If you do a search on the bottom of the kitchen's page, you'll come up with threads with pics of these hoods. erikah, katieob, and Marthavila come to mind. I'm sure there are others. People who have them; love them. They certainly make a statement and I think they're gorgeous; but will be more expensive then the others I believe.

We priced them and found them quite expensive. But they are beautiful and make a great statement.

Just ordered ours today. Each distributor has the ability set pricing to some degree so prices might vary slightly. Ours is a 48" half barrel just like erikah and katieob in the polished and satin chrome mix. It was estimated at $6500, which includes a 24" matching chase that goes up 8' too. From a functional standpoint, I have seen one that worked great but had a different shape--much more like eliz' trumpet shaped one.

I love mine. Makes a great statement (first thing people notice in our kitchen, especially men) and works well, too. Ours was 1/2 the price of Rangecraft's quote.

If you search Modern Aire hoods on the appliances forum you should get a lot of information. We love ours; it's gorgeous and works very well but it's a little louder than I hoped it would be. We have 1200 cfm and rarely run it higher than the lowest setting. Still, I would do it again. After getting a quote from Rangecraft, Modern Aire seemed inexpensive but Rangecraft has seamless welding which is beautiful if money is no object.

Thanks everyone!! Cheril27, you mentioned yours is a little louder than you hoped it would be -- is that in comparison to the others you looked at?

We also have a 1200cfm Modernaire with internal blower and one 90 degree turn. On its loudest, it's not as loud as our 20 year old hood that didn't do anything, but it's louder than I hoped too. It's impossible to really tell how other hoods would have compared, though, because in a showroom, the hoods are often set up with either no vent pipe or with a straight vent pipe which wouldn't have worked in our case.

It was WAY more expensive than I wanted, and the first quote I got was significantly less than what it ended up being. Still, once I fell in love, I couldn't see myself with any other hood.

I obviously need to take updated pictures since everything is installed now, but here's one of our (very dusty) progress pics that I have available right now:

Skoo is right. You can't really compare hoods in a store because they aren't moving any air and that's what makes most of the noise. We also had a very loud but ineffective hood before so the Modern Aire is a huge improvement. Cinresga's is a liner and she has a fantech remote blower and an in line silencer (I think that's what it's called) and believes her hood to be quiet. These weren't options for us because the hood vents directly out the back.

I have admired the MA hoods in so many of GW members photos. May I ask, is $6,500 a typical price for hoods or just these gorgeous hoods? I am planning my 2010 renovation and had no idea that hoods would be that pricey. A KD told me to expect about $1K. Is this ridiculously low?

Thanks for all the info and pix! I just got a quote for a 42"/ 1200CFM Modernaire hood like elizpiz's and its about $5K -- at least double the cost of a Vent-a-Hood I believe. The rep said it's very easy to clean and the baffle insert is at a low angle so it catches a ton of grease, etc. We need a workhorse hood since my DH is set on getting the 36" Wolf gas range with the infrared broiler. MA is at a disadvantage because there are no dealers carrying it in the NW/Seattle area. (at least according to the rep). Not sure I can buy it sight unseen for that price. It's so beautiful though!

MA is at a disadvantage because there are no dealers carrying it in the NW/Seattle area. (at least according to the rep).

Marg, it was actually to my advantage that MA had no dealers in my immediate area. Because of that, I was able to deal with MA directly. And, because of that, I believe I secured a significant price advantage. My hood is a custom color matched, powder coated PS 26, with 4 stainless bands and a pot rail. At a capacity of 1200 cfms, it is 45" x27" in size. I love my hood, don't regret for a moment that I purchased it, and I assure you that it cost nowhere near $6500! BTW, I think my hood is the only major purchase item I did not see/sample before purchase. However, between the online photos, excellent reviews from GW members and the wonderful customer relations experience I had with MA direct, I bit the bullet and made the purchase sight unseen. I'm sooo happy I did!

