rule of thumb is the platform of microwave is best situated approx 3 in below your shoulder. A pull down model may be slightly different-but the fiddling/stirring/grabbing hot item occurs at the bottome of unit-getting to the handle and opening should not trump what happens once you get the door open. As far as the controls-it becomes 2nd nature using them in a short time. ...it's still the retrieval and mixing/stirring/etc that are the demanding functions. It sounds okay.....do you have counter landing next to it? that's important since it's in a stack.Make sure it's in a good spot overall in your layout for various people getting at it-sometimes off to the side is better/out of the way of the cook when she is busy.

I swear I am going to break my husband's tape measure! That sounds about right then. Yes, the stack has a 24" counter to the left of it and then there is the cooktop.

Thanks.

I have pantry space over my microwave. The bottom of that pantry cabinet area is even with all of my other uppers in the kitchen which are all at 55.5" from the floor. 55.5" = 36" base + 18" to bottom of the light rail + 1.5" light rail. The top of my MW is at 54", with trim between that and the pantry area, single oven under the MW.