What does Raging Cider have to do with this project? We would have never met this amazing metal shop owner if he didn’t have a passion for cider. I saw this copper bar top, and knew something special was going on. When I saw the stainless sink in the bathroom, it confirmed there was more to this story than beverages. Turns out our friend Dave Carr is also the owner of Crown Steel Manufacturing, a specialty sheet metal fabricator.
His entire tasting room is filled with epic examples of craftsmanship. Conversation lit up, and we knew Dave was going to be the one who built our hood for our kitchen.
We like to cook, and needed a range vent that could actually perform it’s job. Our free standing installation meant that a high CFM blower would be needed, especially if we didn’t want the hood at eye level. Which we didn’t. Lots of image searches, lots of combing through the MLS looking at expensive homes for inspiration. We had purchased black stainless steel appliances, and wanted something both complimentary and contrasting. Turns out stainless steel and hot rolled steel would give us exactly what we were after! Take a trip to Raging Cider to see some great examples 🙂
So I reached out to Crown Steel, and shot over our sketch with the question of “what ballpark do you think this will cost?” It was a deal, but another blow to the overall budget. We couldn’t stop now, and it is a custom center piece of our kitchen today.
We were installing a 36″ range top, and needed as much airflow as we could reasonably afford. We had an Imperial hood in our old home, and we decided to purchase an Imperial insert with 1500 CFM flow. It was tough to tell how this would work in our application, but we embarked on this path nonetheless.
Crown Steel’s first rendition based on our sketch and insert dimensions. Some back and forth resulted in a few more options.
Carol wanted some texture, and Crown Steel delivered! We added what would look like old school punch rivets to the perimeter.
I received an excited call from Dave, letting me know I needed to come by the shop to give final approval on the build. It is absolutely beautiful! Now to get it home to store safely.
Moving blankets, tie downs, and slow driving got this home in one piece.
We were getting close to installation, and I started the prep work by installing the 8″ ducts, locating and drilling the mounting hardware, and wiring the insert.
With our curved tile roof, we needed to get some a vents that can flow volume, and rise above the tiles. I would prefer metal, but couldn’t source any locally outside of custom fabrication.
Matching roof vents ready to install.
Lots of double checking measurements both below and in the attic. Through another stroke of luck, everything would be placed perfectly to accommodate the hood and venting.
How does one install this by themselves? I enlisted Carol to help me heave the hood on top of our folding table, then I began leverageing the cribbing technique I’d learned in CERT and Search and Rescue. Slow and steady wins the race!
Once I was able to align the support rods with the mounting studs, I was able to use a ratchet strap to hoist the hood upward enough to get washers and nuts on the all thread. This was slow and tedious work, that needed a number of attic runs to check progress.
Washers and nuts installed! Time to remove the strap and protective coverings.
Home run! Hood is seated and wired. I also installed a Z-Wave relay in parallel with the light switch, so I can have the lights on a scene with the kitchen.
This turned out exactly as we hoped, it is a work of art. The sheet metal work is gorgeous.
Vents installed through roof and tiles cut to finish. We have the airflow needed to be able to sear steaks or cook bacon indoors.
Thanks Dave!