I understand getting rid of the OTR MW, but am aghast at the fire hazard that they put in it's place. Vented into the garage too, so all of the carbon monoxide and gasoline fumes can make it straight into the cooking zone.

I think I would have kept the microwave :-)

Yup... Do. Not. Want.

Hmmm. We used an antique cypress beam to wrap our insert. Of course, it's vented appropriately, but I guess I'm not getting the fire hazard. If we hadn't used the beam, we would have had a surround made of.....wood.

If you look at the backsplash lines, the hood appears more narrow than the cooktop! Yikes!

It is not my taste but it is cute. I query the use of combustible materials over a range (but then I wouldn't put a gas range under a window either and many GWers seem ok with that local codes permitting)....For all that I know it may be that wood's combustion point it higher than that of a microwave....either way I hope that the owner has a fire extinguisher available....On the second picture where the hood is narrower than the stove, I can only guess that the hood pulls out over the stove as it makes no sense to have it otherwise....

Just count the subway rows.

I don't think that there is anything wrong with having a wood-of-any-kind hood (jackson2348, yours is gorgeous!) if it is done to code.

The problem here is that the before and after show a 36" gas cooktop with a 30" OTR/MW (before) and hood (after). Not good. How would that pass an inspection (assuming there was one)?

Don't many people ask for advice on how to design the cabinet wrapped range hood on this forum...seems kind of common. Is it just because this is using rustic wood that it seems like it is more of fire hazard?

As for venting to the garage....if the microwave didn't vent to the garage as well....then the fumes would be in the kitchen. This seems better....

I wouldn't want an OTR microwave. I just feel that they are dangerous due to the height and they aren't very effective at venting....but I don't care for the rustic beam chosen to replace it. It doesn't seem to go well with those particular cabinets. They aren't rustic enough in my opinion!

Since there seems to be confuson here, code requires that any combustible surface (i.e.your wood cabinets or hood) be at least 30'' above the cooking surface. Lower than that, the material needs to be inflammable. And while a hood can vent through a garage if it's competely covered in a drywall chase, it cannot vent into the garage. There can be no penetration through the firewall garage/home transtion that is not fireproof.

Although I do not care for the aesthetics at all, it's the engineering safety that I vociferously object to. And their insurance company would object to, were there to be a fire. Good luck getting that claim paid!

So the problem that the hood is too narrow for the size of the cooktop, right?

If an insert venting hood is correctly sized for the cooktop, the insert in a wooden surrounding cabinet shouldn't be a problem, correct?

With a mantel?

https://www.houzz.com/photos/wolfe-stovetop-traditional-kitchen-phvw-vp~1814375-Stovetop-traditional-kitchen-philadelphia

(Guess what I am planning...)

And it's too low.

Hollysprings, I was typing my post while yours went up. Sorry!

Duplicate post, sorry...

This post was edited by LovesWindowsAndDogs on Wed, Dec 10, 14 at 21:24

Got it. Looks like hers is about 27-28" from the stove. And too narrow, which I completely missed until OOTM_mom pointed it out.

Your inspiration photo shows the 42'"-over-36", which is optimal, compared to the 30"-over-36" from the original link.

LovesWindowsAndDogs, your inspiration photo is beautiful! More to the point, the hood fits in with the cabinetry and the sizing is correct. The mantel is just a beautiful piece of whimsy. So, you're going to copy this look, right?

I don't like OTR microwaves, either. But I'd have left that one in place rather than replace it with a wooden box that looks like a wine crate - and is too short. Why not just get a white hood the right size that matches the cabinets. The wood box clashes like crazy.

Pass inspection, doubtful. The thing that concerns me the most is the casual comment that it vents into the garage! That is a direct conduit from the garage whereby carbon monoxide can enter into the living space. A huge nono. I would also bet those are high output gas burners on the range and that the vent hood they used is in no way the appropriate one for the proper air exchange. There are very specific guidelines for the size and power of the vent for that type of high performance burners.

We have been looking at replacing our range with a similar 6 burner range with a couple of the high output burners and were specifically told we must follow the guidelines for the proper vent hood, including how high above the burners, how far it has to extend and most importantly that it has sufficient suction for the ventilation to be acceptable.
We currently have an above mounted microwave, I don't want it there, but it will require removal and restructuring of the cabinetry above the range to make sure we are doing everything properly and safely. That is not an area I would ever take chances. I personally would not put old dry wood near a flammable appliance either. I truly hope it doesn't lead to disaster from multiple sources.
That's why there are professionals to consult. I didn't know much about cfm calculations so I talked to someone who does.

I'd bet it wouldn't pass inspection, but that's not a bet I'm willing to take based on other obvious things that have.