Mama-The construction company was probably cringing while installing the hood, but I wonder why they chose to include this picture on Houzz. I wonder why the clients couldn't be swayed to change the design... Also, I wonder if the clients worked with a kitchen designer to configure cabinet / appliance placements. Local- No, I agree with you. They could have build cabinets around hood to cover the ductwork if they had to put the range and hood in the corner. It looks like an afterthough, doesn't it? Like it was just stuck up there. Almost like the cabinets were existing and they retrofitted the hood without wanting to remove or modify anything. They could have eliminated those three small and out of reach cabinets and installed a island type hood instead. Another question- does anyone know what the three slits in the backsplash under the window are ? Heating, maybe ? Bpa- lol@ backhoe! It's true, that's what it looks like!

Washer/Dryer and pantry: I don't know whether she'd go for moving the washer/dryer over ... she was pretty adamant about wanting a longer counter to the right of the washer/dryer. I will present the idea. Maintaining access to the cut-offs is something I hadn't considered -- thanks for putting that thought in my head. Yes, folding on top of cabinetry is always an option. Having never used a "stacked set", I don't know about ease of use. She has a set of hooks for coats behind the door, which seems to be working fine. I didn't mention that, but she doesn't seem to have any interest in "upgrading" that in any way. We are in the South, so this isn't the bugaboo that it is for people in other parts of the country. Appliance placement: We moved the refrigerator over to the sink side for one reason only: It's deeper than a standard 24" counter. We thought that since she wants the sink counter to be deeper, it would be wise to put the refrigerator on that same run. It allows each cabinet run to be "straight" and the aisle to be an even 48" all the way down (instead of having the refrigerator poke out a bit). Keeping the cabinetry budget low is a main priority, and we were thinking that two long, straight stretches would be the best option. Those who say the sink and stove should be in the same cabinet run -- I'm not getting WHY. Please explain. I understand that you want space near the sink ... but she has enough counter space in this area. The kitchen is 9' and its footprint cannot be changed (well, okay, anything CAN be changed, but cannot be changed within the confines of her budget). So we're thinking a run of 24" deep cabinets on the range side, a 48" aisle, and 30-36" deep cabinets on the sink side. But, yes, that's a full, uninterrupted 48" work aisle. This is a one-butt kitchen. Her husband is vaguely aware that a kitchen exists in the house, but I doubt he's ever entered the room more than once or twice. No big concerns about plumbing costs. The new sink will go into the same position as the old one, so plumb lines are already in place. We will need to extend them down a few feet to accommodate the refrigerator, but that's not a big deal. No matter what we do, the range can't vent directly outside. The kitchen is "landlocked". That is, it's in the middle of the house. Great room on one side, bedrooms on the other. This is a complete unchangeable. Her daughters are grown and out of the house, but she has two small granddaughters who stay with her frequently. I don't see pots of water as a danger; I don't think it's too hard to look around before you lift the pot. At this point she has no health issues, but she and her husband intend to stay in this house for the rest of their lives, so it's reasonable to think that some health issues could pop up. Still, I don't see big pots of water as a reason to place appliances here or there -- if she's cooking a BIG pot of anything, someone else will be in the house to eat from that big pot, and that person can Mamaw's heavy lifting. It seems strange to me that my YOUNGER cousin is a grandmother, but then she had her first child at 16, whereas I had mine at 27.

"They said the hood vent was probably getting too much power and thats why it got messed up." No. That makes no sense. I'd do the following: Pull the cable out of the hole at the bottom of the cabinet Obtain a surface-mount electrical box (example) and remove one of the knockouts. Attach the electrical box to the back of the cabinet. Route the cable into the electrical box and clamp (example) it in place. Wire up an outlet (example) and attach it to the box. Attach a cover (example) to the box. Run the cable from the microwave through the existing hole and plug it into the new outlet. -- amateur

Why would you want to do that? You should have a properly sized hood over your range. You can do a custom wood with an all-in-one insert, a pre-made all-in-one like those posted above or a custom or pre-made with a remote blower. More: https://bamasotan.us/range-exhaust-hood-faq/