I did in my last house--the top drawer was stubby in back to accommodate the plug and it was fairly shallow (~3" deep) but still held all my knives and cutting boards which is actually quite an accomplishment.

The cooktop was a 36" Wind Crest and the cabinets were custom made based on the cooktop's requirements.

I have a Bosch 500 induction cooktop over a three drawer stack. The interior height of the top drawer is only 2", but it's still very useful. The back of the drawer had to be cut out in one small area to accommodate the cooktop's cable, but I don't notice that at all.
I keep some utensils and spices in that drawer and they fit well. (I know that spices should be shielded from heat, but I don't think it will be a problem in this setup.)
I haven't even used the cooktop yet, since the kitchen was just finished, so I don't have long term experience to share.

I have the Kitchenaid over a three drawer unit. The utensils sit in a regular drawer, interior measurement 2 3/4", right under the bottom of the cooktop. But I don't believe anything could really happen, anyway. It gets warm under there, but never hot enough to melt or burn anything. I understand the concern about voiding a warranty, though. Part of why I got the KA was the small required clearances (the unit is only 2 3/8" deep), but it is noisy, as I've said ad nauseum, so there are trade-offs to consider.

The only one that I found had a really big clearance requirement was the GE. You're right about the Bosch manual being unclear - the unit itself is 4" deep, though, so it would leave less room for the drawer.

I am also trying to figure out this situation. I will be having a kitchenaid cooktop, I really want drawers below (am willing to sacrifice the top drawer for required clearances) but I am also planning on installing a retractable downdraft. Ginny...what kind of ventilation do you have?? It would be so nice if the internet could answer all my questions without having to think so hard about what to search for!! Lol
Sparkier, in my quest for answers I have seen lots of pictures on Houzz with drawers beneath, though in lots of them the top drawer is fake or shallower than normal

I am also trying to figure out this situation. I will be having a kitchenaid cooktop, I really want drawers below (am willing to sacrifice the top drawer for required clearances) but I am also planning on installing a retractable downdraft. Ginny...what kind of ventilation do you have?? It would be so nice if the internet could answer all my questions without having to think so hard about what to search for!! Lol
Sparkier, in my quest for answers I have seen lots of pictures on Houzz with drawers beneath, though in lots of them the top drawer is fake or shallower than normal

ali80ca- Did you already buy the KA? Did you listen to it?

You shouldn't have to sacrifice the top drawer. The bottom of the drawer - the first combustible thing - can be 4" below the cooktop, which I think is the clearance. In any case, I kept the top drawer and it's fine.

I have a 720CFM Kobe hood, vented to the outside, 30" over the cooktop. There is no actual ventilation for the cooktop itself, although the installation manual asks for a thin slot in the cab, above the drawer. I had my cab maker put it in, but then the granite guy had to fill it in to lay the counter. The cabmaker said the drawers don't close flush because of the little round rubber stops, so I'm just letting that count as the opening.

If it starts to get warm in the top drawer, which happens rarely if I'm cooking for a long time, I just open it a couple inches. I haven't had any problems.

There was a recent post with some great pictures. We had to abandon ship on 3 drawers but if I had seen the post, I think I could have made it work.

sparkier73: "Looking for an induction cooktop that can be installed over a three drawer cab. ... Does anyone have any experience with this, or photos you can post of an induction cooktop over a three drawer unit?"

We installed an LG LCE30845 cooktop immediately above a drawer -- 3 inches top-to-bottom internally and full depth front-to-back -- that is chockablock full of spatulas, spoons, and whisks (and above two much deeper drawers below the spatula drawer that hold pots and pans).

