Options for replacing an entombed freestanding cooker?

[Essential17]

Hi everyone,

We’ve just moved into a new house with an, ahem... *awful* gas oven. I cook quite a lot and it’s not really usable for the degree of cooking I’d usually do. Not to mention that some of the knobs are sticking quite poorly as it’s quite old. So we’ve been looking at replacement 50cm wide freestanding cookers and found a few decent options...

Unfortunately, whoever did the kitchen enclosed the old freestander’s hob quite tightly within a tiled countertop, and any other, more modern, 50cm cookers I’ve looked at do not have the same type of narrowed top hob and so would need a couple of cm more room at the top.

We can’t completely change the counter tiling, so I’m a bit stumped on how to solve this. Could we just remove the wood edging and maybe try to sand down the tiles a bit, or does an edge need to remain on there? Or would it be easier to look into changing to a built-in even?

I’d be grateful if anyone could offer some suggestions for a simple and least destructive way of replacing this cooker! Thanks in advance.

 

[foxhole]

Time for new kitchen

 

[OwainDIYer]

I assume there's a door to the right, so some space has to be left between the cooker and the door for safety.

I would remove the worktop to the right of the cooker, and cut down the worktop on the left to an exact tile width, probably 2 tiles off. Cut down or remove the cupboard and door below left, so there's enough space for a 600mm oven housing to fit in the now-wider gap.

Bridge over the missing section of worktop with new worktop from side to side and drop in a built in hob. If you use stainless steel worktop, stainlees steel hob and oven, it'll look reasonably coordinated and be practical.

 

[Essential17]

I assume there's a door to the right, so some space has to be left between the cooker and the door for safety.

I would remove the worktop to the right of the cooker, and cut down the worktop on the left to an exact tile width, probably 2 tiles off. Cut down or remove the cupboard and door below left, so there's enough space for a 600mm oven housing to fit in the now-wider gap.

Bridge over the missing section of worktop with new worktop from side to side and drop in a built in hob. If you use stainless steel worktop, stainlees steel hob and oven, it'll look reasonably coordinated and be practical.

Thanks OwainDIYer. I think that’s a good option and allows for a full 60cm unit to go in.