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| Cooktop plans for oak countertop. upside down. |
I went shopping today for all the things I thought I would need for the cooktop cupboard. I went to the flooring place and found 15 square feet of oak flooring to use as the countertop. I went and picked up the actual gas cook top. I then went to the hardware store and picked up a pipe clamp and three 5 foot sections of iron pipe so I can glue the oak flooring together and then once dry use a router to cut the center hole for the cooktop and downdraft fan. Next was a trip to the lumber store for a piece of 3/4 inch plywood for the top of the cupboard. I will attach the oak to this. It will make a nice stable top. Especially, since I am going to cut out most of the both of these. At home I had to unload everything. The cook top was manageable for one person. The appliance store owner warned me that I would need help with the oven. She said it weighs almost 200 pounds. No way I can move that into the house by myself. I may very well make the shell of the oven cupboards out of 2×4 material. I think I need to for the weight requirements. I am just going to use 1×4 for the cooktop.
I dug through and found the instructions for the cook top and the downdraft fan and sat down and started to draw up a set of plans! I never do this but combining multiple pieces together and getting them to fit and look good means I actually need a plan with some accurate measurements. I kept going back and measuring each appliance to make sure I was getting things right. A few problems arose. The floor is not level where the stove is currently sitting. We knew this but there is a 1/4 inch difference from the front to the back. Eventually, we want to tile the kitchen which will change the height of the countertop. I am accounting for this by cutting the counter 1/4 inch short and then installing and shimming it up and screwing in a 1×4 along the length of the floor, this allows me to correct the height difference and remove this and adjust it at a later date. Both items are equally important when building this cupboard. I did get a pleasant surprise the custom cupboard will be shallower than our current oven so I think our doors on the left side will be more easily accessed. I cannot really figure out where the drawers storage will go until the stove top and fan are installed. It looks like I am going to have to cut down through the floor to vent the down draft fan. There is no other good way to do it. On the plus side I can cut a square hole which will make it easier. I just need to find an outside vent. I am going to look for a square one. I have only found round ones in my internet searches to date. Once I get this all installed we will not have an oven. This will really put a squeeze on that project. There will be some added pressure to get it done! I will start taking measurements so I can purchase the wire, breaker and 220V outlet. I have a line on the boards from a local custom cutter. Using a 2×4 frame will make it easier. I will just build a box out of them and then side it and line it. I won’t worry about it collapsing if I do that. The bonus will be I can have the oven in a frame and fully functional! That will give me some time to sheath it and make it all pretty. I will also make it freestanding so when we redo the floor it will be self adjusting with the other two cupboards.
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| cooktop cupboard, upside down. |
