Hi nora: that is a huge increase in cabinet height. I think raising the range that much would be difficult without either a platform of somekind under the range or some sort of custom made leg/casters.

Is the only reason you want to do this for the gas line problem? Or are you guys like realllly tall? :)

tyguy - Thanks for replying,

It's our understanding that the kitchen counter height was standardized back in the 1930's when people on average were shorter by about an inch. What We Can Learn About Kitchen Design from Commercial Kitchens. I know I have read this elsewhere about counter height; moreover, we also want to install toe-kick drawers below our cabinets to squeeze as much space out of our kitchen. I am amazed by how many square feet go to waste down there.

So, you asked "are we really tall" - No we are just average sized people 5'6"/5'11". We can drop the gas line down another 1.5" or put the value in the wall (gas value wouldn't be accessible, buried behind the range). We would like to clean the sides of the stove whenever we make a big mess or at least during spring cleaning. Does anyone do that anymore? :)

Your proposal to use simple casters on an object as heavy as a 48" BlueStar range is not feasible from either an ergonomic or safety point of view. 42" counters are commonly used as bar or breakfast counters plus perhaps one small prep area of a large home kitchen. Having all counters at that unusual height is not practical and could have a substantial negative affect on the resale value of your home.
There are also additional complications regarding building codes which impact on your upper cabinets and the height of the range hood above the range cooking surface.
I do not find the article you cited to be one on which I would stake anything as expensive as a kitchen renovation.
Please seek an expert's evaluation of your total requirements before committing yourself to this course of action.

Last year BS offered legs 4" longer than standard. I don't have a part number to give you but the retail price was $400. I don't know if it will help you.

Thanks Catman - $400's isn't much since we really are only gardeners and we love to cook/bake (not terrible good at it but we try). Most people spend that kind of cash on TV/cell (TV@$109'ish and cell@$150'ish) per month. It's not like we don't have their services, it's just that we work for one of the bad guys and the other well, we don't like commercials and there just isn't ever anything on to watch; and for those that think we are sacrilegious we watch football on a digital TV antenna (aka free TV). I will have to call a regional rep to see if they know where I can find them. We have finished concrete in the house and we are not looking forward to scratching the floor up, for instance the "EZ sliders" are rated up to 750 pounds and the BS 48" is approx. 850 pounds.

laat2 - I am going to double check with my brother-n-law about his recommendations on a 42" height counter and where he came up with that number. As for the article and our height I would say a 35" counter fits my arm at an ergo 45 degrees. As for the resale value of the house; we are planning on being buried under the rhododendrons (Note to self - check GardenWeb.com to see if ash is a good amender for rhodes :) As for safety on the casters we were thinking about 450 lbs. load capacity casters; additionally the current height of the BS is 37"1/8 to actual top of the grates as it stands right now with legs and the stove measures 34"1/4 w/o legs. Using the 450's which are 3" or the 1000 lbs. caster that are 4", that would put use in the ball park of 37 1/4" to 38 1/4".

Six casters at 450 lbs. capacity we could move 2700 lbs. We all know that there are wheels on restaurant ranges. My husband did say that the range would be easier to steal with wheels on it. But we do keep a 45 under the French cooktop. jj

You might try making a mock-up of 42" countertops to see how you like it.
It seems really high to me.
As for the rhodes, ash is typically acidic which is what rhodes prefer :)

42" countertops are unusable. You read an article, or your brother-in-law read an article, and that is what you are basing such a catastrophic decision on?

The question though is about casters. Has anyone put a BS on casters?

And to answer "exploding marcolo" - We will be meeting with a... As laat2 put it "expert's evaluation of your total requirements before committing yourself to a course of action"

Your casters won't bring the range sides 1" above the 42" counters will they? Isn't there a still a 5" shortfall?

A less charitable person might conclude you are jerking us around for your own amusement.

Nora: to get an idea of what it would be like to cook on your bs at 42" place some blocking under its feet to raise it to 42". When I was renoing my kitchen I had the bs on a home made dolley of 2x4's and casters so I could move it around as needed. It brought the height to aprox 42" and I found it very difficult. (I am 6', wife is 5'10"). Please do yourself a favour, research that counter height more but bottom line is that if you find that it works for you and it doesn't violate any codes then it is your house so you do as YOU please, not to please others.

As for toekick drawers. I have never seen that done, but you could still probably achieve them if you steal an inch or two from other drawers or cabinet space.

The casters are a wonderful idea. I love that a bs is on legs so that you can clean under but being on casters is even better. I got slight scratches on my hardwood when moving my 800 lb beast into place even with those "slider things" on its feet. If my bs ever comes out for any reason it will be going back in with casters.

Wow...a 42" counter height combined with the height of the grates and a tall stockpot on top of that? I can't even imagine how anyone could even look inside the pot, LOL. My DH and I are just about the same heights as the OP lists.

He used to work in a commercial kitchen, and when he saw Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian House exhibit with the dropped stainless cooktop (FLW was a shorty), he said in our next kitchen, that's what we were going to do, because it makes the most sense for easy cooking. So I second that you seriously need to think about such a tall height.

