Is there a way to bridge the counter top?

[soupforbrains]

I am in the process of buying a house (should exchange this week and complete next month) and the Kitchen is nice, I like the style and don't want to change it (plus i can't really afford to anyway). The kitchen though does not have any fitted appliances, i'm fine with this as i already have my own dishwasher, fridge and freezer and they fit in the spaces available.

However the oven/hob is proving a little problematic. the kitchen has a gap in the countertop for a combi oven/hob style unit. I wouldn't generally object to this, but i strongly prefer gas hobs and detest gas ovens. So I very much want a gas hob and electric oven combination, it's never been a problem when getting fitted hobs/ovens but to get it in a combined unit there are very few on the market and even fewer which fit into the space available, all of which are very expensive.

Is there any way for me to somehow bridge the counter top over the space in order to be able to have separate fitted stovetop and ovens? I've seen some companies which offer kitchen 'refurbs' which involve granite overlays on your existing counters, would something like that be able to bridge the gap? Or am i delusional?

Would you settle for induction hob? I swore I’d never move away from gas but am converted.

Kitchens can have something called a T joint (I think) to reinforce the laminate countertop edges where they meet at a joint. You could source a piece of laminate that matches your current counter and then use T joints to fit it either side of your cooker opening.

You could also try a piece of metal like stainless steel instead of laminate.

A kitchen fitter or someone handy at DIY can cut an opening in the countertop piece to fit the integrated stove top. Laminate is the easiest material to cut into.

For the oven opening, companies like IKEA have off the rack cabinets that are built to house ovens. They are wall mounted.

This is one type of T joint. You can get square edged ones too. https://orion.supplies/product/aluminium-worktop-trim-t-joint/

Is there pipework for gas? If not it will be a much bigger job. In that case I would just go for an induction hob freestanding oven.

I used to be a gas hob only person but now love the induction hob that our house has when we moved in.

@Kepler22Byes the infrastructure for gas is already in place. (P.s. love your name)

@fiorentina@EffectivelyDaydreamingi have used induction hobs and they are certainly the ‘best of the rest’ but I’d rather not.

@CaMcCthank you! This was the kind of solution I was imagining in my head but I wasn’t sure if it was actually practicable. Thank you!

Depending on the layout, it might not actually be all that difficult to get the whole section replaced or even get a new worktop for the whole kitchen. You might also have to redo the splashback but it depends what splashback there is.

Could you get an integrated oven with gas hob above and get a totally contrasting worktop so it looks like a feature rather than a bodge. Maybe stainless steel or glass?