When to Order You Custom Range Hood
Posted by Marc Hortch, Master Designer on Mar 17th 2026
Before the Hood: A Kitchen Designer's Timeline for When to Order Your Custom Range Hood
Marc, CopperHoods.com
Master Designer
Well, hello there, kitchen maestro! Marc here.
Over the years, I've had two types of conversations with folks ordering custom range hoods. The first goes something like: "Marc, we're in the design phase and want to plan everything perfectly." The second? "Marc, the cabinets are installed, the counters are templated, and I just realized I need to order a hood. Help."
Here's the thing: both scenarios are totally fine. I'm not here to make you feel bad about your timeline—I'm here to help you get it right, whether you're six months out or six days from drywall.
Let's talk about the ideal timeline, sure. But more importantly, let's make sure you've got the right measurements and considerations whether you're planning ahead or catching up.
The Ideal World: Planning Your Hood from the Start
If you're in the design phase—congrats, you're ahead of the game. Here's when custom hood conversations should happen in a typical kitchen renovation:
Month 1-2: Design & Planning Phase
This is hood-thinking time, even if you're not ready to order yet. While you're selecting cabinet styles and countertop materials, start considering:
What hood style complements your design vision?
Will you go wall-mount or island-mount?
What's your realistic budget for the centerpiece of your kitchen?
Why this matters: Hood decisions affect cabinetry layout, electrical placement, and ductwork planning. Your cabinet designer needs to know if you're planning a 48" copper Venetian or a 36" powder-coated Minneapolis before they finalize upper cabinet placement.
Month 2-3: Cabinet Design Finalization
This is when hood conversations should get serious. Before your cabinet drawings are final:
Determine your hood width and mounting type
Plan electrical outlet placement (usually behind the hood)
Coordinate ductwork routing with your HVAC contractor
Factor in hood height and projection into cabinet spacing
Pro tip from the trenches: Your cabinet maker needs to know hood dimensions to plan proper spacing and crown molding details. If your cabinets have crown molding, we can often match or complement it on your hood for a cohesive look. Guessing "around 42 inches" and hoping it works out? That's how you end up with a gap you can't hide or molding profiles that clash.
Month 3-4: Order Your Hood
With cabinets ordered and electrical/HVAC planned, this is the sweet spot for hood ordering. Why?
Our lead time is 7-9 weeks
Cabinets typically take 8-12 weeks
This timing gets your hood on-site
right when you need it
Cabinet delivery timing is your friend here. Order your hood when cabinets are ordered, and they'll arrive around the same time.
Month 4-6: Construction Phase
While your kitchen is being built, your hood is being built. Electrical is roughed in based on your hood specs. Ductwork is routed. Cabinet installation happens. And right when you need it—boom—your custom hood arrives, ready to become the culinary centerpiece it was born to be.
The Real World: "I Already Have Cabinets"
Now let's talk about scenarios I see all the time:
The New Homeowner
You just bought that suburban dream house. It's perfect... except you went to a Super Bowl party at your neighbor's place three streets over and realized you have the exact same kitchen. Same builder-grade cabinets. Same countertops. Same everything. You want your kitchen to be yours.
Enter: a custom copper range hood that makes your kitchen the one people remember.
The Mid-Renovation Catch-Up
The cabinets are installed (or about to be), and you're ready to order your hood. You're right on schedule—this is exactly when most people order.
The Replacement
Your existing hood died, or it's just sad and boring. You want an upgrade that transforms the whole space.
Here's what you need to nail down before ordering:
Cabinets Installed? Your Pre-Order Checklist
Now let's talk about scenarios I see all the time:
Measure your range/cooktop width Your hood should be at least as wide as your cooking surface—ideally 6" wider on each side for proper coverage. Cooking on a 36" range? A 42" is your sweet spot.
Measure the space between your cabinets (if wall-mount) This is your maximum hood width. Measure at the point where the hood will sit, not at the ceiling—cabinets sometimes angle slightly.
Measure ceiling height We need to know how much vertical space we're working with. Measure from floor to your ceiling. Let's make it chef appropriate!
Determine your ideal hood height above the cooktop CopperHoods recommends 30-36" above the cooktop surface as the standard. While you'll see varying recommendations from other sources, we've found this range gives you the best combination of function, sightlines, and visual proportion for most kitchens.
Here's where it gets important: Some of our hood styles add height beyond your measured height. Keep reading.
