Are downdraft ventilation units better in 2024? Honest reviews please
Pi_pumkin_sol3
3 months ago
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just_janni
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Replacing Jenn-Air downdraft range on interior wall
Comments (28)Quick reply to Jenn Air delima. Same problem here. Need to replace our Jenn-Air stove temperature does not heat anymore. Our concern is also with the downdraft. My husband called Home depot and they have one that is a General Electric model, less than $1,000 with down draft. Should hook into our other one vent possibly. Also Sears. we're going to go check it out today...See MoreKitchen Layout review & suggestions please
Comments (18)Sorry for the delay in responding; I was away till this morning. bmorepanic: Thank you for taking the time to rework the plan. The hot water rads never get too hot so we're ok that way. Silly I know... I admit that the reason I didn't want to go around the corner with cabinetry etc was to keep that end wall clear to have a place to display my artwork. We do need 2 chairs & table. Currently we have a 54" round table (pre this house purchase) with 2 chairs and it is a very tight fit with a utility cart too behind the north chair along the long wall. Definitely a tight fit. We've been living with it for 7 1/2 years so downsizing to a 28" square bistro style will feel positively spacious! I close the door when seated at the table, but have thought of putting in a pocket door instead. David: I hadn't thought of an island 3 different widths. I'll give it a try. laxsupermom: Due to placement of stairs to the basement & to upstairs attic/loft bedroom the DR door can't be moved over. The appliances have all been ordered. I went with the KA convection micro/oven combo for the features of having a dual oven without having to purchase a double. buehl: I don't mind at all the personal question. I realize I should have given more background. My DH & I are empty nesters (mid 50's). Our 2 children (1 grandchild - 2yrs) live at a distance and visits to here are about 4 times a year for a weekend duration. I have a non-functioning ankle (fusion or ankle replacement hopefully in my future). This causes issue with inability to bend correctly from the knee to reach down & lifting. A raised oven will be so much easier & safer. This injury also causes instability in balance, so having to move only a couple of steps when carrying anything hot like pasta water to dump in the sink is important. A place to sit to chop veggies etc is necessary from time to time. jejvtr: Good question about soundproofing, but not an issue. The music studio is only a couple of steps down from the kitchen level, cinderblock wall with the hallway in between and a door on each side. It is almost completely soundproof. lascatx: I mixed up my dates and the cabinet guy comes next Saturday. It's good the hear from someone who has lived with a similar setup. Even though I'm the only cook, there is at times 2 of us trying to do things in there at the same time. Thank you everyone. I will take all your suggestions & work on more layouts and see what revisions I can make that will make me happy. Jazzie...See MoreFloorplan review please!!
Comments (16)Yes, that one is better, but I'm concerned because it's significantly different from the first one in terms of # of rooms and basics. This makes me think you haven't yet clarified what you need your house to do. I'm a teacher, so here's your homework: Together with your spouse, sit down and brainstorm what rooms your "forever home" needs to have ... and then for each room, write down all the functions that room needs to provide ... and your must-have details for each of those rooms. If we all did this, we wouldn't agree on what we want our rooms to do for us, so it's important to think this through and clarify it for ourselves. Take your time doing this -- don't jump in too fast; right is better than fast. For example, if I were to make a list for my master bedroom, here's what I'd say: - Must be on the first floor - Space for a king-sized bed, but no wasted space -- this isn't a splurge room -- prefer that foot of bed faces the doorway -- prefer bed set back into room /traffic pattern passes by the foot of the bed /not by a sleeper - Built in unit: Cabinets on bottom for storage of hobby items /bookshelves on top, space for a TV mounted to the wall (need cable jack) -- simple, inexpensive, paint-grade stock cabinetry - Room to be placed at the back of the house /doorway to back porch - Windows on two walls for cross-ventilation - Flat ceiling -- not a place to splurge / must have ceiling fan - Large walk-in closet to hold all clothes and shoes (no dresser in bedroom) /must be convenient to laundry / Elfa shelf storage /good lighting /electrical outlet for a hand-vac /storage space for suitcases /include step stool - Light colors, restful, plenty of natural light - Re-use our current bed /paint white /add new, sumptuous bedding with plenty of layers and pillows - My grandfather's cedar chest is to remain at foot of bed for linen storage - Swing-lamps attached to the wall on each side of the bed / think about reading in bed without disturbing other spouse - Bathroom and closet doors placed so light doesn't shine onto bed /waking sleepers - Outlets placed at "nightstand height" -- four on each side, to include USB outlet - New nightstands w/ open shelf for books - Wooden steps so dog can reach the bed Now, I'm in no way suggesting that your idea of a "perfect bedroom" should match mine; rather, I want you to think about the kinds of things you should be considering. Looking at my list, you might say, "No, I don't want cabinets for hobby storage -- we're going to include a craft room, and our junk will be stored in that room." Or you might say that you want a bay window with space for two comfortable chairs and a table so you can have coffee in privacy when you have company. You might say you don't want a TV in your bedroom, or you might want a desk in your bedroom. You might say you want your bedroom to be connected to a study or an exercise room. You might need storage space for special medical needs. Note that I don't care whether I have eastern light for the morning -- you might. The point is for you to really dig down and decide what YOU WANT from each room. Don't bother with how the rooms will connect yet. Instead, focus on what rooms you want and what would be ideal in each room. Do this for every room in the house (I chose the bedroom as an example because I thought it'd be the shortest list). For each room, consider how you'll use the room, what you want to store in the room, what activities you want to happen in the room. THEN you'll be able to look at a floorplan and say with certainty, "This can work for me"....See More30" Bluestar Platinum (and ventilation) Review
Comments (28)Thank you again, Kate for your detailed review of your Bluestar Platimum Range. You have been a big help. In September, after several years of reading many reviews, we finally took the plunge and ordered a Bluestar 48” RNB Range with the integrated rolled steel griddle. We received it in October and I have no regrets! Everything about this range I love. My Christmas cookies all came out perfect; nicely browned outside and moist on the inside. Cheesecake, brownies, bread, and pizza have all baked beautifully. Meats and casseroles cooked evenly and on time. My old Thermador has not baked evenly in a very long time and often stopped in the middle of baking. The small oven does a wonderful job. Both ovens heat up quickly. My old small oven was useless. It took nearly an hour to heat up and twice as long to cook. I cooked two 9 x 13 dishes at once on Christmas day and they were both finished at the same time. I could never do that in my Thermador. The ovens clean up easily, if you just take a few minutes after a spill and clean it. We love the open burners and would never go back to sealed burners. Searing and Wok cooking is unbelievable. I cook with cast iron pans and love that the burners are all cast iron. They are much easier to keep clean and nice looking. Since I do a lot of cooking, the stainless sealed burners on my Thermador lost their shine and became discolored in a couple of years. Those who are concerned about rust will find these burners do not rust unless you allow water to sit on them. I also love the trays underneath that catch spills and debris. I put them in the dishwasher every couple of weeks and the come out like new. My RNB came with an integrated rolled steel griddle. I am very happy with the steel griddle. It heats evenly and cleans up easily. My old griddle came with a non-stick surface which eventually came off and left debris in our food. It did not clean up well at all. Steel or cast iron is the way to go. I mentioned my Thermador repeatedly because when you go to these high end appliance stores and ask, what are the top line of ranges, they always say the Wolfe and the Thermador. They sound like the nicest, with a lot of great features. But the fact that they are run with computer operated parts makes them very expensive to repair. And repairs they will need. The Thermador gas range has self-cleaning ovens. The high temperatures they use for the self-cleaning feature reduces the life of computer components that run the range. I have found the Bluestar is simple but works so well....See Moreeandhl2
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