Hi Winstonloh, I got your question about our trough sink. We still do not have it installed so I can't give you an actual review. The remodel continues to move at a glacial pace but I will post the final results when it's all done. Thanks

I feel your pain. I agonized over each appliance for my upcoming reno. I overthought every detail and found the web a useful source of information overload. I started to feel like I would have a multitude of problems with every one of my appliances. Even though I've never had any problems with any appliance in any house that I've moved into - I never chose those appliances but mostly they worked. Except for microwaves as has already been mentioned ... I just assume I'll be buying a new one of those every few years! It was paralyzing to the point I wasn't sure I could buy anything within my budget. At the end of the day I finally just decided to make the best decision I could and not look back, looking at the balance of function, budget and form then hope for the best. Most likely they will all work they way they are supposed to. If not, I won't be kicking myself that I "should've listened to all those negative reviews" because if that were the case I wouldn't have been able to buy anything at all! I tried to remember this wasn't a lifetime commitment, and though I can hope for long life for each appliance I can probably only expect somewhere in the vicinity of 10 years (or less) for them. That helped me get through the decision fatigue. I agree with the others who say take each negative review with a grain of salt after ignoring the ones that are obviously just someone hard to please ... like: it made my house smell when I used the self cleaning mode. Duh what were you expecting!. If you find something frequently problematic consider if this would be a deal breaker for you in the (still unlikely) event that this happened to your appliance, then consider buying the extended warranty if it helps your peace of mind. I think when combining electronics with extreme heat or extreme cold or extreme humidity (ie fridges, freezers, ovens, cooktops, dishwashers!) the potential for electronic failure may make purchasing an extended warranty a good idea. Then make the best decision you can with your budget and hope for the best! Good luck with your purchases!

Sometimes, it seems that you don't get very many responses to threads/posts - especially layout threads. Why is that? There are a few factors involved in getting responses: Weekends, especially summer and holiday weekends, are usually not very active here - especially if it takes any time to respond. I recommend posting during the week and late afternoon/early evening Eastern time so your thread is on page 1 and will be seen by more people - especially those just stopping by for a few minutes after work and b/f making dinner or heading out for the evening. After dinner can also be a good time... Subjects! I know there isn't a lot of space for a subject, but make the subjects (1) relevant to the topic of the post and (2) descriptive - cryptic subjects like "counter" or "need help" aren't very useful and may not draw in the people who can help! It would also be helpful and more productive not to post in one long paragraph. Rather, break it up into several paragraphs, organizing the content with white space b/w paragraphs so people can read and comprehend things quickly and easily. Some people don't read the "Layout Help" topic and post asking for help without giving us very much information about the poster's goals, family composition, plans for using the space,etc. Trying to design a kitchen in a vacuum of knowledge can be frustrating and can lead to "generic" kitchens. See the "How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include?" FAQ topic. Often, the layouts themselves don't have enough information for us to work with. A full set of dimensions is very helpful! (again, see the "Layout Help" FAQs topic). If you're trying to decide whether to post a computer-generated drawing that shows the elevation (things shown as they will be against a wall with cabinets, etc.) vs an overhead plan (2D as seen from overhead) - choose the overhead! It can be computer-generated if it has all dimensions, etc.or a hand-drawn diagram using graph paper. If you need to draw it up by hand, keep in mind that it takes no drawing skill, so don't let that intimidate you. All you need: Good measurements of the room Graph paper which you can download and print from the web if you don't have any on hand Pencil & eraser (for sketching in the first lines) Straight edge (ruler, piece of plastic, triangle, etc. because even with graph paper it's easier to draw against a straightedge, and most kitchen lines are straight) Dark, fine or extra fine Sharpie (or similar marker/pen) to go over the pencil lines before taking a picture of it for posting. Without the dark pen/marker, most drawings are too faint. Using graph paper forces you to pay attention to scale. Layouts with dimensions that are difficult to read. This has become even more problematical since iVillage/GardenWeb (GW) made their so-called improvements to the site. It's now difficult to post a large enough layout that is easy to read. If I have to open a layout image in another window and fiddle with resizing and then still not be able to read the dimensions, I often bag it and move on. If you also use the GW image upload, it's not as easy to see larger versions than if you post a large version to Photobucket (or similar). Try uploading large versions of pictures (especially layouts) to Photobucket (or similar photo hosting site) and posting the picture in the message from there instead of using GW's image upload facility. Upload the picture to Photobucket in a bigger size and copy the "HTML Code" directly into the GW Message box. GW automatically resizes all pictures in threads to fit the (very) narrow space they now restrict all messages to - but when you click/select the picture, it should open a larger version at the photo hosting site. Just make sure your pictures link back to their origin - you may have to adjust your permissions settings at Photobucket (or other site). I recommend setting up a Public album for layout drawings - after all, once you've posted the layout here, it's no longer private, even if your album is private - once it's anywhere on the web, it's out there in someone's cache, if nowhere else. There's more information in the FAQs about posting pictures. See the "How do I post pictures?" topic in the FAQs. Another deterrent is a poster who does not at least acknowledge those who have responded. Even if you don't like the response, at least acknowledge it. There have been many times in the past when someone has spent a couple of hours (or more) working on a layout for the poster and the poster never responded or responded to others and completely ignored what that person did - no comments at all. While we don't expect gushing and over the top thank-yous, it would be nice to know (1) that the poster read and reviewed what the person did and (2) whether the person produced something useful or if there were some things that could be changed/tweaked for them. "Silence is Golden" is definitely not a rule here! Pictures! Pictures are definitely worth a thousand words around here! When asking for advice on layouts, color combinations, problems, or just about anything else that has a "visual", post one or more pictures. We often need to see what you're talking about. Post actual pictures - not links to pictures. It's much more convenient and easier for us to see the picture in the message than to have to go elsewhere to see it. When asking for help with materials selection, post the photos or the hyperlinks to photos of the counter, flooring, backsplash, cabinet style and finish, etc. Often people will just give the names of their selections and expect readers to go off and search the internet for them - but most of us don't have time for that! Last, much as some might not like to hear it, we do often go the "extra mile" to respond to posters who have also been contributing on the Forum - even the "old timers" who aren't here that often anymore will probably get more responses. You don't have to be an expert to contribute to the forum. You can start by commenting on in-progress or finished kitchens. You can learn a lot by studying other people's kitchens (in progress and finished) and asking questions about them. So take the plunge and start responding and helping others - it will help you in the end as well! The very last piece of advice I have for newcomers is to browse through the FAQs. For historical interest/reference, here is a link to one of the last Read Me threads (I stopped them in 2013 when the Kitchen FAQs were established): New To Kitchens? Posting Pics? Read Me! (Note that while many of the topics are the same in the Read Me thread and the FAQs, the FAQs are being kept up-to-date and new topics are being added over time.) Finally, please remember that we are all volunteers here, none of us are getting paid to do this - we do it out of our love of kitchens and helping others to get the best designed kitchen possible that meets your needs (and budget!) Some of the regulars don't have the time we used to to respond with full-blown layouts or lengthy layout critiques...b/w family and job, my time, for example, has become very precious - and family comes b/f Kitchens! (I do occasionally have time and will stop by...) However, what is great about this site is that "new regulars" seem to appear who can fill the gap when others begin to drop off the site - so welcome old and new!

