Hood vent DIY on the cheap

The crazy thing about blogging, you can time travel.
How about we go back.....lets say 14 years.
Are you ready?

Bless my heart.
It was pretty cool ...then.
So how did we change the look of our kitchen without replacing our cabinets?
Lets get started!
Over the years, we painted and changed the microwave and fridge out.
We also replaced our florescent light boxes with LED lights

We were to the point where the over the stove microwave and white range had to go!

Pictures...pictures..pictures... I will let them do most of the talking.

We removed the upper trim and boxed in over our existing cabinet.

The microwave had a small vent less exhaust that was not that great.
This was the hard part for me.
I could envision the cabinet but had a hard time with the uncool, not cute stuff.
We searched around and found a hood vent from Lowe's.
You may have to special order it like we did.

Once the vent was in, the vent pipes went into place.

Here is a shot of the vent below.
It came with two built in lights as well.
To make a perfect fit, we had to also order a plate to go around it.
This also make so easy cleaning!

Above, you can see how we ran the pipe right up through the cabinet and into our attic.
Once the pipe hits the attic, it is then directed out through a tiny vent under our eves.

The cabinet can open and close and there is also a bit of storage that can be used.

I never imagined how much adding this small addition could change our entire look.

A few of you have asked how we are liking our new range.
So far I really do enjoy it.
The only part that I'm not crazy about is the smooth top surface.
Our last stove had a smooth top that was white and it was a dream to clean.
This one is a dark glass and every little thing that spills over ... cooks onto the top.
It's a booger getting things scrubbed off without scratching the surface.
Do any of you have a good cleaner suggestion?

Our next step will be adding new counter tops and back splash.
We are going along as we save but had a few step backs like almost cutting my finger off..lol
I do believe super glue would have been a lot cheaper than that hospital visit ...YIKES.
So we are just plugging along and enjoying the ride.
We are learning, it's not the destination that changes you, it's the journey along the way.
xoxo Susie