And ergonomically, lifting something heavy that is above your chest height is really, seriously, like weight-lifting.

On the good side, it sure puts the oven racks in an easy-to-see height!

You also should not so cavalierly dismiss resale concerns. These boards and other forums are full of people who have to sell their supposed "forever" homes and are struggling to present customized features as a virtue when nobody else wants them.

I will only chime in on the resale comment, and while I completely agree it is your choice I will say that even if you do stay in the house your entire lives someone will have to sell the house eventually and it won't be as easy for that person to do, whomever that ends up being.

But, since it is your place and your money do what is best for you, that is always the way to go. Just make sure, as others have already said, that the height works for you both. Mock-ups can be your best friend. Get some tall boxes and set them up for a week and use them as prep areas just to get a feel for the height to see if it would work for you or not before committing to the actual counters.

Good luck.

Hi--I am a quilter as well as a recreational cook, and I have been advised that the perfect counter (cooking) and cutting table (quilting) height is the height of my arms when bent at a 90-degree angle--in my case a couple of inches below waist level. At 5'11", that makes my so-called perfect height 39". My kitchen cabinets are at 36" and my cutting table is at 39". I wouldn't want to change either dimension. BTW my husband (6'1") and I are routinely mocked by family friends--our microwave sits on top of the refrigerator and our stereo system sits on top of the fireplace mantle. If you aren't at least 5'8" you can't use these devices in our house without a stepstool. ;->)

Nora, I have 3 toekick drawers but don't have pics. But google gardenweb+toekick drawers, and then add Ayr cabinetry. loves2cook4six has great toekick drawers and has pics posted on kitchens forum. old post. good luck

When I bought my Bluestar, casters were an option. I thought about getting them just for the back and keeping legs on the front. Also I've seen many older kitchens where the counter top height was 34 inches...including my kitchen from the 1940's.

If you want to get into technicalities about ergonomics, ergonomically, humans are better off with a lower than 36" (32" on average) area for cooking, and a higher than 36" (39") counter for the sink area. 36" is just the average, and thus became a standard dimension. When you are cooking, you need to see down into the pot, and when you are washing up, the bottom of the sink is better higher so that you don't bend so much and strain the back. A non standard prep area like an island is a good compromise between standard dimensions and a non standard height human. A short person can make it shorter, and a tall person can make it taller and everything else in the kitchen still works with standardized sizes.

There should be no problem putting your range on heavy-duty casters. Many commercial ranges are supplied that way, and Bluestar may even have some available. If not, then you will have to find out what the thread size is for the existing legs and get some suitably matched commercial range casters yourself. I would not attempt any of this until you get your door alignment problem sorted out, though. The Bluestar range's lineage is through Garland, so you might get lucky and find that Garland casters will fit, though I am not sure you will find them tall enough to suit your intended amount of lift.

Mojavean - Thanks for the lead on Garland - I already forgot about their lineage. I will defiantly get the door alignment "problem?!?!" sorted out.

But you do think it's a problem! 0_o

I'm sorry it wasn't an easy fix for you nora. I also hope for you it isn't a problem. As I said I can't remember what I did, I think I tried everything I told you but can not remember what did the trick. My fear for you is a bent frame or something, but I doubt it. Mandy at bluestar is very fast, friendly and efficient. You will be looked after.

The door alignment is a problem; You should have a nice, even seal all around and the doors misaligned in the way they are is a cosmetic defect that would irritate me in any case, over and above the possible heat vent under your knobs. I would simply place a service call on the range and have the door repaired, adjusted, replaced, whatever it is they have to do to it to get it sealed evenly. When they come out, be sure to have them check the leg adjustment to ensure that you don't have one of the legs way longer than the rest, which could throw the box out of square and possibly affect door closure.

Observation: I too thought that the newer V-1 ranges had the plain lower panel, without the louvers. Perhaps that change didn't work out? In any case, enjoy your range! We really enjoy ours.

Mojavean: As usual you bring up a good point. Checking the legs for level could very well be the issue.

Good points,

Looking under the stove I noticed that the middle leg is not touching the ground. I stood there watching the installers level the stove so I assumed they legs were all down. I will check the level and deploy the rear-middle leg.

More in a bit.

The middle legs are not touching? They MUST on a 48". Sounds like yet another sloppy install.

It wasn't a professional crew - Strong guys but that's about all - I don't think they get professionally trained in calibrating a fine tool like the BS or another high-end range.
The central valley just doesn't have a customer base for such items.

You might want to rent a pallet jack for this job. I think you can get some wood between the two forks of the jack and the range to protect the frame during the lift. Be careful and watch those fingers and toes. There is a considerable ouch potential here. Best of luck!

Just got off the phone with BS...
55.66 Casters with Breaks
50.38 Casters w/o Breaks
Both rotate 360 deg. And installed height is 3" inches

Anyone have pictures of said casters from BS?