Here is a link that might be useful: MV's Color-Matched Modern-Aire Hood

Marthavila: it's so nice to hear how much you love your MA. I saw a thread re: the distributor issues that MA has and agree that dealing directly with them is probably better. My only nagging question is maintenance -- i.e., do the MA repairs depend on a certified MA person or can they be repaired by any number of good repair people? I just assumed that it would be harder to find someone who knows MA hoods if they're relatively rare in this area. LOVE your pic, btw -- the color is beautiful!! How did you get the colors so close?

Gee, Marg, I guess I'm one who's never worried much about maintenance issues when it comes to my range hood. My take has always been that, if I were to have a problem, I'd first call the people at MA. If after consultation with them, the problem is still not resolved, the plan would be to contact a HVAC specialist in my area. Although I could be wrong on this, I just don't think there's anything so special about the mechanics of MA's ventilation system that it can't be addressed by most competent HVAC technicians. And, fortunately, after a year of usage, I haven't had any maintenance questions that the MA people could not answer.

As for color matching -- that was pretty easy. I had the range manufacturer (Aga) send a color chip to MA. MA then forwarded Aga's color sample to a sub who does powdercoat painting for MA's products. When the subcontractor was satisfied on the color match, they sent their sample to MA who then forwarded it to me. I was then able to compare MA's color sample with the range itself. The match was perfect! And, on that basis, I placed the order. Up close and in person, I'd say the color of my range and hood is a match made in heaven. :-)

marthavila: you're really making it hard to resist the MA! 2 more questions (sorry!): did you do inline venting and was it pretty easy for your contractor to install? Thanks!

Yes, Marg. I did inline venting and AFAIK, it was pretty easy for the contractor to install. Keep in mind that my kitchen is situated on the top floor of the rear extension to the house. As such, it was a very short and very straight duct run from the kitchen ceiling to the extension roof. At the same time, I do know that the GC consulted with the MA people directly re the installation. I can't emphasize enough how helpful Jeff Herman and his crew at MA were at all times, i.e., leading up to the sale, sealing the deal, and thereafter. Good luck!

Marg,
I am also in the PNW and BOY DID I GET A GREAT DEAL!!! Call them directly, ask for Pat. Holly cow, I am getting hood close to Katieob's (PS26) and it was much less than the ventahood quoted to me at Albert Lee. There was one local dealer who would order it for me, but didn't have any samples and his price was DOUBLE. I am so excited about this I'm going to pee my pants. Email me if you want more info.

Thanks marthavila for the install info -- it sounds like the best path with MA is to go to them directly with any questions, etc. I appreciate all your help!

jammiesallday: I'll drop you a note -- thanks!

Hi Marg!

I've been away from GW for a few days, with only the occasional quick glance, so missed this thread. I see that MA took advantage of the GW posts to nab a few pix for their web site! I hadn't seen the site since we ordered our hood. And, um...Martha...if MA thinks your hood is good enough for their commercial site, surely we faithful GW'ers deserve the full glimpse :-) Get thee to the FKB!

Marg, our 42" hood was way less than 5K (about 3K, I want to say), but then again, it was ordered about a year and half ago, and the price of raw goods continues to increase steadily. Generally, I am happy with the choice. Clinresga's (and Martha's) dialogue about MA on the Appliance forum last year got me hooked. The one thing I need to follow up on is the cold draft that comes into the kitchen. We had problems with the install (read: our GC didn't finish the job) and because the local distributor did not install (or even recommend an installer), we probably used someone who wasn't well qualified. I really do need to call MA and also get a local HVAC pro onsite to make sure it's been installed properly.

Having said that, no regrets - we love both the look and the functionality. And very easy to clean.

Sounds like you have some great advice and resources on this thread - good luck!

Eliz

Oh my gosh, Eliz, I was just ready to post tomorrow about the same problem! My kitchen is freezing! I just took out the baffles and covered everything with a towel to see how much warmer it is in the morning. And like you, the GC was fired so I can't even call him back to see what's wrong and it's probably his fault anyway (he installed the steam oven wrong too). I'm planning on calling MA tomorrow to find out what the problem could be. I'll keep you posted on any progress I make.

Cheril - pls do! Would love to know what you learn.

