>>It's interesting that there's crown molding on the columns and a lot of detail on the wall, but no crown in the kitchen. Is there crown molding elsewhere in the house?Oh my, have you hit on a sore subject. Crown molding was only included in the formal areas and master bedroom. They also crowned no sloped ceilings. Adding crown to other areas was $250 per "room". $250 now, not so much. 20yrs ago when we're building a house and running out out money, it was. Crowning just that hallway and the adjoining family room cost $500 because it counted as 2 "rooms" even though it was only as much crown as a bedroom; the exterior wall is sloped so the family room is really only 1/2 crowned (one wall not crowned and open on one side). I didn't crown the kitchen because the only wall that would have received crown is that single wall (because again, the outside wall is sloped), and it would have cost me $250. Don't think so. I did the crown in my office myself (come on -- a box) along with the sloped ceilings in the formal living room. If *I* can do it, why in the heck couldn't a carpenter? New cabinets will go up to the ceiling in the kitchen. They put tile crown where I cared in the master bath when it was remodeled. What I should have done was made them crown the hallway to the bedrooms just to punish them. It has so many compound angles it would make any carpenter cry.

to trixieinthegarden - if I use an undercounter hood, don't I have to revent the whole thing? Or do all the under mounted models use recirculating vents? Right now, I have a nice arrangement that vents to the outside (I'm in a freestanding house, not an apartment) and I was hoping to keep this configuration (trying to save what remains of my budget!) Most are configured to vent through the top or through the back, sometimes offering both options. If you use a top-vented one you should be able to re-use your existing venting, depending on your vent size. Most take a 6 or 8 inch duct. The only thing that would be an issue for you is that undercabinet vent hoods usually have keyhole hangers for the back wall, so you would have to mount a strip just under your soffit at the back to mount the screws for the keyholes to hang. The vents are also attached through the bottom of the cabinet above so that takes much of the hanging weight.

Quick reply to Jenn Air delima. Same problem here. Need to replace our Jenn-Air stove temperature does not heat anymore. Our concern is also with the downdraft. My husband called Home depot and they have one that is a General Electric model, less than $1,000 with down draft. Should hook into our other one vent possibly. Also Sears. we're going to go check it out today

"You can vent wood or gas stoves through an existing chimney by installing insulated ductwork inside...Why wouldn't you do the same for the hood vent?" The temperature of combusion gases is high enough to allow them to move a pretty good distance in a correctly sized flue. The liners are used in older masonry chimneys in many cases to make sure the gases stay hot enough to avoid condensation before exiting the chimney. Condensation tends to be VERY acidic and will attack masonry (and galvanized liners). The flow in a vent hood is barely higher than the room temperature of the kitchen. Cooling or loss of air speed will result in grease collecting and then dripping back down.