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Building Our New House
-- Appliances --

Here's a list of the appliances going into the house.

Wolf gas cooktop, model CT36G

•  Five burners:  one extra hot; one very low for simmer; three medium.
•  Propane gas.
•  Stainless steel.

( Note:  If you go to this link, look at the photo -- note that the backsplash behind the cooktop is a piece of glass -- that's what we are installing. )

Wolf exhaust hood, CTWH36

•  Stainless steel.
•  In-line blower -- that is, the exhaust fan is not inside the hood -- it's in the attic.  Duct work runs from the hood into the attic, through the fan, then out a vent in the roof.

GE Profile 30-inch double electric oven, model PT956SM

If you look at our floor plan and at photos of the kitchen area, you'll see that we are installing this oven (actually, two ovens) in a corner away from the main kitchen.

Why?

Well, think about it.  When you use the oven, you stick something in it and walk away.  Unlike a cooktop where you are constantly stirring, taking off the heat, putting on the heat, adding ingredients -- an oven basically is set-and-forget.  Our thinking was this:

•  Because you normally don't open an oven after you have put something in it to cook, why have the oven in the midst of the kitchen, where there's lots of activity?
•  For the same reason, why have the oven take up space in the busy area of the kitchen?
•  And -- when you open an oven door, it blocks walking space, so, put the oven in an out-of-the-way corner.

Next to our ovens -- which are in a corner -- is a six-foot long countertop where we will make dough for bread cakes, cookies, etc., and where we can assemble other things to be baked.  This area creates a baking area separate from the main part of the kitchen.

Whirlpool Side-by-side, Counter-depth, 23 cu ft refrigerator, model EC3JHAXRL

Note that this is a COUNTER-DEPTH refrigerator.  The counter-depth was new to us and at first we rejected it, but, as we looked into things, we decided we wanted this one.

Try this:  Take a measuring device of some kind -- tape measure, yardstick, whatever.  Go into your kitchen and measure the depth of your cabinets -- they are 24 inches deep from front of cabinet to the wall behind the cabinet.  Now, measure the depth of your refrigerator.  Chances are the fridge is between 28 and 30 inches deep -- 4 to 6 inches of fridge sticks out beyond your counter.

Now, for most people, this is not a problem.  However, our kitchen is in the great room, which is also the living room, dining room, family room, den, and what-have you.  We did not want 6 inches of refrigerator sticking out into the room.  The counter-depth fridge is the same depth as the cabinets plus the thickness of the doors -- the only part of the fridge that sticks out past the cabinets is the door.

There is a drawback to the counter-depth fridge -- it's not as deep as a regular fridge and, in some models, you cannot put a big 9 X 13 baking dish or a pizza box.  Now, the fact of the matter is, we don't put pizza boxes in our fridge and only rarely do we put in something as big as a 9 X 13 pan.  So, after much investigation, we selected this one -- it will hold everything we need and then some.

Here's a tip for refrigerator shopping:  When you shop for a fridge, first, read the Consumer's Reports comments and ratings.  Then, when you go to the appliance store, take with you some of the big stuff you put in the fridge -- gallon milk jug (empty and washed out, of course), 2-liter soda bottle (ditto), pizza box, 9 X 13 pan, big roasting pan -- and see how these things fit into the fridge and freezer.

Bosch dishwasher, model SHX55M05UC

We were sold on this dishwasher when we were shopping for a dishwasher and we wanted one that was quiet.  We asked the salesman if this dishwasher is quiet -- he said, "It's running right now."  We were standing in front of the dishwasher and could not hear it running.  We bought it on the spot.

U-Line BI-95 Ice Maker

Now, a separate ice maker may seem like a frivolous luxury -- we don't think so.  This thing is small.  It will sit in the utility room and crank out ice.  Do not confuse this small, residential ice maker with the big, noisy, dripping ice machines you have seen in motels.  This thing is quiet and does not leak -- it's like the ice maker in your fridge -- when it's full, it stops making ice.