I go with choice #2. If one breaks to the point of replacement, you don't have to trash the other. You aren't shackled to a lemon.

Cost wise, they seem to be a wash. Space wise, choice #1 is the most efficient. If you have a small kitchen, choice # works best. Choice #2 is a luxury.

No, they are not a wash in costs. #2 costs significantly more, both in appliance and cabinetry costs. A range doesn't need cabinets to house it. Wall ovens and cooktops do.

I much prefer separate ovens, and, if possible, I prefer to have each one at optimal height, rather than stacked.

It sounds like you like ranges (I think by "integrated" you mean cooktop and oven integrated into one unit, which is generally called a "range" "Stove" and "oven" mean different things regionally and both can be used for separate units, so "range" is always safe. The individual units are "cooktop" and "wall oven").

You can put a range into a high end kitchen. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive either, unless you're building a high end spec house. It sounds like it's for you, so choose what you like. If it really is a high style house, however, don't go skimpy.

Wall ovens are pricier and space-hoggier but more ergonomically pleasant, especially as one ages.

There is an amusing trend in high-end kitchens to place the only ovens on a wall very far from the cooktop. It's a tell. It indicates the owner of the six figure kitchen doesn't actually know how to cook.

I took a trip to an Appliance store yesterday night and was further confused and found that:

Ranges-- They can be very exorbitantly priced aka Viking, Thermador, GE Monogram and could single handedly wipe out your budget
Wall Ovens-- They could be both ovens, or one convection and microwave oven combo etc etc. All these stacked ovens are smaller in size- atleast that is what I felt. I need to check on their specs for further details.

Ours is a modest budget of$10K for all appliances in the kitchen including the hood.

I agree with most of what is posted above but the biggest reason for me would be to pick the best of each component for your needs. Each situation is unique though and there are many considerations.

When looking at the size of the oven, don't go by the published specs as they can be misleading. Look at the rack size and where they can be placed for usable space. The convection fan can take up room.

Posted by marcolo
There is an amusing trend in high-end kitchens to place the only ovens on a wall very far from the cooktop. It's a tell. It indicates the owner of the six figure kitchen doesn't actually know how to cook.
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Do tell - a trend? A secret way for the kitchen designer to make a fool of the customer to those in the know like you. Referrals must really go up when the caterers complain. That must generate all kinds of business. That is amusing. It is very important to be able to prejudge people in this way.

It's all about personal preference, cooking style, budget, and how you choose to manage your compromises. Nine years ago I stretched a little over a 10k appliance budget into mostly what I wanted. The Meile ovens would have been nice,for example, but I've been very happy with the dual 30" convection Therm we bought instead.

For me, at the time, a separate 36" gas range top and dual electric ovens represented the best cooking configuration. I feel that separating the ovens from the range top is a huge advance from a workflow standpoint, especially if you have two cooks, and I prefer to move the heat of the ovens away from you while you are using the top. I also like the cabinet storage under the range top, and the size and access of the wall ovens works well for me. I'm often running four pizza stones at a time - something no 36" range I've ever seen can handle.

And for the holidays, the flexibility that two ovens give me is hard to beat. Even when I don't need them both for baking or cooking, I often have one oven proofing dough, or on warm - holding something at temperature.

But everything has tradeoffs, and there is no "better configuration".

Good luck with your decision.

Re oven placement, it's where a rule of thumb isn't understood that we get into absurdities. The ovens don't need a lot of tending, so a good location for them is "out of the way". But out of the way still has to be handy enough to the cooktop so that pots can go back and forth simply. Where the second part isn't observed, and the ovens are in the next county, you get Marcolo's observation. And, yes, that does only happen when neither the designer nor the client cooks.

Maz1234, your budget probably wouldn't outfit a custom kitchen in a custom home. There's nothing wrong with that, but there's no reason to try to stretch if it's just for the look.

