Do you want a cooktop, a rangetop or a range? They are three very distinct creatures. Correct terminology is important. A cooktop sits on your counter and has the controls on the surface, in the place of where another burner would be. It drops in to your counter. It does not have an oven. A range includes both a stove (burners, grill, griddle, whatever) and an oven below. A rangetop is a range without the oven below. It is like a cooktop except that it is built into the front of the counter and the controls are in front. It is literally the range with the oven absent. Ranges and rangetops are available with grills from all the manufacturers that you name and more, including Capital. I am not sure about whether cooktops have grills since I never considered getting a cooktop. I have a 36" Blue Star range with a grill. I am really happy with it. Using the right terms should make your google search easier.

I have recently purchased the Model 8000 that was asked about way back in December. I paid $400 at Lowes with free assembly and a full gas bottle thrown in. I've had other grills, and I believe that the GO grills should be easily the longest lasting in their price range. Many so-called stainless steel grills use stainless cosmetically, which eliminates some repainting but does not contribute to structural survivability. The GOs are aluminum essentially everywhere (with the exception of the 4000 model, which uses some plastic). The entire body of the grill is guaranteed for 75 years. The burners are solid brass and guaranteed for 25 years. Most other parts are guaranteed for 5 years or more. All nut and bolt hardware is stainless. I've had expensive grills that rusted at the bottom of the legs where the casters or wheels attach. That's a pretty catastrophic failure. All the cosmetic stainless in the world won't deal with that. And the GOs simply can't have that problem, since they are aluminum all the way down to the casters. The casters appear to be bullet-proof themselves. So what are the limitations? Is this grill totally bullet-proof? I expect the paint will deteriorate -- of course many of you have repainted a grill, as I have. It's not that hard. A custom-fitted cover with zipper is available from GO and will prolong paint life. I expect that the grid that holds the ceramic briquettes just above the burners will be the first component to fail. Replacements are $12.95 plus shipping from the manufacturer. This raises an important question: If this grill is largely bulletproof and replacement parts will be affordable, what if the manufacturer doesn't survive? I've done some research on Great Outdoors, and here's what I've found: They incorporated in 1997. Their first products rolled off the line in 1999. Since then, they've tripled their production and sales every year. They are now retailing through giants such as Lowe's and Wal-Mart. Of course, this doesn't guarantee that they'll be around forever. They certainly won't sustain that growth rate indefinitely, and when they level off, they'll have to make serious adjustments to stay profitable. I'm betting they're here for the long haul, but I'm hedging my bet by buying a few spare parts and putting them away. (My guess is that five years from now GO be bought by one of the big boys like Weber or Char Broil. All the principles will walk away as 10-million aires.) I forgot to mention that the grill seems to be of first-class construction. Everything works well and has a feel of quality. So far I've had no problems with flame-up, but I haven't been cooking super-fatty meat. The only shortcoming from my perspective is lack of any temperature sensor. At GO's suggestion, I bought a Grill Care thermometer from Wal-Mart. I had to drill a 7/8-inch hole in the top casting to install it. LoweÂs sells a hole-saw type bit (a cylinder with bi-metal teeth around the bottom) for $12.95 that has a half-inch shank to fit your half-inch drill's chuck. It's a cinch to drill the hole if you have those tools. The thermometer was about $14 and is a high-quality item worthy of the grill. Drilling the hole does not void the warranty. One impressive thing about Great Outdoors is their customer service. Send them an e-mail, and you get a prompt and courteous response. They seem to have their act together in that vein. Is this the perfect grill, thermometer aside? No, I think the perfect grill is all stainless -- it doesn't rust, and it doesn't need paint. But such items are extremely expensive. I sent GO an e-mail saying that I wished they'd take the all aluminum design and supplement it with stainless to eliminate painting -- a bullet-proof grill at a more affordable price than end-to-end stainless. The manager, Linn Anne Rowe, said they were looking at a design like that. We'll see. Meanwhile, you can have your Webers and similar-quality, simlarly priced grills. I believe the Great Outdoors grills are best in class -- hands down. Tim Naff

I grew up in a 1-story earth home (so no basement) and we currently live in a slab townhome (1500 sq ft). If you don't need the storage/rec space and if the lot you choose is flat, I don't see the need for a basement. Our lot is angled for a side walk-out basement so we're going to have a basement (unfinished for now, possibly forever.) I'm going to try posting my floorplans directly here. Looking at my floorplans and comparing them to your requirements, I think you could make 2500 sq ft work for a 4BR. We have that formal study (I work from home full time) AND the sun room (this will be our piano room)--two spaces it sounds like you wouldn't need. It's basically a modified version of this model home.

Never mind. The usb cable I have fits. There was a piece of tape over the hole that the B end of the cable fits in and I just now found it. Thank you if anyone was trying to find an answer for me. I did a search at Canon and asked them to show me where the USB B type end on the cable was to be attached. They did. The plug is at the lower back left corner with the back of the printer facing you. Jane