My understanding is that HRVs are intended to provide a modest change in interior air while capturing back some of the heat that would otherwise be lost through air exchange. Typically, they are not scaled for 600 - 1600 cfm flow rates, but I don't know what yours is designed to do. If your house were perfectly sealed, the flow up the kitchen vent would equal the flow in through the HRV. This might be only 200 cfm even though your kitchen vent blower was rated for 1200 cfm. In other words, the HRV may be too restrictive for the flow rate you want. This leads to requiring a larger duct that opens only when there is significant vent flow. (This part is easy.) But still, the house pressure may drop too low. Problem 1: For safety with any combustion appliances in the house that are not separately supplied with air, or fireplaces that are almost always connected to the kitchen pressure, the house pressure cannot be allowed to become more than slightly negative. This may force the MUA system to be an active system with a blower. Problem 2: When you need to heat and/or filter the MUA, then there is yet more restriction and it may again be necessary to provide a blower in the MUA duct. Problem 3: Controlling this blower so that it works correctly for any cooktop vent flow rate, bathroom fan flow rate, window condition, fireplace operation, etc. leads to a complex design. The least complex design I can imagine for a high flow rate kitchen hood has these characteristics. a) All combustion appliances have their own MUA (and no chimneys leak). b) No fireplaces are used when the kitchen vent is on. c) A large duct (at least equal to the one above the vent hood) with damper is used to bring in MUA, and the damper is controlled by a hood duct flow switch d) If heating is needed, an electrical resistance grid that causes minimal pressure loss is used in the MUA duct, controlled by a thermostat. (The power requirement may be significant, at least for the period of high ventilation cooking.) e) If it is hot in the summer you have to lump it. All other approaches of which I am aware will have additional complexities and costs. MUA induced into the hood will not work well and doesn't in most commercial settings. Use of water-to-air heat exchangers, or refrigeration-to-air heat exchangers (heating or cooling) in the MUA duct will cause enough restriction that the house pressure will become too low or little MUA will flow, mandating an in-line blower and its control system. Fin type heat exchangers will also require quality air filtering for further pressure loss and bigger compensating blower. kas

acallon@mac.com, well, my biggest concern about inset cabinets is the scratch & dent factor on the frame of the cabinets. While my kids are pretty careful, they are great about wanting to help, especially putting away the dishes, etc. I cannot tell you how many times a fork has punctured the framed portion of our silverware drawer :) So I was thinking, if we choose the full overlay style and when the dents & scratches occur on the framed portion of the cabinets, all of the nicks, cuts and bruises will get hidden by just shutting the doors and drawers. What are your thoughts about the 2 styles?

Inset are most often more expensive (mine were a 19% upcharge I think) and there are pro's and cons. I find the look to be prettier, and like the style, but you lose a bit of cabinet space I'm told (not enough to worry about in my opinion). But, you don't have to have visable hinge to have inset. I don't have a hinge which was very important to me because my knobs are a big impact item and I didn't want to have to try to match a hinge to their finish. Really it's all about the look you like with insets or full overlay or traditional. It sounds like you prefer the full overlay, so go with your favorite :) But don't let the hinge thing be the deciding factor.

“That mix of grease and dust was the worst cleaning job I've ever had. I would never design a gap between cabinets and ceiling, unless I felt positive I would always have the money to pay a cleaning service.” @mcarroll16 - it sounds like there was no proper hood exhaust in your parents’ kitchen. I have 9’ ceilings, and on one wall the cabinets meet the ceiling, and on another wall I have 42” upper cabinets, 3” crown and a gap to the ceiling. I place wax paper up there (it’s the perfect width) to collect any dust or grease that might float up there, and twice a year, when I change smoke alarm batteries, I pick up the wax paper and put down new. Many times I just leave the wax paper there because it is so clean it does not need to be changed. I have a good hood exhaust. With a good hood exhaust, you would not have had such a cleaning chore in your parents’ home. It is quite expensive to take cabinets to meet a 9’ or 10” ceiling. Many people would rather invest in a good hood and correct ductwork for it. Indoor air quality is more important than ever these days.