This is encouraging. Thank you! Gaudalupe: Which model Kobe do you have? Is it one with the oil cups (Ch-179)? Those freaked me out (are they plastic?) and I went toward the 176 because it has baffles. But the models with the cups have more a bit more CFM. So with some encouragement that may be for me. Eandhl: Good to hear about the lights. I'll post pics when I have some. Old houses are full of challenges and opportunities. Not a right angle in the place.

Francy - I am linking below to a Gardenweb FAQ on vent hoods, which should help you. Regarding the width of the hood, a 42" hood would be ideal for your 36" range, because it is most ideal to have 3" on each side of the range for capture area, to capture all the smoke/grease. I did not have the space for those extra inches, so I have a 30" wide hood over a 30" wide range, and it's OK, but I do wish I had the space for a 36" wide hood. Please make sure you check your duct diameter. Ventahood has specific requirements for duct diameter depending on the cfm's you get. If your duct is smaller than what's specified, you will get more noise, as you are constraining the air flow out of the blower. I chose the VAH Excalibur, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! However, the Excalibur was a special order, and took about 10 weeks to arrive, but I was not in a hurry, so it was OK. Unlike you, I was not going for a vintage look; I just loved that curved design. I chose it in a stainless steel finish, with the bands in stainless steel also, which was an upcharge (the bands come standard in black). Also, I chose rivets on the bands, another upcharge, but so worth it IMHO. The rivets are small, but they are the cherry on the sundae! From a functional point of view, I have found the VAH Excalibur to be efficient, quiet (but I have only a 6' run which helps keep it quiet), and a cinch to clean (don't believe any threads you might see that the VAH is trouble to take apart and clean--if you can open the latches on a briefcase, you can open the VAH's latches and take it apart to clean.) Here is a link that might be useful: Gardenweb's Vent Hood FAQ

I leave the duct behind the drywall, rotozip around it after the drywall is nailed in place, leave about 4" of length beyond the drywall, use a 7" duct for most common hoods. Seal with fire caulk between metal duct/drywall. Do not use anything but smooth wall galvanized duct, no flex, no aluminum. Cut hole in top and bottom of hood cabinet before installing cabinet. Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Enthusiast

I registered specifically to reply to your post because I struggled for months on what to do! We undertook a major renovation last year (the one and only in our lives) that included a 48" Bluestar Platinum rangetop and a 54" Bluestar Incline hood (with promo pricing at the time). The gardenweb forums were a tremendous help! What I learned was: 1. That ventahoods are difficult to clean from a friend who has one installed in her home. ...a pain in her words. 2. While the Incline comes with an internal blower, I choose an Abbaka external hood blower. We wanted to limit noise since we removed a dining room wall to make a greatroom. What I read was the Abbaka is rated at 72 decibels. We have a single level ranch and standing on the ground in front to the vent which is 6 feet back from the roof edge, the noise level is reasonable and not distracting nor a nuisance in the patio. The abbaka comes with an ugly industrial looking rotary adjustable fan switch. We had it mounted on the cabinet wall to the left of the counter. It's hardly noticeable. We just don't use the Bluestar blower control. 3. We have a Fantec duct silencer installed inline. So, what we have experienced. First, on high, the hood is still noisy, but significantly more bearable than filter style hoods we've had in the past! I start the hood on high and only keep this speed when stir frying, etc. once the hood draft flows, we turn down the blower according to what we're cooking. Our ventahood owner friend doesn't think our noise level was more than hers. Second, the Bluestar hood baffles are easy to clean! They're big, but fit in the dishwasher. I ran a dedicated load last night just for our 4 baffles. Our 54" hood had 2 stainless rails along the edge to catch oil dripping onto the rangetop, they went in the washer, too. A couple of paper towels to wipe the inside of baffle sill was all I did. The interior of the hood hasn't been greasy and we have only minor oil splatters on the rangetop's front sill. The backsplash barely needs wiping except when I splatter sauces and stuff. Third, ventilation effectiveness. I am a home coffee roaster. I use a Hottop drum roaster and roast 235 grams ( a little over 8 ounces) of green beans. Coffee roasting results in huge amounts of unpleasant smoke. I've always roasted in the patio because our hoods were totally inadequate. Now I roast inside and don't notice any odors from the roasting. Being retired and therefor old, noise was a significant issue for me. Effectiveness and long term care was the other equal consideration. We would make the same decisions knowing what we know and have experienced! good luck on your undertaking and renovation!