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Thanks for the tip, we were hoping to ask the builders to credit us for teh regular appiances and use that credit for some other creditand then get teh appliances on our own and ask them to install before closing.
Yes, I think we will go with wood and now is there a difference between engineered vs solid
I did the same thing with appliances with my general contractor that did the addition/renovation project at my house. We had a $5k allowance in the original quote, so we went to hhgregg and bought them ourselves, then used the $5k to offset overages. Installation was done by the electrician so it would be covered under warranty... I think the stove was installed by the plumbing contractor since they were the ones licensed to do the gas line work.
On the flooring, if I'm not mistaken, engineered is real wood, but it's still a type of laminate? Only other thing I can think engineered means is pre-finished? I don't think you want pre-finished unless you have a perfectly level floor. An unfinished hardwood floor that is installed and then sanded will have a smoother appearance. I'd recommend just going with a red oak hardwood and doing a semi-gloss clear, no stain. Of course, lots of opinions on that, so do what you think looks best. My contractor said about half of the floors he does are in semi-gloss clear.
thanks for the responses, we are also leaning towards getting Bosch dishwasher. The others we are not sure have to do more research.
Top vs front washer dryer which one? and which brand?
I think you make a good point about reselling with laminate.
In case you don't know - none of the Bosch dishwashers has a drying element. That was a deal breaker for me (it's very humid where I live) - but might not be for you.
I think in terms of appliance styles - like top versus front load washers - you have to consider where the machines will go and which one you like better. I'd rather stand up straight when dealing with clothes in the washer - and I have a window in back of my hook-ups - so I have a top loader (and could skip all the discussions/arguments about which is better ).
I have also avoided all stainless steel interiors that come into contact with water. Our water - although "city water" - has a lot of minerals and it tends to spot/leave bad residue on stainless steel.
I have also tried to avoid if possible appliances with lots of fancy digital controls. It seems that the first thing that fails in appliances these days is the motherboard. I also avoid appliances where people complain about parts availability or lack of service people in their area (I always check who does the warranty work in my area - there are some "good apples" and some "bad apples" based on my prior experiences). I don't want to lose use of an appliance for a month while I'm waiting for a part - or deal with a service company I don't like. Note that I always buy extended warranties these days (since the standard warranties are so short).
These are just my personal likes/dislikes - but you may have your own. I think you can go nuts reading appliance reviews. So I've stopped. Note that our current appliances are Kitchenaid. 16 year old refrigerator - 16 year old cooktop and microwave - and 3 year old double ovens. We bought the new double ovens to replace the original - which failed (the motherboard). And we picked the same brand because it fit perfectly into the old cabinet enclosure (cabinet work would have been very expensive). Also have Maytag. A 20 year old dryer. A 3 year old washer (that replaced a 17 year old Maytag washer - the tub rusted out) and a 1 year old dishwasher that replaced a 15 year old Kitchenaid (again - the tub rusted out). FWIW - all of our appliances are white. Robyn
I am researching for appliances for out house, The builder as part of teh upgrade package is oofering the GE stainless steel appliances. However, from my initial research I have found that GE is not good.
Can someone recommend a good brand for the appliances.
Alos can someone shed some light on either if we shoudl go with Hardwood or Hardwood Laminate floors.
... that have replaceable skins so you can change out that avocado color in your kitchen?
Are there appliances... that have replaceable skins so you can change out that avocado color in your kitchen?
Back in the 80s I purchased a GE dishwasher that had a "framed" front and panels in white, harvest gold, avocado, and coppertone so you could choose. In reality a good idea - certainly it would reduce the amount of inventory a dealer would have to carry.
My wife used to work for GE and it was a running joke to never buy a GE product that had water running through it. We bought new appliances last year and mixed it up.... Bosch dishwasher, Whirlpool gold refrigerator and GE profile gas range/microwave.
Would suggest buying a subscription to consumer reports to help narrow down your choices.
