Community Forums

Ray,IN · 04-20-2013, 08:13 PM

DW is, IMO, an excellent cook and baker. I love to eat, and therein lies the problem. Our new MH does not have a gas oven, just a 2-burner cooktop. Has anyone ever cut-out the countertop, then rebuilt the cabinet to accept a gas range? She realizes she loses 3 drawers and some counter-space and accepts that.
An option might be to purchase a counter-top type electric oven large enough to bake pies, cakes, cookies, etc. Would that be practical?

450Donn · 04-20-2013, 08:34 PM

Should be very easy to do. There has been some that have gone the other way fairly easily. I suspect that once you get the cut out dimensions for a stove/oven you might find that the current cook top is about the same size. Manufacturers are not stupid. They design the cupboards to acept either by simply cutting out and removing a couple of drawers.

Ray,IN · 04-20-2013, 09:27 PM

I'm not convinced of that Donn. The 2-burner cooktop is in a cutout hole in the counter-top which is not nearly as wide or long as a conventional RV gas range. Hopefully a MH owner will see my thread down here and relate what they have done. I've only one shot to do this right_the first time. Cost effectivness, vs a counter-top electric oven that's large enough, and suitable, to accomodate DW's baking, is another factor.
As to cutting out drawers, DW's new kitchen at home had to be modified by removing 3 drawers and shaving the cabinet sides to make room for her big Convection/conventional electric oven.

Just got an idea. Amana is the site for the 13 rally right! It's also near the Winnebago factory-I think, I know they have the answers and know-how to do this modification.

wmckinley · 04-20-2013, 11:24 PM

I have a 2007 sightseer 35 with the oven. Will be going the other way. Taking out the oven and putting in a 3 burner cooktop.

Have added ovens before on other brands. One coach I took the cooktop out of and put in an oven unit, the measurements worked to my advantage. Pulled 2 drawers, cutout the rails between the drawer opening, cut the countertop to allow for the drop in and dropped it right in. In the other unit had to modify the cabinet to make the opening wider. Had short drawers and the convertor was mounted behind one of them. Had to relocate it.

Some will go easy some will go hard. Most important measure carefully, pull your drawers and look what is running thru the cabinet. Make sure you have clearance not just wide enough but also deep enough.

It can be done if properly planned for. Almost all the appliance's installation manuals are available on the web from the respective manufacturers.

Remember anything can be done with the right amount of financial fortitude

SarahW · 04-21-2013, 08:15 PM

Ray, I don't know of anyone who has remodeled to install an actual range in their motorhome, but it sounds like an interesting idea. Do you mean a residential stove? Hopefully someone will see your thread who has done something similar. I don't do a lot of baking, but the microwave/convection oven does a good job for me.

Ray,IN · 04-22-2013, 12:04 AM

Sarah, it will be an RV-style range, largest one I can find; a residential will be too large to be practical. Locating the best quality is another challenge. I'll check first with RV Surplus in Goshen, and Elkart IN., since they are only 250 miles away.
Bill, thanks for the advice. When I locate the RV range DW wants I'll find N download the installation instructions. Hopefully the drawers are full-length, nothing behind them. I seem to remember seeing a JenAir RV range once. That's about the best made IMO.
That teeny 2-burner cooktop is gonna go, one way or another. DW hasn't yet ruled out a countertop electric/convection oven if she can find one large enough and I can't find an RV Range she wants, although I suspect it'll cost more than the RV range.

faye · 04-22-2013, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ray,in

dw is, imo, an excellent cook and baker. I love to eat, and therein lies the problem. Our new mh does not have a gas oven, just a 2-burner cooktop. Has anyone ever cut-out the countertop, then rebuilt the cabinet to accept a gas range? She realizes she loses 3 drawers and some counter-space and accepts that.
An option might be to purchase a counter-top type electric oven large enough to bake pies, cakes, cookies, etc. Would that be practical?

why don't you just install a microwave/convection in place of your microwave, the convection bakes just as well as gas or electric in my opinion.

Glassalley52 · 04-22-2013, 01:02 AM

I had a Sharpe microwave/convection oven once that lasted for years and was big enough to roast a small turkey or bake two pies. Wish I could find another like it and would remove the current oven.

Be interested to know what you end up doing.

Gary RVRoamer · 04-22-2013, 10:09 AM

Our GE Spacemaker convection/micro does a excellent job of baking., so we went the opposite way and removed an Amana over and replaced with a identical slide-in cooktop. The nice convection micros require 20A, though, and may be larger than your current micro opening.

Since you have a drop-in cooktop, the countertop mods will be more extensive. Do you have the cabinet skills or will this be a shop job?. It shouldn't be really difficult, but some experience with corian solid-surface will be a plus.

Ray,IN · 04-22-2013, 05:30 PM

We will not depend on the present micro/convection unit to bake like she is used to. I've never eaten baked goods from one that is up to the quality DW produces in a gas oven. With a micro.conv. unit one has no choice but to either be on shore power or run the generator, with a gas oven you only have to have LPG in the tank. We've been to many gatherings and I can always tell which baked stuff came from a micro/conv. unit vs a gas oven.
Gary, I may enlist help with cutting the Corian countertop and getting a perfect matchup with the gas range. I know nothing about cutting Corian or such material. I'm not as steady as I used to be with anything hand-held. I've always been a DIY guy, but the time has arrived to admit I'm old and shaky.