I have essentially the same question.

We are looking at a Double Oven Slide-in Range for installing in an island, or a cooktop with separate oven.

In our case, we don't have a good spot for a full separate double oven. It is too bad that they don't make separate compact double ovens, like you find in ranges.

Just found that GE has a double oven in single sized wall oven format. I wonder if there are any more like it and if it is any good.

http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/html/GEAResults.htm#Category=Single_Double_Wall_Ovens

I went with a double oven range for a number of reasons but have some nagging regret about not getting the wall ovens. The height is so much nicer!

Can your kitchen afford to lose 30" of counter space? Plus the additional 5K expense of the additional appliance and cabinetry?

live-wire-oak, I won't be losing counter space as the wall ovens would go where the pantry cab is. The cooktop would go where the range is currently installed. I know the cost for separate appliances will significantly exceed the cost of a single range.

We're the hub for out-of-town guests & the big holiday home, which is why DH is arguing for double ovens. I'm more conservative thinking w/ regard to our needs, and would just slide in a new range if I could. Unfortunately, we have to make alterations to the granite counter to accommodate any stove. The OTR MW, installed by the PO, is 14 yrs. old and while it still works well, the vent has never been effective. So, since this will entail more than sliding in a new range, I'm really trying to get it right.

What I'm most interested to know is if any of you who went with a wall oven would just go with a range next time, Or, on the other hand, do others with single ranges regret they didn't go cooktop/wall oven.

I grew up in a house with double ovens and then spent 4 years with a range and the last 5 years with a wall oven and cook top. We regularly have had groups of a dozen over to our house for dinner parties.

Full double ovens are great, but they are also space hogs. My parent's kitchen has loads of counter space, so it has never been a problem for them. The thing is, you almost never really need that much oven space. My wife and I have lived happily for years with just a single oven. If we need a warm spot to store a dish, we either rap it in kitchen towels or place it in the microwave. Double ovens are nice to have, but not great bang for the buck. One alternative to double ovens is to just get a wall oven to complement the one in the range. This is nice because you can get a range with small double ovens and a full sized wall oven for when for when you really need it.

A range is great, if just one person is doing the cooking. The problem is when two people are cooking and one needs to work the oven while the other works the cooktop. That has resulted in a lot of arguments around my home. We loved having a separate oven in our last house, and I would have a very hard time going back to a range after that.

Another nice thing about separate oven and cooktop is that you can put all your heavy pots and pans in drawers directly underneath the cooktop.

BTW, If you decide to get a separate gas cook top, I would do a lot of research on which to get. In my experience, I have found that most gas cook tops don't seem to heat as efficiently as a gas range. I think it might have something to do with airflow around the burners. My parents bought a commercial style range top (designed to fit over commercial style oven, but they just have drawers underneath) and it works great, but that has been the only exception. The rating of gas cooktops in Consumer Reports seem to align with my experience. I think it might have something to do with the available height for the assembly.

In regards to my wife and self, we found the GE Single Double at a Sears Outlet for less than half the MSRP. It has a scratch on the front, but we don't care about that sort of thing. We cook a lot of pizza, bread, pita and naan, so I am really looking forward to being able to cook more stuff at once. For the cooktop, I am trying to convince my wife to go with induction. Currently we have borrowed two 120V induction griddles from my parents to evaluate how we like the technology. They certainly heat a lot faster than our gas cook top.

In summary, if it is just you doing the cooking, a range is great. If multiple people cook at the same time, you will want a separate oven, if you can afford it. If you have the space, double ovens are great, but I wouldn't live my life in regret if I didn't have two ovens.

I hope there was something useful in all that text.

Wanted to add that one nice thing about the double ovens is that the doors don't stick out as far. Very nice if you don't have a lot of room in front of the oven.

For our family and the way I cook double ovens are a huge benefit. I never considered not putting them in, the question was just between a double oven range and a double wall oven.

I would have loved to have had the double wall oven but the price and layout just didn't work.

Never had double ovens till this remodel. We have an unusual layout so not really in public view. The top oven is a speed oven/convection/MW and the bottom conventional convection oven. Our cooktop is a 36" induction cooktop. This combination is hands down the best most functional set of appliances I've ever had. I do a TON of cooking and baking for family and friends. We didn't scrimp on appliances and I'm definitely getting our monies worth.

remodelfla, is there a post that gives specifics on your appliances? I have been out of the loop here for some time while caring for my parents. Your choices, particularly as they include the induction I want and a MW, which I'll need, are ones I'd like to know more about.