How do you like your Bosch dishwasher if you don't mind me asking.. We have to buy a new one & the repairman who came out to see if our current dishwasher could be fixed w/out spending what we would on a new ine,mtold us to stay away from them.. ( Bosch). He said the parts are poorly made & everytime they have to repair one, the parts are difficult to get & take a long time.
We also have friends who bought one 2 years ago & say it doesn't live up to it's hype.
We were thinking of getting one before hearing all this..
Anyone have reccommendations for dishwashers, stainless steel tubs? Do you think there is a big difference in how much quieter they are vs. plastic tubs?
We were told Bosch,Samsung & LG are not reliable.. Kitchen Aid seems to get high marks..
In all honesty, I'm not that impressed with the Bosch. I really like that the buttons are hidden on the top edge of the door, so it's a nice looking piece once installed, no name brand showing. It's extremely quiet, only 48db and has a stainless interior. Other than that, it doesn't have a true drying cycle. The only way I figured out to get the dishes somewhat dry was to use the sanitize option. It's not uncommon to open up the door and there to be cups or bowls full of water and floaters, grosses me out and have to run through another cycle. We noticed that some of our plastic dishes have a soap smell. This was a kind of expensive dishwasher too, I think it was around $800 or so, but I would have to look it up to verify. I'm not ready to throw it out, but I guess I was expecting better for the price.
We had a Kenmore dishwasher before, which was great, but it was white and we wanted to go with new stainless appliances. Funny story about that... sold it to a guy on craigslist, he came and picked it up with a Honda Civic. I couldn't believe it when he said he wanted to load it in the car. He had removed the passenger seat prior to coming over... the dang thing actually fit!
How do you like your Bosch dishwasher if you don't mind me asking.. We have to buy a new one & the repairman who came out to see if our current dishwasher could be fixed w/out spending what we would on a new ine,mtold us to stay away from them.. ( Bosch). He said the parts are poorly made & everytime they have to repair one, the parts are difficult to get & take a long time.
We also have friends who bought one 2 years ago & say it doesn't live up to it's hype.
We were thinking of getting one before hearing all this..
Anyone have reccommendations for dishwashers, stainless steel tubs? Do you think there is a big difference in how much quieter they are vs. plastic tubs?
We were told Bosch,Samsung & LG are not reliable.. Kitchen Aid seems to get high marks..
We bought this one (for a lot less than MSRP during one of those holiday weekend big box store sales - I guess the next one will be the Presidents' Day weekend sales):
I'm pretty sure it or something similar comes with a SS tub. We've been happy with it. It washes the dishes and it dries them . OTOH - we're the kind of people who pre-wash dishes - so I doubt we've given it a great workout. Note that this particular model is very quiet in our opinion - even without the SS tub.
It had been a *long* time since we last bought a dishwasher - and I really like the new "tall tub" interiors.
FWIW - our repair people told us the same thing you were told about parts availability for the Bosch. We didn't consider the Kitchenaid - because all of the models had SS tubs. Robyn
... that have replaceable skins so you can change out that avocado color in your kitchen?
A lot of higher end appliances don't come with front panels. You install your own - often to match your kitchen cabinets. Our old Kitchenaid dishwasher was like that. Robyn
FWIW - our repair people told us the same thing you were told about parts availability for the Bosch. We didn't consider the Kitchenaid - because all of the models had SS tubs. Robyn
Super-secret fact: The Kitchenaid and the Whirlpool tall tub are basically the same dishwasher, with different racks, controls, and tub materials.
Quote:
Originally Posted by caspian65
My wife used to work for GE and it was a running joke to never buy a GE product that had water running through it.
It's funny you mention that. I came to that same conclusion myself a long time ago, glad to know it has insider support.
Over the years I've come to this conclusion by my H/O's who insisted on Bosch D/W's; and it seems to be the general conclusion by most of the public:
Quiet, yes. Dependable? Absolutely not.
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Are there appliances ...
