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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Built In Microwave

17 replies

ItsSnowJokes · 28/08/2022 09:30

We are just starting the process of a new kitchen. Our kitchen is a new build special from when the house was built in the 90s and is really grim.

We need a new microwave as ours is on its last legs and has started going rusty so I looked at a built in microwave as we have a very, very small kitchen and worktop space is at a real premium. The issue is the price of built in microwaves! Husband says its ridiculous to spend £350 on a build in microwave when the equivalent stand alone one is about £125 ish.

Does anyone have any great hacks for a microwave? We would like it above the eye level oven, and that is what the designer is working towards at the moment, but it is a hell of a lot of money for something we can get a lot cheaper.

Please show me your hacks!

OP posts:

GreenManalishi · 28/08/2022 09:34

We altered the back of the house and instead of a big kitchen with loads of worktop space we have a smaller kitchen with not as much, and a living area with sofa etc instead. I decided I would live without the microwavé for a bit and if I needed one I'd deal with it and make some room however a couple of years on I haven't missed it hardly! Can you stick one under the stairs to get out when you need it and put it away again? Or is that too weird 😂

0blio · 28/08/2022 09:36

Not sure what you mean by hacks, but mine has lasted 15 years which is many times longer than any free standing one I've had so for me the extra cost was worth it.

MrsEricBana · 28/08/2022 09:36

We have one that has been there years. Your dh is right in the first instance, plus if anything goes wrong with any built in appliance it seems to be much harder/more expensive to fix / replace. I'll be interested to see what people suggest too.

Soontobe60 · 28/08/2022 09:37

Your dh is being tight - just get the built in one!

ShadowPuppets · 28/08/2022 09:41

I might be being really stupid but could you put in a wide shelf and put a freestanding one on that?

Original poster

ItsSnowJokes · 28/08/2022 12:01

ShadowPuppets · 28/08/2022 09:41

I might be being really stupid but could you put in a wide shelf and put a freestanding one on that?

Thats what he has suggested. I just love the look of the built in one over the oven. And my argument is the extra money is so little in the grand scheme of the kitchen.

But we are on a very tight budget with this kitchen. So I can see both sides.

OP posts:

BerryTiredMama · 28/08/2022 12:42

Second @GreenManalishi haven't had a microwave in years!! You dont miss it when its not there so save the £125 too 😂

SudokuMania · 28/08/2022 12:50

Ours is in a cupboard - can you do that?
I assume a cupboard would be above your built in oven.

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 28/08/2022 12:53

Get a combination microwave so you have a small oven for heating one thing rather than heating the whole oven.

RJnomore1 · 28/08/2022 12:54

I get it’s a tight budget but given what you’re spending, if this is the thing you really want for £200 more get it. Otherwise you will look at it every day and think “I wish”.

I couldn’t survive without a microwave - quick porridge, scrambled egg, heating up batch cooking…

Dahliasrule · 28/08/2022 13:00

Word of advice, we have a microwave/ small oven above the eye level oven. It is too high! I always feel nervous taking hit things out. I use it as point of principle but the rest of the family use the one in the breakfast room on the sideboard. With energy costs rising so much I can see we shall have to start using the small oven more.
We have just returned from holiday and found that their built in oven is a bit lower than ours so microwave at more acceptable height. I wish I had thought about this before but thought kitchen planner knew best.

Bluevelvetsofa · 28/08/2022 13:53

I think that free standing microwaves and those on a shelf, always look a bit ‘add on’. If you’re short of work space and cupboard space, I’d have a built in one. In a small kitchen, it looks neater if it’s streamlined.

Lulibee · 28/08/2022 14:05

I bought this for my new kitchen 3 years ago. It’s ideal as we only use a microwave for heating and defrosting. Some of the reviews are negative but we are delighted with it. one of the best decisions I made when designing our new kitchen.

www.johnlewis.com/bosch-serie-4-bfl523mw0b-built-in-microwave-white/p3529266

ODFOx · 28/08/2022 14:13

We have a combined oven and microwave. Could that be an option for you? It's full sized.

clpsmum · 28/08/2022 14:14

I have a built in one and absolutely hate it would never get another x

fussychica · 28/08/2022 15:54

I had a built in one when we had our kitchen done as, like you, we were short on space and I wanted it to look as big and spacious as possible. It went wrong soon after the guarantee expired and it would have been very expensive to fix.
We bought a free standing one for a fraction of the price the built in had been and DH, who is very handy built it in(allowing plenty of room for air circulation) using a spare door we had from the fit. Looks built in and I know I can change it if I need to without a problem.

FinallyHere · 28/08/2022 16:42

love the look of the built in one over the oven.

Having a microwave built in does look good. I wouldn't position it above the oven because using it when the oven it hot would not work for me.

I use the microwave mostly to make scrambled eggs which take attention/stirring every 20secs. Not fun in front of a hot oven.

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