Undercounter ovens aren't any closer to the floor than the oven in a range unless they are installed under a cooktop. I have a 13 year old GE wall oven installed undercounter and it's never been a problem. Of course, it's not as nice as having one which doesn't require bending, but as I said, it's no worse than the range oven.

It's pricey but the Miele works well b/c it is short enough that you can still fit a drawer below it. Bosch used to make one but it is my understanding that it has been discontinued. Lots of brands will work but as you point out some are very low to the floor.
I just went through this same process. I went to the Abt website and brought up single ovens then checked Undercounter as one of the search options. All the measurements are there.

Bosch has several single ovens which fit nicely under a countertop - I have one. They have 3 different models, in 27" and 30". I have the 27" and it's 4" off the floor, which is pretty standard. Works fine for me.

I think pretty much any single oven will work beneath a countertop. Bear in mind, even if the door opens low, the actual shelves will be higher, so you won't be bending down any lower to attend your cooking than you would with a regular range. Just for picking up the door (and I haven't found it different, and I have a dodgy back too)

cheri127, owls4me, and sara the brit - Thank you all for your reponses. My last range had the controls on the top, so I felt an UC oven would be lower than a range oven. But after your comments, I looked at a few ranges and see most have the controls down on the front.

owls4me (love that name!! Real live owls or a sports team?) - I checked out the abt.com website and it is great! That will help a lot as they have most brands and I love the drill down to get to just the features I want!

There is a real pair of great horned owls nesting in the wetland next to our house with an owlet born last March. I do get glimpses of them but I just love to listen to them hoot.
I get to shop at Abt! They have great customer service.
Sorry if I misled you about the Bosch. What I meant to say was the model that allowed a drawer below it is no longer made so the new Bosch ovens sit closer to the floor. Also not all Bosch ovens are made for uc use. They were my first choice until I figured out how to work the Miele into the budget.

I agree with owls - the Boschs being sold now are the size of most of the single ovens these days - humongous. Which, in my opinion, is not especially convenient for an under-counter installation as they occupy an entire base cabinet (more or less) and open all the way down. Miele, I think is one of the last oven manufacturers left that makes any 27" sized oven that trends to the sensible, and not huge, in the vertical dimension.

I have a 30" wide Bosch-700 installed UC. It is a perfect size - a full sized oven but since it is ~24" tall, by mounting it at the top of the cabinet, it sits about 5.5" or 6" above the bottom of the cabinet and therefore about 10" off the floor. Of course this oven is no longer manufactured and to the best of my knowledge, unless you go to a 24" oven, the Miele in 27" is one of the last larger width ovens left that will offer this geometry.

Sadly, with the public push to opt for large, larger, larger-yet in oven sizes, these sensible sized ovens are being out-moded.

I'm a nature lover, too. We'll be building on an acreage and frequently we have heard the owls. We have never seen them; hopefully sometime we'll catch a glimpse of them. We have seen deer, wild turkeys, fox, geese, red tail hawks, an eagle, and we've heard the coyotes.

Thank you for the clarification. I'll look at the Miele. DH suggested we do a built in wall mount and steal a little space from our pantry (which will be fairly large). So maybe I can avoid the UC oven set up. Maybe I'll try the layout both ways. I hope to post a layout soon.

Hi mindstorm, I'm just passing along the info I learned from you. I'll be going with the 27" perfectclean Miele!
Lyno, I just could not give up the counter space. I will have a 30" dual fuel range so this is my 2nd oven but I think I'll use it most as I really wanted a Miele right from the start.
Now for something new, trying to link you to my thread over on Appliances. Not exactly your question but good info. Ignore my babble.

Here is a link that might be useful: Appliance thread link

Wow! Thanks mindstorm and owls - your thread on the appliance forum is great! You both are fantastic! And, I guess I should have checked the appliance forum before asking my question; I was a bit too focused on the layout...so many details!

owls - did you ever get the answer to your question about the cubic difference between the 24" and the 27" size Miele?

And, was there somethng specific your DH didn't like about the Gaggenau. Subject UC is one of two ovens, I still have to pick out my other oven. We currently have an ancient Monarch that has a side open door and that was the oven's one redeeming feature. Much easier for a short person.

Lyno, No, I never did get my answer about the interior space but I plan to call Miele customer service. I'm down to all the little details and they take time so I just haven't reached it on my list yet. Last of the college applications to complete with DD1...

DH was put off by the price, the side opening door and glass over stainless look. A little too Jetsons for him. Also the fresh cookie baking was right in that area of the mini mall stores so I think he was distracted! His eyes had sort of glazed over by that point in the shopping.

I like the pull down door b/c I can be on either side of the oven and pull something out/put something in. I don't have a real strong handedness so it works for me.

I bounce back and forth between the Kitchen and Appliance forums. When I'm feeling dreamy I peek at Home Decorating. Appliance was great for ventilation questions.