There is very little incentive to fix old stove/ovens. The cost of new electric burners, for example, is prohibitively high. You can often buy an entire new range for the cost of just two burners! Old gas units, on the other hand, sometimes plug up with grease. The cleaning job is messy, and if the valves are affected, cleanup is difficult. Besides all this, old units look dated. If you’re going to renovate your kitchen and replace your cabinets and/or countertop, you should replace your stove/oven as well.
There are all kinds of stove/ovens available. Stand-alone units sell from around $400 to $1500. Drop-in range ovens can be purchased for around $300 to $1300. Wall ovens are about $400 to $800, plus a similar cost for the range top. Some of the nicer units have a glass surface without the unsightliness of individual burners.
Installing a unit requires minimal skill and usually can be accomplished in a matter of minutes. What does take time and skill is creating the openings for them. With the exception of the stand-alone, you’ll need to have cabinets and a countertop to accommodate the stove.
The electric units simply plug into a 220-volt socket. If you’re putting a unit in an area without such a socket, you’ll need to have a 220 line dragged in from your circuit-breaker box. This is a job for a professional, unless you’re very competent with electrical circuits. You’ll need a dedicated line for an electric stove and oven.
With gas, it’s simply a matter of hooking up a flexible gas line to the gas outlet. Be sure to check carefully for leaks.
Be wary of installing a gas unit in an area where there wasn’t one before. You’ll have to drag a new gas line to the area. This requires the work of a plumber, and the installation must be done under permit. Sometimes it’s so costly as to make the whole gambit impractical.
When installing a drop-in, be sure that it fits snugly and is screwed in tightly. You don’t want it falling out the first time someone opens the oven door!