Posted: 4/21/2014 3:28:04 PM EDT
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I can't seem to find my answer anywhere online and the government isn't overly helpful. I am in negotiations on a residential property. The house is great, but the previous owner mounted the microwave too close to the range top. There is only 12" of clearance from the top of the gas grate on the gas range to the bottom of the over-the-range microwave. The seller is refusing to remedy the clearance and go forward with the sale. I am trying to find any official documentation that says there is a minimum clearance requirement. Everyone I talk to (home inspector, home depot guy, coworkers) says there is a minimum clearance, but nobody can provide reference.
Anybody here have an answer? FWIW, it is 4br/2.5ba single family home in an HOA neighborhood. |
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Find another house... if the seller is being a jerk on this there is no telling what else is wrong with the place... We love the rest of the house, property, and neighborhood for the price. Not to mention we would eat the cost of the home inspection. The $500 for a new inspection on another house could be used to fix the microwave issue ourselves. |
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I agree. Tell the seller to take $1k off the house so you can remedy the problem. Quoted:
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Put an exhaust fan/light and a small micro on the counter. I agree. Tell the seller to take $1k off the house so you can remedy the problem. I'm liking this option as an alternative. My realtor is going to bat for us. |
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I'm not aware of a specification in the building code, but this manual for GE microwaves http://products.geappliances.com/MarketingObjectRetrieval/Dispatcher?RequestType=PDF&Name=003675895.PDF
Mentions a 30" minimum between cooktop and bottom of the counter and a 16.5" tall microwave. |
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Ok. From the International Residential Code:
G2447.5 (623.7) Vertical clearance above cooking top.
Household cooking appliances shall have a vertical clearance above the cooking top of not less than 30 inches (760 mm) to combustible material and metal cabinets. A minimum clearance of 24 inches (610 mm) is permitted where one of the following is installed: 1. The underside of the combustible material or metal cabinet above the cooking top is protected with not less than 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick insulating millboard covered with sheet metal not less than 0.0122 inch (0.3 mm) thick. 2. A metal ventilating hood constructed of sheet metal not less than 0.0122 inch (0.3 mm) thick is installed above the cooking top with a clearance of not less than 1/4 inch (6 mm) between the hood and the underside of the combustible material or metal cabinet. The hood shall have a width not less than the width of the appliance and shall be centered over the appliance. 3. A listed cooking appliance or microwave oven is installed over a listed cooking appliance and in compliance with the terms of the manufacturer’s installation instructions for the upper appliance. Looks like whatever the microwave manufacturer lists as the minimum clearance is the minimum clearance. |
| Your point of leverage to get the seller to fix it is in the manual for the microwave. Find a copy of the manual for that model and see what the clearance spec is. Then have them fix it to meet the installation requirements or come down on the price. I'm sure there is something in the code that says all appliances need to be installed to the manufacturers specs. |
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IMHO: If you love the house, and the location, and the price, don't sweat the small stuff!
Screwing around trying to extract every nickel from the seller stands a good chance of causing the deal to go south. Make him an offer that you are comfortable with, and be prepared to walk away if ya'll can't come to an agreement. Trying to rub his nose in every little detail will not work out well in the end, unless he HAS to sell the house by a given deadline. You are not buying a new house, and ultimately there will be LOTS of things you would prefer to have different. Is it worth losing the house because the microwave needs to be moved? |
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IMHO: If you love the house, and the location, and the price, don't sweat the small stuff! Screwing around trying to extract every nickel from the seller stands a good chance of causing the deal to go south. Make him an offer that you are comfortable with, and be prepared to walk away if ya'll can't come to an agreement. Trying to rub his nose in every little detail will not work out well in the end, unless he HAS to sell the house by a given deadline. You are not buying a new house, and ultimately there will be LOTS of things you would prefer to have different. Is it worth losing the house because the microwave needs to be moved? Excellent post. |
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Excellent post. Quoted:
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IMHO: If you love the house, and the location, and the price, don't sweat the small stuff! Screwing around trying to extract every nickel from the seller stands a good chance of causing the deal to go south. Make him an offer that you are comfortable with, and be prepared to walk away if ya'll can't come to an agreement. Trying to rub his nose in every little detail will not work out well in the end, unless he HAS to sell the house by a given deadline. You are not buying a new house, and ultimately there will be LOTS of things you would prefer to have different. Is it worth losing the house because the microwave needs to be moved? Excellent post. Ditto. You can try to negotiate, but every seller is different. My house is on the market and I'll negotiate off price to an extent. Depending on how good of a deal they got pre-inspection will dictate how much I'm willing to bend on small post inspection items. At some point the buyer needs to take it as is. Although... it certainly doesn't hurt to ask. As a buyer I'd absolutely ask, but wouldn't let the deal go south over something like that. |
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Excellent post. Quoted:
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IMHO: If you love the house, and the location, and the price, don't sweat the small stuff! Screwing around trying to extract every nickel from the seller stands a good chance of causing the deal to go south. Make him an offer that you are comfortable with, and be prepared to walk away if ya'll can't come to an agreement. Trying to rub his nose in every little detail will not work out well in the end, unless he HAS to sell the house by a given deadline. You are not buying a new house, and ultimately there will be LOTS of things you would prefer to have different. Is it worth losing the house because the microwave needs to be moved? Excellent post. I agree, was an Real Estate Consultant..... 
