I have a stove hood, but I never use it with my electric cook top. It would not make a difference to me!

IMHO they are just another thing to clean...........

There were no hoods in 2 of the last 3 homes we bought.

I have one, but never turn it on. It doesn't make a racket, but it is noise I don't need. Wouldn't even care if it was gone.

I hate lingering food smell, and we enjoy cooking all types of cuisine, some are smoky or spicy.

No way I would buy a house without a range top hood, it also needs to be piped out either from an external wall or from the roof. A quiet, powerful fan is also required but we have always replaced it when we moved into a new house.

If I am the buyer, I would factor in the cost of adding the hood and duck work if I like a house; otherwise I would look at other houses that already have the hood and duck work in place.

Feel the same....another thing to clean. My cook-top unit is in the island in the middle of the room. I never even considered putting a hood there, and opted for large stained glass lights instead. In my last house I had a hood, but used the light on it for a nightlight, lol. The only time it got turned on was when I set a pan on fire.

"IMHO they are just another thing to clean..........."

They help keep grease from cooking from ending up all over the house if they work and are used.

A "show stopper"?

Rather unlikely with a small electric stove.

Who says you need to put a ducted hood in? Most homes around here have ductless, which are pretty cheap. Why not add one? For me, it's more about appearance than function, as we don't really use it much either. It just looks out of place without one. How about adding an over the range microwave & freeing up some counter space? That would be a worthwhile improvement.

-Dave

I would not rule out a house because of it, but I would use it as an excuse when making an offer--it's something I would need to install.

Even boiling veggies relase small amounts of plant oils that float on the air currents and attach themselves to the ceilings, cabinets, and walls and then attract dirt. I'd really have to wonder what other shortcuts existed in the home and how indifferent home maintainence might have been if a hood was nonexistant. I'd be wondering what kind of ick they missed when they did the cleaning for sale, and what kind of work it would be to paint over that greasy ick.
I'd have to deduct several thousand dollars to have one put in, plus several thousand more to have the grease/grunge scraped off the kitchen ceiling and cabinets and the rest of the house, even if they didn't "look" dirty.

definition:
show-stopper: an act so striking or impressive that the show must be delayed until the audience quiets down
-or-
something that is strikingly attractive or has great popular appeal

Lack of a hood will definitely NOT be a show-stopper!

The house that we sold this past year didn't have one. It was a 10 year old house. Not one person mentioned it as a negative. Actually no one mentioned it at all.

Wow, I cannot tell how heartwarming it feels to look up my posting tonight and see how many of you took the trouble to write in! [And as it is 12 degrees out tonight, heartwarming feelings are a blessing. :-)] Thank you all for weighing in.

calliope, your comment about using it as a nightlight made me smile because that's exactly what I do when I'm visiting my parents' house!

daveho, you asked why not put in a ductless model. You're right that is an option. When I read some threads in the Remodeling, Appliances, and Kitchens forums, the majority think that ductless ones aren't really effective on removing the grease. (The comments I've seen there are along the lines of 'why bother' about putting in a ductless one). On the other hand, at least a ductless model might go to addressing the points that live_wire_oak brought up, about potential buyers wondering what else is missing in terms of maintenance.

orv1, thanks for sharing from your experience with selling your house too!

I have to run and make sure the lunches are made for tomorrow--just wanted to get this thanks in tonight when I saw all your responses!

I'm in the "why bother" camp when it comes to ductless hoods. They may filter some but they generally just spread the grease over a wider area. And most of them are cheap so they just make noise while they don't work.

I guess I wouldn't consider not having one a show-stopper, but between the electric stove and a "missing" or ductless hood, well, the kitchen would not be the highlight of my showing.

"definition:
show-stopper: an act so striking or impressive that the show must be delayed until the audience quiets down
-or-
something that is strikingly attractive or has great popular appeal

Lack of a hood will definitely NOT be a show-stopper!"

Congratulations on an out of date dictionary.

'Show stopper' is also used to indicate anything that brings a deal or other activities (besides a play) to a halt.

If the theater burns down it is definitely a 'show stopper.'

"If the theater burns down it is definitely a 'show stopper.'"

Well, yes... as per the definition. A fire WOULD be an act so striking that the show must be delayed!

The dictionary is not out of date at all!

IMHO, the lack of a hood COULD be a deal-breaker though....

It is out of date.

There are multiple other references to 'show stopper' as something bringing a business deal or work to a halt.

Actually, I changed my mind after remembering my last few househunting adventures (and looking at homes yet again, but so far still in the shouldIorshouldn'tI stage). I'm more inclined to want a house with a kitchen that requires remodeling because I am particular about kitchens and I don't want to pay for someone's recent remodel. It's wasteful to rip out a new kitchen, but an old or non-functional one, it feels okay.

And it should be cheaper! SO it makes the house more attractive to me, but I'd expect it to be cheaper.

Hi fori, thanks for posting that.

It's definitely food for thought for me because I'm similar about wanting to remodel a kitchen where I'm living. I've rented enough places and cooked in my parents and in-laws kitchens, and if the layout isn't something that seems natural to me, then it starts to bug me over time.

Until I read your comment, I hadn't realized that I've been subconsciously holding that assumption: that whoever comes after us, will be remodeling the kitchen anyway to suit themselves.

Given the points about ductless/ducting, I'd like to ask this question, even though it wasn't my initial posting question:

Immediately behind the range wall is a 3-season, enclosed porch (lots of windows, sparsely furnished with patio-type furniture). The easiest technically would seem to be simply duct out of the house into that space.

• If we put in a ducting hood that vented into the 3-season porch, would that look worse to a future buyer than no duct at all?

• Would an inspector look askance at that? I'm not up on all the code for how you are allowed to vent range hoods for electric ranges.
  

(While that means the smell and grease would end up out in that porch, it's a lot more "rustic" and easier to clean and air out than the kitchen.)

Thanks again!

If it's rustic, would a rustic-looking duct across the ceiling and all the way out look OK? Definitely see what's permitted in your area. (The appliance forum here is very into vents and will happily advise you I suspect, but they can at times be very strident about the necessities of venting.

A decent ductless hood is really quite a bit better than no venting and can be pretty cheap if you're fixing for resale and (the catch) have a spot to mount it.

"If we put in a ducting hood that vented into the 3-season porch, would that look worse to a future buyer than no duct at all? "

It would look bad and be illegal under most codes.

Range hoods must discharge outside.

It would look bad and be illegal under most codes.
Range hoods must discharge outside.

Thanks brickeyee! That's matches my gut feeling.

fori, we're going to explore your suggestion to run the ducting along the ceiling of the enclosed porch and out the opposite exterior side might work. We could cover the pipe with a simple soffit that might look ok.

Thanks again! :-)

"...run the ducting along the ceiling of the enclosed porch and out the opposite exterior side might work. We could cover the pipe with a simple soffit"

Watch the length carefully.
It reduces the air volume pretty quickly.