Cooker hood installation in Christchurch

Is cooker hood installation right for your Christchurch kitchen?

Cooks across Dorset who fry, grill or stir-fry often find a recirculating hood leaves smells in the house, and look at ducting the air outside instead.

If condensation runs down the windows of your Christchurch kitchen whenever you cook, the hood may be recirculating, undersized or ducted through a long, flexible run. We work throughout Christchurch (BH23) and across the wider Dorset area.

What we cover for cooker hood installation in Christchurch

The exact scope is agreed after the survey, but a typical job in Christchurch covers:

Short, straight runs of rigid ducting wherever the route allows
Survey of the hob position, duct route, outside wall and any open-flued appliance
Power supply connected by an electrician and tested to BS 7671
Island and ceiling hoods fixed into the ceiling structure by two people
Recirculating hoods fitted with carbon filters, and their limits explained
Core drilling through the outside wall and an external grille fitted and sealed

What should you budget for cooker hood installation in Christchurch?

The figures below are guide prices for Christchurch, including VAT and adjusted for typical costs across the South West. The fixed price comes after we have measured up. For the South West, these ranges are close to the national figures.

What should you budget for cooker hood installation in Christchurch?
Typical project	Guide price
Like-for-like cooker hood swapSame position and ducting	£120–£250
New ducted hood through an outside wallCore drilling, ducting run and external grille	£310–£930
Island or ceiling hood installedTwo-person install, fixings to the ceiling structure	£310–£650
Recirculating hood fittedNo ducting; carbon filters need replacing	£120–£310

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. Prices include VAT at 20%.

Local homes and their kitchens

The housing mix across Dorset includes thatched cottages, Victorian and Edwardian villas, 1930s semis and seaside bungalows, so no two kitchen fits are quite alike. Edwardian villas in Bournemouth often have a separate kitchen and scullery, while 1930s semis and bungalows tend to have a compact room at the back.

Flats in converted villas may have no lift and shared hallways, and narrow village lanes can make delivering long worktops difficult. Most of Dorset has hard water, so limescale on taps, sinks and boiling water taps is common, and a scale-reducing filter can help.

What rules apply to cooker hood installation in Christchurch?

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.

Thatched and listed cottages may need listed building consent for internal changes, and owners of flats in converted houses usually need the freeholder's consent before work starts.

Planning ahead

Before choosing a hood for your Christchurch kitchen, find the nearest outside wall to the hob, because the shorter the duct run, the better the extraction.
If you live in a flat in Dorset, ask the freeholder, factor or managing agent about outside vents before you buy a ducted hood.
Choose a hood at least as wide as your hob, and compare its stated extraction rate with the size of the room before you buy.
Check the minimum height above the hob in both the hood and hob instructions, and use the greater of the two figures.

Questions about cooker hood installation in Christchurch

How much does cooker hood installation cost in Christchurch?

Cooker hood installation in Christchurch typically costs £120 to £250 including VAT for a like-for-like cooker hood swap, based on prices in the South West. Larger or more involved jobs cost more, and your price is fixed in writing after a free survey visit.

Can you measure up in Christchurch before quoting?

Yes. Every quote starts with a free, no-obligation survey visit to your home in Christchurch. We measure the room, check the walls, floor and service positions, then send an itemised written quote.

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.

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.

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.

Cooker hood installation near Christchurch

We also carry out cooker hood installation in these towns near Christchurch: