If you look at the Modern-Aire site, they have several shapes where the front tapers at the top to the depth of an upper cabinet, and the sides are straight so as to butt up to, and cover, the yellow cabinet sides you mentioned. Their typical sizes are 18" and 30" high, but you could get a 24" custom one if your budget allows. Or you could get an 18" and have a box made for above it to cover that area and to which you could attach replacement moulding. The box could be made of either wood matching your moulding or sheetrock. Vent-a-hood has a stainless direct replacement if you decide to stick with the same size you now have. I'm attaching the link to the Modern-Aire page that shows their shapes. PS-10, PS-11, and PS-26 all have the characteristics I was talking about above. Here is a link that might be useful: Modern-Aire Hoods

Having gone from a recirculating to a vented hood, I would save money wherever I could in order to have the venting. It's that worth it to me. Is venting possible for you? You said that because it's a townhouse with a neighbor behind the range wall, ducting wasn't possible; but you also said that the contractor quoted a price for installing a vent. Was that to go up through the ceiling instead of through the wall? To be completely honest -- and I did a fairly low-budget Ikea remodel so I don't like to spend money either -- $1600 is not a huge amount of money in the context of a kitchen reno. If it were I (and it was, a couple of years ago), I'd cut some of the other costs to get venting. Here are a few ideas: 1) Wait to replace one or more of the appliances. It's much easier to swap out a range or a fridge later than to install a vent later. 2) Change the built-in MW to a countertop one on a shelf. Built-ins are MUCH more expensive and much harder to swap out later on; sometimes the cabinetry around them has to be modified when it's time to replace them. 3) Get a less expensive countertop now and granite later on. (I suspect this might not be your favorite suggestion [grin] and I understand that, since countertops are such a big part of the look of a kitchen.) As far as hood styling and installation, it depends on the look of your kitchen (the redone version). Sometimes standalone vent hoods look a little odd in a small space, and a less obtrusive under-cabinet one could look better. But it just depends. I am happy with my under-cabinet hood; in my kitchen, a standalone one would have broken up the wall in a strange way and continuous wall cabinets look better; but that's not the case in all kitchens. (Mainly I was just wanting to not lose any cabinet space and not spend too much money.)

Hi @dinesh75 many people have the same questions as you. As a pro in the industry I think I could definitely help you! We actually sell Proline hoods so if you have any specific questions about our hoods we would be happy to help you. First may I ask what style of hood you are looking for? For example, will your hood be mounted under a cabinet? A stainless steel model? A range hood with a curved glass design? In this price range that you requested you will find Proline hoods with about 600-700 CFM. (This is the suction power or cubic feet per minute) If you feel that with your Indian cooking you may want the next level up, the cost isn't that much greater for Proline hoods with 900+ CFM. (Any hood with more than 900 CFM is considered to be apart of the Professional series.) This is a customer kitchen with the PLFW 544 wall mounted Range Hood. It is in your price range and has a maximum output of 600 CFM. It comes with honeycomb filters that are dishwasher safe. This is a customer kitchen with the PLFW 520 Wall Mounted Range Hood with 600 CFM. This is in your price range and it also comes with easily removable honey comb filters that are dishwasher safe. This is another customer kitchen with the Proline PLZW KB3 Wall Mounted Range Hood. It features 670 CFM, and easily removable dishwasher safe honeycomb filters. This is also in your price range. These are just some of our Proline hood options in your price range. Let me know if any of these look like what you are looking for or if you have any questions! We wish you all of the success in finding a new range hood.

Hello Houzz Community! I found this thread when Googling a similar topic. I'd like to replace my under cabinet hood with a wall mounted hood, and yes I know I have to remove the cabinet above the current hood which I'm fine with (see photo). My existing under cabinet hood vents out the wall to the side of my house - see photo, and note the vent is not blocked by those shrubs, there is space around it, you just can't tell from the angle of the photo :-) So my question is....can a wall mounted hood be installed to vent out the existing vent in the wall, or does a vent need to be created in the ceiling? Also, what type of professional can help answer any related questions I have about this? Would I ask the wall mounted vent manufacturer? Or a handyman? Thank you in advance for any guidance! I am a newbie homeowner and am learning as I go, so truly appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge with me!