I love my GE spacesaver. It is less than 24" wide. It sits on a shelf. From the wall to the front of the mw it is 13 1/8". From the shelf to the top of the mw 11".

The saddest part is as of my first post, which was probably 4 or 5 yrs ago, this had been going on for 10 years prior. With all the complaints about the size changes, I guess they don't care to go back and make then "fit". I have not priced them in ages, but when I was looking the GE Spacesaver was the smallest one you could buy and they even changed that one. Back then, it was about $100 more than a countertop model but the new microwaves were about $600 in Canada (plus 13% tax)....and then you not only have inconvenience, but also alot of remodeling. , I opted for a countertop model. I was hoping tings would have changed by now cuz I debated about replacing my microwave and being a month without one, I realized I still need one, so when this one bites the dust, I guess I get another countertop model. I even appealed to 3 manufacturers telling them to read these posts and another site I was on and see if they go back to the original designs, they can corner the market on them and have many who want them. They didn't even bother to reply. So much for customer service, eh? lol

While there are a couple of under cabinet mountable MW's that are shallow depth, all OTR's are at least 15" deep. They are designed to stick out from standard 12" deep cabinets. In the case of those who recirculate upwards, this is VERY important that you don't increase the depth of the cabinets to match the MW. FOr those that are connected to external vents or recirculate through the front grille, you can add custom depth to the surrounding cabinets to achieve a more built in look. I'd have to view a KD with suspicion that didn't know this.

This is not something I know much about, but I'm dealing with my range hood issues at the moment. Wouldnt it be possible to mount the 16" deep microhood into an 18" deep recess so that the front is mounted as recommended, with a filler in the back between the rear of the microwave and the wall? They definitely sell "trim" accessories online, although most of these are intended to fill a gap around the front of the appliance. I can't see a reason you couldn't mount the microwave to a 2" x 4" attached to your studs, then disguise the wood from below with a stainless steel trim kit. Google "otr microhood gap fillers." Good luck!