Under cabinet shelf microwave. Your thoughts.


 
Bruno said:
You are correct, we were looking for a higher volume of air pull than a microwave can supply. We are also trying to go for a different look than the previous 12 years.
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Zline hoods have some strong blower motors. I installed one in my previous home.
 
Bruno -- totally with you on the hood over the stove top microwave. While you do get a lot move CFM volume, TBH it is mostly about having the cooler look of the hood.

I think that shelf suggestion from your GC looks totally fine. So long as you can find a microwave that fits your space fairly well. So it looks "sort of" built in-ish. Is there a fairly standard size for that format? If not, I might buy a second one and keep it in a box for just in case.

We've always had the microwave built into cabinetry. Looks nice, but a pain if the microwave ever needs to be replaced. And you also use up a lot of space with the cabinetry and trim collar. Our current kitchen has a pretty small microwave sitting in a 30 inch wide cabinet. Much wasted space.

Our weekend house has a drawer style microwave built into the base cabinets of the kitchen island. I wouldn't have picked that. But having had it for a while, it is totally fine. Has flip out controls so you can operate it while standing up. I would not want an under counter microwave with a door and front controls -- which means bending or squatting to operate.
 
Jim C in Denver said:
Bruno -- totally with you on the hood over the stove top microwave. While you do get a lot move CFM volume, TBH it is mostly about having the cooler look of the hood.

I think that shelf suggestion from your GC looks totally fine. So long as you can find a microwave that fits your space fairly well. So it looks "sort of" built in-ish. Is there a fairly standard size for that format? If not, I might buy a second one and keep it in a box for just in case.

We've always had the microwave built into cabinetry. Looks nice, but a pain if the microwave ever needs to be replaced. And you also use up a lot of space with the cabinetry and trim collar. Our current kitchen has a pretty small microwave sitting in a 30 inch wide cabinet. Much wasted space.

Our weekend house has a drawer style microwave built into the base cabinets of the kitchen island. I wouldn't have picked that. But having had it for a while, it is totally fine. Has flip out controls so you can operate it while standing up. I would not want an under counter microwave with a door and front controls -- which means bending or squatting to operate.
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You sir are my kind of guy. I would definitely do something like having a spare microwave.
 
Bruno said:
My biggest concern is adding the shelf and chasing a model that fits well later down the line.
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Ventilation and power also need to be considered. Make sure the outlet on the microwave can handle full power with anything else on that circuit.

You don't want to plug in an air fryer while the microwave is going and kill the breaker for your refrigerator...
 
DanHoo said:
Ventilation and power also need to be considered. Make sure the outlet on the microwave can handle full power with anything else on that circuit.

You don't want to plug in an air fryer while the microwave is going and kill the breaker for your refrigerator...
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House is getting all new electrical I will make sure to ask about that.
 
Bruno said:
House is getting all new electrical I will make sure to ask about that.
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My builder did a good job on my kitchen outlets. There are two circuits with GFCI for counter top outlets. One to the left of the sink, and another to the right of the sink. A third was used for the the microwave and one outlet for the small counter below it. This did not need to be GFCI as it is away from the sink. A fourth breaker with a dedicated outlet without GFCI was provided for the refrigerator.
 
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