My Kitchenaid manual for my 30" stove calls for 30 1/16". I would look at various 30" stoves at ajmadison.com. They have all the manuals with specifications online and you can get a pretty accurate idea of how much space you should leave. I have used their site for this purpose before when I was planning on the size my refrigerator opening.

Having your new freestanding range on site prior to measuring for countertops is very helpful. All appliance manufactures acknowledge a 30" range is not always precisely 30" (sometimes shy, sometimes tad more).

Since you're moving cabinets (one with a slight overhang), it might be helpful to cut a stick of wood to the width of the range and the size of the cabinet overhang, and then add on whatever more space you're leaving. With the cabinets in place you can take your wood stick and run it along the floor (and I guess the top by that right cabinet edge) to make sure the wood stick doesn't get stopped by either cabinet laterally. Kind of imitating the range but without the weight.

I left 1/16" and I did do the stick check. Some smart person here on GW suggested it, so I'm just passing the idea along. Good luck.

Thanks for the great advice. I think that one thing we will try to do is get the range beforehand. It's frustrating having to do this ourselves when we know nothing about it but between the internet and gardenweb and maybe some knowledgeable acquaintances we can figure it out. My husband is a farmer and very busy with harvest right now, and to be honest, not all that big of a fan of DIY projects. So this ought to be fun. lol

"Since you're moving cabinets (one with a slight overhang), it might be helpful to cut a stick of wood to the width of the range and the size of the cabinet overhang, and then add on whatever more space you're leaving. With the cabinets in place you can take your wood stick and run it along the floor (and I guess the top by that right cabinet edge) to make sure the wood stick doesn't get stopped by either cabinet laterally."

There is one potentially catastrophic problem with this "test" in that it doesn't check for plumb. Your opening may be 30" apart, but a parallelogram. Your stove may fit into a parallelogram but will fry eggs sliding to one side of the pan.

The stick is a fine idea, but only after a level has confirmed the cabinet sides and fronts are plumb.

I got a call-back from a customer once for the exact opposite problem. I had installed his cabinets and tops. He insisted the stove would not fit in the opening and he was correct because he had the stove feet adjusted to knock the stoves sides out of plumb (parallelogram). I plumbed the sides with the feet and it slid right in.

This post was edited by Trebruchet on Fri, Nov 8, 13 at 14:55

You're absolutely right, Trebruchet. My oversight on not including assurance of plumb sides and front additionally.

Thank you for your help.

Another question-how hard is it to install a slide-in stove? Can the piece of countertop that goes behind it be a separate piece from the sides? I am short so I'd like something with controls in the front but all of the freestanding I can find (less than $2800) have the controls in the back. I have no desire to reach over hot boiling pots to adjust the heat. To buy a countertop with the part that would go behind the stove would be a lot harder as far as transporting and installing.

gale 1965:

Slide-in installation is simple, but level tops are critical. The piece in back can be separate. I would recommend a soft seam with matching silicone rather than a hard seam with epoxy or polyester.

Thanks. Since we have to replace countertop anyway, I can order it with the plain edge in front (not the drip guard or whatever) and without the backsplash so that the part in back (by the wall) would be level. Only thing is it won't match the shape of the other countertops but to have a backsplash only where there's no stove and then nothing behind the stove would look bad, I think.

gale 1965:

Maybe it's me, but your post left me scratching my head. When you say "order it" do you mean the countertop? How does ordering a piece with a specific edge without a backsplash make a piece level?

Yes, having your splash interrupted behind the slide-in would look bad. I'm not sure why you would do it.

When your existing tops are removed, you need to place a 4' level (minimum) in an "x" fashion over the slide in opening. It must be level. If it isn't by a lot (1/8"), raise the cabinets, if less, use non-compressive shims on the cabinet tops to get to level before the new top is installed. Perfectly level tops are critical, especially for a slide-in installation. If not level, the gap around the stove flange perimeter will vary and look bad. You must have a gap, even a microscopic one, because the feet of the stove must bear the weight, not the flange.

Sorry, by level I mean flat. It won't have the integrated backsplash but will be totally flat. Our current one has the no-drip edge which means it has a little hill at the edge. That would have to be sanded down for a slide in range but since we are planning to order new anyway, we can order it flat and without the backsplash. Another option would be to cut out the countertop ourselves (since the edges wouldn't have to be finished) but then we would have to sand or chisel out the little hilly part at the front edge. Has anyone done that to accommodate a slide in range? .

gale 1965:

I answered your bump-removal question on your other thread.

For a slide-in range, your tops must be flat and level.

The insert for my stove is exactly 30"...so if I buy a 30" stove is it going to fit am I going to be able to slide it in place. It is an electric stove.

tallytucker: This thread is 5 years old and no one on the internet will be able to tell you this. You'll need to get measurements of any new stove you are looking at to be able to know whether it will fit.

I generally make sink bases 36” w x 34 1/2 H minus counter. Finish at 36. the space for fridge upper is always 38 so your not shoe horning It in. Microwave upper and lower space for stove is always 30 1/8 for a little extra room. 1/8” not noticed and thE stove and upper microwave with fit perfectly

Always check the specs for your appliances, they will tell you the minimum opening you need -- range, refrigerator, microwave, etc. Check the dimensions of the appliance as well as any required spaces around them for air flow, electric/gas lines, water lines, etc.

That said, this is a very old thread. If you have questions, please start your own thread if your questions are not answered here -- you'll get more recent/current information, which is better than bumping this thread (or any old thread) up with potentially outdated information.

To those attempting to answer questions from above, again, this is an old thread and the OP and the later posters no longer need your help. Please do not post here (or on any old thread) just to troll for business or to "get your name in lights". (You know it's an old thread b/c you didn't find it on the first few pages ... and, of course, the dates should be a giveaway!) Find someone who needs help today.

Check the specs in person. Factory specs will get you in the neighborhood, but you need a tape measure to make it home, believe me. From the guy who made an unpaid callback because he trusted GE's specifications.

This thread still comes up under a search and often when starting a new thread, someone will inevitably say “Didn’t you do a search? This has been discussed many times.” Hardly think anyone is still responding to “het their name in lights lol.

bump. still a good thread!