Appliances and extraction
Cooker hood installation
Cooker hood installation is fixing an extractor above the hob and connecting it so it clears steam, smoke, grease and smells. A ducted hood takes air outside through a duct and an external grille, while a recirculating hood filters the air and returns it to the room. The job covers secure fixings, a power supply, any core drilling through the wall and checking the extraction works.
When do you need cooker hood installation?
A hood that does not extract properly lets condensation settle on windows and walls, sends cooking smells through the house and coats the cupboards with grease. A new hood is usually needed when the old one has failed, when a new kitchen moves the hob, or when a recirculating hood was never doing enough. Some want an island or ceiling hood over a new hob, which needs solid fixings into the ceiling structure and careful planning of where the duct can run.
At the survey we look at where the hob sits, the nearest outside wall, what lies in the ceiling or wall between them and whether the room has an open-flued gas appliance. Short, straight runs of rigid ducting work far better than long flexible ones, so we plan the shortest practical route. The written quote lists core drilling, ducting, the external grille and any spillage test by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
What is included?
- Survey of the hob position, duct route, outside wall and any open-flued appliance
- Hood fixed at the height set by the hood and hob manufacturers
- Core drilling through the outside wall and an external grille fitted and sealed
- Short, straight runs of rigid ducting wherever the route allows
- Island and ceiling hoods fixed into the ceiling structure by two people
- Recirculating hoods fitted with carbon filters, and their limits explained
- Power supply connected by an electrician and tested to BS 7671
- Spillage test by a Gas Safe registered engineer where an open-flued appliance is present
How much does cooker hood installation cost?
These are national guide prices including VAT at 20%. Prices are higher in London and the South East and lower in much of the North, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Choose your area below for a local range.
| Typical project | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Like-for-like cooker hood swapSame position and ducting | £120–£240 |
| New ducted hood through an outside wallCore drilling, ducting run and external grille | £300–£900 |
| Island or ceiling hood installedTwo-person install, fixings to the ceiling structure | £300–£630 |
| Recirculating hood fittedNo ducting; carbon filters need replacing | £120–£300 |
Guide ranges cover fitting and connection with standard ducting through a straightforward wall; long or concealed duct runs, ceiling repairs, new electrical spurs, spillage tests and the hood itself are priced separately. Your price is confirmed after a free survey visit.
How long does it take?
Typical timescale: 3 to 7 hours for most hoods. The programme for your kitchen is set out in the quote, and depends on the size of the room, what is moving, lead times for units and worktops and, after plastering, drying time.
Do you need permission or building regulations approval?
The rules differ across the UK. Choose your nation:
In England, Approved Document F guidance for kitchen extract is about 30 litres per second from a cooker hood extracting outside, or 60 litres per second from a fan elsewhere in the room. A recirculating hood does not remove moisture, so another means of extract is usually needed. A new vent through the outside wall of a flat may need planning permission and the freeholder's consent, and an open-flued gas appliance in the room calls for a spillage test.
Wales has its own Approved Document F with the same broad rates: about 30 litres per second from a hood extracting outside, or 60 litres per second from a fan elsewhere. A recirculating hood does not remove moisture. Extending a kitchen circuit to power a hood is notifiable under Part P in Wales, and a new vent through the outside wall of a flat may need planning permission and the freeholder's consent.
In Scotland, standard 3.14 of the domestic Technical Handbook expects kitchens to have extract ventilation, and a recirculating hood alone does not remove moisture. Fitting an extractor fan or a ducted hood does not normally need a building warrant. In a flat, a new vent through a shared outside wall may need the other owners' agreement and planning permission, and a listed building may need listed building consent. Where the room has an open-flued gas appliance, a Gas Safe registered engineer should carry out a spillage test after the hood is fitted.
In Northern Ireland, Technical Booklet K covers ventilation, and a kitchen should have effective extract; a recirculating hood filters grease but does not remove moisture. A new vent through the outside wall of a flat may need planning permission and the freeholder's consent. Where the room has an open-flued gas appliance, a Gas Safe registered engineer should carry out a spillage test after the hood is fitted.
