I am sorry that you have to redesign. I do think it is very typical everywhere for code and inspectors to account for worst case scenarios. Isn't part of the idea of codes is to protect future owners from unsafe conditions? And even if you wouldn't cook with the door closed, future owners might. More space is usually easier to work with than less so hopefully the redesign won't be too painful!

It is a bit "worse case scenerio", but I can imagine a child closing the door. Or you closing the door after the baking is done, but the oven is still somewhat warm. Overall, it doesn't seem like a good idea.

If your goal is to minimize the stainless, here's a couple thoughts:

- Downsize to one oven; how often are you really going to use two full sized ovens anyway? I used to bake two wedding cakes a week, and I was fine with one. That'll cut your stainless in half.

- Consider one of those ranges that include double ovens -- one small, one large.

- Do you have a walk-in pantry or a butler's pantry? Could the ovens be place in that?

- Could you go with a material other than stainless? White or black, or some of the colors that seem to be coming out?

- Could you position the oven in such a way that it's not visible from the doorway? On the back side of a cabinet somehow?

I cannot remember your exact plan but Sophie's suggestion sounds very reasonable.

Thanks @mrspete, it's the only place the oven can go. The other side of the L is a giant wall of fridge/freezer.

We're reusing our double oven so we're stuck with it probably for a couple more years. Our rangetop is already purchased and we just don't have funds for extraneous.

I just found out yesterday that our builder didn't have the garage up to code in ampage and the garage, laundry and my MB on the other side of the house shares one circuit. They obviously were trying to save money by using the same wire.

Instead of choosing to ignore it, I will fix it which involves more construction and huge cost.

@practigal, I already designed a pull out pantry on the other side. It's 5 extra inches but I have to figure out if it will throw off the room to shift the hood to the right or just expand the existing cabinets by 5 inches.

At this point I'm so fatigued by all the bad news, cost overruns and fights with the insurance company that I just want to finish the kitchen so I can deal with the rest of the house.

I think I've probably missed the backstory but it sounds to me like you need an approved electrician. Because of code changes since our house was built, when we redid our kitchen we had to have a second circuit-breaker box added to the house. Did you know that microwaves, because of the amount of power that the new ones draw, now have to have their own circuit and can't be combined with anything else.

Trying to save money is one thing - but what happens when the electrical inspection is done - you fail, and then what.

Re your pocket doors - again check codes. This is just for where I live, but electrical plugs can't even be put into appliance garages as it's against code. Pocket doors for an oven would be a non-starter conversation.

@blfenton. The not up to code wiring was done 18 years ago when the house was built. Maybe it was in code then. Nothing that I can do about it as the builder's company (son of a local billionaire) has gone out of business years ago. They built about 300 of the houses in my area.

I had my electrician checked every single wire in the house yesterday when we had flickers out of the blue. The neutral wire got loose and was easily fixed but then he found the amp shortage after I had him test every plug. I didn't have to fix it but I chose to.

I already fired the 2nd GC after his electrician lay new wires that were expensive but not what I needed. Instead of 2 15 Amps lines, they put in one 30 amp so now I have to cut through half the house to add a line.

I went way overboard on the kitchen electrical and didn't skimp anything as we put in 5 extra lines with separate circuits in addition to what was there in the kitchen. The island alone got 3 dedicated lines. I figured that it was cheaper to spend the money now than to try and add electrical in the future as that would involve removing cabinets and walls.

I paid for extra electrical when the house was built and didn't really need to upgrade in the kitchen except for converting to LED. The builder took the money and skimped on electrical everywhere else in the house.

oh beachem, I do feel for you.

Louvered double doors?

https://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=112928

Miss...If you're suggesting those doors for the oven - no. Read the posts above. Not only is enclosing ovens against Code (as it should be), but it is dangerous.

Beachem...5"? How about a pullout broom closet? (I wanted one, but couldn't fit it!)

There's some information in this thread from February 2015 (and updated today by me with more information):

went to ikea today - need help with pull-out broom closet

I don't know what your budget is, but where I live it would not be that much cheaper to build something complicated than just replacing the oven, and Bluestar is available in 750+ colors. It seems like a lot of effort for a sort of temporary fix to hide stainless, even if it's something you could execute at a reasonable price.

I was pleased to find out about romex, it sure beat how electric used to have to be done and dramatically cut the costs....I am not clear why it is so expensive when so much has already been done. Good luck.

@palim. The Blue Star will be around $9500 with tax. That covers most of the shower rebuild. The doors would have been around $400 and $120 for the slides.

I just have to sleep on it and redo tomorrow.

@practigal. The wiring was expensive because they used copper wires. We had changes in the cost from one week to another according to copper futures. LOL. We also had to cut drywall and ceiling all the way from the front of the garage to the back of the house where the kitchen was at. We also had to replace all the lighting to LED per city's requirements. That was $150/recessed light.

@Buehl. broom closet is probably a good idea. I expanded the broom closet on the short wall to a 12" mini pantry instead so I lost the broom closet.

Is it possible to have the oven doors/visible frame spray painted a different color - either to match cabinets, black, other.... Then, no need to hide. Alternately, can you buy replacement doors in another color, and just paint the frame? Our double ovens failed in the old kitchen and we bought inexpensive, black GE ones, intending to swap them out. Still haven't... just saying, I like the black.

beachem,

I am probably thinking of something more complex where you would not see the guts of the cabinet when the doors were open and something that had some active ventilation to dissipate heat. I also don't know what your market is like.

The complex, but plain-looking vanity I designed for one of my bathrooms priced out at slightly more than $100 per linear inch. If the face were paint grade instead of furniture grade teak ply, $83 per linear inch.

@palim I designed the box within a box concept. The ovens are in their traditional cabinet. We were just shifting the cover panels out 2-3" on each side, making them deeper, cleat them to the wall and attached doors with large pocket slides.

The doors are framed with panels of metal mesh for ventilation just in case so they weren't expensive.

So....keep the plan but wait to put on the doors maybe.