Thanks. they gave me some catalogs. Of course the manufacturer catalogs aren't gonna say "our blocks are nothing special". That's why I asked. the quotes range from $4500 for the unilock concord to $3600 for the techo lock. I was told that the nicolock would be a little cheaper than the techo, but they all look the same to me! Thanks.

I've been researching stoves/ranges and am heavily drawn to the slide-in options because they look built in and aren't that much more money. I just think getting rid of that backsplashy thing on the stove is a much nicer, cleaner look. And, I love the idea of eliminating spills between the sides of the stove and counter top. Conversely, though, the other look I love (which is a heckuva lot more money) is the pro range with the over-sized stainless backsplash and high shelf, which is a really integrated look with the fan hood on top. It's just probably much more money than I can justify. I've been thinking a lot about what matters to me most in a range and cleanability at very near the top of that list. I'm tired of cleaning grates, drip pans, burners, stovetops, etc, etc, etc. I find stoves a pain in the bum to clean. For that reason, I'm even considering switching away from gas to a smooth-top. The ones I am seeing don't have that backsplash built-in, either.

When kitchens became standardized sizes starting in the 30’s, and counters were standardized at 36”, the older unfitted kitchen of different height components compromised as the fitted kitchen at 36” for all. Taking a step back to customize different work surfaces at better ergonomic heights is more of a step forward. Unfortunately, it leaves the person wanting to do this using custom options to do so. That raises the remodeling expenses, and keeps these options limited to those who can afford them. The appliance clearance issues are the main drawback to this. Appliances are designed with the standard 36” counter height in mind, and the serviceability and safety of them requires that they sit on the floor, not a platform. Cooking areas at 36” are actually ergonomically too high for most people, including tall ones. You would need to be really tall to have a taller than 36” range be ergonomic. The best cross section of population height for a cooking area is actually 32”. That allows easy vision into the pots, and is still high enough to make lifting a heavy pot of soup be about using your arms and not your back. As a work counter, 32” is too low for most, and you can’t have counters adjacent to a cooking surface be a fire hazard. Agsin, standardized sizes created the 36” height, when lower is actually better for all but the very tall. At 6’ 2”, Julia Child would have benefited from a taller range than this old 70cm H one in her days in France. But you can see, it’s freestanding and much shorter than the adjacent counters. A 400 pound pro style range is almost impossible to move in and out to clean under to begin with, even with their casters. Put it on a unsafe platform, that doesn’t take into account the necessary anti tipping prevention issue, and abandon hope all ye crumbs who fall into the gap and land under it. Or the safety of someone who opens the door and extends the oven rack with a 25 pound turkey on it,. Which is why tall height cooking areas are only really safely doable with a wall oven and cooktop. A DW will have a significant gap above it with taller counters, and while it’s light enough to place on a platform for young heathy adults, it may not be so in 10 years time. It’s better to deal with the gap from above with a horizontal filler and possibly a profiled filler overlay. I‘m almost 6‘. Its the super deep sinks that are popular that give my back trouble. Having the bottom of the sink be at 24”, is gosh darn low down. Raising the counter is less useful in that issue for me than choosing a more shallow sink. Which is why I chose a workstation sink, that has the deep well to hide the dirty dishes, but also has the shallower wet area that allows me to wash veggies or rinse things without bending down into the deeper reservoir to do it. Older free standing sinks were generally a bit taller and much shallower, because of this issue. A 6” deep sink isn’t a bad thing at all if you are tall, and have a deeper sink adjoining it. The workstation sink is a great benefit for those who need taller wet work areas. Islands are the easy choice for custom height work areas that are affordable for most every kitchen. Adding a thicker butcher block counter makes for a nice section where most of the work in the kitchen can happen. Or, lowering the toe kick area allows for that lower area, for the shorter cook. Adding the smaller but shallow prep sink, or workstation prep sink, keeps you comfortable for most of the labor intensive work done in the kitchen. It’s a good compromise for those who need to accede to different height family members, or the close possible resale date. You can have your cake and eat it too.

Upgrades without context, which is often how they are applied. is not necessarily the right thing to do. And many buyers will respond to it because they are attracted to shiny new objects. A house I made an offer in in 2011 recently came on the market. One of the previous owners had owned it from 1810 until the 1920s. One from 1931 until 2011. Unchanged floorplan, many original details, changes that were made tread lightly on the original house. Yes, the bathroom and kitchen which had been added on to the original house at the back were awkward. But the most recent owners essentially gutted it, and aside from some original floors and a mantlepiece, it is chock full of 5 inch crown molding, chair rail, marble in the bathrooms, and all sorts of things it never ever had. Ruined, completely ruined. It could have been much worse, yes. Buyers will love it because it looks just like Houzz and Pinterest inside.