Our old oven
As you can see in the picture above, our oven is encased in a brick wall. Thus the dimensions of the space are fairly set. After measuring a couple of times, it looked like the space was 1/4 to 1/2 inch too small for the 27" oven that I wanted. Unfortunately, the 24" oven only had self cleaning on the top but not on the bottom. When we went to the store, we told the sales rep our dilemma and he suggested that we purchase the larger oven. If it didn't fit, it could be returned and we could get the smaller oven. I liked the option of potentially getting the 27" oven so that is what we did. A few days later the installer came. We told him that the oven might not fit so he measured the space before taking out the old oven. After measuring the space and the new oven multiple times, he informed me that it was too big and we would need to get the smaller oven. I was disappointed but knew that it was a possibility so it was ok. He left the larger oven in our garage and we ordered the smaller oven.
A few days later, the same installer came back with the smaller oven. He took the old oven out and then called me into the kitchen. I immediately knew something was wrong. Apparently the smoke that I had seen earlier that spring was actually a fire in the junction box for the oven! We would need to have an electrician rewire before the new oven could be put in. Although I was disappointed at the delay, we were all praising God that the oven was encased in brick which prevented a much larger house fire from starting when the junction box was on fire.
Charred junction box with melted wires.
We found a great electrician who was able to come out a few days later to do the rewiring. At first we were concerned that it would be quite an extensive job as the junction box for the oven is on the main floor at the one end of the house and the main electrical box is in the basement at the other end of the house. Thankfully, the wiring went through the ceiling and it was a fairly easy repair. In the repair process, the electrician discovered that the circuit breaker for the wires was the wrong size. It was too big and had there been a fire, the circuit would have never flipped and the fire would have burned down to the box. Again, we were praising God for his protection over us as that small amount of smoke I had seen earlier that spring could have been a significant threat to our home!
After getting the electrical fixed, the installer had some problems and it was a few weeks before they could come out to install the oven. This is what we got used to looking at for the next month or so!
When the installer came out (a new guy from the same installation company), he let me know that he wouldn't be able to install the smaller oven. At this point I was wondering if I would be reduced to building a fire in the hole where the oven used to be in order to do any cooking! Because the oven was smaller than the space, he needed to get some materials to build a frame for the oven and some special screws and drill bit so that he could drill into the brick wall. We really didn't like this idea and asked him if there were any other options. He did say that we could hire someone to cut off just a bit of the brick surround and the larger oven would fit without needing a frame. He measured and there were only a few places in the brick surround that were too small to fit the 27" oven. However, the concern was that the bricks would crack and that more than what we wanted to remove would fall off.
We decided to try and find someone to cut the brick. Our friend Gavin Deakin was willing and after a week and a half, he got some free time to come and cut the brick. He let me know it might get a little messy so before he came, I put up some sheets around the area where he would be cutting the brick.
View of the enclosed area from the garage door in the kitchen.
I even put sheets up to close off the skylight...that was interesting to try and figure out.
After only 10 minutes, I knew that the brick cutting aftermath would be MUCH worse than I anticipated. Despite the use of the shop vac right next to the saw, this is what the floor looked like just outside the sheeted-off area.
My newly cut bring and a LOT of brick dust everywhere.
Lots of red dust on the floor.
I honestly thought I would never get everything clean. There was a fine layer of gritty red brick dust everywhere...even in the dinning room and family room which adjoin the kitchen. I spent 4-5 hours that night cleaning. I just had to keep my eye on the prize of that new oven!
Again, the installer was pretty booked so after the brick was cut, we had to wait another two weeks for him to come out again (the beginning of October by now!). I was pretty adept at making meals on the stove top at this point. The installer came and everything went smoothly until they had to push the oven in the last 4 inches. Apparently the space wasn't square and narrowed at the back. After months without an oven and having my hopes dashed again and again, I thought I was going to loose it. Thankfully, the installer's assistant said "Lets just wiggle it and see if we can get it in. I think it is just getting caught on the screws, not the actual oven frame." After a little wiggle and a good shove, the oven slid right in. I held back tears of joy as I was pretty sure the installers wouldn't want to see me cry.
And despite all of the agony of getting a new oven, it was well worth it.
The new touch control panel. It's so shiny and modern!
The fabulous inside. The lights are so bright! I can actually see how my food is cooking when I use them compared to my previous oven where you couldn't see anything even with the light on!
The new oven in all it's glory. Let's hope this one lasts at least 20 years!!
And as you can imagine, I cooked up a storm after it was installed, including strawberry rhubarb pie, a family favorite!
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