Wow - am having exactly the same problem.....My 35 year old Thermador measures 25.5" wide x 51" tall on the outside. I believe the hole is 24" wide - and the inside wall-to-wall cabinet measurement is 25.5" wide. That's too small for a "27-inch" wall oven (the cutout hole needs to be about 25-25.5")- and I believe it is recommended to have some air space around the body of the oven (although none of the manufacturers say this in their documentation). A "24-inch" wall oven needs about a 22.5" or so cutout - as mine is 24" that's too big. Would be a big job, and very noticeable to try to put a larger piece of wood on the face of the cabinets - would be impossible to remove the old and put in a new one and stain it to match. I've had no luck with any appliance dealers helping me find one that will fit the hole, at least width wise! I'll let you know if I find something...

We have a similar issue with our fireplace and, after considering various options, reluctantly decided not to disturb the overall structure. I would caution against removing the hearth. It's there for a reason: It's noncombustible and that's important protection against a fire. Lowering the firebox to floor level and then installing a hearth at floor level will probably be a very big, very messy and very costly undertaking, almost like rebuilding the whole thing. You might be able to remove the raised hearth and install a floor level hearth in its place. I think that would be okay from the safety standpoint, provided the new hearth is about the same size at the old one. You will then need to extend the fireplace surround so it goes under the firebox as well as over and on the sides. That sounds like the work of a mason, or maybe you can install metal -- either copper or powder-coated steel in black so it looks like cast iron, if you like that look and think it will blend. If you want to reduce the size of the firebox, you could consider a fireplace insert. The most popular ones are gas-fired, either natural or propane. They are expensive ($3-4.5K), and typically come with fireplace surround to cover the old firebox opening. I would guess that the kinds of changes you are contemplating would total about $6K or more. And picking a competent installer involves a leap of faith. Ask a fireplace contractor for a free estimate. Then you'll know.

Patricia .. I talked with somebody at houzz Friday afternoon explaining that I needed a new insert after I posted this and I was concerned about the size I needed a 28 long 10 1/2 wide and 23 3/8 high for replacement. To order the wrong insert would be a expensive and heavy return costing above $60. I also wanted to find out if you had any other inserts available that looked more realistic regardless of cost. When researching fireplace inserts your store kept coming up and there are no fireplace stores that carry electric fireplace inserts as Home Depot corporate home office was trying to find one for me. They also came across houzz for a referral. Your response was very unprofessional and a bad reflection on your company. I would like to cancel my order immediately. I believe your job title is to provide professional customer service and not chase the customer away. "Really" being sarcastic perhaps you should find something better to do, and seek employment elsewhere. You have tarnished the reputation of houzz the very company you work for and should be fired for doing so. I will never use houzz again or recommend them. Your attitude is shameful. Sincerely, James Coveney - Proprietor - Buckhead Design

Yes! I ordered a fireplace insert thing that uses STEAM -- and we couldn't have chosen better. Don't remember the name, but we ordered it from Target. When the steam comes out it looks exactly like smoke. There are fake logs and orange lighting and we love it!. I decided that we really didn't need to see both sides of the fire at once, so I made black curtains to hang on the back side, making the two sided look (from the front) like a one sided. We just ignore the back side and it looks great.