So, we are in the process of trying to buy our first house. Assuming it all goes through, we are going to have to replace the current in-wall oven and microwave. The current ones are about 30 years old and barely work (we knew this going in). I am debating about having a double-oven installed in the space and just putting a microwave somewhere else. Do places like Lowes and Home Depot install these for you? Does the new one have to fit the current cut-out exactly, or will they install larger ones if there is room to expand the cut-out and will they do this work as well?

Just trying to figure out what our options are and how to go about this. Thanks.

Thanks.

The wife and I are remodelling an all original 1977 kitchen. Then only thing we liked was the cabinets.

First thing we did was yank out the old 27" single oven and the seperate & enormous old microwave. We wanted a 30" double oven.

There was sufficient width in the cabinet for the 30" oven. The only problem was that the double oven was no where near as tall as the old single oven and single microwave cutouts. A good 8 inches or so shorter. No trim kit was going to cover this. My wife thought it would be good to make a small cabinet there for flat baking pans.


Here's what I did. First I cut the necessary width for the 30" ovens. Then I slid the new ovens in place, after wiring them of course. I made a shelf and secured it above the top of the new oven and then made a door, to match the style and stain of the cabinets, that swung open from bottom to top.

Done.

Thanks for the ideas. Not sure I'd trust myself to handle it all myself, but what you did was similar to what we are facing.

The oven and MW have to be replaced almost immediately. At someone we'd like to redo the kitchen. We're on the fence with the cabinets, but almost everything else needs upgrading.

An appliance place will often have skilled people who have experience installing new and retro-fit wall ovens.

The Big-Box stores will have some guys they hire cheap who may or may not have that level of experience--so, your mileage may vary.

Rough rule of thumb is that your oven cabinet will be 3" larger than the "class" of the wall oven used. So, a 27" cabinet will accept a 24" (wide) wall oven; a 30" cabinet will accept a 27" class oven unit.

This makes the shopping easier-- you do not have to worry about 30" wall ovens if the cabinet is only 28" wide.

Once you settle on a short list, go online and look up the Installation Instructions. These will then give you the next two critical dimensions--the height of the opening, and where the power needs to connect (most ovens fit in 24" deep casework, so that is less critical). It's a hugely good idea to not the minimum length of the MC/BX needed to make up the electrical connection as well as it's location--these can be a pain.

Ok, that's the architect-builder 2¢ for you.

For the foodie/chef side, allow me to aver that a double oven (or oven & warming drawer) combo is far better than nearly any m/w-oven combo. First off, the m/w is always where the oven ought to be, and it's a poor use of the volume it takes up, too.

I much prefer to have a purpose-picked location for the m/w--typically next to the coffee preparation area. I personally want them between 54" and 60" above the floor; but, I've no shorter users, either.

Which is why I like the "under-counter" installations. Gets the m/n off of the counter, available for many users, and the like. The m/w can be built-in or just on a shelf--which works out for being about the same size as a roll-out trashcan, too. Which is really handy for wrappers, popcorn bags, etc. Under that under-counter m/w is a great spot for a drawer to hold all those m/w-related accessories, too.

That's my t'pence twice, for what that is worth.

Thanks for the information Capn...that helps quite a lot.

We got our appliances at http://www.factorybuilderstores.com/index.html

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For the foodie/chef side, allow me to aver that a double oven (or oven & warming drawer) combo is far better than nearly any m/w-oven combo. First off, the m/w is always where the oven ought to be, and it's a poor use of the volume it takes up, too.

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Hang on one second here. In case you haven't bought appliances in a while, I want to point out that many oven/microwave combos are EXTREMELY useful, because many microwaves can now cook both as a microwave or as a small convection oven.

I had a 30" Micro and a 30" oven insert (they were separate), I took them out and cut out the shelf that separated them. I had to cut the total hole to be about 1" taller than it was.

I put a new double convection oven in myself. The hole was fine I ran into a problem with depth. I had to relocate the outlet behind the new oven because it was about an inch deeper than the old oven (found this out when I tried to put it in), which made a big difference, as there wasnt room for the plug. I also reinforced the bottom shelf of the cabinet, since the oven was twice as heavy as the original.

Overall it was an easy project, you just need a buddy to help you lift the oven into place. 2 screws hold the entire thing in place.

Here is the oven I got... Its great..

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02248183000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3



[This message has been edited by Bitter Old Man (edited 2/6/2012 11:13p).]

We did this when we bought our current house. It is actually very easy. The new double oven instructions will tell you exactly the dimensions of the opening you need to make. Here is a picture before:



I had to cut the wood out that was between the oven and the microwave and make the whole opening both wider and taller.

Here is after:

Thanks for the info guys.