In researching appliances, my appliance dealer says not to let the top rack only wash be a determination as he showed me the Bosch dishwasher only uses $48 of energy per year (per the tag in the dishwaher). I have a Bosch, am fairly well satisfied, enough to get a new one for the remodel. It is super quiet which is a plus.

I don't know a lot about your other appliances but check out the Gaggenau 36 inch drop in cooktop - also goes to 18,000 BTUs and a much lower simmer - plus the GE Monogram 36 inch drop in cooktop - goes to 18,000 BTUs with a very low simmer.

JanetZ

Janet - thank you, will look at both of those. A

Am starting to second guess the wall oven choice...seems like lots of folks like the Monogram?

Do you know who makes the Kenmore oven? The Monogram (ZET2 models only) were one of my top choices. Well worth looking at if you haven't seen one in person. The shelves do adjust.

We have the Electrolux all-fridge and all-freezer units, who make the Kenmore ones (the layout or features may be a little different). We are happy with them.

We are also happy with our Bosch dishwashers, and had one at our last house that was good, too.

You seem to have very well-thought reasoning for deciding on the Dacor rangetop. BlueStar, Wolf, Capital, and Monogram also factory-configure for LP, if you want to consider any others.

rhome410 -- thank you for your response, it is very helfpul! I do not know who makes the Kenmore oven. I think I may have overlooked the Monogram and am going back to consider it.

Glad to hear that you like your Electrolux frig/freezer. I did consider the other rangetops you mentioned - while the Wolf was our top pick, Dacor seems solid and was a bit less $$, which has become a huge concern as this project moves forward!

We thought we had a reasonable budget in mind but it just keeps growing. I have told my DH that anywhere we have control over cost, i.e. choosing fixtures, etc - we just have to make sure that we are spending the $$$ as wisely as we can and getting what will do the job, what we need - may not always be the "top of the line" but want everything to perform as it should.

We have not even broken ground and the "unexpected" costs took a huge jump when we looked at the 3 bathrooms that will also be overhauled and found that we will need to do additional work on them! Just add it to the list!

I would not get anything that has Sears name on it. Their service is awful.

If I were trying to get more out of my budget, I'd forego the appliance panels. They are pricey, and really, what's so bad about appliances in the kitchen looking like, well, appliances in the kitchen? The costs involved in the panels are (1) the panels themselves, (2) the labor to install the panels, and (3) the upcharges the manufacturers charge for their "panel-ready" appliances over their standard-door appliances. Please sit down and do the math on the panels given those 3 components. You could take that money--and it will be substantial--and get better appliances for that money.

You've noted quite a few times in your OP that cost is an issue. Also, you seem already aware that sometimes installing the panels can be tricky. They need to fit "just so". Given what you've said in your OP, I would skip the panels.

On another subject - downdrafts aren't that great, and should be avoided if at all possible. I understand that it may be the only option for you if the configuration of your kitchen won't allow an overhead hood. But if there is any way you can get an overhead hood, you should try.

Am I reading you correctly? - that you are still in the construction phase, yet are CHOOSING downdraft??? Usually people opt for downdrafts when they are completely constrained by existing construction and have no other choice. If you have the luxury to be in the construction phase you should run away from a downdraft! They are a poor exhaust - it's just physics; smoke and grease waft up. A downdraft is going against physics, and will also pull on your burner flames.

I hope you did not choose a downdraft cause an architect or developer said you should - we've seen that situation before on this forum. Poor advice. Meanwhile, an island hood will not only be many times more effective than a downdraft, but the look of an island hood can really add "wow factor" to your kitchen.

My only other comments would be that I prefer the Kitchenaid dishwasher. The only panelled appliance I have is a dishwasher, and for me, in hindsight, the panel was a waste of money. It was expensive, and my installer had to tinker with it quite a lot to get it to fit without interfering with how the DW door opened. I could have used that money elsewhere. Also, re the rangetop, I myself like all the burners to be the same btu's, but that's just the way I cook. I don't want to be worrying about having to shift pots around according to how the burners are laid out.

HTH.

My appliances are old - 21 years to be exact - but I agree, the downdraft is a loser and in my remodel I am doing an overhead and making it work. The downdraf never really worked well as an exhaust plus it pulled the flame from the burners so I had to be cognizant of what pan was where and how high he burner was. I also am not doing paneling on any of my appliances. I did it on my initial dishwasher and it wasn't a problem it just never "integrated" fit-wise so I replaced it with a Bosch and have been happy with the look.

Thanks again for all the feedback - the panels are a definite "option" not a must have. We have a very "historic" home and the idea of lots of stainless in my kitchen was a look I am trying to avoid. That being said, I am very conscious of the additional cost and our first choice now seems to be the Kenmore Pro, which I learned yesterday does not accept panels -- so may save the $$ anyway.

Regarding a downdraft, while not a construction issue, it is a DH issue -- he is tall and hates the idea of a hood hanging down in the middle of the room over the cooking area. We have an old Jenn-Air solid burner stove currently with a downdraft and honestly, it works pretty well. We are looking at the Thermador downdraft b/c it rises to 14", not as close to the flame and higher than any pot I would be using. Will continue to discuss this one!

Thanks again for all the feedback!

Funny. We are short and hate hoods because they get in the way visually. We have the Dacor downdraft paired with a Dacor cooktop. Got both as display models for cheap. The downdraft works fine at clearing smoke and grease and does not pull the flames. The physics of smoke going up are correct, but the idea of the downdraft is to pull the smoke before it has a chance to go up. We had a JA downdraft for 14 years, then moved to this house where there was a hood. We used to grill indoors on the JA and never had smoke or grease issues in the kitchen. Here we had the smoke alarm going off constantly until the kitchen redo. Now the smoke is captured before it has a chance to get into the air.

I agree on the topic of avoiding downdraft. May I suggest an island hood for you I think is nice and attractive?

Here is a link that might be useful: Kobe IS-124

We have the Thermador downdraft that you are contemplating on purchasing. When we remodeled our existing kitchen, we didn't have much of an option. Our cooktop is also on an island. Although a hood would be better, the Thermador works better than our previous Dacor downdraft. We do have a remote blower which helps maximize the venting. Good luck with your decisions.

thank you again - mominttennies, it is good to know that the feedback on the Thermador vs. Dacor is very helpful re: downdraft.

I too am considering the Kenmore Pro all refrigerator and would love to talk to someone who had it. I can't even find one in a store to look at.