Has anyone built a range hood? (need help with house im buying)

[Billm0066]

This is the kitchen of the house im buying. The darker wood is the after. The current owner removed the doors and nailed the dark wood over the frame. Side panels were built to bring the box to the ceiling, cut the white crown, and added the gray crown. My plan is to remove the microwave and install a hood vent and then vent it outside (exterior wall but not vented currently). Heres my options.

1. Buy a vent that sits under the cabinet. Reattach doors (they are in the attic), then build dummy doors above the ones that open. Or build new doors that are taller, or something along these lines. I dont care about storage in that cabinet necessarily, aesthetics are more important.

2. Build a range hood and install an insert.

Opening is 30"

I would prefer gray paint to match cabinets but open to natural wood if I build it.

I like to cook so I want it vented outside. I installed one at my current house, cut the hole, ran piping to outside through the garage and love it. I can sear a steak inside my house with no odors inside.


Negatives. I cant find that white piece of crown in the house and matching it might be a pain. I cant tell if its two piece or one. So as of right now im planning on keeping the cut crown as it is but I will try to find more.

Im doing a Zephyr vent: Open to anything really. Range Hoods & Kitchen Vents | Zephyr Ventilation

 

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For uncommon mouldings, check Capitol City Lumber.

 

[Graywolf]

if you know the cabinet manufacturer you can order a piece from them or the local dealer. From what I can see it’s a one piece. The room crown appears to be a two piece and common. Again that’s what I can see from your pics. Is that wall an outside wall? If so you could ditch the going to the ceiling part and vent it out the wall. The other concern would be the distance between the range top and the new vent. If is above a certain distance then it looses the ability to or efficiency in venting. Food for thought.

 

[JohnnyR]

Have you figured out what to do with the microwave? If you're leaving it there and install a vent under it you'll probably be knocking your noggin. plus limited as to where to put the vent chase. Assuming you're moving it, while I don't like the wood vent design as is, the material looks good - breaking up the cabinets, especially if you have a table that matches like in the picture. You could make one that flares out at the top all the way to the existing crown to solve that problem. I would also suggest that you install a vent without a fan and put the fan on the outside of the house, roof or wall. This will keep the noise level down. I've done a couple houses like that with 900 CFM fans.

 

[old and in the way]

Bill:

It seems that the range is electric, or it would already have an exterior vent. Unless you are replacing the range with a gas one, a different vent might work. You could replace the microwave with one that has built-in exterior exhaust, (I believe available with 500cfm) so that you don't lose the microwave. (Nice to have, no matter how much you like to cook). Cut the opening for the vent and install. If you still have the original cabinet doors, you could replicate the cabinet/crown that previously existed easily enough. Some drywall patching, wall and cabinet painting, and you pretty much have the look of the original kitchen, except for the ceiling crown.

The crown may not look that bad after everything else is done, if the crown returns were well done, and it is symmetrical (everyone loves symmetry). If that design element really bothers you; if this was a builder home, or even a "custom" home, then in all likelyhood the crown/crown assembly is a standard molding and available from a supplier. Trace the profile and start looking. If you can find it, or even something close, it can be coped into the existing crown at the corners of the wall, so that a single length will not be as obvious, especially if the profile is not an exact match. I would doubt that the moldings were a custom run.

Matching existing, non-standard molding is expensive (I used to do it for a living), and that may ultimately dictate your design choices. Perhaps you could talk yourself into liking the existing situation by considering the look of the various crown molding terminus points in other areas of your kitchen, if it is not a complete wrap on the ceiling in the room. (Hard to tell from the photo)

Hope this helps. Good luck.
Tone

 

[Billm0066]

Have you figured out what to do with the microwave? If you're leaving it there and install a vent under it you'll probably be knocking your noggin. plus limited as to where to put the vent chase. Assuming you're moving it, while I don't like the wood vent design as is, the material looks good - breaking up the cabinets, especially if you have a table that matches like in the picture. You could make one that flares out at the top all the way to the existing crown to solve that problem. I would also suggest that you install a vent without a fan and put the fan on the outside of the house, roof or wall. This will keep the noise level down. I've done a couple houses like that with 900 CFM fans.

Microwave will be gone, replacing with a range hood.

 

[Billm0066]

Bill:

It seems that the range is electric, or it would already have an exterior vent. Unless you are replacing the range with a gas one, a different vent might work. You could replace the microwave with one that has built-in exterior exhaust, (I believe available with 500cfm) so that you don't lose the microwave. (Nice to have, no matter how much you like to cook). Cut the opening for the vent and install. If you still have the original cabinet doors, you could replicate the cabinet/crown that previously existed easily enough. Some drywall patching, wall and cabinet painting, and you pretty much have the look of the original kitchen, except for the ceiling crown.

The crown may not look that bad after everything else is done, if the crown returns were well done, and it is symmetrical (everyone loves symmetry). If that design element really bothers you; if this was a builder home, or even a "custom" home, then in all likelyhood the crown/crown assembly is a standard molding and available from a supplier. Trace the profile and start looking. If you can find it, or even something close, it can be coped into the existing crown at the corners of the wall, so that a single length will not be as obvious, especially if the profile is not an exact match. I would doubt that the moldings were a custom run.

Matching existing, non-standard molding is expensive (I used to do it for a living), and that may ultimately dictate your design choices. Perhaps you could talk yourself into liking the existing situation by considering the look of the various crown molding terminus points in other areas of your kitchen, if it is not a complete wrap on the ceiling in the room. (Hard to tell from the photo)

Hope this helps. Good luck.
Tone

The range is gas (propane) and its not externally vented. I dont want a microwave there, I want a range hood for the best extraction. I did this at my current house and the vent does 850cfm and I can sear a steak inside without any odors. No way a microwave can keep up. We have a countertop microwave.

The crown returns were just cut so theres a gap between the wall so it was poorly done. It's not my major concern, its just trying to figure out if I will build a range hood to replace the whole cabinet or the other options I mentioned above.

 

[Billm0066]

if you know the cabinet manufacturer you can order a piece from them or the local dealer. From what I can see it’s a one piece. The room crown appears to be a two piece and common. Again that’s what I can see from your pics. Is that wall an outside wall? If so you could ditch the going to the ceiling part and vent it out the wall. The other concern would be the distance between the range top and the new vent. If is above a certain distance then it looses the ability to or efficiency in venting. Food for thought.

It will be vented out of the wall not the ceiling. I havent checked the drawers for a manufacturer. Its a good quality cabinet, definitely better than whats going in houses now.

 

[Oka]

From the Mechanical point of view, if you are ok with the higher cost. use a rooftop vent. The static draw is more efficient, quieter and can handle longer runs. Make sure you use all metal duct sealed with metal tape (code) DO NOT use flex.
This opens up all sorts possibilities to more swanky designs without worrying about the motor placement. Then it is just your existing conditions, preference, taste and aesthetics that will be the driver.