Unless you decide to go with an induction cooktop, I would definitely get gas. Cooking with gas burners gives you so much more control than electric. Whether to go dual fuel is a bit more of an issue particularly since it costs a good bit more. Some people prefer electric ovens for baking but a good gas convection oven will bake just fine and will actually be better for roasting meats. Also, a gas broiler is much better than an electric one. I have an all gas range and am quite pleased with it.

We had the following reasons for selecting a range, after having two kitchens with cooktops and wall ovens. 1) The primary reason is that wall ovens diminish available countertop space and create a visual mass in the room design. 2) We use our range a lot, both surface and ovens. The vented hood captures all the steam, smoke and smells coming from the oven since it is directly above. Previously the separate units were across the room, where the hood was of no help. 3) Our last wall oven was in a combo unit with a microwave. When the MW became unrepairable, we had to replace both appliances, even though the oven still worked. A waste. 4) The footprint is very efficient for a range and gives back drawer, counter and cabinet space. 5) We cook with gas on top. Our last gas cooktop had a downdraft vent which sucked out the flame as it pulled out the smoke. We are very happy with our double oven, dual fuel range. Because the two ovens are smaller, their doors are smaller and not too heavy to open and close at all.

This is something many folks face during a kitchen remodel. What is the most important thing, budget, appliances, recoup $ w/resale? You mentioned, small home that was not expensive. Is your fear of not recouping the $ if you put in high end appliances? If you expressed that your ready for the next level, plus you would want a wok, high btu and charbroil...(you didn't mention rotisserie or self clean). That comes with a price tag. You stated thoughts of rangetop w/ cheaper wall oven. If you have or foresee any bending/back problems, go for rangetop/wall oven. Just remember that the rangetop and cheaper wall oven will require gas and/or electrical upgrade, wall oven cabinet, rangetop cabinet and additional installation fees. On top of the price of the rangetop and wall oven, could cost as much as a range alone. If you really want the high end cooking appliances, be very cost conscious about the other elements in the kitchen. Frig, d/w, micro, sink, counters, flooring, lighting, faucets and cabinets. You don't have to break the bank. For all the money your spending, you should be pleased when you enter the kitchen. I would recommend you stick with gas. I own a 48in CC range, single Capital wall oven, Samsung CD frig and KA d/w. Good Luck

toomuchremodeling, I hope you don't mind if I answer and making the assumption that all functions work as they are supposed to, the Dacor has some good ideas. I have cooked on both, although I had the 36" range with 2 16" platforms and 4 11" platforms. I like the idea that they utilize the 16 inch platforms on Dacor. That gives you 6 big burners on the 48" Dacor and 8 conventional burners on the Wolf. I really liked the 6 big burners but wanted 2 full sized ovens so went with the 36" range and wall oven. I frequently cook for 20-30. If you cook with really big pans this is a good idea. I liked the burners, they were great for cooking. The Dacor burners seem to set forward a little more than the Wolf and is more comfortable for me. Wolf also cooks well and has very good simmer and most of my pans have fit well. One problem with the Dacor is that the knobs are plastic,so that they can have the pretty blue light, but one broke and I am careful. Wolf is made with heavy cast metal. Maybe someone might be able to talk about the differences in the burners or maybe a sales person might be able to show you. The Dacor oven is supposed to be within 2 degrees of the setting so comparable to the Miele in accuracy. If you turn the Dacor to 350 degrees, it will do that and if you bake something at that temp, you would say this works great, I love it. The problem was for me on the wall and range oven if you opened and closed the oven for batches of cookies or put something really cold there was no way for the oven to kick on and add a lot of heat(like the typical preheat on any other oven), it had to oscillate and would take 1 hour to move 50 degrees. They admitted this was an issue(even a benefit because my food would not burn with the preheat coming on) and sent improved boards to fix it. Well it didn't burn my food because it didn't even cook it. They never could fix either appliance. There is a cooking school of all things near me that has the same issues with their ovens and can't get them fixed and just try to adjust the oven themselves and add cooking time. Hopefully this has been totally reengineered, but I would make sure that it has before you buy it if you are a serious baker. Also be aware that the boards were billed at $1800.00 each time they were replaced. This was under warranty but if it weren't...ouch. A friend of mine had her board go out on an older Dacor oven and her husband replaced it for $35 on ebay. The computer board on the Dacor gives it some additional functions but can be expensive. The Wolf holds a temperature great. I think the Wolf bakes more evenly in convection because it has the dual fans as opposed to the single fan in the Dacor. If you want to raise the temperature by 50 degrees with the Wolf you have to turn it off and then on to get the preheat to come on. I do like the glide rack for the bottom on the Dacor but also like a regular rack because I am always changing them around. Someone told me Wolf is coming out with glide racks too if you like those. I think the preheat is pretty long on both for the oven to stabilize. One other thing on the 48" range is take the pans you use in and make sure they fit in the small side. Some of the 48" ranges allow more room on the small side and leave some room for circulation.