Do you know how noisy most of those range hoods are? UGH! Like running a shop vac on high in your kitchen-no matter what the price point! I did a huge redo on my summer home and elected to put in a GE Profile microwave above the same brand gas stove, but I did vent it to the outside through the brick. That was a hassle and added expense-but well worth it as the homes age is 50+, and previous owners had never installed any kind of vent. I say go with what appeals to you! For me-I dislike counter clutter, and would have hated a microwave on the counter, and forget that bending over into the island to see if my tea is boiling!

Sharp makes a microwave that installs into your lower cabinets, leaving you room for a nice hood ( look into Best hood fans) which would give a more updated look to your kitchen.

First, molliethecollie, a recirculating vent is not code compliant...

As for microwave locations that keep it off the counter...and not below...a microwave mounted in a vented kit above a wall oven is readily available from a host of manufacturers. We install this combination on many of our jobs. The cabinet is customized to the size of the units...ergo, more expensive...and is not responding directly to our question.

Regarding placement of the microwave ginale - look around your kitchen. Is there a lower part of an upper cabinet you can devote to a small microwave? Or even a shelf in a pantry - even in another room - where you could place it?

Regarding the OTR microwave, I won't shed a tear when ours is gone. First, based on our old cabinetry, it's installed lower than code. If I were to install one at the right height, it will be too high to use comfortably. It might as well not even have a vent fan because it's next to useless.

If you should decide to shop for a range hood, shop where they have them installed and operational. You'll be able to hear the noise level and determine the one that works for you. I hate loud appliances and most of the good ones don't bother me in the least. Do a search for sone levels for range hoods. There are a couple good articles out there that tell you the levels that seem to work best for most households.

Hi David from Ironwood Builders, I'm a kitchen designer in Minnesota. Recirculating ventilation is code compliant here dependant upon the output of the range. High output gas ranges require greater ventilation and the specific amount of air movement is calculated by the output of the range as well as other factors (determining airtightness for prevention of backdraft). Also, most over the range microwaves can be either true vented or recirculating. If they couldn't pass inspection there wouldn't be so many made, sold or installed throughout the US. I know you're in California, so I'm sure you are dealing with much tighter restrictions.