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Excellent post. Quoted:
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IMHO: If you love the house, and the location, and the price, don't sweat the small stuff! Screwing around trying to extract every nickel from the seller stands a good chance of causing the deal to go south. Make him an offer that you are comfortable with, and be prepared to walk away if ya'll can't come to an agreement. Trying to rub his nose in every little detail will not work out well in the end, unless he HAS to sell the house by a given deadline. You are not buying a new house, and ultimately there will be LOTS of things you would prefer to have different. Is it worth losing the house because the microwave needs to be moved? Excellent post. Good point. They offered to drop the house price by only $250. We are going to ask for a vent hood instead. We have a countertop microwave we can use. When it is time to upgrade cabinets we will address the microwave then. |
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Good point. They offered to drop the house price by only $250. We are going to ask for a vent hood instead. We have a countertop microwave we can use. When it is time to upgrade cabinets we will address the microwave then. Quoted:
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IMHO: If you love the house, and the location, and the price, don't sweat the small stuff! Screwing around trying to extract every nickel from the seller stands a good chance of causing the deal to go south. Make him an offer that you are comfortable with, and be prepared to walk away if ya'll can't come to an agreement. Trying to rub his nose in every little detail will not work out well in the end, unless he HAS to sell the house by a given deadline. You are not buying a new house, and ultimately there will be LOTS of things you would prefer to have different. Is it worth losing the house because the microwave needs to be moved? Excellent post. Good point. They offered to drop the house price by only $250. We are going to ask for a vent hood instead. We have a countertop microwave we can use. When it is time to upgrade cabinets we will address the microwave then. Take the $250 and buy a vent hood yourself. It should be enough to get a decent one. Install is very easy. If I was the seller and you came back again I would probably buy the cheapest (or used) vent hood that I could find and it would look like crap. Just be happy that you got something and it should cover it. |
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Take the $250 and buy a vent hood yourself. It should be enough to get a decent one. Install is very easy. If I was the seller and you came back again I would probably buy the cheapest (or used) vent hood that I could find and it would look like crap. Just be happy that you got something and it should cover it. Quoted:
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IMHO: If you love the house, and the location, and the price, don't sweat the small stuff! Screwing around trying to extract every nickel from the seller stands a good chance of causing the deal to go south. Make him an offer that you are comfortable with, and be prepared to walk away if ya'll can't come to an agreement. Trying to rub his nose in every little detail will not work out well in the end, unless he HAS to sell the house by a given deadline. You are not buying a new house, and ultimately there will be LOTS of things you would prefer to have different. Is it worth losing the house because the microwave needs to be moved? Excellent post. Good point. They offered to drop the house price by only $250. We are going to ask for a vent hood instead. We have a countertop microwave we can use. When it is time to upgrade cabinets we will address the microwave then. Take the $250 and buy a vent hood yourself. It should be enough to get a decent one. Install is very easy. If I was the seller and you came back again I would probably buy the cheapest (or used) vent hood that I could find and it would look like crap. Just be happy that you got something and it should cover it. My turn to say "Excellent Post!" 
If you want something done right, do it yourself! There are WAY to many ways that he can comply with your request that you will not be happy with. Be satisfied with the $250 (a fair price IMHO) and don't keep going back to the well. Sooner or later he's gonna get tired of messing with it and say, "NO DEAL, go find another house." |