OVENS) Of the ovens you are looking at the Wolf ovens are by far the best. The extra capacity of the Thermadore's are largely unuseable. Take the bakeware you would use for Thanksgiving diner to your local appliance store and see if you can fit a combonation in the Thermadore that you can't fit in the Wolf. I doubt it. Plus if you have the the extra capacity of a 48" range the extra size of the Thermadore becomes an even less relevant issue. GE Monogram is GE profile with different style door and upgraded racks.If you don't want to spend the money on Wolf look into Electrolux. The ones being shipped now should be coming from their brand new factory in Tennessee. Dishwasher) The KA Kude has a heating element but no grinder. These were designed for lower noise to compete with Euro dishwashers. The Bosch dries. It may leave some droplets on plastics and deep crevices but then again it does not put the wear and tear of cooking your dishes every dishwasher cycle. 48" Range) If you have electric double ovens then you definetly want an all gas range. In general electric ovens are best for baking and gas for roasting meats. Electric wall ovens and gas range give you the best of both worlds. A 48" Capital Culinarian All-Gas with self-clean has your name written all over it. In addition to a very hot broiler also comes with motorized rotisserie. And the rangetop has has powerful open 23K btu burners than can simmer down to 140-145 degrees. Microwaves) Check out the Sharp Microwave drawer and see if you like. If not Sharp or Panasonic are very good. Or you can pay a pretty premium to get the same brand as your wall ovens so the doors and handles match.

Here is the first rule of appliance selection. Don't buy a suite of everything from one manufacturer. No one does everything well. Many of the appliance salesmen will try to steer you into one brand. Why? It's easy or they get an incentive. Next, organize you thoughts and select what is the best fit for you and your family. You may want to splurge on one item and economize on another. Do a lot of research on the appliance thread. Gardenweb is the best resource out there. Plan on spending some time here. Then go out and shop, armed with an idea of what you need, what you want and what you can afford. You have given us a budget, ~$20,000. Don't forget you will need ventilation. Everyone always forgets it and it's not cheap. I like Vent-a-Hood. I hate downdraft ventilation. Everyone has a preference. Those are mine. Rethink convection in your ovens. If you are buying double ovens, consider making one of them convection. If you have never had convection, you may not know what you are missing. But, you don't have to spend extra for double convection. If you have double ovens, you probably don't need a warming drawer. Plan on never running the self clean function on your ovens and you will be a happier customer. You only have to fry the mother board once to learn this lesson. This goes for all manufacturers. Dishwashers: Bosch, Miele, Asko for quiet. Bosch makes a wide variety of price points. I've had success with them on a number of homes. But, Miele and Asko are highly regarded. Cooktops/rangetops: You want gas. You have to decide whether you want sealed burner versus open burner. The difference is the amount of BTU that the burner can deliver. Open delivers more, closed delivers less. Some people believe that closed is easier to clean if you have an over spill. I don't agree, but let some other posters offer an opinion. I can only say I am replacing my closed burner Thermador for an open burner Bluestar rangetop. Refrigeration: You won't go wrong with Subzero, but your wallet will ache. There is nothing sexier than a set of Subzero full refrigerator and freezer. Liebherr is a competitor. I suggest that you take a look at your kitchen plans. You may be able to surround a full depth refrigerator with cabinets to create a built-in look. You will pay a lot more for counter depth and get less storage. Rather than a 48", think about a 36" full depth and supplement with an additional garage refrigerator or freezer. It's a cost effective way to get capacity. Instead of Subzero, I ended up buying the Kitchenaid Architect II 36" French door. I used the money I saved elsewhere. Educate yourself on one item at a time and it will all come together. I think the dishwasher is the easiest place to start. Good Luck.

Since this is a new build, your builder or general contractor should be able to get you a good break on the price. Some of the answer depends on your age and health. If you're considering that you have nothing better to do than holler at the companies if your bargain appliance has issues and you're getting lousy customer service, by all means shop around and pinch your pennies. The alternative is to form a relationship with a nearby (or as near as you can get) independent appliance dealer, who has the brands you want and a well regarded repair division. You can bargain--sometimes they'll throw in a free appliance when you buy a whole kitchen, plus, you'll get that builder discount--but keep them on your side, so they'll be happy to help you if there are issues. Don't let them talk you into getting one brand. No one can be the best at everything. Re appliances, a great option for aging in place is an induction cooktop, if you have reliable electricity. You don't have the open flames to catch things on fire or to clean up after, you have potentially even more control, and if you forget to turn it off, it'll turn itself off. There are also no heavy grates to drop on your fingers, let alone requiring cleaning. You can usually just wipe up the top with a sponge, and wipe spills while you're cooking. It does take a little learning, and you'll need iron or steel cookware, but it's really a great option. Most people who've switched prefer it to gas, though for a few it's the opposite. If you have some money to spend, you might also consider a combi-steam oven, which works both as a regular convection oven and a steam oven. They've been rising in popularity, and if it's just going to be two of you most of the time, it's a great way to cook small quantities without worrying about them drying out, and also a great way to reheat meals. Plus, it's awesome for steaming everything from vegetables to dumplings to tamales to "boiled" eggs. Good websites for doing research are AJMadison.com and uakc.com (Universal Appliance). Some people have gotten great bargains on eBay, especially when there's a changeover of models, or someone ordered then declined, and stores are selling off moribund inventory. Others have gotten appliances through Amazon, which might be a help if there's an issue. If you do buy online, remember to check out your local service companies and make sure they'll do warranty work for you. Even appliances that were tested in the factory, can fail once they've been shipped and installed. Something comes loose, or a manufacturing problem creates an issue after it's been run awhile. Stuff like that. That's why you have a warranty. So they can fix whatever goes wrong. But the warranty won't do you any good if there's no one around to do the work. There should be everything in Denver, at least. Just check 'em out and make sure they're on board with you before you buy from outside your area. Save yourself some bother. :)

I agree. I wouldn't put so much emphasis on the handles. Not sure where you're located but I haven't seen trash compactors used in probably decades. I think you could save money there and just use a double pull out trash/recycle that you empty daily. Bosch is my favorite dishwasher, even an entry level model is great. I would definitely rethink the refrigerator. If you have the choice, counter depth is usually really worth it depending on your plan. Make sure you take a good look at how the standard depth fridge will fit (especially depth) and if your doors will have the space to open enough to remove the veggie drawers for cleaning. Good luck!