Oh for goodness sakes, 4M! These ridiculous Aga-bashing comments by folk who are trying to talk you into buying a cooking appliance of their personal preference are largely without merit and should not be "well-taken"! LOL! If you don't know it by now, you should at least know that Agas are those darn British cooking contraptions that some on this forum love to hate -- whether they've ever owned one, or even had substantial cooking experience on one or not. Nevertheless, for nearly a century now, Aga has been turning out the traditional Aga Cooker for a very solid and serious fan base. And, whatever bricks and bats have been thrown at the Aga Cooker, -- none have ever made a serious dent where the claim was that the machine is of "subpar" performance! Has it gotten a bad rap for being "always on"? Yes. A fuel hog? Yes. Requires a slight learning curve in getting to know how to operate the thing? Yes. Pricey? Yes. But subpar in performance? No! A terrible service history? No! A horse? No! At least not unless you are talking about being a work horse. Then, yes! :-) Again, I neither own an Aga Cooker nor a Companion nor do I work for Aga, an Aga distributor, vendor, or servicer. At the end of the day, I do not really care what cooking appliance you buy for yourself and your family. In short, I've got no skin in this game. However, as an owner of the Aga 6-4, I do admit to trying to combat some of the more ridiculous, meritless claims that are often made about Aga products on this forum from time to time. That said, let me at least offer these few counter points for your consideration: Every owner of an Aga Cooker I've ever heard from (on this forum and elsewhere) has marveled at their cooking results with that machine. If you enjoy cooking with cast iron pots and pans, imagine how much you might like the results of cooking where the entire cooking unit is made of cast iron. (Trust me, as the owner of a cast-iron Aga 6-4, I love it!) Since you are going to an Aga cooking demonstration tomorrow, you might want to raise all your concerns about "subpar" performance at that time. As for the Aga Companion, I'm also unaware of any performance-related complaints about that machine. If you feel that a 15K BTU burner just can't get the job done for you and you must have a 30K+ BTU Molteni "power burner" to truly meet your needs in a residential cooking appliance, then, by all means, go back to the Molteni! (Meanwhile, I wonder what all the cooks of the world, from time immemorial, have done to feed their families when using cooking devices of 15K BTUs or less? Or, shudder the thought of struggling to prepare meals on a --dare I say it-- sealed burner? Oh the horror of pre-Bluestar/Capital appliance manufacturing!) LOL! The traditional Aga Cooker has got to be one of the most bell-and-whistle free "modern" cooking machines money can buy. With so few doo dads, it just doesn't have a reputation of constantly needing service. So, never before having heard that it's necessary to service an Aga Cooker every 9 months , I actually called Aga customer service directly to see if I could substantiate that claim before posting these comments. In a nutshell, here's what Aga customer said: The recommended frequency of basic maintenance on a vented, gas fired, 4-oven Aga Cooker is one year. [Aga also recommends replacement of Cooker thermocouples every 3 years.] However, an annual maintenance call is only a recommendation. It is most certainly not a requirement. Because the Aga Cooker is "always on," you might want to think of this machine as you think of your home heating system. Many homeowners conduct an annual check of their heating units which includes cleaning, replacing of filters, etc. While such a routine is not necessary, with an "always on" system, it certainly doesn't hurt to engage in periodic maintenance. BTW, other Aga cooking products, such as the Companion, 6-4, Legacy, Aga Pro, for example, make no such recommendation of an annual and basic system maintenance call. As for the "looks vs performance" argument. . . huh? I do not get what what the problem is with your considering looks as one of many factors to consider when making a major appliance purchase. If looks are your only consideration, then I can perhaps see a concern about your judgment. But I would think that most consumers who are trying to make such a major decision will take a variety of factors into account, including price, performance, size/dimensions/weight, service history, serviceability, and, yes. . . looks. FWIW, I'm not ashamed to say that the appearance of my range was a very important factor in my choosing an Aga 6-4 in order to replace my beloved antique stove when I did my own kitchen remodel. I repeat: If you have any serious intention in considering the Aga Cooker and Companion -- or any appliance for that matter -- then please find a credible, experienced source to query. I suggest to you that such an informed source has yet to appear on this thread -- including moi. :-) But, then, I'm not trying to talk you out of, or into, any other product purchase either! Whatever you choose, just make sure your choice is truly well-informed and well-reasoned. And, again, good luck!

We might completely replace the paneling at some point in the future, but doing that right now would become a much bigger project than we want -- getting rid of the fake beams, re-wiring the lights, possibly having to re-do the ceiling depending on how the fake beams were attached, etc. We decided to go with Patricia Cowell's idea of using a small piece of trim to camouflage the transition from drywall to paneling. It would just be a short piece just above the edge of the doorway trim, so it won't be too jarring.

You need a different tub. Exact tub dimensions vary from one manufacturer to the next. One company's 60" tub may be 59 7/8", anothers 59 3/4". That 1/8th inch, as you discovered, can make a difference. This is especially true of tubs made in countries that use the metric system (essentially everywhere except the U.S.) because the tubs are often made to the nearest millimeter not the the exact inch. If you get a new tub of the same manufacturer and model as your old tub, it will probably fit. Just get the model without jets. But, be sure to measure the tub out of the box. Don't rely on the manufacturer's nominal dimensions. A 60" tub is seldom exactly 60 inches.

Beyond drywalling the pass through, although it appears that it has been cut to a larger size. I wondered about moving that wall to the edge of the raised area so that it does away with a possible tripping hazard. It could also provide a study/desk/in kitchen eating space. area if the new owners did not need an office. Moving the kitchen while interesting increases your cost since new water and sewer lines will need to be run if I am understanding your diagram. It also appears you are making the rooms smaller to cram stuff into the house. Better to simplify and allow the new owners to make changes since all those walls etc. increase your costs which you will not receive back when you sell.