And what do you plan to do for an oven? Just get an induction range.

I am going with a separate wall oven so that I don't have to bend down

So maybe a drawer cabinet underneath?

The back should be straight-forward. The front needs to match the front of the counter (in profile). Ask your counter guy how he would attach it (epoxy). You'll probably need to add some support for the cooktop.

Yes a drawer cabinet underneath is the plan. However, it seems that this is hardly ever done (at least I couldn't find any pictures on the internet), which makes me wonder if there is some technical reason. I just don't have the budget for a new countertop.

If you don’t have the budget for a new countertop, then you dont have the budget for the all new 240 electrical run from the panel for the wall oven, and the expensive new cabinet to hold the wall oven. All of that, plus the oven itself, will cost more than a new countertop. Not to mention you are likely to miss the 33” of Counter space that it will take away from you.

I don't understand the logic. I don't have the budget for a new countertop AND the wall oven. The wall oven is the main reason for the range replacement. The cooktop is just the consequence of separating the two appliances, which now seems to also spawn a new countertop, and I am trying to avoid that.

I also don't understand the comment about the 33" of counter space. The wall oven is not taking away any counter space. It's going onto an empty wall.

Google image searching with "drawer under induction cooktop" returned a number of examples. Also, discussions on these forums about model-dependent clearances and whether or not the top most drawer can be functional..

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2563182/miele-induction-cooktop-over-drawers

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2342247/drawer-under-induction-cook-top

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2296208/drawer-below-bosch-800-induction-stovetop

It will not be efficient or pleasant to cut out enough of a square to do a proper insert into a countertop. You will have issues with seams matching. The expense to do this will be in direct correlation of how dissatisfied the average customer would be with a poor quality seaming job. Meaning, they will charge enough to be able to do a complete do over for a large section. So, go straight for that and do a do over.

Or why not just add the oven elsewhere and leave the range alone. Plenty of kitchens have both.

There is a company called Microtrim (http://www.microtrim.com/cooktop.htm) that might have a product that you could use to fill in the gap. The appliance repair person told me about them when I first moved into my home and had to have my cooktop repaired. There was not enough money after closing on the house to get a new one so yes I had an very old appliance repaired (I can hear the snarky comments now -- gets kind of old).

However, I knew that if the old crappy thing goes again I would just get a new hob. BUT, if I could also not afford new countertops at the same time (me bad!), there was an alternative available to hide a potential gap. Sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do.

If your gap is small, you could consider the Bosch 30 inch induction which in reality is actually larger at 31 inches. Plus, it is the only one on the market that still uses a 30 amp instead of 40. My current amp is 30 so if my hob does break down finally, the Bosch is a possibility without having to pull new wiring. However, as a proactive measure I asked my electrician what he would charge for pulling new 40 amp wire and it was only $300 since it was a pretty straight shoot down to my basement and over to my new 200 amp box that I had installed about a year after moving in.

Hope it works out for you and you get what you want.

"Can I just seam in narrow 30" strips at the back and the front?"

Yes.I just don't want to hear you whine about how much someone is going to charge you to do it. If you didn't have a difficult edge profile and you were within an hour of me, I'd get it done for less than $1,000.00.

Joseph Corlett, the existing edge profile is eased. Is it more difficult to seam to finished edges? Will there be cutting/grinding required in the house? I imagined that they would get the two pieces cut to size and attach them, maybe with some supports underneath. Is it more complicated than that? Should I just get a new countertop instead of considering this patch job?

damiarain, thank you for all the links of the drawer units under induction cooktop. I am aware that there are clearance concerns for the top drawer. However, all photos there also show new countertops under the cooktops, which brings me back to the original question of how required a new countertop is for a cooktop install.

This discussion is telling me that this new cooktop installation is more complicated that I originally imagined. I thought replacing 30" range with 30" cooktop would pretty standard. I need to consider leaving the range in place until I get enough money to get a new cooktop, drawer units AND a countertop.

"Should I just get a new countertop instead of considering this patch job?"

It's all about cost effectiveness. You may be able to replace for a few dollars more; you have to do the research.

Did you ever find a solution to this? I want to replace my range with an induction cooktop as well but the countertop situation is throwing me off :/

We have a 36” Wolf gas range top with cabinet drawers underneath and would like to change to an induction top. I also am not interested in ripping up everything and replacing all of my countertops as they are in very good condition and I do not like to be wasteful. We will order new base cabinet since cutout is too large. I am going to meet with specialty metal fabricator to create a trim piece that will fill 2-3” needed in back and 2-3” in front including eased edge overhang. We should be able to come up with something that is less than 10k+ to replace all my countertops.

Julie:

I'd consider sacrificing a backsplash, island, or desk before going with the custom metal. I shrink openings regularly.

Hi @Joseph Corlett, LLC, I am in Tampa and having the same issue. I want to get rid of the electric stovetop/oven and put an electric cooktop and purchase a microwave and oven combo to put on the wall. I dont want to rip up the granite countertops because they’re less than a year old. Im doing research and coming to the conclusion that I cant install the cooktop on the drawer cabinet alone. At that point I would have to repurpose the rest of granite the builder put as backsplash to put beside the cooktop. Is all of this possible or should I suck it up and become complacent with my current kitchen set up?

What about a rangetop to solve the cutout issue? Fulgor Milano makes an induction rangetop. I haven't looked for a radiant electric rangetop, but they probably exist?

Hi @mcarroll16, I think a rangetop would definitely help solve my dilemma. I’ve been on the search for an electric rangetop but they seem to be rare. I’ve never cooked using induction but its something I will definitely consider. My dream is to have a gas rangetop but my community doesn’t give us that option. Thank you so much for your input!

If you like gas, then definitely look at induction. It it has the same quick response. Main difference is even faster heating.