I second weedmeister's suggestions and clarify that the advantage of running, say, a 700 CFM hood on a low setting, (say 400 CFM draw) is that it will be noticeably quieter than a 400CFM hood at full power. I've had 36" a Zephyr Cyclone hood for ten years, but I'm not sure I would recommend it to everybody, especially if you are building new. It is rated at 600 CFM but it has a flat base and is only about 20-inches deep (front to back). I got it because of the CFM rating and because it is only 5-inches tall. The height was important in my situation because I needed a short height to fit over my stove and under my cabinets in my small, old-house kitchen. There are many range hoods now that have a similar flat-bottom design which does not collect steam and vapors the way a deeper hood will. If you are building new, consider designing the cabinets to allow a deeper hood over the stove. My Zephyr keeps up only by running on high or very high settings. Those are never quiet. I will say that the Zephyr has done a very good job of separating grease from vapors. It does such a good job of separating grease from vapors that, When I re-did the over-the-stove cabinets and relocated the vent ducting this last winter, there was very little grease to clean out of the ducting. If I were building new, where I was not constrained by existing layouts and tiny kitchens in old houses, I would look pretty seriously at the Kobe line that Weed suggested. Also, if you are a member of Costco, you might want to look at the Ancona hoods sold there. I've heard good things about them although I have no first hand experience. The great thing about Costco purchases is that they have a no-questions asked return policy so you can take it back if you do not like it. You could then swap in a Kobe or something else that you liked. On the side issue of coil burners, my personal take is that coil burners are fine. Mature technology. Plain. Simple. Durable. Reliable. Reasonably efficient. Rather inexpensive. Well suited to constant heat applications such as cooking with cast iron and doing things like making stocks and running canning kettles. But, if the only reason that you are sticking with a coil-burner is to avoid surface marring caused by cast-iron pans, there are a variety of reasons you might want to consider an induction range. To begin with, as others have pointed out, cast iron is not a problem on the smooth surface of an induction cooktop. (Viking, the maker of the most expensive residential induction range you buy in the US at this time, has published a manual for the stove which forbids the use of cast iron on its induction stove because it might somehow damage the stove by retaining heat. Viking stands alone in that arrant nonsense. Every other stove maker says cast iron is fine on induction.) Even if you have the old Lodge pans with the rough casting ring on the bottom, they'll work fine. If scratching worries you, lay down a paper towel or piece of parchment paper (some people even use silicon baking mats). As long as your pan heat stays below 450 F, they'll be fine. If you are going over that heat level, you won't be shuffling that heavy cast iron pan around and doing saute-flips, anyway. Other induction stove extras include greater power from the burnerss and better low heat functioning, besides the and very quick adjustability that everybody mentions above. Adjustibility does not apply to heavy cast iron, of coruse. (We like cast iron because it is so stable which more or less makes it the anthesis of adjustable). Induction can be pretty amazing with other kinds of magnetic cookware. Consider also that induction stoves can give you substantially more heat and more even heat than a coil burner and that may or may not be useful to you. AFAIK, the biggest coil burners are 8-inchers rated at 2500 KwH (figuring 70% to 75% efficiency in delivering that energy to the pan) while big induction burners can be 11" in diameter and run 3400 KwH of heat (at 84% efficiency). An example of what this means in practical terms is that you can bring a large canning kettle to boil much faster on induction than on a coil burner. It also means that you can simmer that large kettle of apple butter with heat evenly across the bottom or slowly cook down stock in a large pot without fear of bring the center. Also consider the ovens in the stoves. AFAIK, there is only one coil burner model (a Kenmore) which has a convection fan. The others are basic electric ovens. With induction stoves you get convection functions including third element convection heating (e so-called Eurpoean or "true" convection.) Some poeple really like convection and others are indifferent to it. So, maybe these things will matter to you and maybe they will not.

LeCake, I am compelled to compliment you on that gorgeous cake. It is too pretty to eat! I have a Wolf 30-inch DF range, and have loved baking in it for nearly 8 years. While my size oven isn't relevant (because you require the larger sized Wolf), my baking experience is. I love to make layer cakes -- 6 layer cakes. I always bake using convection, and I never rotate the pans or move them, other than to put them in the oven and remove them. They emerge, perfectly uniform in color and baking height. Obviously, it's my job to ensure the pans have all been equally filled, to ensure consistent results. I bake my 6-layer cakes on all 3 racks in the oven. The Wolf's two convection fans alternate spinning. They turn on and off throughout the baking process. I'm aghast at the thought that some ovens' fans spin so hard they blow out the batter. Not the case with the Wolf. My cakes are perfectly baked, and I must say that all my baking -- cakes, cookies and pies -- is the best it's ever been in the Wolf DF range. It was a huge decision for me to invest so much money in the SZ fridge and the Wolf DF range when I remodeled back in 2005, but it was the BEST decision I could have made. If I were to move, I'd purchase, without hesitation, another SZ fridge and a Wolf DF range.

Expect some noise with fastened down wood flooring, especially an 8 inch. Next year this time, you will have more after a full season of humidity changes. 1% moisture content change in an 8" pine, will be noticable.

Looking to replace our 30" range. Would like a stainless steel gas or dual fuel range. Evenly baked cookies is important to me. I also would like professional style grates on the stovetop. The models that I have been looking at are Kitchen Aid, Jenn-Air, GE Monogram, GE Cafe, Wolf, Viking, Thermador. I think I have eliminated Viking due to many bad reviews that I have read. I don't want a small oven either. I do like the look of professional stoves but, I like the features that regular stoves have (ie: probe, time bake, etc.). I like how large the GE Cafe's oven is but, I don't like the grates and have read a few bad reviews. I also like the idea of a double oven ( I like the look of Kitchen Aid's double oven range). Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!