Thank you sweeby for the reply.

Hmm, I am not sure if that dropped ceiling duct thing is what you mean by HVAC? I have very limited knowledge of that sort of thing, but can hear the air going through it when the furnace is going. It is in front of the island, you would face it if you were standing cooking at the range.

If the hood needs to vent to the outside, it would have to I guess go through the kitchen ceiling to above the window above the sink, away from that duct. It would basically go in a straight line over your head if you are standing at the range, to get outside. Make sense?

The bedroom is above the kichen...is there enough room in the space between bedroom floor and kitchen ceiling to do this??

Thanks again, this is so helpful.

For good ventilation you need fairly substantial sized ducts. You might consider getting nice steel or copper ductwork and leaving it exposed. I don't think you'll be able to run it through the floor joists, but there is a chance that it might be possible. Only problem is that you'll have to rip the ceiling down to find out.

Also think about downdrafts. They are not as efficient as the updraft hoods, but they are still substantially better than no venting. ALso, they drop down out of sight when not in use. Electrolux makes very nice one.

hmm, this is more complicated than I thought...

I wonder if the ducts would fit in the already dropped ceiling with the heating ducts? That way, it could go up from the island, into that dropped ceiling and straight out that to the back wall.

Presumably they have to cut a hole in the outside of the house in any scenario? I wonder what this will cost!!

The exposed ductwork is interesting...it would be strange looking in a way though because it would run perpendicular to the direction of the counters, making it kind of out of the flow of the room so to speak.

Thanks again for the advice. I want to well informed when discussing everything with the contractor.

I think I have a similar set up so I'm including a picture. I would note that island hoods generally cost significantly more than wall ones (the difference would probably pay for moving your plumbing), but I went ahead anyways because I like my layout. It's generally recommended your hood be about 26 - 30 " above the range. I went with 31" to make sure I would not bump my head, but I had some extra cfms and an extra wide hood. I also got one that does not have sharp corners. I would recommend doing a mock-up to see what height is comfortable. I can't advise you about the venting; there isn't a room above my kitchen so we just vented through the attic. Remember that if you go above 600 CFM you'll want to look into "make-up air". I feel "self conscious" about my non-matching fridge, but after splurging on granite counters a new SS one just wasn't in the budget. Best wishes.

I really want to keep the range in the island because I think it's better for entertaining, I am at the range usually, not at the sink when I have guests.

I do realise that the hood will cost more than the conventional wall hood, I am ok with that.

Thanks for the picture, the hood looks fabulous!!!

"I don't think you'll be able to run it through the floor joists, but there is a chance that it might be possible."

Actually it IS possible -- that's how my exhaust runs. You'll need to find out which direction your floor joists run since the duct will need to run between the joists rather than cutting across them. I'm not sure how to do this in your house, but in mine, we were able to look through some open areas in the floor above. Of course, most people don't have those... If you've already got a GC, he may be able to tell from some other construction details.