My husband uses a wheelchair in our house most of the time, b/c he can't walk much and tires easily. A few years ago, we had laminate flooring installed in our family room and a year after that in our living/dining room. We still had a couple of 5x7 rugs where he didn't need to use the wheelchair--under the dining room table and coffee table. We still had carpet in the bedrooms and it was hard for him to navigate over the carpet to the bathroom, plus it was very hard on the carpet. About two weeks ago, we had a 4x12 area of laminate installed in the master bedroom--from doorway to entry to the bathroom. It has made a big difference in the ease with which the wheelchair moves. Fortunately, all the doorway openings are 36" wide, which allows wheelchairs to pass thru without difficulty. It is hard for wheelchairs to go over carpeting; that's a fact! (IMO)

@Artspiring, If you are having an issue with your floor heating system, the first step towards a solution is to take Ohms readings of each heating mat. Do this with a digital multi-meter that has the capability of reading on a 0-200 Ohms scale. All mats have a specific Ohms value depending on length. The core to core reading should give you set Ohms values. The core to ground sheath readings should give you a reading of 0 or infinity depending on the meter. If these are not the readings that you receive, then there is most likely a problem within the mat or mats themselves such as a break or short in the wires, and we will be able to provide additional troubleshooting support after the Ohms reading has been taken. There are few possibilities why thermostat may fail that quickly. It can be related to the overheating of the unit, due to the incorrect size of the electrical box or incorrect wiring, another option is that this unit was overloaded (usually floor heating thermostats are limited to maximum 15 Amps). If you need additional assistance, you can reach our technical support 24/7 by dialing 1-800-875-5285 and choosing option one.

I think this has been a fruitful discussion. I hope it continues. The more I think about this, the more I believe people should be encouraged by KDs, the kitchen sellers at the big box stores, cabinet makers, etc., to consider counter heights when planning a kitchen. And I think a big shout-out to many of the great contributors here at GW is called for because until I spent hours...well, really weeks of hours...reading through reveals, advice to folks planning their kitchens, and such, I never would have thought of all these types of details being important for a good, functional, pleasant space. GWE’s (GardenWeb Experts) are the bomb!! Last night I made a big salad and started a pot of “clean out the refrigerator” soup. I really liked chopping and that kind of prep on the higher counter. My DH helped a bit a really liked it as well. I also made scratch biscuits. I hand-mixed the dough at four different heights: on the higher counter with the triple breadboards on top (didn’t like), regular counter height (didn’t like), on the breadboard when it was slid into its slot, just below counter-height (liked it much better but still a bit high), and then put the breadboard across two counter-height stools (a bit too low). I think a small stretch of counter somewhere in-between the latter two would be nice for that type of work and other baking, machine-mixing, yada yada type tasks. I’ll continue the experiments. My chiropractor...who I seldom need anymore due to the excellent exercises he’s given me to strengthen my back and keep myself in alignment...does a weekly radio show on our local station. I called in this morning and mentioned this issue and asked him about it. He was very enthusiastic and gave some examples of people he has worked with who have had back issues directly related to long-term repetitive movements where things are not at the right height for them. So, really, for someone who cooks a lot, this isn’t a trivial issue. I really want to learn more about this. Oh, gosh...my friends already think I’m the anti-high-heel and heavy-purse nazi, now I'll be the counter-height nazi, too. But I had a back injury for which I was told I would never fully recover, only have limited mobility, and will always have pain. Well, I proved them wrong on all counts due to proper exercises (mostly from chiropractor) and body movements. I can go hiking with a 30+-pound pack and other activities, like 50-mile bike rides, that they said I'd never be able to do again. And I haven't taken a pain pill since 2008. It's because I've become the healthy-back nazi, LOL. This stuff is important for quality of life issues, imho. Off my soap box. @westsider 40 - Good points about not kneading long. I really don’t bake often where I need to knead. When I do, I move my large breadboard to my table and do it there. So it might be best to just continue doing it that way. @Oaktown - 14” difference! Wow. You would almost need two separate kitchens to work best for the two of you. Yeah, I think you should have a stool under each appliance and in each toekick. Just pull the whole thing out when you’re cooking. DH can push it all in when he’s cooking. @tracie.erin - Interesting on the stove height. I can see why that would be good to have it lower since your arm motion is different when stirring and such at a stove vs. chopping/slicing/dicing in a prep area. I do think my stove is the right height. If we do raise the counters on the wall, we’ll have to make adjustments for a lower stove top. Thanks for the tip. @laughable - Yes, I’m trying to put a lot of thought into this kitchen. And you are one of the people who have really inspired me to put in the extra time and effort to get it right. It will be my last so it better be good! I usually transfer from stock/crock pots in the sink because I’m unbelievably clumsy, lol. The pictures aren’t showing, darn it. I just am getting the Photobucket “This person has moved or deleted” message. It could be my computer. I had to take it back to factory settings last night and am still loading updated drivers and such. I’ll come back later and check it again. I can visualize your explanation of what he did in his own kitchen and why. Still need to get to my library to see if they have any of his books.

Zulu Spillane, I gave up on a wheelchair-base vanity and designed my own. The ones offered for sale to the homeowner cost at least $3000, then are wall-hung with little storage. I dislike wall-hung because I still walk, with failing knees. I sometimes grab furniture and lean on it. I want things I lean on to have legs that contact the floor and to be sturdy enough to take the weight. Many wheelchair accessible vanities extend far out from the wall. That is so that if a person using foot rests with their legs elevated tries to wash their hands, they can reach the sink before their legs hit the wall. My bathroom did not have room for a deep counter as well as room to maneuver a wheelchair. Pick one, it became for me. I chose the floor space and a 16” deep countertop with a semi-recessed sink that comes out a bit from the counter’s edge on one end of the vanity. My vanity depth was also driven by the fact that increasing the door width to 36” took away depth from my counter space area. You can begin to see that each disabled person is disabled in their own unique way. One-size-fits-all solutions like ADA guidelines, therefore, do not tend to work well for individuals in standard sized homes. You do your best to meet current needs and try to predict and meet the future needs, as well. Store-bought wheelchair vanities often do not fit into our spaces. That leaves even fewer buyers for them, making them almost a custom item, with a custom price. I simply took the next step, and designed a truly custom vanity for my own needs and my space. Wall sinks like the ones above can be a great solution, as long as the disabled person can reach the controls and the water flow without smashing their knees, toes, or extended legs into the wall.