It took that long to get over my renovation burn-out, I guess. Feels good to get back to work, since there is still so much left to do, and so much half-done.
Something which has been bothering me longest is that I haven't installed the microwave above the stove yet. We're still using the little counter-top one we've had for years. It works, but it wastes counter top space. I bought it's replacement when I got the appliances after we moved in almost two years ago. Time to get it installed!
First thing I needed to do was to cut a hole for the exhaust vent. I've had range hoods in the past that always just recirculated air back into the living space. Finally one that vents outside!
From below the hole is a little rough. Not a big deal, nobody will ever see it once the microwave is installed. Here you can also see the 4x4 blocking I added to drop the mounting hardware down a bit. The mounting screws that came with the microwave were 4" long metric threads, but I need 5-1/2" because I added a 4" spacer under my cabinet. Why? Because I mounted our cabinets 4" taller than normal and still wanted the microwave at it's "normal" height. No hardware stores around here carry longer mounting hardware, so this is "Plan B". It also lets me beef up the way it's installed - stronger than it would otherwise be.
Before I installed the cabinets, I installed an outlet on the wall for the microwave. I didn't know exactly where the cabinets were going to be, so I left some witness marks on the wall telling me how far up the outlet was located. The red ink tells me that the outlet is about 1" above the base of the cabinet. The black vertical line tells me where the wall stud is located, and the black horizontal line is the top edge of the microwave once it's installed.
A test-install shows that everything fits and works properly. The 4" spacer above the microwave is actually kick-plate for the base cabinets. The metal piece above the microwave is for the venting. It converts the rectangular vent to a round tube (it's upside down in this picture).
Hopefully I finish up most of the install today. I want to finish all of it except for running the exhaust into the ceiling. I need to find out where the joists are so I can cut the holes.
