Why is it always the simple things that take so much effort to get
right?!

So I'm revamping the kitchen and one of the jobs involves replacing a
fitted cooker hood with a stainless-steel chimney hood. Fine, I think.
I'll just take the existing hood out (job done) and screw in the new
hood.

But OH NO. The new hood is too "tall" for the kitchen (and we don't
have a particularly low ceiling). The required gap between the hob and
the hood is 70cm (manufacturers specification) which leaves the chimney
part of the hood some 15cm into the ceiling space! And this is with the
chimney set to it's minimum dimensions...

Either I cut a hole in the ceiling (no way - not just for a cooker
hood!) or I trim the hood itself.

Does anyone have any experience of fitting these silly hoods? They are
adjustable, but even at the minimum size they are too big. I've trawled
the manufacturers for smaller hoods, but the only one I found (from
Hotpoint) was extortionate.

Ho Hum. I can remove and replace a 12sq meter ceiling but fit a cooker
hood?! nope!