[dougleavers]

What is the difference (either measure or assembly) between a 30" AKRUM cooktop base cabinet and a regular 30" AKRUM base cabinet? If there is essentially no difference, I'm wondering how my new 30" (29 5/8 cutout) ceramic cooktop is possibly going to fit.

[woodswell]

There is no difference in the basic boxes - it is just the configuration of the insides and front panels that makes the difference. The cutout size for a 30" cooktop probably reflects the cutout in the countertop. For my IKEA/Whirlpool 30" ceramic cooktop, the clearance needed in the cabinet box itself only required cutting a little of one of the top braces - there was no problem on the width clearance.

Also check the clearance required for the depth - my IKEA 30" ceramic cooktop is shallow enough that I fit a 30" wide 6.25" deep top drawer underneath. Since we added one of the metal braces just under the top brace at the front, there is not as much clearance in the drawer as usual but it is where I am keeping my hot pads and trivets.

[yankeelawyer]

The interior measurements for those cabs is only 28.5 inches; I believe some people trim the top back a bit to accomodate slightly larger cooktops; there are threads here on this issue.

Woodswell is correct re checking the depth of your cooktop, also -- and particularly if you plan to put a built-in oven directly under it. There is a lot of variation in depth among different brands and styles of cooktops -- the ones I looked at ranged from 1.5 to almost 6 inches deep.

[dougleavers]

thanks very much for the help... I'm impressed by the number of folks on this site who jump in with assistance.

I'm no longer worried that the cabinet won't handle the cooktop - since it seems that an ever-so-slight modification of the side members will do it.

And since I don't plan to use drawers immediately below the top, that will provide plenty of clearance for the 6" depth of the housing and circuit breaker. Cheers.

[woodswell]

One thing you might want to do - hunt down the installation manual for your cooktop. Often the manufacturer or some of the online sellers will have it available for download. I did that for mine and it relieved my mind about the entire installation.