I have a 36 inch hood over a 36 inch range and haven't ever had a problem. I think it depends on the way you cook, in part. For example, we grill on the barbecue outside and we don't do "blackened" anything. But we do stir fry. I don't agree that the hood MUST be wider than the cooktop. It's nice if you can do it, but not an absolute requirement. The height of the hood above the countertop is a function of each individual vent. If you already have the vent hood, look at the specs. If you lost them, look at the specs on line. I put mine 34" above; my husband is 5'11" and he is happy with the height. I think you'd be fine with 32" or 33" if the tallest member of your family is 5'8". I think our local code has a maximum of 36", but your particular ventilation hood may say no more than 30". Still, I would personally still take the risk of a small decrease in performance and fudge a couple of inches higher than 30". We went to kitchen design stores and measured the heights of the hoods there to see what height felt good. One thing than apparently helps the draw of the vent is if you start it up before you actually start cooking. I don't really understand your light rail issue. I guess it is because my molding on the bottom of my cabinets is flush with the cabinet edges, so it doesn't intrude into the range space. The specs to your range should specify what the clearances need to be.

I'm making Diane's Cabbage Rolls tomorrow.... they are delish and YES they freeze well! Alexa ************************************************** Dianes GOLABKI (craftyrn) a 3 # head of cabbage ½ # ground beef ¼ # ground pork ¼ # ground veal 1 ½ C cooked long grain rice 1 small onion, chopped 1 egg, beaten salt & pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tsp ground horseradish 1 C condensed tomato soup 2 T brown sugar 1 T vinegar 1 C beef broth Remove the core from the cabbage, place cored end down in large pot with an inch or two of water & steam for 15-20 min. (Mom used to freeze the whole head the night before she made these--then cabbage leaves are just as pliable as steamed). Remove the head of cabbage and CAREFULLY peel down leaves by placing the cored end up and doing one leaf at a time. Mix ground meats, egg, onion, rice, salt, pepper, garlic and horseradish. Scoop out about 1/2 C of mixture and GENTLY pat into an oval. Place the oval on thickest part of cabbage leaf and roll once. Then tuck edges over the rolled part & continue to roll. Place all rolls into heavy pan that is lined with a few cabbage leaves, layering rolls as needed. Mix undiluted soup, beef broth, brown sugar & vinegar and pour over rolls. Cover and bake in 350° oven for 2 -2 1/2 hrs. (I've often used left over spaghetti sauce diluted with a little beef broth. Also can be made in casserole form. Just layer steamed cabbage leaves with a layer of meat and rice mixture, another layer of cabbage leaves. Pour sauce over all and bake.)

I disagree with Emily_mb. In my home growing up in the '60's, we had stainless wall ovens and cooktop. Stainless has been classic for the kitchen for decades, and isn't going anywhere. She didn't specify what "first signs" she is referring to, but you can open any Architectural Digest, which typically shows $100K kitchens, and find stainless appliances. You will also see panelled appliances there, but panelling appliances is more costly. You have not mentioned a budget, which it would be helpful to this thread if you did. Anyway, things that go "out" quickly, usually have also come "in" quickly, such as avocado green appliances, which burst on the scene in the '70's, and then were gone just as quickly. Having said that, I myself have white cabinets and a mix of stainless and white appliances in my kitchen. The combination is a little more "homey" than all stainless would be. I also have my dishwasher panelled, because that appliance is the most prone to water drips down the front.

Hello.. ok, I know I'm a long way away here, and expect others more local to you will be along shortly to advise, but just thought you might like to see a couple photos of my clematis... I have 'Etoile Violette' growing with 'Minuet'... I don't have Jackmanii... to be honest, I think the flowers on that one are too similar in colour to 'Etoile Violette' to grow next to each other... I prefer a contrast... ..also, over here, and I would expect this would be the same for you, my 'EV' has a spread of about 10-12 foot width, maybe more when established after a couple seasons and fully grown, as does 'Minuet'... I have my plants spaced 6 foot apart with other plants in between... I wouldn't want them any closer as they are trained along my fence and merge and mingle with each other that way... ...when newly planted in the fall, I didn't bother putting up wire support until the Spring of the following season because these Clematis are usually cut right down before winter... to regrow afresh next Spring... ..I have wires going along my fence for them to cling to... I hope this assists you in some way...