Check for obstacles
Cabinet depth on either side (affects hood projection)
Light fixtures or ceiling features
Windows or backsplash tile patterns you want to align with
Important: Your electrician needs to know your hood design and height before roughing in electrical. For TradeWind (our partner), I typically recommend positioning the junction box 8" up from the bottom of the hood and 12" to the right. This keeps it accessible but hidden behind the hood body. For other brands, give me or the appliance vendor a call.
If you don't have electrical roughed in yet, call your electrician now, not after the hood arrives.
Where does your duct exit? (top, back, or going ductless?)
What size is your duct? (our blowers accommodate 6", 7", 8", or 10")
READ THIS TWICE
Critical Measurement Considerations:
Our hoods have design elements that affect final dimensions:
If you're ordering a hood with an arched apron, the arch extends approximately 3" beyond the body of the hood.
Our arched apron styles: Dallas, Parisian, Las Vegas, Denver, Charleston, Valencia, Monterey, and Burbank.
Example: You measured 36" from cooktop to the bottom of where you want the hood to sit. You need to order a 39" hood height to account for the arch.
Why this matters: Order a 36" hood thinking it'll fit your 36" space, and the arch will sit 3" lower than you expected—potentially right in your line of sight or interfering with your backsplash design.
Decorative apron moldings extend beyond the hood body. Different styles add different amounts:
Example: Our Miami hood with apron molding measures 4" wider than the selected width. Order a 42" Miami hood, and the actual width including molding is 46".
Other styles with apron molding may add 2-3" to overall width. The exact measurement depends on the molding profile.
Why this matters: If you have exactly 48" between cabinets and order a 48" hood with 4" molding... well, you're about to have a very expensive hood that doesn't fit.
You can now choose your hood depth: 21" or 24" projection from the wall (including the chimney).
Most customers go with 24", which pairs perfectly with standard 12" deep upper cabinets—giving you a 12" overhang beyond the cabinet face.
But if you have deeper cabinets, a tight space, or specific design constraints, let me know. We'll make sure your hood fits your kitchen, not the other way around.
Questions? Just call me at 866-672-3401
The "Wait Too Long" Prevention Guide
You don't want to be in these situations:
Scenario 1
The Drywall Dilemma
Drywall crew shows up Monday. Hood electrical outlet isn't roughed in because you haven't ordered the hood yet and don't know where the outlet goes. Drywall gets hung. Hood arrives two months later. Now you're cutting into fresh drywall to add an outlet.
Prevention: Order your hood (or at least finalize hood specs with me) before drywall. Even if the hood won't arrive for 9 weeks, you'll know exactly where electrical and ductwork need to go.
Scenario 2
The Cabinet Gap
Cabinet installer left a 48" space for the hood. You fall in love with a hood style that has 4" of decorative molding. Standard width with molding? 52". The gap? 48".
Prevention: Measure your available space and account for molding before ordering.
But here's the thing: Everything we do is custom. If you've got 48" of space and your heart set on a style with side molding, call me. We can work together to create a version that fits—maybe without the side molding, maybe with a modified molding profile, maybe with an adjusted width. The goal is a hood that reflects the style you want and fits the space you have. That's what "custom" means.
Scenario 3
The Backsplash Blues
Your beautiful backsplash tile is installed. It's perfectly centered on the wall. You order your hood. Hood arrives and... it's off-center from the tile pattern by 3 inches because the hood width you needed doesn't align with your tile layout.
Prevention: If you're doing a custom tile backsplash, talk to me about hood dimensions before tile goes up. We can sometimes adjust hood width slightly to match your tile grid.
You can start the conversation and narrow down style/finish, but I need actual measurements before creating shop drawings. That said, if you're still a few weeks out from demo, let's talk anyway—I can help you plan what to measure and when.
No! Order your hood around the same time as cabinets. Our 7-9 week lead time means your hood will arrive well before 16-week cabinets, but you'll have time to store it or coordinate delivery. Worst case? Your hood arrives early and sits in your garage for a few weeks. Best case? Everything shows up when you need it.
Depends on timing. Before shop drawings are created? Usually yes. After shop drawings are approved and fabrication has started? Much harder. This is why I always say: measure twice, order once. Or better yet, call me with your measurements and I'll double-check your math.
The Bottom Line: Let's Get This Right
Whether you're planning six months ahead or ordering with cabinets already in place, the goal is the same: a custom hood that fits perfectly, looks stunning, and makes your neighbors say "Well, would you look at that!"
Ready to start the conversation? Let's cook up something brilliant together.
Marc Hortsch
Master Designer, CopperHoods.com
(866) 672-3401
The key isn't perfect timing—it's accurate information. Give me the right measurements, tell me about your space constraints, and ask questions when you're not sure. That's what I'm here for.