I'd say there are many different needs in European markets, compared with North America. 1. Smaller kitchens - thus, the cooker needs to offer as much flexibility as possible in as compact a way as practical. 2. The biggest of all: fuel economy. Fuel prices are way higher in Europe than the US, and coupled with much greater environmental awareness (eg: reduce fuel consumption = reduced CO2 emissions at power plants and at home) means that Europeans want smaller efficient ovens for every day use, and the option of a second, larger oven for those occasions when there is a larger meal to prepare (Sunday dinner, for example). As an expat. Brit, living in the US, I am always struck on this board by the number of people who insist they need a 30" oven, or even a 36" range oven, for one meal in a year: Thanksgiving. Europeans will look at the 364 other days of the year, and not want to waste all that fuel heating up a massive oven to cook a baked potato . . . . We'd either serve a smaller turkey on that one day (we eat turkey at Christmas - and manage to cook it in 24" ovens successfully, with all the trimmings) or simply cut the thing up to make it fit (which I've seen recommended by New York chefs as a way to ensure the white meat isn't dry, incidentally). I very rarely see anyone on this board worry about fuel efficiency. Just my 2c - feel free to disagree!

I share your envy! I tried researching that a few years ago, and didn't really find anything. Heartland appliances used to make a 1.5 oven, but it's not on their website anymore. I've posted a link below. As for a 1/2 height single oven, I don't know about that either. The closest I could find was the advantium, but I don't think that's what you want either. Good luck on your search! Here is a link that might be useful: Discontinued Heartland

I've only ever had one oven and wish I could have a second. It seems that every time I've doing a roast or pizza, for example, I want to have a side dish or dessert also in the oven--but at a different temperature. Or more racks of cookies or some such than I can fit in one oven. This has only really become a problem after retirement when we have 3 meals a day at home and entertain more now than ever. Like you, when we were working I used the range for one thing occasionally and the rest was take-out or micro. For this house, I got a combo micro/convection oven that I can use but it's not very big and the dish has to be small enough to rotate in the cavity. It's not the most functional setup but it's the most cost effective for us. Or (as someone said in thread I've included) I adjust the menu to avoid the oven traffic jam. For resale, I would not ignore a house with just one oven even now after retirement. If you're truly concerned about one oven affecting resale, maybe you can plan a cabinet that someone could later retrofit without ripping out the kitchen?? Or, have your one oven be nicer than the perhaps builder-grade double ovens in the neighbors' houses. There's another thread discussing a wall oven vs range, which could perhaps help you too. Personally, now having a wall oven at waist level rather than a range at practically floor, plus being tall and a bad back, I would only want a range if I also have a wall oven. All this said, you've said your lifestyle doesn't use an oven much: do you see that changing while you're at this house? Is this your forever house where maybe your lifestyle will change like mine did (though we cheated and moved lol)? Is the extra money for a second oven going to be an issue requiring sacrifice of something else better for your lifestyle? Maybe thinking about it with these types of questions in mind will be helpful. hth Here is a link that might be useful: wall oven vs range

Keep in mind that you may not be able to install them side-by-side. For the GE Profile 27" single convection oven, the "Quick Specs" says: Note: These ovens are not approved for stackable or side-by-side installations. These ovens can be installed side-by-side with no less than 30" distance between center-to-center of each oven. However, you'll only need 3" extra b/w them to make 30". If you install them in 30" cabinets or put a cabinet b/w them, then you'll be fine. One caution...if you or your spouse is tall and you're planning to install them below the counter, you should know that it will mean a lot of bending to get into the oven...more than in the oven of a range. Under counter ovens are usually lower than the ovens in a range. I suggest you visit an appliance store or home center that has them installed below the counter to see if they are too low for you. HTH!