Jeri, thanks for the encouragement! If I was replacing an OTR w/ another, I would try to do it myself. I just have a regular old standard range hood now, and that's why I posted the original question. If it needs a dedicated circuit (thanks rnmomof2, that's what I was trying to say!), then that's why I guess my co-worker got such a high estimate (the extra electrical work). Buehl, no I have a regular coil electric stove. I'm still not ready to move into the smooth top era - LOL! Re the venting - I have that tiny cabinet over the stove, Open it up, and there's a vent pipe that elbows into the wall. I thought it vented to the roof, is that not right? Does it just vent into the wall? Anyway, I don't fry much at all, so I don't have problems w/ grease or anything. The vent is usually used for steam and smells. If I did go this route, I would save the range hood, so if I sold and the buyers wanted to put it back in, they could. The range hood is actually 9 years old, but it looks brand new (since I dont fry, lol!) Guess I'll just have to break done and call an electrician to find out for sure what has to be done to switch over. Thanks everybody!

I got a private label re-branded Zephyr Typhoon from Signature Hardware on clearance for $350 in black. I know it is the exact same as the typhoon because the interior schematic maps are identical. Their website has it spec'd as 600 cfm but I do not believe this; I believe this is the full blown 850 cfm typhoon. I love this hood and it was a great price, see how strong it is, that is a full size corningware french white quiche pan it is holding up (basically like a pyrex pie pan - and note that in this picture the second fan is wide open during this)!! But do beware this hood is a BEAR to install due to finicky mounting hole locations, and you would need at least two adults if you do it yourself and don't want to be frustrated. Also, on the "slanted" underside: this is engineered into the hood so the draft is more efficient at pulling the fumes/steam/heat that you want up into the fan. If the surface were only straight down, then some of the fumes/steam/heat would escape up the front surface outside the hood. That angle provides a small CROSS angle current so it is sucking up from directly below and also a small proportion from frontward, so more is captured. A hood is first a functional piece of equipment and secondarily a cosmetic consideration! Here is a link that might be useful: My hood, powder coated 16 gauge stainless This post was edited by beautybutdebtfree on Fri, Feb 28, 14 at 8:43

julieste --- Adding to what kaseki said, the hood & soffit idea will be fine. I say this having had to do something similar in my 110 y.o. house. I do a lot of cooking. The set-up looks acceptable and works well enough. Of course, my "good-enough" solution was not the best possible venting set-up I could have had. Some here would say (and do say) that the "merely good" is the enemy of "the best" and only the most optimal will do. Others of us will say that, If you have the the time, interest and budget for "the best possible," have at it. For me, the best possible venting solution would have required reconstructing the back end of my old house. "Good enough" was what I had the time, interest and money for. I'll offer a couple of ideas you could consider in designing your project. One is to consider transitioning the ducting (at the kitchen-den wall) to run across the den ceiling in 3"x10" rectangular ducting. That could make for a shallower, less obtrusive-looking soffit. A second idea to consider might be recessing some shallow LED "can" lights in the soffit as that end of your den looks rather dim in the photo above (although that might be an artifact of the photo.) Maybe hang a couple more paintings at that end of the room. That could make a functional necessity look like an aesthetic design choice. Of course, some find recessed lighting and soffits to be aesthetically abhorrent. YMMV. An alternative to the soffit-and-vent design might be one of the Vent--a-Hood ARS units. (ARS stands for "air recovery system.") These seem to be one recirculating hood system that actually works reasonably well. These are expensive but might be less expensive that the cost of the soffited vent system you are considering. If interested, check out the thread "Vent-A-Hood Ductless ARS RANGE hood Update" which started here a decade ago and was still getting posts a month or so ago.

Ok, so apparently big bust for getting any real or helpful insight or suggestions on here, so I’ll start off by saying thanks for that! Next, yes, my company does renovation of kitchens and bathrooms, thanks for noticing, good catch there, I don’t know how I would have done this without you! We also specialize in custom tile design and installation, although i’m not sure what any of that has to do with the soundability of a pre-existing structure of my personal house or how that thought process, pointing out the obvious or sarcastic and ugly comments are helpful in any way?? Obviously I’ve already had a professional out here, otherwise I wouldn’t be asking for any other HELPFUL suggestions, tips, design inspiration for maybe a similar situation or layout. Here’s a tip for all reading, if you read a question and don’t have a legit idea, answer, or anything that may be helpful or of use, you don’t have to answer! you can just keep trolling, I mean scrolling! smh thanks again, you’ve been great! So helpful