Island cooking is the most expensive and least effective choice for good ventilation, so there are things that need attention in order to manage that issue. The hood needs to be larger, deeper, and with more CFM as a start. What size is the vent pipe? Most good hoods with adequste CFM for island venting will require a larger duct than the existing one, plus a specialized location for the needed electrical, so it’s concealed by the shroud. There’s always drywall repair. But if your duct is too small, that means cutting and repairing the whole route through to the roof and cap, in addition to the electrical relocation, blocking, and drywall repair.

Our only option is an island range. Our stove is on a peninsula and we just recently purchased the home, so we're not about to drop tens of thousands on a kitchen remodel.

Not sure on the specific diameter of the ducting, but the fan that's in there has requires a duct diameter of 6 inches and the roof cap looks like it's accommodating a bigger duct/the duct looks relatively large from what I can see in the attic.

Verify the duct size. 6” is limited to 600 CFM, and that’s if it’s a straight short route. Island cooking needs more air flow, because there are more air currents from all sides that interfere with the rising plume being captured properly. And also explore the location and infrastructure needed for the required Make Up Air system. Most people choose to install that into a utility area. The specifics for that depend on your location and winter temperatures. Get a local HVAC consult for that. Good luck!

Thank you. Would you recommend HVAC companies for installing an island hood and any of the additional items? Or would a general contractor be a better option?

I’d talk with the HVAC person first, as a paid consult, and see what they say. Different companies have different comfort levels with doing the small electrical and roofing portions of the job. It’s a small job penalty cost thing if using a GC. It swallows up as much time and effort as a bigger job. See what the HVAC people say, and read the specs of the hood. There’s no reason you couldn’t hire the electrician and roofer to do their portions, if the HVAC person won’t do that. That’s best decided for yourself after you talk with them. They may just deal with everything, no problem.

Getting a hood replaced (and vented to outside) was one of the biggest pain-in-the-asses and we've done a ton of remodels. Not being part of a larger job made most trades disinterested. I think we finally found a jack-of-all-trades kind of person to do it but the whole thing took longer and was more painful than you'd expect. And you're going to have to figure out the specifics of what you need on your own. Good luck!

Hoods are a PIA, because there’s so many different trades needed, so you really need a GC to even get enough pull to get on their schedules. But the job itself is relatively small for the costs of coordinating the sequencing, and playing problem solver when there is something unexpected. It’s an unexpectedly high cost job for most people.

Given determination of the performance requirements, and selection among hood candidates for cost and aesthetics, then it should be possible to find and download the installation guides for the selected hood and any chimney parts needed. Large hoods will require some help holding it up for fastening. My very large hood required a sheet rock lift to do the hard work holding the hood up while attaching bolts from inside.

You will need access to your attic and roof, and if there is room, an in-line silencer will help minimize noise if you use a roof blower. For ideas on hoods and supporting parts, see the Wolf Design Guide (wolfdesignguide.pdf). For silencers, duct clamps and other related devices, see Fantech's web site.

I support the jack-of-all-trades suggestion.

Regarding the 15"x15" hole, it will not be a problem if the new hood covers it, and as been said, you can check specs on this online. Even so, if it does not, drywall repair will be an minor cost. More important will be the location of the ceiling joists. In my case, I bought a larger hood (wider at top) for the 8' ceiling so that I could jimmy the vent pipe around a bit to avoid having to cut ceiling joists, which would have been a huge PIA, and I echo all the other comments regarding the install. I have used Vent-A-Hood in 3 out of 4 hood installs, they are terrific if your budget allows.

Also, once you have it figured out, it can be fairly "easy". I am 70 yo F DIY and have done four of these myself over last 15 years with DH doing elec and helper to lift and screw in, also helper to crawl in attic and get on roof as needed.