If what you really meant was that you'd seen this in custom homes and want it for yourself, it is possible to arrange, but might take some extra work on your part. Either way, the cooking appliances, the cooktop and oven or range, are the most important part of the kitchen if you cook at all. Choosing the ones that suit your cooking style, way of thinking, size needs, etc., will make a far bigger difference on your happiness with the final kitchen than anything else. Choose those first, and make the compromises where you need to.

Also, do check for warrantied floor models, scratch and dents, etc., if you want something that's just out of your budget. If this is a transitional home for you, don't overdo! If you're planning to be there a good long time, think about future reconfigurations. What will you want to change in seven years, and how hard will it be to do so.

It sounds like you're just getting into your research. Keep visiting stores and reading up online. Check out the Kitchens Forum on Gardenweb for more kitchen design help, and visit manufacturer's websites to see details of the appliances. You can download and read through the manuals too. That can be very informative.

One you have a better idea of what you want, go to a showroom and "play cook"--bring pots!--and see if you like reaching for the controls, the way the racks are in the oven, etc. Before you finalize your kitchen and appliances plans, make a mockup out of boxes, chairs, etc. (do it in a park if you don't have room), and play at cooking through all the steps, getting things from fridge and pantry, preparing them, cooking on the stove, then adding water, etc. Go through a few of your most complicated recipes. See how it works in 3D real life.

Best of luck! I've been in my new kitchen going on five years, I think. It's a dream. If you plan really well, yours can be too!

The separate double oven is fabulous only for the really big dinners which you may not do very often, if ever. A counter height oven is a must for people with back or other physical issues where bending down and lifting something hot and heavy would be debilitating and/or dangerous. Presuming your kitchen can accomodate both and you are willing to pay for the two cabinets holding the oven and cook/range top, you really have two questions: (i) double v single oven and (ii) range or separate cooktop/rangetop and oven. To me separate would always be preferable....But you can get a range with a double oven and that is what I wish I had done (I have a range with single oven), but at the time the prices were prohibitve and the reviews were not good, things have changed for the better. Also be sure to look at induction cooktops (but only if you are not planning to use an OTR microwave, there have been too many stories of someone breaking their cooktop while pulling (dropping) something out of the microwave). Also, the flat induction cooktop, beautiful, modern and sleek may not seem right depending upon the period style of your kitchen.

We went with #2 and love it.

Pot drawers below a 48" CC rangetop are very convenient.

Double electric Electrolux Icon ovens are great and it keeps the "baking center" away from the "cooking center" so we don't trip over each other. The fridge is in between for convenient access. Kids can bake while Mom and Dad cook, or vice versa.

The only downside we had not considered is there is no range hood or exhaust near the ovens so when something burns it sets off the smoke detector. Not a big deal but something to think about if the ovens are not near the range hood.

Billy

Maz
Ergonomics and not cooking yourself are advantages of the cooktop/wall oven setup.

I went with a cooktop and 2 ovens - one convection and one speed.

Marcolo- my first KD had the cooktop and oven as far away as possible. She tried to convince me this was best - fired her.

Mine are now on the same end of the kitchen but on 2 different walls so I can go back and forth easily but far enough away to avoid the oven heat. I put my Boos Cart as an island between the 2 for an additional landing zone. I didn't have enough room for an island.

I have a 30" gas range (that's all that fits in the space) and a single 30" electric wall oven on order. I'm looking very forward to these. I'm replacing a 30" electric range.

We just remodeled an older kitchen that originally had a cook top and separate wall oven. I really liked the wall oven, but we chose to go instead with a slide-in range with an OTR microwave. By getting rid of the wall oven, we were able to gain some much needed counter space.

I think a lot of choices you make will be dictated by your needs, space and budget. We had to work within our existing footprint, and the extra countertop turned out to be much more important to me than a wall oven.

I am just finishing a remodel where we put in separate cooktop and wall ovens. And the ovens are relatively far away from the cooktop, even though we are avid cooks - we had some layout constraints, and as noted above, ovens aren't tended so much that we felt they needed to be in the middle of the small work area.

We wanted specific functionality (induction, steam oven) that didn't lend itself to a single range, so never really considered anything else.