Aliris, I know exactly what you mean because I have witnessed subpar/unused venting before. The yuck doesn't just vanish but goes to the closest surface it can cling to. That said, grease will go to the overhead vent if available (and turned on) and/or it will cling to the inside of the underside of the vent that will have to be cleaned manually along with the vent screen). Just because you have a vent, there isn't a free ride from not having to clean. I realize that most of the vent screens pop out and can be thrown in the DW. I question the area on the underside of the vent and how often that needs to be cleaned too. A good vent will help tremendously though with containment. Most everyone considers a backsplash behind a range necessary so the grease and splatters do go other places besides through the vent. As expensive (and gorgeous) as they can be, vents aren't a free ride for cleaning, just more containment. Something that continues to surprise me is when I say I'm considering downdraft, it's as if I say I'm not providing any ventilation. I've had downdraft before and though it may not be as good as an overhead, it does provide some help. I had a downdraft in our previous home and no one said anything about smells when we went to sell. The house was described as "turn key ready". I'm figuring having to clean the window behind the range more often then the other windows. Since I don't do much besides brown, I'm not anticipating a grease or steam particle large enough to attach itself 6' off the ground (9' ceilings). Perhaps we have a physics person who can determine the weight of a grease particle vs the velocity it's coming out of. I'm not trying to be a PITA but it does really come down to the remote possibility of it being able to travel that far. Now all that said today, I was mocking up how it might feel to work with 12' of windows in front of me and frankly it felt uncomfortable. I felt like I was on display. I asked my DH and a friend and both of them were fine with it. I don't know if it's something I'd have to get used to or it would always feel uncomfortable. The strangest part is we have 12' of window in the great room (where I did one test) and I've never felt it till today. Bottom line as you can read, I haven't decided on all windows or 2 windows and a vent.

My hood is being plastered right now -- gc built a wood frame for insert, then cement board, then plaster. I don't know if that's the way everyone does it, but works for us.

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!

Have you considered moving the refrigerator closer to the beam and putting in a drywall pantry b/w the door on the left and the refrigerator? It would significantly add to your available storage and help make your refrigerator look more "built-in" (and higher end). [Drywall pantry -- ~27"D reach-in pantry that has drywall walls and floor-to-ceiling 12"D shelves. Not pantry cabinets as they're less efficient and provide quite a bit less storage.]