Have to agree with Shannon...two months looking is nothing. Took us 8 months to find our first home, and a year before we found the house we’re in now...same school district, though not in the same neighborhood. The OP, sooz, did not originally say that they don’t use the microwave much, until now. If that’s the case, then the pantry is the way to go. Though, she did say it‘s used for reheating. If that means several times a day, then I still say the pantry is inconvenient. I don‘t use mine for prep, either. OK, maybe I melt butter in there, once in a while. It’s strictly for reheating food/soups, boiling water for tea, or making hot chocolate. A little off topic...When we planned out our present kitchen, on the advice of this forum, we put in a Miele CSO (and reg convection oven below). It was said that the CSO would take the place of the microwave for reheating food. We found that not to be the case. The microwave is much quicker, and easier to clean. DH is reluctant to use the CSO. The microwave, however, is his friend. :-)

BEWARE I installed a Sharp MW drawer in a remodel in 2016. Didn't start using it regularly until I moved in after retiring in April 2019. It was toast by September 2019 shortly after the extended warranty ran out. Search Houzz for the problem with MW drawers not lasting so you are well informed. I usually take negative reports with a grain of salt, but given my similar problems, I dunno... All that said, I loved it while it was working for the sheer convenience of the drawer and the streamlined look of it in the kitchen. My countertop model from my old house has been filling in ( for a year now!) but I will probably just order another $1000+ drawer and swap it in. My attempts at figuring out a less expensive replacement haven't gone too far given the restraints of Covid and besides reputable handyman to do the work are few and far between here. Also, apparently Sharp holds some 12 or 14 patents for the MW drawer innards, so they are the suppliers of the inner workings for all brands. Good luck.

It’s an absolute No on that triple stack with the MW. That installation there should be a double oven stack, period. Is that a pantry to the right of the fridge? I am asking because I have my MW on a shelf in my pantry. I love that location; it is out of sight, yet conveniently located. I have a $115 Sharp countertop MW on the pantry shelf. I did have to get the electrician to install an electric outlet at that shelf but it was not a big deal. We are not frequent MW users. Alternatively, I’d just buy an inexpensive countertop MW, and put it on a counter. I am not a fan of the drawer MW for the reasons already mentioned above, and also because there is no rotating plate, and also because I am too impatient for the slow-mo open and close.

@Patricia Colwell That looks great! Yeah, we can just put it on the counter. Was curious though at that point if it makes sense (while we're doing all the cabinets) to pull a cabinet down to the counter...because having the microwave on the counter will functionally be blocking things similarly to a cabinet? But I don't know. A shelf could work too! But if the upper cabinet it is under/near isn't extra deep, the microwave will stick out/be proud of the cabinets (which I don't know how big a deal that is, or how big a deal it is to have some cabinets be deeper...so I'm asking everyone here!). Thanks for the food for thought! @snappity Good to know! Do you find it annoying to reach down and to the side (if that makes sense) to get things in/out of a regular microwave that's on a lower shelf? Or is it no big deal? It seems like it could be annoying, but I guess I have never lived someplace with that kind of microwave placement! @Sabrina Alfin Good to know that some people love them. I only know a few people with them who aren't huge fans, but addmitedly I don't have a great sample size. Maybe I'll try to give this more thought or go to people's houses who have them. And the open cubby we've thought about! Goes back to the same thing though that the microwave would stick out/be proud of standard upper cabinets... is that a big deal? Is it a big deal to have some of the upper cabinets be deeper to accomodate a microwave? I did walk through IKEA the other day with my family and measured some of their kitchen setups for fun - some of their upper cabinets were 16" deep! I didn't notice at all until I measured. So maybe it wouldn't be weird to have deeper uppers. But for all of them, maybe that would be weird. But having only one or two be deeper, maybe that would be weird. Hopefully I can find someone who has something like that to see what they say! @Jan Moyer Glad for more feedback about people liking the drawer microwaves! And agreed - it is safer for children. I guess the folks I know (not to many/not a great sample size) say they have broken easily (at least one person said their kids lean on it) or it gets pushed around too hard. But maybe the newer models are better! They are very expensive though, or else I would be much more inclined to go this route. Maybe I could find a dented one or something though. I'll try to get a better image up in the album this weekend! This process is ever evolving (so I don't have specifics for cabinetry etc, but the room dimensions are all accurate in the drawing and it is drawn to scale!) and we're also trying to get back to everything after unexpected deaths in our family (my little brother and my partner's uncle). So there's a lot going on and we're doing our best. But I need to make a good/updated copy anyway! @Mrs Pete We do have many of the skills =) My partner and I both have carpentry backgrounds and some electric and other reno experience. We're also learning a lot! And contracting some things out. Good feedback; thanks so much! There is counter space for days in this kitchen (massive island...which is why we thought maybe pulling some cabinets down might be practical? But also might be too weird in the space and block light). The only time I see upper cabinets of varying depths is either when a appliance garage/cabinets that go down to the counter (deep ones) meet normal uppers/normal coutners OR when the cabinetry above a stove is proud of the surrounding upper cabinets. Which looks fine I guess? It's difficult to picture in this situation though for me (even when I draw it in the software! I will add some images of that to the album this weekend). I did see at IKEA the other day (walking through with my family and mesaured some things for fun) and all of their upper cabinets in the kitchen setups they had were deeper than 12" and some were 16"...which I didn't even notice until I measured. So maybe it wouldn't be as big a deal as I think to make uppers deeper? I don't know. @cpartist Good to know! Do you find a drawer microwave takes more of a beating/gets broken more easily (especially with lots of people using it)? I wouldn't be so opposed if it weren't for the high cost. But maybe I could find it dented or something! @Chris Wills Interesting idea I had never even thought of (or heard of!). Do you think it will be awkward to have to go down and over to get things in and out? This is for sure an interesting idea though! Thanks so much! @chicagoans Great feedback, thanks! That is a great point about reaching up to a microwave. Honestly the most convenient in my experience is on the counter (because no reaching and the coutner is right there to set hot things on etc...but it is obvioulsy more in the way sometimes). But yeah, reaching just a little down is easier than reaching up especially is anyone has mobility issues. Yeah, I have been finding soooo many microwaves (and toaster ovens) actuallly require way more clearance than people realize and can't even be under upper cabients (or shouldn't be...for the life of the appliance and possibly fire hazard). Hmm I'll look into the speed oven microwave combo. I assume they are kind of expensive? But I'll for sure investigate! Maybe I can find a dented one of those!