If you have any interest in resale, get an oven or at least arrange a spot where you can stick one in right before you go.

I wouldn't do it. The Velos looks great and convenient and all, but it is not as big as a regular standard oven, correct?

What if you want to cook a turkey? Or cook multiple items at once. When I had my tiny NYC galley kitchen, we still managed to make Thanksgiving dinner for about 20 people. You would never be able to do that.

It would definitely be bad for resale, but I think it would be worse for you.

I don't cook all that much but I'm getting multiple ovens in my new kitchen because on those occasions when I do cook a large meal, like on Thanksgiving, for instance, I really need as much capacity as I can get.

You can leave that spot below the cooktop for an oven, to be installed now or later, or never. We put one in that way. It's not at all hard. The main issue, as you probably know, is with the specs for the cooktop, distance from the oven, etc., but that can be worked around with cooktop choice.

"Hubby has read reviews of the Velos where most people say they almost never use their oven now that they have the Velos"

Key word in the above statement is ALMOST. Which means that sometimes they DO use their ovens now that they have the velos. I think not getting an oven will be a very serious mistake for you AND for resale. I have seen wall ovens mounted in the cabinets below the cooktop. Would that work?

"I want a gas cooktop but Hubby doesn't."

Hubby cooks half the time?
If so, his voice certainly deserves equal weight.
But if you're the primary cook and his reasons are "visual design" rather than functional, then IMO, all of the above poster's reasons for saying "Don't do it!" should take precedence.

i don't think it's all that crazy. you can always buy one of those countertop ovens and just keep it stowed somewhere until you need it.

and deep fried turkey is great on thanksgiving!

I agree with Ed that you can get away with having no oven but I'd still be nervous about it, mainly as a resale issue but if you have no intention of moving then you should do what works best for the way the two of you cook. You can always get a countertop oven that can be put away when not in use, if you find later that you need an oven.

Having said all of that, there are many induction cooktops that can have a wall oven installed underneath. Have you researched this on the appliance forum? Lots of advice and pics there.

Pbris, you're in California, right? Why do Californians grill our Thxgiving turkeys outdoors? Because we can!

Seriously, resale value would be a concern, so make sure there's a place where you can buy a $50 Craigslist oven when it comes time to resell. I bake a lot and couldn't imagine life without an oven (and am not familiar with how well Velos substitutes), but to each her own...as long as you have the resale issue covered.

are you sure you can't do an induction cooktop and an electric wall oven underneath the counter somewhere (even if it's not under the cooktop)?

Is there a version of the Velos that would mount under the counter?

>Is there a version of the Velos that would mount under the counter?

I think that would be the same kind of mistake as a 24" oven as the only oven. It may work swell for you, but since you mention resale as a concern, even if you just put in a drawer base for now, make sure you have room for at least a 27" oven when you want to sell.

It's true that lots of people don't really use the oven, but that doesn't keep them from being nervous about buying a house that doesn't have one, in case they ever want to resell. Silly maybe, but that's how people are. Especially when buying a house, everyone fantasizes that their lives will be soooo different once they are living in it, and they tend to want the accoutrements, whether or not they'll really use them.

I wouldn't do it.

When I was buying this house, I looked at a couple of houses with tiny ovens, and immediately crossed them off the list.

That said, my brother lived in a NYC apartment where you couldn't open the oven door because there was a pipe in a front of it ( you could use the broiler underneath), and it didn't bother him. So, I guess if you're going to sell to someone like him, it might be ok.

blue: Too funny. We do use our outdoor grill a lot (even when I have a functioning stove) so that is part of the calculations as well.

All of the induction options involve custom construction of some sort. Hubby is rather burnt out on this project already so adding one more complicated project is not attractive. There is no other spot to put an oven (have I mentioned the kitchen is small?) other than the range opening.

I do 99% of the cooking, but Hubby is GC and accountant on this project. Going gas means running a gas line to the kitchen. (I don't think it will be that difficult as our gas heater is just on the other side of the wall.)

Velos is strictly a microhood.

I suspect we'll just limp along with our cr*ppy glass top electric range for now until we figure things out. *sigh*

Ohhhhh, please don't give up so easily. Couldn't you buy a wall oven cabinet and install roll out shelves in it to store pots and pans (or even fixed shelves). Then you could just pop in cheap oven if you decide to move. Or, you could install a nice oven later, if you decide you need one, when DH isn't so burnt out.

izbit, I think I saw that apartment--was it in Sunnyside?

