eandhl, I am getting new cabinets, so a new countertop is on the way. One salesman told me their brand fits in all the way back to the wall (same guy who said tile could void the warranty and made comments that made me doubt he knows much about what he's selling, although the one we were looking at did seem deeper than others) but others I have seen in a cabinet setting used a bridge. artemiss, Don't know what you mean by SS knobs. Are your controls at the front (on top) or at the front (same side as oven door? 2) Do you have little kids in the house? The reason I ask is that I had a range with controls above the oven door, and just bumping them was enough to turn burners on. Thanks for the info on the backsplash. Another general question: Anyone have digitally controlled elements? I loved them in my cooktop, but everyone keeps telling me they are WAY expensive if repairs are needed. They also seem to add about $400 to the price!

The dials on a slide-in range are at the front. You don't reach over the hot burners and steaming pans to change temps. This is recommended for "universal access" kitchens because a wheelchair person can use them a little better, although the surface is not lowered. These dials are easily accessed by a child, which might not be a benefit, though, if the child is just playing. The digital clock on the upright backed models is easily seen from a distance; same with the lighted indicators that show whether surfaces are hot or oven is in use. On a slide-in, the front dials and controls are on the same plane as the cooking surface so I would assume you need to approach the unit to see the lights. somewhat off topic.... regarding ranges....We began this remodel with the intention of using our old electric coil range until it died. I began to do some research and found that the upraised back on new ranges has risen significantly in my lifetime. I suspect that the gov't began to require that the dials be positioned farther from the cooking surface--in two past ranges I've worked with the dials were cockwacky because they'd melted a bit. Today's range appears to be abt 75 inches tall at the back OR HIGHER. This is a significant design aspect if you're planning new construction. We thought we'd put our niche behind range up high enough to clear any new range but when I got new one, there it is arching in front of the bottom of the niche just a bit. If you're going for a standard range like this, forget any fancy backsplash, esp if you have an under cab hood unit there also, since it has to be mounted lower than some of the decorative hood units. Our niche extends up behind the vent unit, which allows taller bottles if I get crazy and buy one of those exotic olive oils or something. There is only about a foot of actual space between the top of the range's arched back and the bottom of our vent unit. Doesn't bother me at all. nini804, there's a quote that says that any time form goes before function, take our your wallet.

Hi my bathroom is the same dimensions as yours, and the entry door is 23". After we installed the tile, the interior dimensions got a bit smaller due to the thickness of the tile etc, which is why we have 52" wall to wall at the shower threshold. Think about access to your valves when you decide on your shower door design. We couldn't move ours to the opening opposite the shower opening since a) it's an exterior wall, not recommended b) we would have had to build the wall out and would have lost space inside the shower. We couldn't move our toilet or sink, this is an apartment building.

I like to use French doors and rarely if ever use sliders, personal preference because I like the way they look and how the hardware looks when closed and the handsets are side-by-side and the hinges are on the edges. Lever hardware is preferable to knob or sliding hardware IMHO, ease of use. Inswing preferable to outswing. One exception to true French doors where both open was last year when I ordered one side operable and the other side fixed, with dummy hardware on the fixed side. This reason was this was a longtime guesthouse bedroom where some guests did not understand the 5 point lock or latches. I would find people added rubber bands to hold the doors closed by binding the handles together, and once found a hook&eye attached to the interior to (unsuccessfully) keep the doors closed. Guests are sometimes older and have enough to get used to in a new place without a lesson on how to close the doors, I want visits to be as stress free as possible (and for me not to worry about water damage if a set of doors went unchecked).