Our IXL Tastic is still going after 10 years of daily use. The heat isn't super powerful but we have ducted heating so its neither here nor there. The fan however is quite good. Not saying the Tastic is the best but its still going with the original lamps......and it was cheap to buy and install.

I think the fridge is in a great spot - you need it to be near the walkway so people can grab something from the fridge, without invading your space. I totally agree with keeping the services out of the island bench. I would allow 800mm between the stove and sink as you are always jumping between the two when cooking and it will minimise the amount of water getting spilt on the floor. You should make sure the dishwasher is on the far side of the sink to avoid clashing between any one stacking/unpacking dishwasher and someone cooking. If you put the sink in the pantry with all you dishes it can be really inconvenient for a family that is trying to interact with the kids. I like a pantry for storage and running a mixmaster to muffle noise in the living space. If you can place the dishwasher on the bench behind the pantry that will help. Allow 1200 mm between the bench and the opposite bench/cupboard.

I was looking at today's local real estate listings and coincidentally one shows a kitchen with something on the wall above the cooktop and below the window. I've never seen something like that before. Is there such a thing as a through the wall kitchen exhaust fan. Btw from what I've heard other exhaust fans aren't really supposed to be used in kitchens because they are designed only for steam and there's no way to clean any greasy build-up.

Hi Libby In all our bathroom renovations we use the Kado Lux 250 LED Exhaust Fan from Reece. The Kado Lux also comes in two other options including with heat Kado Lux 3-in-1 Heat Lamp Exhaust and without LED Kado Lux 250 Exhaust Fan. We use these fans as we have found them to be the best looking with the fan being powerful and effective. This is the new model that has come out but we have not used or installed this as yet. Kado Lux HiFlow 250 LED Exhaust Fan Square and Kado Lux HiFlow 250 Exhaust Fan Square. I hope this helps.