If this is as tiny a kitchen as you indicate, then you will gain 24" of counter space by going with a range instead of an oven and cooktop, unless you are mounting that oven under counter. Then at that point, it makes NO sense to go with a cooktop and wall oven. Your appliance and cabinet costs will also be much less with a range. I would NEVER opt for a wall oven and cooktop in a small kitchen. And if it's a truly small kitchen, then an OTR starts to make sense as well. As far as Fagor, well, you're going to have to be the guinea pig and report back if you go down that road. Someone has to be among the first in America to take that chance!

For a vacuum cleaner, get one of the Sears Kenmore "Progressive" vacuums. The most bang for the buck in a vacuum cleaner. I'll link one below, but there are several "Progressive" models. Note that online it's about $300, but if you go into a Sears store, and talk to a salesperson, they are willing to discount from that price, especially if you tell them you are ready to buy that day (i.e. not just browsing). Sears Kenmore Progressive Vacuum (but there are several others in the Progressive line) I don't know why you need a steam cleaner if you are on a budget, in your first home, and having to buy everything from scratch. I would put that item off to another day after you have equipped your home with the essentials, and you have saved more money. For your pots and pans, I do not recommend a set. You may be tempted cause you'll feel that you can get everything in one purchase. But a cookware set is not a good use of your money. The problem with sets is that they often do not contain the sizes you need, but do contain pots and pans that aren't that useful, and typically are smaller than what most cooks like. I would go to Ikea as already suggested and to JC Penney's for their "JC Penney Cooks line". The Penney's Cooks cookware has some items with Tri-ply construction which is what the expensive All-Clad construction is, so look for JC Penney's "Cooks Tri-ply" for a lot of bang for the buck. So look at Ikea and Penneys for a 4-qt. sauce pan, 10" fry pan, 12" fry pan, 6-7 qt. stockpot, and what's called a "baking pan" or "roaster" which will do double-duty for lasagna and casseroles as well as roasting chicken and meats, plus whatever miscellaneous cookware you think you need. That's a nice starter set. JC Penney's Cooks Line For knives, I also would not buy a set. Colorfast gave good advice to buy just 3, though I would add a 4th, which is a good boning knife (has many uses). I advise you to look at the Victorinox Forschner knives. They consistently win equipments tests against the really expensive Henckels, Wusthoff, etc. You can find them online at Amazon and many other websites. You will be amazed at the quality. Victorinox Boning Knife - 5-star reviews and what a price!

First I want to ask, have you gotten a chance to see these appliances in person? If not I highly recommend you do so. Just looking at appliances in person will often reveal "deal breakers" that you may never have found online. This is a great way to narrow your list quickly when you're overwhelmed with choices. I've been reading a little more on hoods on garden web. From what I read, it seems a 600 CFM should be sufficient and 24" depth by 42" length would be best...does that sound about right? If we go with 600 CFM we won't need makeup air correct? What do you think of vent-a-hood? Looks like that would not require the separate blower.Or do you think baffle is preferable? I think there may be confusion here as to some of the terminology. Baffle refers to the type of grease filter in the hood. It is the same type of filter as found in commercial restaurant hoods. The alternative to a baffle filter would be a mesh filter, which are mainly found in lower end hoods. Baffles are what you want, especially for a more powerful hood. Internal vs. external blower is a separate issue. Internal blowers are cheaper and easier to service, but external blowers can be quieter. Most inserts can be ordered with either an external or internal blower option, including the Faber you were quoted, so you don't need to go Vent-A-Hood to get an internal blower. I have never owned a Vent-A-Hood, but my overall impression of them from reading Gardenweb is that some of their advertising claims ("Magic Lung") may be a bit far fetched, but that they do make a quality product. It is true that best case scenario, the hood should overhang the cooktop by 3" on each side, so yes 42" would be the optimal width hood for a 36" cooktop. As for depth: remember that you are NOT buying a hood here. You are having your hood custom made, and buying an insert to put into it. The depth of the insert for example, could be 19" like the Faber you were quoted, but the overall hood depth would be 24" which is what you ultimately want. Still no idea on the fridge. Thinking of probably doing the 36" french door style and having a second cheap one in the garage or pantry (would add in the future, not now). There are too many options for french door! It is completely overwhelming. Do any stand out? Do you think the columns would look nicer than a typical 36"? "Nicer" is a subjective word, but the columns would definitely give a higher end look than a typical 36" (even if in reality they cost about the same). You're right that the french door options can be overwhelming. If you go that route, start by narrowing down your options. Do you want it to be counter depth or do you need the extra capacity of a standard depth? Do you want ice and water thru the door? If no, do you want an internal water dispenser? If yes, do you want dual icemakers? Which ones do you like the layout of the most? Work from there. Thanks again for all of this guidance. Sorry for all the questions. We have a very short time line to figure everything out and I am starting out with a knowledge level of close to 0. No problem. You came to the right place!

She isn't replacing a double oven, it's a single that's there already. I agree with weedmeister that it is unlikely the builder ran 40 amp wiring to an appliance that only required 20 amps. If one were taking future upgradability into account, this of course would have been the smartest thing to do, but unfortunately that's not how builders think. They do everything to keep construction costs as low as possible. Your electrician will be able to confirm if it's just the breaker that needs changing, or if the wiring needs upgrading as well. Hopefully your house's electrical service has the capacity for that extra 20 amps. If not it will need an upgrade too. If you want to avoid the work, consider whether or not you really need that double oven. If you change your mind and decide to go with a single for your new kitchen, make sure it's rated for 20 amps like your old one.