I would not see any reason it would not work with your ceiling. If you do the math with standard 36" tall base cabinets, 30" off of the cooking surface that would leave 24" of room to work with. Most inserts are 12" tall so that would leave room to duct out the insert. It sounds like this is a small job and the cabinetmaker did not want to doo the job. I would call around and find someone that would take the job.

brutuses First you need to identify what type of sounds you are trying to deaden - and what the purpose of the room is ie - Recording Studio, Woodworking shop, home theatre etc.. Differing types of sounds require different types of materials/applications - i.e. foot fall in an upstairs is one of the more difficult to deaden vs. voices Not a pro here by any stretch but I did research this very issue during our remodel when we lost a plaster ceiling in the living room which is the largest room in the house. Also, we finished 1/2 the basement which has been spec'd for future home theatre use. Bro in law is a master carpenter & he re-built many of the recording studios for SONY (I believe they are now defunct fr. recording) In that application - what works best is layers of sheetrock, in various thickness, staggering seams additionally inside the wall insulation - Mineral Wool, brand name Roxul - is a product that has been used for yrs as a firestopping insulation - fairly recently avail in Bat form (just like the pink stuff) easy to apply Mass loaded vinyl - is a 1/8" thick rolled vinyl -like the flooring and is good for floor application. It's heavy! - I had my carpenter use it on the ceiling of our basement, after applying Roxul btwn the joists - I thought he might walk off the job! heavy & difficult to use overhead - after the MLV he had to put up a grid & apply acoustical ceiling tile - which really is homosote (product mentioned above) - Homosote is another good choice - but if cat potty area is an issue this would not be adviseable as it will wick in moisture - Here's our application LR ceiling - J- channel w/acoustical tape applied to joists- This step is critical as sheetrock direct to joists will allow/act as a sound traveler if you will, Roxul btwn the joists, 5/8" sheet rock applied to J-channel. There are other methods, green glues, acoustical sheetrock etc - We choose this route - because it is cost effective, products were readily available and easy to apply. IT has worked remarkably well Basement - as stated - Roxul, MLV, acoustical tile, Roxul is also on an interior wall btwn utility side of basement & finished side. - A thick Exterior door is installed btwn utility/finished side - with rubber gasket around bottom - Hope this has helped - I can't stress enough about determining 1st what you are trying to deaden - In a garage you will have doors, windows, ? ceiling or is it exposed rafters - so if you just do a little -it may be for naught as sound has too many other routes to travel -too many leaks - 1/2" sheetrocked homes are an acoustical nightmare - Here is a sight that is extremely helpful - I purchased some products from them for our projects folks there will take the time to help find right product for your application http://www.soundproofing.org/ This may help too http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33362&highlight=soundproofing Good luck!

We added outlets and spigots on all 4 sides of the house and some extra ones...I think we went a bit overboard with outlets, however, it did not cost us extra so we were good. I would suggest thinking about where and how you would do your landscaping, gardening etc and add spigots accordingly. We don't have irrigation system so spigots are used to water the grass. Also, have one close to the garage for car wash / or any kind of "wash" that is going to happen on the driveway. Couple of points on electrical, make sure to add enough outlets in the garage. Some builders add just one or even none. This is a personal preference - I think 6" can lights gives that "swiss cheese" feel in a room's ceiling. I prefer 4" can lights. Are you having insulation/sound dampening stuff in the interior wall ? they don't cost much but gives a nice feel inside the house.

All good suggestions. Thank you everyone. So we have had many discussions and have made some progress and now we are leaning towards the following. We are going to "cap" the ceiling at the triangle, just above the second beams. So we eliminate the high triangle, thus regulating the room temp better and allowing for lighting install. We will drop the fan lower, keep it centered, and add recessed lights on either side of the fan (front and back) on the flat/new ceiling. Add sconces above the mantle (wiring behind the new drywall). Rather than paint the brick and while we have scaffolding here anyway, we think we will box in the brick from new flat ceiling to the mantle (not with shiplap) and run trim down either side. We will then frame out a new mantle down each side and across the brick. We will keep the brick as is around the fireplace and on the hearth (I don't like the idea of floor to ceiling painted white brick and felt that since we use the fireplace we are better keeping natural brick so it won't show soot and dirt), but put a new piece of stone in for the hearth. Smooth the outdated plaster walls (since plasterer has to come for the new ceiling). Paint the ceiling, the trim and fireplace walls/mantle white, and the walls a soft gray (Edgecomb BM). Cap the track lighting unless we decide down the road we need it. I'd also love to consider refacing the brick with stone veneer but maybe not this time around. So yes, our budget is blown but it seems to be a situation of go all in or don't half spend. Trying to resemble something like this but not with shiplap and with our brick not whitewashed: Thoughts/feedback? Good news is that my contractor knows us and works slowly so I can modify as we go if something doesn't look right. I toyed with keeping beams but they really aren't nice beams. We've also done away with the wood beam mantle but I think if we keep the look more robust and less delicate that we might be okay -- more thick/shaker than formal crown. Also adding trim to the supporting beams that connect wall to ceiling to make them look more "finished" - they look like planks or 2x4s now and I never realized they were actually beams until we just put the window in and broke into the wall. They are just above the windows and you probably can't tell from the previous photos. Any thoughts - would love to hear them. You've really turned me around on the shiplap - thank you!