Eliz

Eliz! So good to see you around these parts! :-) I swear you will see my kitchen in the FKB in 2010! LOL!

As for the problems you and Cheril are having with cold drafts, it sounds like your contractors either didn't install a backdraft damper or installed the wrong one, or installed the right one in an incorrect manner. Or, maybe the right damper was installed correctly but it has since gotten stuck in the open position. For more info, check out this discussion of vent hood drafts.

HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful: On Vent Hood Drafts

We ordered a PS26 from Modernaire that looks similar to Katieob's. Ours does not have the polished finish or rivets, however. We picked the jiterbug finish on the hood with brushed stainless on the vertical bands. The hood is absolutely georgeous and works perfectly with our unusual installation requirements and dimensions. The hood is 51" long x 21" tall x 27" deep...and it definitely did not cost us $6,500. We worked directly with Jeff and Pat who were amazing throughout the transaction.

Hopefully I'll have some pictures soon- we're still in the middle of major construction.

Looks like I need to contact Jeff and Pat directly! I definitely want a MA hood but it sounds like I may have gotten a high quote. Thanks eliz, cheril, mereanne and martha for adding to the thread -- I've learned so much more than I ever thought I would! Once again, GW is amazing!!

Thanks for the thread, Martha. I'm sure a damper is exactly what we need. I'll be calling MA today to get the specs.

Marg, I can't remember the exact price of our hood but is was a bit over $3K with the shipping. They copied a Rangecraft hood that I fell in love with and we couldn't be happier. While it's louder than we hoped, I think our expectations were too high...you can't really effectively move around all that air without some noise.

Wow, Cheril. What a beautiful hood!

Thanks, Martha.

I meant to add a photo of our MA hood to this thread, so here it is. We replaced a small 600cfm Wolf hood & upper cabinet with this, as we needed a higher cfm for the Wolf rangetop with grill. 1200 cfm is great at collecting all the smoke from the grill.

I am considering getting the PS26 with the rivets. Does having the rivets make it harder to clean? I was quoted 4000 for it a 36 inch with brushed ss, polished bands, rivets and a pot holder, does that sound about right?

ajard,
yes that is about right. I was just quoted almost the same amount for the same model but a little longer

Interesting thing about Modernaire that I found out over the past few weeks. I live in an area that is highly populated and has a good business for Modernaire hoods in California. I called the LA office of Modernaire and they punted me to their NorCal distributor. He in turn then came out and measured, gave me a quote for the hood, etc. When I saw this thread and saw that my price was so much more, I called the main office and emailed them too. Their deal is this: you can't go directly through them. You HAVE to go through your local distributor and he takes a MEAN and GENEROUS cut of this deal, which means he adds on a hefty middle-man price. If you don't agree to that, you can't have one. Simple as that. The LA office won't ship it to you (thought even with the shipping it would be cheaper). So, if there's no distibutor in the area, you get to deal direct with the company--if there is, you have to go through their distributor. Two different prices.

My GC thinks this is crazy and highly urged me not to do business with a company like that but I really want the hood......sigh.

firsthouse_mp, surely there is away around using the NorCal distributor. Now that you have the measurements, could a relative or friend in an area where there is no MA distributor place the order for you? Once the hood is delivered to that person, you could have it shipped to you. It might not be convenient and there would be extra shipping costs, but you might find that route less expensive than going through the NorCal distributor.

Marg:

Could you please email me and tell me what you ended up doing with your hood (your email isn't enabled so I can't email you directly). I'm having a rough time getting a reasonable price for one of these.

Thanks so much,
Francy

How does one reach Jeff or pat at Modernaire? Or a location? Thanks

Main office location is in North Hollywood, Ca
Phone (818) 765-9870 Fax (818) 765-4916
Website: www.modernaire.com

For contacts/dealers outside of Ca, go to the website.

Thank you. I'll see if I can afford one of these fabulous hoods. Thanks again.

We are also working with Modernaire on a custom hood for our new build.

Pat Hartman - Pat@modernaire.com

Good Luck!

M