I had a height problem with my new refrigerator. It fit the standard 36” wide cutout in the cabinetry, but the raised hinges on the newer refrigerator would not allow the cabinet doors above to open. The best solution would be getting or making a new bridge cabinet above the frige, and then cutting the existing matching cabinets doors to a shorter hieght. Quite a chore. Instead I just removed the cabinet hinge mounting screw and now use the doors as simply removable panels. Problem solved the lazy mans way.

Refacing is not cost effective unless you do it yourself. And it is not a simple task, either. We did our own kitchen refacing, saved probably $8,000 in labor so it was worth it. But it was a lot of work, and applying the veneers took some practice and skill. I think what I would do is buy the new doors and new drawer fronts from Barker, they are very reasonable and they'll bore the hinge holes for you. Their website can give you a quote as soon as you enter the size, type of wood, etc. I'd paint the cabinet boxes, new doors and drawers (a bit of work, but hey, if you want to keep the cabinets...) Get the new soft close drawer glides if you must have them, (Rockler sells them I think) and either paint or line those drawers with something to cover the not so pretty inside bottoms. Add the new knobs or pulls, hang the doors, install the drawer fronts (this is not too difficult), and call it done. Shouldn't cost too much at all, and will update and refresh the cabinets. I agree with you, those older cabinets are solid, meant to last and I'd hate to rip them out too..

The hinges on our Dacor Millennia wall oven can be removed from the door after the entire door is removed from the oven. I just refuse to believe that Dacor's Epicure oven are significantly different. Look in the INSTALLATION manual (on page 8, I think) for instructions on removing the door. The full service manual describes this too, as well as how to remove the hinge from within the door (page 8-22). What specific Dacor oven do you have (model number)? But I suspect a good lubricant will do the job. What you need is a high temperature lubricant. There are some really good DuPont lubricants perfect for this job. Search for the DuPont Krytox brand lubricants on eBay. The one on there now is a general purpose lubricant that would do the job nicely...but it's not rated for food contact. From the Dupont site... Is Krytox® Food Grade Approved? Our Krytox® Food Grade Lubricants (FG24, FG34, and FG36) are USDA H-1 approval and have been determined by the NSF to be in compliance with FDA 21 CFR, Part 178, Section 178.3570. These products are acceptable as lubricants with incidental food contact (H-1) for use in and around food processing areas. Such compounds may be used on food processing equipment as a protective anti-rust film, as a release agent on gaskets or seals of tank closures, and as a lubricant for machine parts and equipment in locations in which there is a potential exposure of the lubricated part to food. ---- Notice the last sentence. Are you going to put food on the hinge? Are you going to clean the hinge area with a rag that is then used to touch your food? I have used the Krytox on eBay for lubricating the hinges in my old oven. Need more info? I can find a source if need be. I'm sure there are many other lubricants at less cost. (Krytox lubricants are VERY expensive.) Here is a link that might be useful: Dacor wall oven service manual

I have a 36" rangetop and frequently use 4 burners, and sometime use 5. I've even used all 6! If you count having a pan of something from the ovens cooling on a burner or two, then I use 6 pretty regularly. Hey, that would be another "pro" for a cooking surface with more burners: using one or two as a cooling rack for oven items while still having other burners available for active cooking. If you choose rangetop and want that attractive 4 door look, I suggest having one wide drawer with the front made to look like two separate drawers. 24" wide drawers won't be effective for storing pots and pans. Wider is usually better.