Recently renovated by the corporation that owned the building. Majorly stupid.

pbrisjar: can you take a deep, deep breath, and buy the more expensive induction range? Esp. if it would use the same space as the glass-top electric you have now, you *could* just keep the same range, and then set up a cookie jar to put money in to buy the more expensive range. That's a huge advantage of free-standing ranges.

In a year or so, the induction range may be less expensive, too!

Another option: see if a contractor (or a plumber) would do whatever part of it that's too hard for DH. A plumber might run your gas line for you less expensively than you think. Or a cabinet maker or contractor might do the cabinet modification.

I second the idea of waiting a bit - induction ranges just HAVE to be hitting the mainstream soon, and it seems like innovations are marching down to more reasonable price ranges faster and faster now.

We have a 30" wall oven below a 30" induction cooktop. Looks and works great!

Even if I was not going to keep the kitchen, I'd turn up my nose at a house without an oven. It screams (not enough power to run the line...or maybe gas issues because they couldn't spend a couple hundred to run that line or...well the mind wanders to a bad place.).

I would think it would be cheaper to run the gas line and get a nice gas range than it would be to get a more expensive induction cook top and wall oven combo that has to be custom installed. Gas lines aren't that hard, especially if you're tying into one close. Also with induction you may need to buy a lot of new pans. I'd push for the gas, get a bid from a plumber if hubby doesn't want to do it himself. I think you'd come out cheaper in the long run, and if you prefer gas (with good reason) and do most of the cooking, that's what should matter.

tally_sue: There's not enough breath for me to withstand the $9K+ price tags I'm seeing for the one induction range that's available. That's just slightly less than what we've spent on renovating the kitchen so far.

As we're refinishing existing cabinets, just buying a new one isn't really an option.

kailleanm: I'd LOVE to see pics and get some details!

i-chic and raenjapan: I'm still working on convincing him that it wouldn't be that expensive or troublesome to run a gas line. I think he just has something against a gas range as he's never had one. It would in so many ways be the more practical and economical solution.

I'm probably just going to have to hold my nose and wait the year or so it will take for induction ranges to become more reasonable.

Is there no way to move undercounter storage planned elsewhere to under the cooktop and then install an oven in the now-vacant spot? Note that if you had put in a range, you wouldn't have had storage space under the cooking top...so putting in an undercounter oven isn't taking any storage away.

Velos OTR: Usually, OTR MWs are smaller than standard/countertop/built-in models. Are you sure you would really be able to use as a substitute for an oven? Remember also that it will be above your shoulders, so accessing it for many items normally baked/roasted in an oven will not be easy.

As to resale..it will DEFINITELY hurt. It would be one of the biggest deal breakers in a house for me...I wouldn't even look at it or consider it in any way.

buehl:
Tiny kitchen also has odd configuration issues. There's also the whole refinishing existing cabs issue to consider. Moving things would require major rebuilding and that's just not in the budget. If we were doing a gut and remodel I probably would be moving things around and doing reconfiguration but we're not.

If it were just Hubby and I all the time we could easily get away with no oven as I almost never bake and most "roasting" happens on the grill. Heck, even when we do have family over we almost never use the oven. But yeah, that whole resale thing and the fact that there are times when an oven would be useful is the deciding factor.

I'm still working on convincing him that it wouldn't be that expensive or troublesome to run a gas line.

Stop trying to convince him, and get some evidence!

Call a plumber, and get a bid. Take it out of the theoretical.

(I wouldn't DIY a gas line anyway.)

And if you do the lion's share of the cooking, then I think I'd be pressing him to drop his aversion to gas.

(and $9k is much more than I was thinking; I tried to find an induction range, and had a hard time, but I was hoping it would be more like $2k)

Hi,

As requested, here are some photos of our setup. Our kitchen is small too (9x10) and layout options were limited.

We decided on a 30" Fisher and Paykel wall oven below a 30" Windcrest induction cooktop (made by Fagor/Brandt). This has worked out great for us and I find the look much more streamlined than a range in our tiny space.

I like cooking on gas, but induction has so many benefits. It's energy efficient, doesn't heat up the kitchen, the cooktop is SUPER easy to clean-up, etc. We were well within all clearance guidelines for the oven/cooktop combo. I've been very pleased with both appliances.

Sorry the photos aren't great. THey're a bit dark and it's hard to get a good shot in our small space. Let me know if you need more of a close-up and I'll try to get a couple of better ones.

We're still not 100% done. Some painting and filling still to do on windows, need to install fan over cooktop, etc.

And here's the before: