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Should we go with 36" vs 30" range for our Kitchen renovation ?

Karthik Jayaraman

2 months ago

last modified: last month

We are staring kitchen reno next week and still debating if we should go with a 30" vs 36" gas range. My wife and I are absolutely sure that 30" is plenty enough to cook for our family (and the occasional guests) but we are worried that going from the current 36" cooktop to a 30" range oven is not a downgrade given that we bought our new house for $760k.

What are your thoughts ? New Kithen pics -

https://imgur.com/ReEd5Qp
https://imgur.com/sdPcfsb
https://imgur.com/vwtAhvp
https://imgur.com/NOMFJcb

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Comments (17)

millworkman
last month
Post the pics in a reply, many people will not click links. Help us help you by making it as easy as possible to see your questions.
latifolia
last month
It looks like a small kitchen, so a 30" range should be fine. They are available at all price points, with a wide range of features.
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My second and third drawer are the same height. Those drawer fronts are 12 inches and the top drawer is 6-1/2 inches. My cabinets are framed so as Ginny20 noted the drawer boxes are not the same measurement as the drawer fronts. Also be aware that if your drawers are going under a cooktop you will need to check the cooktop specs for the clearance needed for the drawer immediately below it. Some people have been surprised to find they couldn't have a drawer below their cooktop. My cooktop only needed 1/4 inch clearance to combustibles below it but the sides of my drawer box still needed to be cut down a little. The drawers needed some further adjustments in the front to back length of the drawer box to clear the gas regulator or some such part that hung down below the cooktop. The carpenter then fashioned an angled piece of wood to the drawer box so that the drawer would be attached properly to the glides and still be able to have the soft close feature. Hope the picture helps clarify what I said.
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"Again -- I am CLEARLY no expert and have no idea what I'm doing." In your posts above you keep saying you plead ignorance, you didn't know, etc. But it's been, what, 3 years? Each of the items you said you didn't know about can be googled. For example, the range vs. cooktop/wall ovens has been discussed a ton on the Kitchens and Appliances Forums. Windows - there's a forum on the Gardenweb just about windows, and there are windows contractors on there who are very generous with their advice. You could peruse the threads there and get educated. Then you could say to the remodeling company, e.g., "I want double-pane casements, wood-clad, by Marvin", or whatever. The question about shelves and dishes - how can the designer know what dishes you have and how many? Couldn't you look at your dishes currently and see what depth of shelves you need and how many shelves? Appliances - I've done several remodels and picked out my own appliances, and gave the KD the model numbers and specs. But I was willing to do th research. It sounds odd that after 3 years you continue to say you're ignorant. There are remodelers and designers who will do "turnkey" type jobs. They will do everything soup to nuts and you only have to give basic preferences on colors you like. It sounds like that would be a relief for you. But those are the kinds that cost $100k+. If you are not in that category, you need to make an effort to research and educate yourself so that you can be decisive and then KDs will give you their attention.
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Comments (6)
Without knowing anything about you and your family's needs, it's difficult to say whether you should get a 30" or a 36" range. How many burners do you regularly use? How many do you need when you entertain (if you do) and for holiday dinners? If 4 won't cut it, get a 36" range. Your kitchen is large enough to accommodate a 30" wall oven, too. Personally, I'd prefer to use the smaller oven most of the time so that I'm not working over a hot oven while cooking on the range. Another option would be to do a 36" cook top, a 30" wall oven and a 30" speed oven (MW combo, multi-function). Separate appliances cost more but, as DrB477 pointed out, 36" ranges are spendy. You didn't ask for lay-out advice but your lay-out doesn't make the best use of your kitchen's footprint. Your fridge and range are crowded together and your island's angled shape puts the sink farther away from perimeter counters than recommended, plus it provides limited counter space. Given the opportunity to take advantage of your misfortune (my sympathies), it seems a shame not to consider addressing these issues at the same time. Are you on a slab? Even if you are, can you move plumbing at all? If so, here's one possibility that relieves appliance crowding and gives you a larger island with more counter on each side of the sink plus a lot more room to work on each side of the range, and better work aisle widths. Do you have pantry space somewhere? Or are you doing pantry cabinets? There's room to add them to the above plan, either between wall oven/MW and fridge, creating a "wall of tall" or at one end or the other of the range run. Good luck with your rebuild! PS. If your fridge is a standard depth fridge, you may want to allow a wider aisle between fridge run and island. Or you could investigate recessing the fridge into the stud space a few inches.
