Product Review: The Products Make the Home

Award winning homes require quality products. Here are the manufacturers whose products were used the most in the making of this year's BALA homes.

Sub-Zero has a new professional refrigerator, the PRO 48. PRO 48 is a large capacity refrigerator measuring 18.4 cubic feet for the refrigerator and 11.4 cubic feet for the freezer. This refrigerator comes in two models: Model 648PROG comes with solid stainless steel doors; and the Model 648PROG comes with a triple-paned, argon gas-filled, insulating glass door on the refrigerator side. These hand-built refrigerators can be ordered built-in or freestanding. There are a variety of storage options: full extension drawers; interchangeable drawer dividers; and two 2-gallon stainless steel, washable and oven-safe bins. The exterior, digital, temperature monitor controls three separate areas of the refrigerator. There is an intelligent microprocessor and interior control panel that calculates defrost settings based upon the home owner's usage patterns. The Pro48 series' automatic icemaker can fill the stainless steel bucket or drawer up to 8 lbs. from filtered water. The doors are designed with an auto close hinge. Additionally, there is an alarm system on this Department of Energy certified appliance to alert when a door or drawer are still open. www.subzero.com [1]

Kohler has introduced its WaterTile Shower Sprays. The two model options — Watertile bodysprays and the WaterTile showerheads — are ideal for custom configurations. They can be installed at any angle on the walls or ceiling. The water direction can be adjusted by the bather. Both models are flush-mounted with a brass finish in two sizes: 54-nozzle spray and a 22-nozzle spray. The sprays have a 5 × 5-inch escutcheon with a 3 × 3-inch sprayface. www.kohler.com [2]

Therma-Tru has a new Impact Rated Glass for its Slim-Line Patio Door Systems. This laminated, tempered Low-E glass has a DP-50 water, structural and windborne debris rating on units up to 8 × 9-feet. These units can structurally withstand 171 mph winds, water penetration of 8 inches of rain per hour driven by 54 mph winds and air infiltration equal to 25 mph winds. This door system has fiberglass pultruded lineals, double weather-stripping and integrated components and hardware. The fiberglass frame is available in White, Almond, Stone and Bronze. The hardware comes in brass, white, brushed nickel or an oil-rubbed bronze finish. The Slim-Line door system operates on a track system. www.thermatru.com [3]

The Villa Vista by Lennox is an EPAII approved wood-burning fireplace. This fireplace has a 70,000 BTU catalytic combustion burner and heats up to 2500 square feet. It operates at 72 percent heating efficiency and can be connected to other rooms. The Villa Vista has an herringbone brick refractory with a single-pane door in either a 24K gold-plated or black trim. There is also a flush-face front option www.lennoxhearthproducts.com [4]

Owens Corning has introduced Cultured Stone Electrical Box Stones. This cultured stone application is designed to surround standard extension boxes for wall-mounted light fixtures and receptacles. It comes with pre-formed holes to accommodate standard extension boxes. They can be coordinated with all types of cultured stone and cultured brick wall veneers. They are designed for installation adjacent to stone veneer are offered in two styles: the light fixture stones are 8 × 10 inches with a grooved border design and the Single Receptacle Stones are 6 × 8 inches with raised chamfered edges. The stone is available in gray or taupe and is applied as an adhered veneer. www.owenscorning.com [5]

KitchenAid's double drawer refrigerator is ideal for rooms outside of the kitchen. The refrigerator drawer fits a standard 27-inch cabinet opening. Each drawer has independent cooling with a temperature range from 34–45° F. The cool pantry option on the bottom drawer has a temperature range of 40–60°F. The drawers are available in stainless steel and as an overlay model with custom panels. www.kitchenaid.com [6]

Viking now offers its Pro Sealed Burner System with its Professional series all gas, dual fuel and gas self-clean ranges and rangetops. The VariSimmer-to-High (VSH) technology has a full range of BTUs on every burner up to 15,000 BTUs. These completely sealed ranges have a porcelain surface with raised edges for containing spills. The brass burners and valves have porcelainized, cast-iron burner caps. They are offered in 14 finish options including stainless steel with optional brass trim. www.viking.com [7]