The vent hole is where the current vent recirculates the air back into the room? Then it's not an exterior vent. It's just an interior loop that does you no good. And yes, the condo board most surely DOES have say as to how you punch holes in your exterior. Start by asking your neighbors what they have done for ventilation. And then get an HVAC expert in to examine the situation before you get too far into the design phase. Once you get their recommendation, you can approach the condo board about alterations to the unit's exterior. Good luck! Most boards aren't that willing to work with you on something like this.

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

we doing ours against a wall, but were in the same spot, never had to really deal with this issue before! Kinda scary because those things are expensive and did not want to get it wrong. After much debate we decided to put ours at max recommended height (I think around 36")...we have low ceilings (old house) If we put it much lower, DH would bump his head on the darn thing..he's 6"4"! If you stay within the recommended height you should be fine. Over an island I would want to keep it from disrupting view as much as possible. So I would put it up as far up as I could safely. For us, the chance of having all burners going at full speed ahead is slim to none. MAke it functional and safe! Good luck!

You don't want ductless. The decorative down part is usually adjustable