So my husband went into the local appliance specialty store with his most common pots and pans (Staub grill pan, Chinese carbon steel wok, Le Creuset Dutch oven, and a pasta pot) and just did not like the DCS with its large burner in the center. He also looked at the Blue Star, Wolf, Dacor, Thermador, and Miele. Ultimately, based on the layout he needs and the specs (e.g., simmer, BTU, continuous grate), he chose the Miele with the contemporary (linear grates). Frankly, I think it's not as pretty, as it's a little industrial looking, but whatever. Husband is the one who does all the cooking. It should be delivered next week and I will try to report back in a month or so what our experience has been with it. Here is a link that might be useful: Miele KM3475G

I agree with above post. I also don't like the idea of relocating a system. Did they plan on removing the air handler as well? What size are you looking at? I assume both the existing XL16i and XR15 are three ton units? I am glad you are happy with the XL16i. This condenser has a problematic history and is known for poor dehumidification. I personally would stick with the XR15 with TAM7 var speed air handler, HW VP IAQ thermostat to be set up with dehumidify on demand, and Trane's two stage 7/12 KW heat strip. Dealer will need to check your breaker box capacity. You might consider a whole house air filter media cabinet. You might also get a quote on sister model AmStd Heritage 15. Just as good as Trane and really about identical to the XR15. Post back. IMO Good Luck!

Thanks so much for sharing about your floors Debbi. "I feel like it's almost bullet proof" - I'm hoping the white oak will be just as durable. My current red oak cabinets have been very tough and have stood up to lots of abuse and neglect which is what made me choose oak again for my new cabinets and floors. :) When I first started the search for HW flooring, I thought all I'd consider was solid. Then I saw some high quality engineered floors and was sold. I think the extra stability from the engineered core of the will make the floors more durable. The floor I'm likely getting also has a 4.5 mm wear layer. It's like a thick slice of wood. It can take up to 3 sandings (or so I'm told) so I hope they'll stand the test of time and last for decades. "Everything is expensive, but when we are buying, we're hoping to only have to do it once." That is how I'm justifying spending the gobs of money going into this reno...! I've been selecting higher quality materials that are (I hope) quite timeless so that this kitchen will only have to be done this one time.

Competent steam heating installers are few and far between in my area thus most charge fees higher than forced air furnace installers. Working with reclaimed equipment is always more expensive than new and it doesnt take long to eat up several hundred dollars of savings trying to fit the equipment into your location. The only way I would consider a used boiler is if the installer had removed it from its previous use and knew the ins and outs of the particular setup. If a house with a newish boiler is being torn down, that might be a good source but I would want to have the installer OK the equipment before buying the boiler.