I'd be looking at an induction range. Induction requires 1" not 6"....do you have 240/220 into the house and space in the panel such that you could get it into your kitchen? The Frigidaire range is well reviewed and a good price ($1500), that plus the new dedicated circuit ($500-$800) and possibly new pots and pans ($350) will still be less than the bluestar ($4,500) and it will feel more spacious because it will look like smooth countertop. (Need a "hot" name Bosch induction is $3000) you cannot have a microwave hood over the bs but you can over induction. I'd get over loving the bs it is inappropriate in this limited space.

I have a Bluestar 30" RCS v2 and a Zephyr Napoli 36" island hood (ZNA-M90CS). The stainless steel color match is very good. To my eye, they look as if they were made from the same batch of steel and brushed with the same tools and technique. I really love my Bluestar RCS but I have mixed feelings about the Napoli. It looks really nice but it is a lot noisier than I expected. Technically, the noise volume is relatively low and to spec -- ranging from about 40dB(a) to 66dB(a) depending upon the fan speed setting. The problem is not the noise volume, but rather, the quality/pitch of the noise. It is not the low frequency sound of air rushing through the baffles. It is a higher pitch whirring motor/fan sound right at ear level.. You can easily talk over it with normal conversation, but it is quite irritating to listen to. Also, as an island hood, its flat bottom capture area it is not very effective. If I place a steam kettle with its spout directly under the center of the hood (the baffles are 33" above the burner grates), a large portion of the rising steam hits the baffles and then just rolls around and up the sides of the hood to the ceiling. There is no effective storage volume below the baffles to capture and hold the effluent long enough for the air flow to completely exhaust it into the duct. In retrospect, I would rather have an island hood with an external blower and deep recessed, angled baffles.

OpaOne. From one Opa to another, I'd like to thank you. Reading your posts on Houzz/GardenWeb here and your link posted above (WordPoint/Disqus), I've decided to do a BlueStar RNB 48" rangetop with a 24" griddle in our kitchen remodel. It makes so much sense to me to do the same set-up that you have with the griddle as a faux French Top, using the portable inductions (which I have two of) for other items such as the Fisler pressure cooker, etc... Also, the idea of being able to place my "giant" de Buyer carbon steel Paella pan entirely on the griddle is a "no-brainer" for me. Also was thinking of doing crepes on the griddle once it is well seasoned. Basically, a large thermostatically controlled griddle is the way to go and could be a very Jack of All Trades cooking unit. I was wrestling with doing the 60" RNB rangetop (for the 2 extra burners) or a set up using the BS 36-inch Platinum with a 24-inch BS RNB all griddle butted up against it. The costs of double gas lines/electrical, ventilation, and cabinetry and the ridiculous price mark-up made that point moot. Early on I definitely decided against the range, due to my age and bending over, plus I prefer electric ovens over gas. I'm going with the 30-inch Thermador Professional double wall oven with bottom dual convection and rotisserie oven and their steam oven above. Their steam oven has the largest capacity available on the market. I wish that Miele or Bosch offered the same capacity. I am also thinking (planning stage) of matching a 30-inch (Thermador) Speed Oven under the coffee bar counter (all appliances on the same wall), instead of a plain microwave or microwave drawer. On the ventilation above the BS 48-inch rangetop, I'm leaning towards a 54-inch wide by 27-inch deep Z-Line 1200 CFM stainless hood. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Bluestar ranges have a checklist of items that needs to be run through during initial set up. A good installer should do that for you, and it'll make for a much more pleasant experience. But it isn't impossible to do that yourself. The design is really straight-forward and traditional. No big surprises. Having said that, if you have never had a Bluestar or similar range before, I'd recommend asking a competent installer to do this work for you. Once installed, a Bluestar range should require minimal or no additional maintenance. But it wouldn't hurt to familiarize yourself with how it works. I feels like playing with LEGOs. Just a handful of simple parts that click together. During installation you want to make sure that the tip-prevention bracket is installed, as your building inspector might check for that (not that it is likely you'll ever tip this behemoth of a range). Also make sure all the feet are adjusted for the correct height. The manual should give you the details. I think, the frame needs to be about ¼" higher than the surrounding countertops. This also gives you an opportunity to level the range, if your floor isn't actually level; a range that is out of level can be frustrating to cook on. Ensure that the correct back guard is installed or that your range is more than 6" away from your backsplash. Also, make sure that the oven door