Over the Range Microwave Hood or real Range Hood and separate Countertop Microwave

Renovating a kitchen in a rental that I own and was wondering, what do people prefer, an over the range microwave/hood combination or a nice pro-style range hood with separate countertop microwave?

ilikeslices

in Roofers 10 years and 7 months ago

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zhideng | 10 years and 7 months ago

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I put in microwave/hood in my rental unit and it definitely vents outside. You can configure most to vent up and out or back and out. There is obviously the option to recirculate and pass the exhaust through a carbon filter but it doesn’t really do much in terms of smell and smoke. For me it was lack of counter space and also budget. If I was targeting a high end rental and had the space I would definitely get a dedicated hood. They also work much better in terms of performance. My microwave hood is rated at 400cfm and on the high speed it does not have as much suction power as my stand alone hood upstairs at low speed(680cfm max power).

slopefarm | 10 years and 7 months ago

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So many rental kitchens are small and have too little counter space. A kitchen people can see themselves cooking in without feeling cramped is definitely a good feature. I wouldn’t do the range hood unless there was enough counter space for decent work areas for two people even with a mw on the counter. The range hood also takes away a small upper cabinet. So think about whether there is enough kitchen storage. Rentals are often short on storage.

rh | 10 years and 7 months ago

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Never thought of my rentals as high end, but I put hood/micros in all of them. If anything, I did it because the kitchens are small and I was trying to save counter space for the tenants.

daveinbedstuy | 10 years and 7 months ago

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And I said “most microwave exhausts” dork.

Arkady | 10 years and 7 months ago

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Most people already have a microwave if they want one. I agree that the hood, if it exhausts, is much better.

dorkofwindsor | 10 years and 7 months ago

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dave is wrong. I have an over the range microwave which i just converted to exhaust outside. Essentially the fan inside just rotates to either recirculate or exhaust. (a kitchenaid) Back to topic, i think a dedicated hood looks more “professional” and gives you more room to stand straight and prepare a good meal, whereas the microwave extends further down into the cooking space as it can only be so high that the average person can manage hot food handling. A fancy looking hood is definitely more of a “wow” factor in renting. And microwaves are cheap for renters to buy. Having said that, if counter space is limited i would just do the combo microwave. I think mine is plenty strong @ 600 cfm with two lights in case there are any worries about making sure your tenant vents (it goes on automatically if temp hits a certain level).

ilikeslices | 10 years and 7 months ago

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Thanks Dibs, yes, it’s going to be high-end and I do have the option to vent the hood outside.

daveinbedstuy | 10 years and 7 months ago

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I’m assuming this is a very high end rental, otherwise I wouldn’t do either. Most microwave exhausts only “filter” the exhaust and have no ability to vent it outside if that is what you are going for. A real exhaust fan/vent hood requiring ducting to the outside gets to be more expensive but is a much higher end look, and actually useful. If it’s a very high end kitchen I would hide the MW in a base cabinet.