Complicated Installation of Recirculating Range Hood - I-Beam issue

Hi all,

I could use some suggestions.

I am renovating my kitchen (I have a one floor condo apt. in a converted schoolhouse - pic below is of old kitchen) and I would like to make the wall behind the range a half wall with no cabinets above instead of the current config. w/cabinets and under cabinet range hood. The Building Inspector has told me I need to reinstall a recirculating range fan/hood above the range to comply with Code.

Here is the issue: When the engineer looked at the wall to see if it was load bearing (it's not) he found that (a) there is a very large 2 foot high I-Beam running lengthwise above the range and (b) the sheetrock ceiling is a dropped ceiling made up of strips (i think he said furring strips) and rods hanging from the upper floor.

So, assuming I can get the wiring to the hood, here are some of the questions that come to mind:

1. Is there any way to drill into the I-Beam to attach the recirc. range hood?
2. If not, are there any types of clips that exist to attach the hood to the I-beam?
3. If I was able to find a creative method of attaching the 60 lb fan to the dropped sheetrock ceiling, is that kind of a ceiling system strong enough to hold up a fan of that weight?
4. If I were to half the wall but keep about a foot of wall attached to the ceiling (top stud still attached to I-Beam by several nails) and attach the hood to the hanging wall instead, I wonder if that would require me to have some kind of post in the corner to hold up that upper portion of the wall.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Julie

 

Did the inspector specify the height above the range top for the hood? It sounds like you are considering mounting it up on the ceiling.

 

Yes, I would like to mount it on the ceiling (if possible) because I would like to take down half the wall so I can look out into the living room area when in the kitchen.

No, he did not specify the height. I have not been able to find the provision (could have missed it) in the code that requires a hood of any type for a range, other than an open-top broiler, which requires 24" b/w the cooktop and hood. If I was installing a cabinet above the range, the range installation instructions require 30" b/w the cooktop and the bottom of the cabinet.