Both Wolf and Electrolux have issues with the blue porcelain. And its a really big oops on the Wolf. Electrolux seems to have resolved their issues with blue porcelain as there are not any complaints from recent ovens. Wolf still has ongoing issues, but the repair will now be easier with the bottom as a separate piece. Search blue porcelain in this forum to read about this. Looking at cubic feet or even the depth and width of the oven can be misleading. In looking at oven size, measure the rack to see what the usable space would be and then see how your pans will fit. Look at how the convection fan takes up space in the oven. Some have the fan sticking out into the oven cavity, which might allow for a handle of a pan to hang over a rack edge. Others place a wall across the front of the fan so they can say the back of the oven is flat. Some examples Wolf Electrolux The new Wolf ovens seem to be blue. Different fans! Wolf M series illustration Wolf M series photo Also look at where the racks are and how they can be used. On Elux, at least mine, the rolling rack cannot be put on the lowest position. The regular rack can be placed there. The best feature of the Wolf is the dual fans/elements. I think that is more significant in the 36 inch width though. Whatever you buy, get the longest extended warranty you can get.

I wrote my response earlier today, and then my computer crashed before I got to the Preview Message. I agree with the ideas you have. When the backsplash contest happened it was a call for entries--and you submitted your photo of the space that you wanted to use the product. Then a "committee" decided what space would be the best choice to showcase the product. You could have other bloggers help with the decision. The rules of the contest involved a guarantee of photos of the tile installed. I guaranteed this by providing a credit card, which I used to purchase additional backsplash tile anyway. If I ended up not using the tile and not providing the photos, then my card would have been charged the cost of the items. It makes sense...you want something out of it. I got some great tiles and they ended up with great photos that have been used in all sorts of blogs and online sources. The photos were professionally taken and paid for by the tile company. If you do random drawing, you can give an extra "chance" if they post it with a link on their facebook page, and also if they "tweet" it. You could also make there be a minimum number of entries needed, so people will have to get the word out. Good luck!

polly929: check out these opportunities...maybe one is the show with the handyman who does come to your house to complete what dh didn't finish! Yay Sweeby! Love that room! Don't be discouraged by the % thing...I don't think it is a reflection of your votes at all. I like not being able to see the votes actually. It's a little less stressful. And as you read in the rules. the votes are only a suggestion to the judges who should be "judged". So of course, so many hurdles. And at least your room is finished. Did you see the one with the paint samples on the wall and all the furniture in the middle of the room? Another made a comment about her "contractor"---ummmm wasn't this a DIY contest? oh well. I entered for fun. Thanks mcraney for the post, I couldn't bring myself to ask for votes here. I'm sure people would ask me to leave GW! And polly--you should enter too. The contest is still open, and it's not like only one, or make that 2 GWers can enter! -Bee Here is a link that might be useful: Casting calls on HGTV

I like that name "Oregon Trail Millennial" — my age is of that in between era of firmly Millennial or Gen-X. I think my experience with homes and remodeling has straddled the generations equally. I used to watch home improvement shows on PBS, before there were cable channels dedicated to the topic, and I was a regular on the original GardenWeb site, before Houzz was even around. I've seen so many building and design trends and ideas come and go, but I've certainly embraced the trends that would likely be considered new school by older generations. Ideas such as green building/sustainability, quality over quantity, a love of throwback/time-proven designs (Mid-century, Craftsman, Scandinavian, etc.), reuse/recycling, DIY — all seem to be pretty important to Millennials. It's all new spins on old-school traditions and, at their core, ideas that can be practiced both frugally and safely (e.g. You may tire of a chair, but it's been in style for 100 years so it's unlikely to become dated). My experience diverges though in that I'm on my third home, and the second one that I will have remodeled. I learned my lessons from the first remodel, after using all that easy money the banks were throwing at us to make improvements. Sure it was a nice house when it was done, and I severely miss my kitchen — but I couldn't pay for it on my own, even with a roommate, so it had to be sold at an overall loss when my ex and I divorced. My current project, where barring any major life changes I intend to own until I'm old and gray, is a 1929 Craftsman that had most of the upgrades I was shopping for (new electric cause I didn't want to deal with that again!) but still needs a lot of TLC. In perhaps true Millennial style, I purchased this property for well, well under what the banks said I was approved to spend. I made a choice to forgo all the bells and whistles and spend no more than what could be covered by slinging coffee at a Starbucks. And, unless I add on square footage (or build an apartment for my mother that lives with me) I plan to continue paying cash for my upgrades. The DIY progress is slower, but damn if it isn't financially prudent. And yeah, not being house rich and cash poor means I get to do things like travel or pursue other hobbies that make me as equally happy as having a really nice house. To get to the actual question, projects in the mix include finishing up adding insulation to the walls, cause you know they couldn't be bothered to add that in 1929, hand oiling the wood floors, rehabbing windows and planning for bigger jobs — like the exterior painting and roofing that I'll not foolishly DIY. Hiring pros to do work, as someone with enough knowledge to be dangerous, means bringing in vendors that have a client-centric process, good communication skills, and because it's happened, aren't sexist/ageist/generally crummy people. At the end of the day, I have to like the people that are working on my house, because we're going to likely be seeing a lot of each other if it's a bigger project.