OK. My washer is coming tomorrow. No bells and whistles--just a standard ole Top Loader. SPEED QUEEN #AWS44NW--3.3 cu.ft. stainless steel tub--8 cycles--3 water temp. ect. washerman8--I wanted the model you have but it took too long for them to get it. If I need a 2nd rinse I'll just wash with no soap. Here is info on this model. Maybe by the time this machine dies the FLers will be more worry free. Appearance Color: White Rear Controls Flexvane Agitator Galvanized Metal Washer Cabinet 3.3 cu.ft. Stainless Steel Washtub Triple Coat Commercial-Grade Cabinet Finish Performance/Features 210° Agitation Stroke 3 Water Temperature Selections 8 Cycle Selections 2 Speed Automatic Balancing System Rear Self-Leveling Legs Porcelain Coated, Steel Outer Draintub Tuff Guard Protected Top Bleach Dispenser Fabric Softener Dispenser Commercial Strength Suspension Sys Hush Pak Appearance 3 Water Temperature Selections 8 Cycle Selections 2 Speed Automatic Balancing System Rear Self-Leveling Legs Porcelain Coated, Steel Outer Draintub Tuff Guard Protected Top Bleach Dispenser Fabric Softener Dispenser Commercial Strength Suspension System Hush Pak Cycles Regular: Heavy Normal Light Permanent Press: Normal Light HandWash/Delicate: Normal Light Soak/Prewash Technical Information Tub Volume: 3.3 cu. ft. Average Water Consumption 39.1 Overall Dimensions: 43"H x 25 5/8"W x 28"D Cabinet Height: 36" Motor Horsepower: 1/2 Spin Speeds (RPM): 474 710 Warranty Speed Queen brings to you the industry's best warranty on all of our washers and dryers. 3-year warranty on parts and labor 5 year limited warranty on the motor 5 year limited warranty on the cabinet 10 year limited warranty on transmission Lifetime warranty on all stainless steel washtubs and outer draintubs

If your current washer has been repaired and is working, why replace it now? You've already invested in the repair, I'd suggest continuing to use the machine until it develops another problem. Payback on energy/water savings depends on individual usage characteristics and local utility costs. Payback time at average of four loads per week likely will be longer than you expect, unless your utility costs are very high. Keep in mind that just because a frontloader (or any washer for that matter) has an exceptionally large capacity doesn't mean all your laundry should be bundled together so as to always run the largest load possible. Sorting according to color, soil level, fabric type, and special care items is still important, and even moreso with the newer HE-type low-water and high-spin-speed machines that are less forgiving at mismatching the cycle selection and load type. The wrinkle-prevent (or wrinkle guard, finish guard, wrinkle free, etc.) feature on dryers sometimes lead to misunderstanding of what exactly it does. It's intended for situations in which no one is present to immediately unload the dryer when a cycle ends. What it does is instead of the machine shutting off and sitting there with the clothes crumpled in the drum, it runs an unheated tumble for an additional period of time (either intermittently or continuously) to keep the items moving and fluffed-up. If you normally unload immediately when the cycle ends, the wrinkle-prevent function won't really do much for you.

Blue Store employee here, so I do know what's expected from a KD there---or Cabinet Specialists as they term the position. They don't use the term designer, because they don't expect actual true design responsibilities from the employee. They just never tell their customers that. Unfortunately, Lowes employs many kitchen Customer Service Associates who are not designers at all, and are not there to do any type of design work at all, but that may not be clear to a consumer. They're there to dust, and to escort people around the showroom, and make appointments for the KD's etc. They aren't supposed to create quotes or do designs, but some do. When they quit paying commissions to the KD's, Lowes lost most of the experienced KD's, and had to replace them with poorly trained transfers from other departments. The person you talk to today may have been in paint two weeks ago, and then watched a bunch of computer videos to get transferred to kitchens. You don't get a lot of competence for $12 an hour and no incentive to work harder or better. So, even if you do get a "Cabinet Specialist", they may not have the knowledge to do the job they're supposed to do. It's just too complicated a job to think that a few weeks of computer training will be sufficient. But they insist on doing it that way anyway. If I hadn't already had a background, there's no way that I could do the job based on the training that they offer. And, at least Lowes offers the computer training. According to a local source, HD is getting out of the kitchen design business in store all together in the next year. Within the next few months, you wouldn't have had anyone to talk to at all about your project had you gone into Orange instead of Blue. We give "free estimates" for counters, but those estimates are based on the customer's measurements that they bring in, which aren't usually accurate at all. We have few solid surface counters on display, because it's so out of fashion, but we do display a set on backsplash and a coved backsplash. I do personally discuss the costs of the coved backsplash when we're having a general show and tell, but at $40 a foot, I can't tell you the last time someone actually wanted that. Nor can I even tell you the last time someone even asked about it before I showed it to them. It's been literally years. We might do a solid surface top about once a month, and it's never for someone looking for a budget top. Budget people do a cheap granite. We don't even do a set on backsplash for 95% of the counters we sell of whatever kind, even laminate. It's flat deck everything with people doing tile backsplashes. An estimate is required before a template can happen. A template isn't free of charge. The templater's time has to be paid for. It requires a deposit, which either a set measuring fee in some markets, or, in most markets, the entire counter amount paid for up front based on the customer's probably not so accurate measurements. (Which is why no one does a final contract on an estimate.) After the template, when the real measurements are ascertained, and all costs for all of the options being chosen are known, that's when the final costs are determined. That is explained to every customer, at least by me. If you back out of the sale after the template, you are refunded all but the template fee. That's in the small print. And that's why I say you owe the fee. As far as the miscommunication goes, even with an experienced KD, that sometimes happens when a customer has assumptions that they aren't fully sharing or explaining because they are assuming that something is one way or standard when it's not. It's up to the Specialist to ask enough questions to be able to educate the consumer and correct those assumptions. However, had you asked me about a "seamless counter" I wouldn't have assumed you were talking about the backsplash at all. Just the butt seams or corner seams in the counter. The big takeaway though from any interaction would be that the process should have been explained to you enough to know that your total wasn't final until after the template. And this is one of the reasons that I always over estimate a counter. People don't mind getting a bit of refund, but they hate coming up with more money for the job.

Thanks for all your feedback. The couch is my only couch, subject to constant use, and visible from the kitchen and dining room in my open-concept, small, home. I really like the idea of a dark fabric couch. Love the sunbrella idea! Not as keen on the slipcovered look, although love it in other people's house. Leather is too masculine for me, although I understand how amazingly durable it is, and if I were slightly more practical, I would choose it. I'll try to find an Ethan Allen dealer locally and see their offerings. The price is right. Below are pictures of my current sofas, and the house. I think they've held up extremely well, (pattern hides dirt well) but the couches are quite uncomfortable with their low backs, so recovering is not really what I want to do (too bad though). I've also attached a picture of a sofa that I like from a looks, quality, and colour perspective. It is $2900 for the three seater (this is smaller than what I'd get). I'd get it in the navy. It doesn't come in sunbrella, unfortunately, so I'm going to look into a few other options before deciding. Thanks again for your input!