We cook a lot, but we have never lived in a place with a functioning range hood. Yeah, sometimes we leave the house smelling like sautéed peppers, but it hasn't seemed like a huge deal so far.
The range hood vs. over-range microwave question was something that we put off until after we moved in. It soon became obvious that we needed the microwave off the counter. It made the kitchen feel cramped and made everyone feel grumpy, see?:
The other thing that made everyone feel grumpy was the unsightly hole above the range (this was taken before the countertops were in, but the hole remained for our first month or so in the house. Blech.
If you ever want to feel like everyone thinks you are dumb, decide to get an over-range microwave and then read online forums about which is better, a hood or an OTR microwave. Obviously, only a neanderthal would get an OTR microwave and a hood is absolutely essential if you ever cook at all. Happily, since we have gone almost a decade with no hood and there was no other option for getting the microwave off of the counter, we went for the OTR microwave.
The microwave does have a hood-function and since the ductwork already existed (mostly), Jonathan vented it through the upper cabinet, through the soffit, through the attic, and outside. I think it actually works pretty well. At least, better than anything we've had (not had) before!
While he was doing all of that (Labor Day, I think?) I installed all of the cabinet hardware. Life is so much easier now. Oh! And we bought a new stove/oven. We like it a lot.
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