To install a new more powerful gas range I am in the process of upgrading the stove area which includes the vent, wall covering, new gas connection and even the floor covering. I spent a lot of time looking at the hoods one manufacture at a time all online. Most of them hood manufactures recommend height above the range to be around 27ish to 30ish inches (my install will be under cabinet or wall 24 inch deep hood minimum). So this throws the hoodÂs bottom edge height to 63 to 66 inch which hit me chin to nose high. With a deeper hood extending past the stove top would be a problem for me. Then again a higher one would be loosing venting efficiency. I did not expect to pay so much for a hood. The extras to install these more powerful stoves start adding up. Reminds me of the old story I once heard as a child of Stone Soup that Captain Kangaroo told on TV. Paraphrased the story goes a hobo asks a woman to borrow a pot and water so he could make stone soup using the small stone in his pocket. The lady falls for it. Then he asks to use the range to boil it then one item at a time salt, pepper, and pretty soon he coned the woman out of ever item needed to make beef stew. That how this stove install going. I have not even selected a hood yet. I really trying to do it correct the first time I dont think I have a prayer of doing it .

We put our MW in the island because I didn't want it on my counter, and OTR was not an option for us. I love the idea of the drawer, but I was already over my budget, and for the amount we use our MW, I just couldn't justify the cost. I had my cabinet maker build a shelf to the specs of the 24" Sharp drawer, in case I decided to put one in later. He didn't understand that I was going to have a smaller unit on the shelf in the meantime, so the inside of that shelf area is not finished to the same color of the cabinets (this is on my list of things for him to change for me). Other than the different finish, I love everything about my MW shelf. I'm 5'11" and the bending hasn't bothered me a bit. If I used my MW several times a day, I might feel different about it, but we only use ours 4 or 5 times a week, usually to heat something out of the freezer. For us, this location is perfect.

you always need back draft damper. what provision for make up air are you installing with 1200 cfm hood? removing 1200 cfm ( you do know that that is equal to 3 tons of hvac???) will put this area under a negative pressure. as 1200 cfm is removed, the make up air will come from any area that is not sealed. recessed lights, leaks around windows..under sole plate. you running a soup kitchen? commercial kitchen? your vent hood is way way oversized. best of luck.

To Joe Henderson: "a 22" deep insert is normally installed in at LEAST a 24" deep cabinet box". Not exactly sure what that means, please advise if I'm confused, I appreciate your professional background and input. Unless you're putting a 2"-4" backing at the hood to push the 22" depth more to the front of the burners? Just my experience, I have a 30" Bluestar range (with 22k burners) up front. I had a Zephyr cyclone 600+ cfm hood under cabinet when I installed my BS. I thought I would be fine but after only a couple of weeks of cooking I realized that the 22" depth was not going to capture all of the plumes I was making on my new range. I went with a 27" deep, 18" height @1200 cfm, 3 speeds w/10" ducting hood from (Windcrest made in CA). I don't know your cooking style but I do a lot of high heat cooking and the difference in coverage is something to consider. At 27" deep all my burners are captured under the hood....I did remove the upper small cabinets to accommodate the height of the new hood. I consider the vent hood to be as important as the range, coverage is a key element to a vent hood working to its full potential.....