Hoods -- HVAC contractors?

16 years ago

I'm in the midst of a runaround regarding the installation of my range hood. I'm serving as GC in the process of updating my kitchen -- new Capital Precision AG 36 inch Range (which I love) and Dacor 42 inch 1200 CFM hood. I bought the appliances at Expo, and was told an electrician could install the hood. From looking at the specs and reading thses forums, I call the electrician in, and naturally, he said I'd need a venting specialist. The range is on the wall opposite the house exterior, so there need venting involving one L turn, then about 11 feet above the ceiling through the outside wall. I have existing 6 inch ductwork from my old fan -- I now need a 10 inch duct. The outside wall is brick, which will need to be widened. The house is a 1929 tudor.

The electrician recommended a friend who does this kind of work at a local university and moonlights. He gave me an estimate of $1200. Although it sounded steep,I was willing to go with him (I'm fed up with waiting and the huge box sitting in my kitchen!) when he said his schedule has changed and he doesn't have time. He recommended a mechanical firm, who gave me an estimate of $2500!

I don't know how to judge what's reasonable, and how to get other referrals. Suggestions?

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Comments (7)

antiquesilver
16 years ago
I posted to your thread in the Kitchens Forum.
fenworth
16 years ago
I don't know what's reasonable but thanks for the tip on how to make $300k a year working just a couple hours a day!

Seriously though I don't know how involved the brick work is, but aside from that you shouldn't need any specialist to hang a hood, run a duct and make some electrical connections (I'm assuming the wiring is there). Couple hundred bucks? A few hundred if the brick takes a bit of work to right? Anything more and I'd feel ripped off.
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I, too, was the GC & had a similiar problem because I bought my VAH online & the local dealer wouldn't install anything he didn't sell. My cabinet maker/installer, who is experienced at almost everything, ran the duct & hung the hood for about $300 + materials; he was onsite anyway & the ceiling was open. My duct run is similiar to yours except when it gets to the ceiling, it takes a right turn & goes between the ceiling joists for 8' & exits through the outside wall. My brick mason, who is very familiar with old brick & structural considerations, cut the hole in the wall (through 3 courses), attached the outside cover, & mortared a seal around the hole for under $300; it's been a while & I think it may have been $200. He's a neighbor & has done work for me before so the charge was probably less than he would have charged a stranger, but still nothing exhorbitant. I had the hole cut, the piece of duct that goes through the wall & the outside cover installed & sealed prior to the inside work. A word of advice: make sure the mason uses a saw to cut the hole & NOT a hammer drill. Masons unfamiliar with old brick bearing walls are infamous for this disasterous error in my neighborhood.
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fenworth
16 years ago
(Jon's response in Kitchens might explain the high cost. But anything inside the house shouldn't be a big deal.)
mrblandings
16 years ago
It's been my experience that HVAC specialists charge in the same ballpark as skilled trades such as plumbing and electrical, so rates on the order of $100/hr are not uncommon in my region. The contractor should be willing to explain the estimate to you in terms of materials and labor. (Ductwork is not all that expensive, so it's probably mostly labor). As to what is reasonable -- all you can really do for this or any job is get multiple estimates -- if you can't find someone to do it for less, then it doesn't really matter what is 'reasonable'.

You might be able to find a generalist handyman to do the work for a lot less. However, while assembling ductwork does not necessarily take great skill, it's certainly possible for someone who doesn't understand the basic properties of air flow to really screw things up.
User
16 years ago
Don't forget the potential complication of make up air. Any hood that sucks 1200 cfm is going to need that factored in. Otherwise you may have backdraft of any other combustable appliances in the home, as well as inadequate airflow in the hood. Add in a cold climate, and you really need a heat exchanger to avoid sucking out furnace heated air and sucking in cold and making your furnace work overtime. You'll also need the proper dampers on the vent to keep the cold breezes from infiltrating into your home.

Proper HVAC isn't just about hanging the hood in the right spot and hooking up electrical.
fenworth
16 years ago
I 100% agree, live_wire_oak, but I've been reading this forum long enough to know that make-up air is something that virtually everyone deals with by opening the window (at best) rather than spending thousands on heat exchangers, etc. And considering that the amount of time a hood needs to be up into levels that require make-up air is going to be minutes a day at best, this might be a fairly practical solution, esp in a "loose" house like mine and, likely, a 1929 tudor.

The question posed was in reference to hanging the the hood, which in my (limited) experience is done by the same guy who hangs the cabinet. Again, the only issue I see here is the brick work.
weissman
16 years ago
Beware of some of these big firms that overcharge. My plumber of many years sold out to one of these company's that come around in their fancy trucks. I needed a faucet repaired - they charged me $40 for walking in the door and then gave me an estimate of $800 to replace the faucet - this included labor time for going to get a faucet since they didn't have the correct one on the truck. They also inspected the rest of my plumbing and gave me a total estimate of $2000 for everything. I kicked them out - did pay them the $40 for which I figured I had gotten a plumbing inspection - and hired someone else who did all of the work for about $400. One of the items was to replace a cracked plastic washer - they wanted about $200 - the part cost 50 cents and took 10 minutes to replace. I don't know what brickwork costs, but you should shop around.

Hoods -- HVAC contractors?

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