is fully proud of the front of your cabinets. When you get the range, make sure that all the burners turn on reliably. If they don't, check the spark igniters. If they aren't straight/centered, they might not spark in the right spot (the new improved design makes this failure mode less common). Also, if the screw that attaches the igniter to the burner head is lose, you sometimes don't get a good spark. If that still doesn't help, check that the igniter cable is fully plugged in. And check that there are zip ties that keep the able away from metal parts. If it runs too close to metal parts, you can have sparks go through the insulation. This is easy to notice; you hear the spark, but you don't see it at the burner head. Just clean up the wires a little better. Next, check that the shutters are adjusted correctly for your altitude above sea level. If you are at sea level, you probably won't have to make any adjustments. On the other hand, if the shutters are set incorrectly, you either have a flame that is loud and separates from the burner head, or you have a flame that is too cold and has lots of yellow. Don't worry about yellow per se; you also get that from sodium in the flame and that frequently happens for a few hours when the stove is new. That's perfectly normal and just cosmetic. It doesn't affect the flame temperature at all. For more details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9XxeVtkYNU Afterwards, verify that the low flame settings is correct. It should be as small as possible without actually going out. For instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l45j0tXC23Q If you for some reason decided to modify the burner configuration (e.g. replaced the simmer burner with another 15kBTU burner), you not only have to change burner heads and jets to match, but you also absolutely have to go through the steps of adjusting the shutter and the low set point. Incidentally, if you hear gas, but you don't get any flame at all, then there is a chance that the venturi tubes don't sit on the gas jets. This can easily happen when you pull out the burner heads (e.g. during transport). No harm done. Turn off the gas, properly seat the venturi tubes, and try again. Finally, I would verify that all the grates sit level and don't wobble. There are screws that the grates rest on. If you notice wobble, slightly adjust these screws. I think, that's it for the top section. For the oven, check that the main oven burner and the broiler both turn on reliably. Give it a little time. It can take a minute or so for the glow bar igniter to heat up and to turn on the gas flow. But it should eventually do this. If not, contact Bluestar for service (or, if out of warranty, ask here and we'll tell you what to do). Then check the oven temperature. Please note that Bluestar ovens are really huge. That's generally a nice thing. But it also does mean that it takes a really long time to preheat. I'd give it at least 30min to preheat before checking temperature with an oven thermometer. It is normal that the temperature will hover around the set point. All gas ranges operate like that and cycle on and off. So, keep that in mind when looking at the temperature. In my experience, Bluestar does a really good job at setting the temperature correctly from the factory. But if it happens to be off for your range, you can find instructions how to careful adjust the set point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9igDKzDg6E While you are at it, make sure the lights and the convection fan work. Please note that the convection fan should never be used during pre-heat or when the broiler is in use. Newer models should actually lock out the fan during these times. When you are happy with all calibration and function tests, you should do the initial burn-off cycle for your oven. There always is some small amount of oil residue on all metal parts, and it causes your oven to smell bad when it is used the first time. All brands have this problem. Bluestar recommends a burn-off cycle. It's been many years since I had to do this, but I think it was something like 450°F for 2 hours. This is also a great opportunity to season the grates. While you can wait and with time the stovetop grates will develop a natural patina, you can accelerate the process. Rub all the cast iron parts with a thin coating of grape seed oil and then try to remove as much of the excess oil as possible. Load the grates into the oven during the burn-off cycle. They'll come out nicely seasoned afterwards and will be easier to clean going forward. If you ever wash your grates in the dishwasher, you might have to do this again. That's it, I think. If you feel you can do this yourself, you should be good to do. If you feel intimidated, ask your appliance store whether their installer will do all these steps. A good installer would also check that the correct regulator valve and the correct jets are installed. It doesn't happen often, but there have been a few reports where people ordered a LP range and received a natural gas model (or vice versa). It'll be really easy to spot when this happens and it's easy to fix. But it's really frustrating if that's your initial experience. A good installer will just take care of it.