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Comments (10)
A common problem that I find in a lot of initial postings to this forum is kitchen remodels being driven by the desired list of features. In principle, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, you should identify the features that you need and then build your kitchen around it. But inevitably, the answer then turns out to be that a bigger range is required. And that's typically not true. Very few homechefs need 8+ burners. It's really hard to keep more than a handful of burners in active use. Once you realize that, you are back to a more conservatively sized 30" or 36" range or range-top. And you start thinking about adding other appliances to fill the remaining needs that you might have. This could be a second wall oven, it could be a combination steam oven (awesome choice!), a microwave speed oven, a microwave drawer, a warming drawer, or built-in sous-vide facilities. Or of course, any combination of these appliances. Also, once you separate your needs into specialized appliances, you have more choices in both gas and/or induction models that fit your needs.
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snappity
last month
30" - if you are already thinking resale value for a house you JUST bought, stop doing that! Get what works for you. As far as resale, if I were looking at your house I'd be planning on taking out the gas range at whatever size to replace with induction, get what works for you NOW not what you think a hypothetical future buyer might want later.
HU-918119203
last month
Hard to say without dimensions, but I would say to fit the range to the space. To me, the more important thing to consider when thinking about what is appropriate for the price of your house is the brand/style of range. And that depends on what other houses at that price point have. My kitchen (and house) are small, so I have a 30" range and 30" fridge, but they are Viking and Sub-Zero, which is appropriate in my market where houses sell from between $500-1,000+ psf. So you may want name brand or at least professional style appliances, even if they are small. That said, appliances are easy for a buyer to replace and resale value is a guessing game, so...
Beatrix
last month
I think a 30" fits your area and you need all the counterspace you can get. A 36" is going to look disproportional.. especially with the corner sink. It wouldn't be a downgrade because it makes better sense ;-) Fear not.
palimpsest
last month
30" should be fine.
cupofkindnessgw
last month
30" slide-in range under a 36" wall vent hood.
wdccruise
last month
Here are two 30" CR-recommended gas ranges:
- LG LSGL6337F: Home Depot, Best Buy
- LG Studio LSGS6338F: Home Depot, Best Buy
snappity
last month
Agree with @cupofkindnessgw on the 36" hood! I just did that and I am so glad I did.
PRO
Rabbitt Design
last month
That corner upper next to a microwave unit will not work. Put a panel next to your fridge and a 24" unit overhead. This kitchen needs a lot more consideration, stick with a 36" range and improve/downscale your upper storage for a better look and feel. Looks like your clearances to fridge are too tight. Please post a floor plan
Sally T
last month
@snappity - do you have a photo of your range and hood? Thank you!
snappity
last month
last modified: last month
Not a great one, we are still waiting on counter and floor! And I would eventually like a slide in range, but that one we just bought 2 years ago so it's fine for now.
Sally T
last month
@snappity - looks GREAT and I love the proportions!
snappity
last month
Yes, I really think if Id gone 30 (which was my original plan, upsizing was a houzz idea) it would look too small!
dan1888
last month
30" slide-in induction would be my suggestion. Bosch 800 industrial. I'd move the sink out of the corner for beyyer access by ore than one at a time. All wide drawer base cabinets.
cupofkindnessgw
last month
cupofkindnessgw
last month
last modified: last month
I sold this house a couple of months ago, but installed this kitchen in 2003 (once natural maple, repainted white to sell). This is a 30" KitchenAid induction range under a 36 wooden hood.

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