What should you think about before starting?
- Choose ducted extraction where you can; a recirculating hood filters grease and smells but leaves the moisture from cooking in the room.
- Keep the duct run short and straight with rigid ducting, because every bend and extra metre of flexible hose reduces how much air the hood moves.
- Check the minimum height above the hob in both the hood and hob instructions, and use the greater of the two figures.
- For an island or ceiling hood, find out what is above the ceiling, as joists or added timbers are needed to carry the weight securely.
- If the kitchen has an open-flued boiler or gas fire, a Gas Safe registered engineer should carry out a spillage test after the hood is fitted.
- In a flat or a listed building, check what consents are needed before any hole is cut through an outside wall.
How does the project run?
- Guide price. Use the online guide-price tool or call us for a realistic range for your area
- Free survey visit. We measure the room, check walls, floors and service positions, and look at the plan or delivery
- Itemised written quote. Broken down by stage and trade, with any worktop templating, engineer or approval costs listed
- Fitting in the right order. Strip-out, first fix, units, worktops, second fix and finishing, with the trades booked in sequence
- Final check and handover. A walk-round together, certificates for electrics and gas, and the manufacturers' documents
Questions about cooker hood installation
How much does it cost to fit a cooker hood?
A like-for-like hood swap using the same position and ducting is typically £120 to £240 including VAT. A new ducted hood through an outside wall, with core drilling, ducting and an external grille, is about £300 to £900. An island or ceiling hood is £300 to £630, and a recirculating hood £120 to £300. Prices are confirmed after a survey visit.
Should I choose a ducted or a recirculating cooker hood?
A ducted hood is usually more effective, because it takes steam, smoke and smells outside. A recirculating hood passes air through grease and carbon filters and returns it to the room, so it deals with grease and smells but not moisture, and another means of extract is usually needed. Recirculating suits kitchens with no practical duct route, and its carbon filters need replacing.
How high should a cooker hood be above the hob?
At least the minimum distance given by the manufacturers. Both the hood and the hob instructions set a minimum gap between them, and where they differ the greater figure should be used. Gas hobs usually need more clearance than induction. A hood fitted too low is a fire risk, while one fitted much higher than recommended captures less steam.
Does a cooker hood need a hole in the wall?
A ducted hood does. The usual route is a core-drilled hole through the nearest outside wall, with rigid ducting from the hood and an external grille sealed into the wall. Where the hob is far from an outside wall, the duct can sometimes run above the wall units or through a ceiling void. A recirculating hood needs no hole, but it removes no moisture.
Why might a cooker hood need a spillage test?
Because a hood pulling air out of a room can draw fumes back down the flue of an open-flued gas appliance, such as some older boilers or gas fires. Where the kitchen, or a room open to it, has one, a Gas Safe registered engineer should carry out a spillage test with the hood running at full speed. Room-sealed boilers are not affected in the same way.
Can a ducted cooker hood be fitted in a flat?
Often, but check consents first. A new vent through the outside wall of a flat may need planning permission and the freeholder's written consent, and some leases do not allow it at all. Where an outside vent is not possible, a recirculating hood can be fitted, with a separate extract fan or other ventilation dealing with moisture. Listed buildings may also need listed building consent.
Related guides
- Do you need building regulations approval for a new kitchen?
- Can you move a kitchen sink, hob or extractor, and what does it cost?
- Ducted or recirculating cooker hood: which do you need?
Related kitchen services
- Hob and oven installation
- Kitchen electrics
- Kitchen island installation
- Kitchen plastering and decorating
Where do we carry out cooker hood installation?
We take on cooker hood installation across England, Wales, mainland Scotland and Northern Ireland. Choose your area for local guide prices and the rules that apply there.
England
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- County Durham
- the East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- the Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- the West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire