container soils be turned into the compost pile or garden and fresh soil used in its place unless monetary considerations prohibit. Al

I'll be replacing my countertops soon and plan to replace my old Jennair downdraft cooktop at the same time, with separate cooktop and downdraft. The cooktop still works fine but the current downdraft really does not have much draw. Since the cutout for the new appliances will be different than the current one-I'll replace the Jennair before it actually breaks rather than trying to alter the cutout after the new counter is installed.

I am pretty sure the part of the wall cabinet that the peninsula cabinets are attached to is separate. You can see the join if you look carefully. I would just take down the peninsula cabinets. Then, hopefully you can take apart the wall cabinet and just leave the small 12" (I think)wall cabinet. If it doesn't work you will still have options. You could take one section of the peninsula cabinets and hange them there, or you could just remove the wall cabinet and the valance over the window and put something freestanding in that spot. They sell metal counter top shelf units, kind of like bakers rack, that could go there, or you could just put up shelves, you could even reuse the cabinets to make the shelves if you wanted everything to match. So proceed fearlessly, it will be OK, just be open to going with the flow if things don't go perfectly. They rarely do.

Agree. If they are installed on top of floating floor that is incorrect. And when you install the new floor any undercuts you need to do can be done with a jamb saw. They come electric and manual in the states and there HAS to be something similar in Canada. You shouldn't need to cut the toe kick, except perhaps at outside corners. You'll lay laminate up to the toe kick, keeping an expansion gap of course , and then cover expansion gap with quarter round or base shoe. Or pull off the toe kick and reinstall after new flooring laid. But get any cabinets that are on a floating floor reinstalled.