Kitchen Exhaust Hood Installation
Learn about the professional commercial kitchen exhaust hood installation process, costs, and requirements for NFPA 96 compliance.
If you are opening down a new restaurant or upgrading an existing kitchen, dealing with the exhaust hood is usually one of the biggest hurdles. It's not just about bolting heavy metal to the ceiling—it involves strict health codes, fire marshal approvals, and precise engineering. Our team at Express Kitchen Hoods takes all of that off your plate. We handle the entire job locally from the initial mechanical drawings to the final permit sign-off.
What Does The Job Actually Cost?
There is no getting around it—commercial hood installations are a major investment. You might hear rough numbers thrown around, but the reality is every kitchen footprint is different. Generally, a complete installation runs anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000 depending on the scope of the project. Why such a huge range?
It boils down to the sheer size of your canopy, how far the grease duct needs to run to reach the roof, what your make-up air requirements are, and the fluctuating price of 18-gauge stainless steel. Raw material costs shift constantly. That's why an on-site mechanical survey is the only way to get a hard number you can take to the bank.
How The Installation Actually Gets Done
1. The Blueprints & Permits
Before we touch any equipment, we draft the shop drawings. If you don't calculate everything from CFM airflow to structural loads perfectly, the city simply won't approve it. We get the mechanical drawings stamped and secure all your local permits.
2. Hanging & Duct Welding
Once approved, our crews install the canopy and start welding the grease ducts. These aren't standard HVAC ducts—they have to be continuously welded to hold hot grease under pressure without leaking, strictly satisfying NFPA 96 fire codes.
3. Putting In Make-Up Air
When your exhaust fan pulls thousands of cubic feet of air out of the kitchen, you have to push that air back in. We install and balance the make-up air units so your dining room doors don't slam shut and your kitchen isn't starved of oxygen.
4. Fire Suppression Wiring
A hood is useless if it isn't protected. We mount the piping, run the detection lines, and interlock the Ansul or Amerex system to your gas valve so everything shuts down safely and automatically in a fire emergency.
Do It Right The First Time
A poorly installed hood system can plague your kitchen with smoke, crushing heat, and failed health inspections for years. We do the work in-house with certified technicians who know exactly what fire marshals are looking for here in Maryland, Virginia, DC, and New York.
- ✓No subcontractors. We manage our own crews.
- ✓Turnkey from MEP drawings to final fire marshal sign-offs.
- ✓Authorized CaptiveAire, Accurex, and NAKS installers.
Skip The Guesswork
Starting a new build-out or remodeling an existing kitchen? Call us to look at your blueprints and give you a real number.
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