@Gearjammer, I've always wondered how the fan boxes were retrofitted. Good to know can be done from below the ceiling. I considered using them because of their higher load rating compared to standard boxes where I planned to use heavier lights.

And yeah hiring pro will result in a lot less wall damage compared to DIY. I've only ever fished wire vertically through the same stud bay, never across studs or across the ceiling.

These fan boxes are retrofitted from below from a fan hanger bar easily purchased at Home Depot or Lowe's for about $15.
It even comes with a metal fan box.

Once your cable/cables are at the box opening the hanger bar is pushed up into the hole vertically then tilted horizontally.
It has feet on it that rest on the drywall/plaster, which ensures the box is flush with the ceiling.

On each end of the bar is a metal plate with 2 sharp prongs.
Once the bar is horizontal an adjustable wrench is used to turn the threaded section of the bar, which presses the pronged plates firmly against the ceiling joists.
Once you can't turn the wrench anymore the bar is firmly secure.

Now attach the cable/cables to the box and using a nut driver secure the box to the hanger strap on the bar and you're ready to install the fan.

These bars and boxes are excellent for light fixtures as well.

As far as running cable it's not usually to difficult with 2 electricians using "fish sticks" especially if you already have openings for the switch box and the ceiling box.

I've done installs before without cutting into the wall or crawling around in the attic.

I've been pretty happy with Hunters, even the modern ones do OK.  I have low ceilings which require the use of hugger style fans.  The motors might not have as much power as the older ones do, but they are still dead silent, which I couldn't say about the Harbor Breeze ones I've messed with lately.  Depending on the style of the lights, they have gone back to regular medium base sockets, with an included set of 3000K LED snowcones.  The only recent one with candelabra sockets used them due to the style of the lights, which were actually pretty cool in this case.  The thing that really impressed me is that I've had two fans that ended up powered for a long time (possibly up to 2 months) in a rotor locked condition and were no worse for it.

Getting a 3-wire run installed is a worthy investment.  When initially wiring my house, I was short sited in some rooms and ran 2-wire to the lights and used regular boxes because a ceiling fan would never go there.  Sure enough, a ceiling fan ended up there.  Kind of a pain when you walk out in daylight and forget to pull the chain to turn the lights on, and walk in later after dark, hit the switch and are left standing in the dark feeling the breeze of the fan.  I've been correcting those errors as I've gone through remodeling, with 3-wire runs and fan boxes.  If there is any chance that a fan could be useful there, I'll put in a fan box, and I'll always run a 3-wire switch line (I believe that's now a code requirement).  Much easier to put that stuff in before the drywall goes up than to live without it after.

As an alternative to a 2-gang box and two switches, you can get a single gang sliding fan/light controller, like those made by Lutron.  Gives you convenient on-the-wall control of the fan and dimming of the light (I'm assuming since you want to use incandescent bulbs that you may be interested in dimming).  That way you don't have to live with pull-chains hanging down in the middle of the room and being in the way, and if you have lower ceilings, they WIll be in the way.

Yes, I'm not looking to blow a tornado in my living room, just to stir up the air and even out the HVAC output. I might go for a current offering of Hunter. I still need to study the dimensional drawings because I am just over 6 feet tall and the ceiling is about 8 feet tall. Having to walk around a fan light kit every time I cross the living room floor is a deal breaker for me. I've done it in rented accommodations but I will not tolerate it in my own home.

On all other points, you touched exactly my predicament and what I'm after. The switch in question is now a dimmer and will likely need to be single gang because it is in a 4-gang box shared with the entryway, kitchen and dining room lights. The only issue I see in this is running a new wire from the ceiling box to the switch. However, if the box is not fed through the switch (a switch loop instead), and if the electrician is not able to run a new wire, I can live with pull chains for the fan only and a dimmer for the fan's light kit only. That way, I will always have a control over the light from the switch, but to change the fan speed and direction, I'd have to use chains. Not ideal but liveable.

Should be fine.  My ceilings are 90" so not quite 8 feet.  I upgraded the fan in the living room for this reason.  There was a Hunter 42" conventional fan with light kit assembled as a close mount (no down rod).  My nephew, who is also quite tall would run head side into the light if tried to walk under the fan.  It got replaced with a 52" hugger fan with the same kit.  It was close, but he was able to walk under it.

That one is actually set up the same way.  Power is fed to the ceiling box with a 2-wire switch loop.  Original thinking here was fan with no light, and the original fan was an old Pay-n-Pak store brand hugger fan from around 1991.  When we decided to add a light, the fan is wired direct to power and controlled by the pull chain.  The switch controls the light.    Like you said, not ideal but it's worked for the past 20 years or so.

A few questions:

Are you looking for a specific color finish, like brushed nickel or bronze?

How big do you want the fan to be? 42 inches? 52 inches?

If you're looking at a Hunter, should probably look at the Donegan. It comes with two different types of light kits; a bowl or three separate sockets. The bowl light kit does come with three sockets. Three different finishes are available: Brushed Nickel, Fresh White, and Noble Bronze. The flush-mount version is only available with the bowl light kit. I also comes in a 44" or 52" size. They are available on Amazon.

Yeah definitely get hugger or low profile style ceiling fan. Perhaps even one with a low profile light kit instead of a conventional globe. It looks like there are low profile ceiling fans that have a sleeker look compared to the traditional hugger style but I'm not sure about performance. Also another thing to keep in mind is most electrical codes require the moving parts of a fan to be at least 7' off the floor.

I have my louvered fluorescent suspended at 7'1" over the floor and that's about the lowest I'd hang a light fixture. I have 8ft ceilings, the fixture with the stem hardware hangs around a foot from the ceiling. I considered installing it up against the ceiling but I liked the look of stems more and plus stem mounts were more versatile in terms of joist location so I opted to use short stems instead. I'm just under 6 feet so the only part of me that hits the light are my hands if I have them up under the light lol. The other good thing is that it hangs just low enough for me to remove the assembly for relamping and relamp without a ladder.

I think a hugger with low profile light kit will be the ideal thing here. I'm looking for a 52" all white model, that is the quietest possible and won't blow too much of a breeze, just stir the air quietly to help alleviate the temperature difference between the floor and the ceiling.

Based off what your looking for, a Hunter 52” Low Profile would be a good match.

The Hunter Newsome is also worth considering.

Or an NOS Casablanca 4-Seasons fan. In brass color

Did you ever find a fan? If not, I think this one will work. It's the Harbor Breeze Centreville; the white version is sold in-store at Lowe's, it has a smaller 153-mm motor, and it's a hugger with four light sockets. The ceiling fan community on YouTube says it's pretty okay.

Thanks for the suggestions. No, I haven't found one, but many other things have gotten in the way so I haven't really been looking. It is still in the works, however, the big question is when I'll get around to it....