We returned (bearing booty) just yesterday evening from a nice vacation to The Cheese Capital [*] of the World, and we have a lot of busy catching up to do (mail, grocery shopping, etc.), or I would take the time to shoot a picture for you of the set-up. But -- trust me -- it works. We have had the same set-up since 1999 (though the current cooktop replaced another brand in 2008). The LG is exceptionally thin (the thickness of the last previous generation of laptop computers), and generates no discernable heat of its own in the drawer. And the exhaust of the cooling fan exits above the counter (through small slots at the rear of the cooktop's stainless trim), so the drawer's space is not needed for venting, either.

[*] Search for ("Danielle Pergament" AND Nibbling) with your favorite search engine to find the Land of Cheese, somewhere near Benia de Onis.

Ginny...what makes yours so loud? Is it loud with all pots?
I did hear one, but can't say I recall it being excessively loud.

Thanks so much for the input everyone! Sooooo helpful. Expect to make decision next week... after weighing the cost factor. Still would love to see pics if anyone gets a chance to post them. Thanks again!

ali80ca- It clicks. Instead of adjusting the power level with some kind of solid state relay, they have the magnets go on and off. This means that the heat is not exactly even, also, although to be fair it doesn't seem to affect my cooking. Here's the thread where I discuss the KA noise.

Since I wrote that, I got five more different brand pots, and they all buzz, more or less. The buzzing is not nearly as bad, however, as in the Youtube video that poor guy posted showing how loud his KA induction was. The clicking is more annoying. I have gotten used to both the buzzing and the clicking, and if a radio and the hood are both running, you don't really hear it . But I maintain that if you are sensitive to repetitive noises, beware the KA.

Here is a link that might be useful: My noisy KA induction

Ginny..yes I watched that youtube video, couldnt help but feel sorry for the guy! I will have to take myself off to the showroom that has a functional KA and listen to it. As I said last time I didn't notice, but we were talking and it was in a store with background noise.

The way to really test this would be to bring two pans, maybe some water, and put them on two hobs at different levels under 6. That way you can hear what it sounds like with out-of-sync clicking. It may not bother you, but at least you'll know. If they demonstrate by showing you how fast the water boils, you won't get any clicking, because it only happens at level 6 or lower.

Good luck!

Thanks Ginny...I will definitely do that.

sparkier73: "Still would love to see pics if anyone gets a chance to post them. "

Cabinet: Canyon Creek Cornerstone Kitchen Cape Cod in hickory.

Cooktop: LG model LCE30845.

THANK YOU Herring!!! Do you like your LG? I'm choosing between that and the Bosch... LG wins on low profile, but Bosch is running a $300 rebate right now, so they win on pricepoint. Can you tip the scales for me?

sparkier73: "THANK YOU Herring!!! Do you like your LG? I'm choosing between that and the Bosch... LG wins on low profile, but Bosch is running a $300 rebate right now, so they win on pricepoint. Can you tip the scales for me?"

The LG is a pretty basic unit, except for the true bridging pair of burners on the left (and the griddle sized for using those paired burners that LG gives away free with the cooktop). For instance, the LG lacks timers on the burners. (There is an overall timer on the cooktop that does not connect to the operation of the burners, but acts like a standalone timer.) And the cooling fan is connected to the on-off switches of the burners; it runs when the burner is on, does not run when the burner is off -- rather than being thermostatically controlled by sensors under each zone of the cooktop as in more complex cooktops. But that apparent economy measure (fewer components to go wrong) seems to make no practical difference as to whether the cooktop overheats.

But -- we have had this cooktop for six years now -- so far it is dead reliable, no fuss, no drama; knock on wood. I like that the cooling exhaust vents above the counter, through slots in the stainless trim at the rear of the unit; most cooktops vent into the cavity underneath the cooktop. Even putting one's fingers against the rear vents, one cannot discern the breeze, and the vents are completely quiet.

I have no personal experience with the Bosch cooktop, though our "wall" oven (located not in a wall, but under the counter next to the drawers in the photo) is a Bosch; so I cannot compare and contrast the Bosch and LG cooktops. But I would not hesitate to buy another LG should we move to another residence in the future.