"Curly Sue" > wrote in message
...
> MY RANGE HOOD IS FINALLY INSTALLED! This has been such an odessey, I
> am ecstatic.
>
> I bought the darn thing last July. I carefully researched hoods for a
> month. When I picked out the one I wanted (Broan Allure III), there
> were a number of distributors, but no one to install it. I called all
> sorts of appliance and home renovation places. No one wanted to
> bother with a range hood installation.
>
> Undaunted, I decided to buy it anyway and worry about installation
> later. I had to drive out to a Lowe's on Long Island to place a
> special order, then back again when it came in. I wanted it vented,
> and that was the big hassle. I was having some masonry work done
> (supposedly in August but not started until January) and arranged for
> the masons to make the hole in the brick wall when they did the other
> work (which they finished last week). While waiting for them to be
> ready, I couldn't find a nice wall cap locally (the ones in hardware
> stores were tinny), so I had to special order an enameled steel one.
> Next, inside... how to trim the existing backboard, which is made of
> some invincible laminate material. This is where strong friends with
> saber saws and determination come in handy :> Break through the
> plaster and there is a stud impinging on where the duct should go!
> Argh... more angst, but cutting the stud was out of the question.
> Off-center ducting was the way to go after considering other
> possibilities. I had to keep taking the hood out for reference and
> measuring, that I just left it out in my living room for the past
> month.
>
> Two weeks ago a friend with electrical skills spent 4 hr fishing
> through the wall and setting up the electrical connections. In the
> meantime, I had to find where to get a custom duct made (answer: a
> central air conditioning shop, but it wasn't cheap). I had to do the
> measuring etc. for the masons to break the wall in the right place
> (yikes!) and having the duct and wall cap was a big help.
>
> They finally did their thing last Friday. Somewhere along the way I
> got a reference to a contractor who would install it. I took today
> off from work because he worked on it this morning. We got around the
> stud. The wall cap, duct, and hood damper lined up (whew!) and were
> "encouraged" to nest properly. He also came with a stainless steel
> wall shield to cover up the mangy wall behind the stove (including
> the irreparable hole where the old fan was).
>
> It's going to be so nice to finally have my vented range hood (with
> lights!) and to get that huge box out of my living room. And, I did
> learn a lot in the process.
>

I've THOUGHT a lot about putting a hood in my kitchen. I know that I almost
would as soon move to another house than tackle the situation. Thanks for
reminding me again that I don't have the stamina for it. Perhaps my husband
does, but he's never in the mood.
I know you are very relieved to have this done. Forget the new stove --
enjoy.
Dee