This bed is between my house and a 7ft. block wall so winds won't get to it. I put it in the ground in the middle of Feb. We can't get bare roots here til after Xmas so I think I'm fine. I guess I was worried that the other bare roots were up and running (the others did have a few new leaves when I bought it and this one didn't)and this one has done nothing. Maybe I'll back off the water for a day since I've watered it daily and do the mulch around it and the paper bag thing. Hadn't heard of that, Thanks. How long do you do the paper bag thing? Only at night or 24 hrs a day?

My SZ 632 side by side is rolled into place onto quarter-inch thick hardwood plywood strips about five inches wide and long enough to reach the back wall. Stainless steel sheet metal around 1/16th thick is cut to fit on top of these and spread the weight from the unit's four supports over a larger area. The floor is cherry and the unit is heavy with small supports, so weight spreading is essential. Moving the refrigerator involves putting a full 4 x 4 ft sheet of this hardwood plywood in front of the SZ and pulling the unit from the strips onto the larger piece of plywood. By alternating two such pieces one can move the unit some distance if necessary. The hardwood plywood is the type made without voids for underlayment purposes. I suspect masonite would work just as well (as long as it is dry). The strips reduce the amount of space that could be wetted by a spill. One doesn't want the entire underneath of a piece of masonite or hardwood plywood to stay wet for long. With both a hardwood floor and a unit above it that can get it wet, a moisture alarm should be placed underneath. More complex arrangements with water shut off valves can be adopted for minimizing risk from icemaker connections. A hardwood floor is beautiful to look at and comfortable to stand on, but for resisting kitchen spills and dropped utensils is about the least practical choice available. (An ipe or similar tropical hardwood floor might be an exception, being relatively impervious to occasional wetting and too hard to dent.) kas

Putting the range where you're suggesting creates two potential problems: (1) It's more expensive and less efficient to vent it because it's nowhere near an outside wall. Where it was in the "before" picture you could at least just have the ductwork "hang a left" and exit out the back of the house. And of course, the cheapest and most efficient place to put it is actually ON an outside wall. (2) You have to carry everything across the kitchen--including pots of just-boiled pasta water to drain in the sink--which creates a risk of tripping on cats/kids/dogs or running into people. With boiling water that could be dangerous, and with stuff that's not hot it can make a big mess. Without exact measurements I can't tell how workable this suggestion is, but what if you put the range on the same wall as the sink (leaving at least 2 feet and ideally more between sink and range), possibly shrinking the pantry a bit to make room? In other words, leave the sink where you propose but put the stove either on the far left or far right of that wall (with at least 6" between it and the side wall so you have elbow room when cooking). If you shrank the pantry a bit you would get the most counterspace between sink and range. This would also let you put the fridge and microwave/toaster/coffee maker etc. on the wall where the range is shown in your current plans. It's nice to have counterspace right next to the fridge, and a setup like that would not only keep the hot stuff/cleanup area all on one side of the kitchen, it would also provide a breakfast/snack area on the other side. And there would be additional prep space to the other side of the sink, so there'd be room for two cooks to work in the kitchen simultaneously. (By the way, you would want to put the DW on the opposite side of the sink from the range for maximum efficiency). And if it pains you to shrink the pantry, you could add a tall cabinet where the fridge is shown in your current plans to get back that storage space.

Strap the wires down, as suggested. Then use fire-rated spray foam to close off the hole (its the red/orange Great Stuff foam in cans at the store). Code now requires you to close off the holes so they don't create a chimney for fire to spread from one floor to the other. In reality, you probably have other holes that have not been closed off, but its better to be safe. When you spray the foam, use nitrile gloves and spray it in very gradually. It expands quickly and can drip or run into places where you don't want it. It is a real PIA to get off your hands or any other surfaces. Don't spray too much until you have given it time to expand and really see how much is filled. If you use rags to wipe off excess foam or protect a surface, plan to throw them away afterwards. Bruce