this panoramic photo of kitchen

Putting in real range hood will be a real plus over having an OTR. Since you already have gas, it shouldn't be a big deal to put in a gas. Some on this forum will also tell you to consider induction instead of gas.

I had to go to a counter microwave in my remodel. I chose this one below (purchased cheaper at Lowes) and I'm happy with it since I am an occasional microwave user. Also, to me it is very important to have proper ventilation. It's healthier and cleaner IMHO.

We made the conversion from electric to gas. In Va, it is hard to find someone to do this at a reasonable price. Before you commit one way or the other, I would suggest calling around and getting an estimate from a licensed contractor regarding the cost of conversion.

Here is a link that might be useful: Corner Microwave

Go with the hood, you won't regret the change. You'll have to check to make sure you can vent the hood outdoors- it gives better performance. You have plenty of counter space for the microwave out of the general cooking area- if it was my kitchen, I would put it on the counter across the open doorway from the fridge.

I changed from a drop in range (model was circa 1994) to a slide-in range last year. I hired installers. They cut out the box the drop in sat on, and trimmed the counters and the fillers between the cabinets. This wasn't a big deal with my laminate counters or the cabinets. From what I understand, it's pretty normal for drop in or slide ins to be directly wired to the supply instead of using a plug in. I wouldn't worry about it.

You have several things to consider. Because you have appropriate power to the range, you can consider an induction range, a gas range, or a dual-fuel range if you want to have the gas line installed. I chose induction, even though I have a natural gas furnace and fireplace- running the line across the house was going to be cost-prohibitive, and I couldn't put in enough ventilation to accommodate the pro-style gas range that I would have purchased. Make up air systems are expensive, and I would have had to provide it after a 350 CFM hood.

PS- I have that corner microwave sreedesq mentioned and I love it! It's perfect.

My son and DIL just converted from electric to gas - it wasn't hard as there was already gas available to the building (I think they had a gas dryer). they're very happy they made the switch.

Check to be sure that isn't a 27" drop in rather than a 30". If it's a 30", all it takes is removing the range base below the drop in, replacing the flooring under it with your tile or the equivalent plywood height and a bit of jiggering the utilities to the area. If you're handy, you can do most of it it yourself and just call the plumber with the gas license to get the connection right. Also, you definitely want to look at doing induction. You wouldn't have to change the gas at all, and you will get the same response as with gas. Just not the "fire fire fire" bit that you (men, usually) really enjoy the look of.

Hi splais,

We are at the tail end of a total gut kitchen remodel in our 1925 bungalow. I had a 30” freestanding 1980ish coil electric stove that came with the house. It ran on 220V and had a 3 prong plug. When we converted to gas heat in 2005 and removed our old 1940’s oil furnace, I had the furnace installers make a “T” with the gas line for a future gas range. They came up through the floor behind my existing electric range. (new furnace was pretty much right below the stove area in the basement)

With the remodel, I bought a new 30” GE Profile Dual Fuel FS range and the plumber moved the existing gas line from the floor, to be coming out the wall. (new code where we live). The electrician changed the existing 220V wall plug to a 4 prong to accommodate the new range. Since we were converting to a gas range, we needed to vent it properly. We couldn’t go straight up from the position of the non-vented hood we had because there is a bedroom directly above. Our plumber ran a 8” duct up through the cabinet above the range into the ceiling joist, turned 90 degrees ran in the joist, turned again 90 degrees ran it a few feet into the attic space and went out through the roof. We have a max of 350CFM on our Broan range hood. Our GC said that it would be adequate for our new range and cooking needs. Our range is not a pro style range but for me it’s just fine.

I find that I use the range vent hood on 1 or 2 power because I rarely have the gas burners on past a 3 or 4 and most of the time I only use 1 to 2 burners at a time. If I am boiling water for pasta then I have the range vent on the high position because of the steam. Gas definitely heats faster then electric coil! I like the immediate response it gives me and that I can "see" it right away. This is a learning curve for me, I’ve never had a gas range. It is a little more maintenance to keep the top clean, I tend to be a “wipe down when you’re done cooking” kinda gal so I remove the grates to wipe down, my coil stove was easier to do this, just wipe and go. So far I like cooking on gas very much. I wanted to have an electric oven because I like to bake cheesecakes, pies and cakes once in a while and prefer electric ovens, this range gave me both. I also love having a window in my oven, my old stove did not. I waited over 20+ years to get a window! I can finally see what I’m baking without opening the door! Yay!

My Mother had her kitchen remodeled in 2012 and she had a 27inch slide in electric coil stove, but since she was gutting her kitchen she opted for the versatility of a 30” freestanding electric range instead. She loves her window in her stove too since old one didn’t have one either.

I think you could easily have your microwave on the counter somewhere, looks like you have a few placement options and plenty of counter space. I don’t think it would interfere with resale. Most people seem to want counter space and you definitely have that.

I’m enclosing a picture of the new range and the new vented range hood.

NWRain-Gal :)

nwrraingal- what brand is the stove in the pic and does your mom like it? i am looking also for a regular (not pro) gas stove with the 5 burners