Dear sasm, I too have the Breville Smart oven, also replacing a VERY sturdy and long-lived Delonghi (15 years!!). It was recommended to me by the sales people at Sur La Table, who also own it and spoke from firsthand experience. If you go onto Amazon, almost all of the reviews are super positive. The oven does a ton of things, toasts very well (takes longer than a traditional toaster, but after this past weekend, where I was vacationing in a timeshare that only had a regular toaster -read only two pieces at a time-not so great for making toast points for appetizers, or feeding a hungry crowd pronto Tonto), I was even more grateful for my toaster oven. Another cool thing is that it has low temps(130), perfect for making yoghurt or keeping things warm, as well as dehydrating without cooking things. It has a convection feature that works great, plus the oven is big enough for a pizza (not the giganto size LOL) or, for me since I only have one oven, a pie. I bought mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond, using one of their coupons plus a sale price on top of that, so it was less than $300.00. Oh, it's easy to clean too-and has a pull out from the front crumb tray (which to me seems self-evident, but you'd be surprised how many make you remove it from the back!). I know you'll love it-Breville makes a great product. I even bought their Smart Grill based on how much I love my toaster oven, and it rocks too! (No, I don't work for Breville)

I know you said you already decided but I am curious how major your remodel is and if you will have to set up a temporary kitchen? I ask b/c that is what we had to do and for that I got the Breville countertop oven and fell in love with it. For the real kitchen I have an Advantium Speedoven/Microwave but we designed a spot for the Breville to live in the pantry. So far the need to microwave and heat something in the small oven at the same time, hasn't occured but if and when it does, I can use the Advantium as the main microwave and the Breville as a back up oven.

Have you seen the long running threads about the Cuisinart on eGullett? Part 1 (Dec. 2013 to Oct. 2015) Part 2 (Oct. 2015 to now) Near as I can tell, there is a negligible difference in actual capacity between the original CSO300 and the new "N" model. The "300N" has a redesigned (removable) water reservoir for the steam function (removable to make it easier to clean). Also, the "300N" offers the convenience of a specific setting for "steam clean" (as opposed to running a steam cycle in an empty oven on the plain "300" model.) Seems to me the older reviews will be equally applicable to the newer "N" model. I have a smaller kitchen but have been tempted by the optional steam oven functions of the 300N. Tempted mostly because Costco.com carries it. Same price (and free shipping) as Amazon. The attraction being the Costco absolute satisfaction guaranty --- if you don't like it, return it for a full refund at your local Costco. Re your question about getting both the BSO and CSO: I see no reason for that. My take is that the tradeoff between the models is that the Breville SO has more capacity (i.e. will fit a standard ¼ sheet pan) while the CSO offers the option of steam oven functions (but still functions with the regular small oven functions you get with the Breville.) My hesitation has been that the capacity of the CSO (which I saw at BB&B) seemed a bit smaller than I wanted. Very much a YMMV thing, though, as indicated by the enthusiasm in the eGullet threads.

Do you keep a lot of wine? We don't, so I prefer a beverage fridge that reaches lower temperatures and allows you to keep other stuff in it too. Since you like to cook, have you looked into the Miele CSO (convection steam oven)? I have the Miele CSO XXL, plumbed version, and it is my most used appliance. Will get another one in my next house. You can search the kitchen forum for lots of threads on that model. Majority here with CSOs are very happy with them.