We are going on 3 years now so there are newer models out for sure. The "cooking" appliances are all Miele. Very pricey retail but we had found a deal on Craigslist (new) and stored them till we were ready to build. Saved over 6K compared to retail pricing.

spartans99, thank you for sharing your thoughts. Along with other concerns, I am stuck on this decision because I am reluctant to give away that pantry cabinet space. One idea I had was to keep the lower portion for kitchen storage & covert the top cab for the MW. I have to find out what's out there for MW/oven combos.

DH has seen double wall ovens in friends' homes and thinks it's shortsighted of me to nix them. Since my pro-style dual fuel range died last year I've managed pretty well with an induction hot plate, a Breville countertop oven, & electric pressure cooker. Except for 4-5 times a year I don't think I need 2 conventional ovens.

The biggest draw for me to go cooktop & wall oven vs just a range is to get a great performing induction cooktop & a really good oven. It seems that is hard to find in a single appliance out there, according to what I've read on these boards.

I have double ovens and I LOVE them. Hubby talked me into them actually. We had a single wall oven and cooktop before the remodel. kD suggested a range instead, but I didn't want to give up my wall oven. I bake a lot, and love just taking things out without bending too much (sure not getting any younger!!)

I don't use the double ovens everyday, but when dinner is in one and dessert is in another I feel like a kitchen goddess. :)

Our kitchen isn't very big either.

Thanks, heidihausfrau, as well as all who've responded so far. I've put this off for more than a year and I appreciate getting different points of view. Part of the appeal when we bought this home 12 yrs. ago was that nearly-new appliances were already in place. We paid above the cost of the home to keep the pricey Dacor range and I didn't foresee having to ever buy another if we kept up w/ maintenance. Then I discovered this forum and realized the importance of a good vent.

Please continue to post your experiences and opinions. I am going to try to get some pictures posted.

I have a 6 burner cooktop and double wall ovens. We are a family of 6 and I do a lot of cooking. I am conservative in my energy use so rarely use both ovens at once but I like having the option when needed. I also like being able to use one oven for proofing bread or using the warm setting when using the other oven to bake. This is without a doubt my preferred layout and I would not like going back to a range.

The only double wall ovens I have not liked are at my in-laws. They are on the smaller side so less functional when you want to put a lot in one oven.

For price, we purchased our GE ovens on E-bay, there was a part that had broken off of the back that had been epoxied back on but they could not sell it new. We saved over half the cost of the ovens. We also bought our Dacor cooktop on e-bay for $300 which was a lucky find as it was calibrated for our high altitude. There was a little ding in the back which you can feel when cleaning back there but is never visible.

We had this issue too. We decided on a slide in gas range and an Advantium Speed Oven. I love this set up. I can bake, MW and cook in the Advantium. I was very unsure of the speed oven's uses - in fact I doubted that it would really be used for anything other than the MW functions. But I love to cook and bake so I have had fun trying things out in the Advantium. Check it out.
Diane

I have the induction cooktop & speed oven over full size oven . Love this set up for several reasons.

Easy to get in oven, not bending all the way down.
Love having my cookware under cookto
Love the speed oven / micro combo
Really do use 2 ovens at once
No heat on me when oven is on

If u get a range, u still have to have a dedicated cabinet/ drawers for cookware which would be about the same space as your wall ovens...more or less...

For us this is the best set-up

Good luck in your decision

We prefer double oven ranges because:
1) We like the cooktop & oven very close together because we frequently use them in combination.
2) Oven generates smoke sometimes, and it's nice to be able to exhaust it when it does.
3) Double oven is the bomb. We use small top oven ~95% of the time because it's big enough, preheats faster (~5 min), and it's more ergonomically friendly than the bottom one. Bottom, larger only gets used ~10x per year, but it comes in really handy at those times.
4) And last but not least, ranges are by far the most cost effective option.

I have a range top and double ovens for the first time, and love having the 36" range top. I also have a real vent hood and prep sink now, and love those. I have a large kitchen and island, so I don't mind the space all that requires, and I bought floor models, so the appliances weren't a budget buster. But do I love having double ovens? Not really. A single oven plus a micro-convection oven would have worked for me. Or a range plus micro-convection. The advantage to a range, or even an under-cooktop oven, is that the vent can be useful if you burn something or want to get rid of the heat or smells. I do think I might be baking/broiling more now then I used to, the visibility factor does bother me from a cleaning perspective but also makes the ovens easier to use. I would not give up pantry space for them.

But do I love having double ovens? Not really. A single oven plus a micro-convection oven would have worked for me

I've never wanted to devote the space to double wall ovens (had them once, and frankly didn't like how "bulky" they were). For me, a single oven and a countertop Breville convection toaster oven is enough for the odd time I need two ovens at the same time.