Well...a couple of thoughts b/f discussing your layout. You have two children, and possibly more. You're telling us what you do NOW. Things will change drastically when the children get older. I assume you will be teaching them all (boys & girls) basic life skills like cooking and cleaning up. There will come a time - sooner than you realize, probably within 4 or 5 years (maybe less) - when there will be multiple cooks at one time as well as cleaning up being done by someone other than the cook. You need to think/plan ahead - don't just plan for today, plan for the future as well! The last thing you want to have to do is another remodel b/c the Kitchen is too difficult to work in with a family. This is more of an empty nester who does not entertain much Kitchen (i.e., no future children). +++++ OK, now the layout critique: Island seating... Be sure you have the minimum of 15" of clear leg/knee space for the seating overhang on both sides. Since your DH is tall and there's a good chance your children will be taller (my DH is 6'5" and my DS is 6'7" - I think he's finally stopped growing!), 15" will probably be too shallow - it is in our house. I wish I had done 18". 15" is too shallow for my DH and DS. I'm 5'10" and my DD is 6' - and it's just barely deep enough for us. I recommend 18" on one of the sides. At the corner, you can only have one seat - two people cannot share the same knee/leg space. So, you will need at least 15" b/w the counter edge and the first seat on one side. You may be OK, the layout is not clear. But keep in mind that each seat needs 24" of linear space as well as the 15" (or 18") of overhang. Since you have a cabinet on one side, you will need to add another 6" or so of linear space for that first seat to have enough room to maneuver into a seat since you can't slide into it from the cabinet side. This means for two seats, you will need at least 6" + 24" + 24" = 54" when there's a cabinet (or leg or wall) next to a seat. It looks like both sides will have that issue. Another 15" or 18" will be needed on whichever side is going to provide the overhang for the corner seat. I would move the DW down so it's the first item on the island. Then the sink, an 18" trash pullout, and whatever will fit. You need more space on the Prep Zone side of the sink (the opposite side from the DW) - preferably at least 42". You also don't want the DW to open into the same general area as the range. Other... The refrigerator cannot be against the wall like that. You need at least a 9" cabinet b/w the wall and refrigerator (if the wall were even deeper, it would have to be a 12" cabinet, but you should be fine with a 9"). Make it a 9" tall pantry or utility cabinet. OTR MW...not the safest location, especially as your children get old enough to use it by themselves and b/c you appear to have a gas range. We've had several people relate how they or a friend/family member have set a sweater or shirt on fire reaching over a gas range to use an OTR MW. Plus, you're removing items from the MW above your shoulders, which means any tilting of the dish as it comes out of the MW will splash on your face instead of your body where you might have clothing on to offer some protection. It's also more difficult to take things out when you have to reach up than reaching/lifting up or out from around waist high. I strongly recommend a MW drawer - it's usable by short and tall people alike b/c the controls are angled up so there's no bending over to use them. Like most appliances these days, they have easy child-locks while your children are too young to use it. Range Hood...get a true range hood if you want it to be effective. OTR MWs ar notoriously poor at venting and often cannot be vented outside. They don't cover the entire cooking surface, so they don't work well if you use the front burners or even the back ones if they're too far off to the side. The capture area should cove the entire width of your cooking surface plus, preferably 6". So, with a 30" range, you should have a 36"W x 24"D range hood that is vented to the outside. Oh, and not only are them more effective, but they're also quieter (unless you go with a cheap builder-grade one)! Appliance garage...you don't have enough room on the range wall for an appliance garage. You need workspace on both sides and you don't have much, if any, on the appliance garage side - especially as that's the side that does not have the DW opening up into the aisle. This is a personal preference, but I would not want my dirty dishes taking center stage on an island. When a Cleanup Zone is on an island, the dirty dishes are front & center and, often in the faces of anyone sitting at the island. It's better than having your Cooking Zone on the island, but if you can arrange it, it would be better to have the island only your Prep Zone with a prep sink, your Cooking Zone along the wall behind the Prep Zone, and the Cleanup Zone elsewhere, also on a wall. If it's not possible, then get a really deep sink! (Although, if it's the only sink you won't be able to stash dirty dishes in it b/c you'll need it for prepping...)