We are planning a DIY renovation. Knock out a wall to open up the space so I can see the garden while in the kitchen.
My questions are:
what would you wish you had in your kitchen
what is overrated
what brand appliances do you prefer - I would like a french-door frig. and a gas stove
countertop preferences - backsplash ideas
lighting ideas
how long do you think it will take
We are very frugal and would like to do most everything ourselves. DH is a teacher, so has the summer to devote to it. He would like to build the cabinets beforehand so they would be ready when the time comes. We are thinking of resale value as well.
Any pointers would be MOST appreciated. Thanks for helping.
Jan
edited to add a couple of questions. lol
This message was edited Jan 5, 2009 3:04 PM
Kitchen Renovation Ideas, please.
Jan, we did our kithcen over a couple years ago. We have a small house, and very little room. I wanted cupboards that went all the way to the ceiling. We took out the table and put in a counter nook. We bought the cabinets from Lowes and a friend, DH and I installed them. (mostly the friend) We did ceramic tile floor which friend also installed. I would have liked the drawers with 2 layers inside for silverware, and more drawers inside cupboards - to eliminate that reach way in the back. Otherwise I love my kitchen. I'll look for some before and after picks.
A black electric cooktop is totally overated I HATE mine(constantly dusty, a lot harder to keep clean than you'd think)
The 42"(the ones that go all the way to the ceiling) cabinets are awesome. If you have a corner cabinet a lazy susan in it would be great otherwise(like me) your always climbing in there to get to the back of it.
Get the fridge that has the double doors on top and freezer on the bottom, I HATE my side by side
Gas is the best, def do your homework on countertops, what's in now may not be in when you try to sell.
Jenn Aire is THE WORST
Great start, ladies. Thanks for your input.
A couple before pics
these are actually embarrassing
during
...
after, though I don't have good digital afters right now.
...
I hate my kitchen. If yours is big enough an island with a granite top. Corner cupboards built right in - they dont take up much space. Cubbards (spelling) Wood, Wood and Wood. Dont do anything but WOOD. A lazy susan maybe if they are deep enough. The baseboards should match the cabinets and all wood you install ! Floor ceramic tile. I cant keep my kitchen floor clean with the linoleum. Depending, it looks good for about 10 years and then quit cleaning the darn thing everyday.
These are Ethan Allen corner what ever you call them. Got 2 of them cheap so stuck them there. I wish they were a bit bigger and had doors.
Lovin the pictures. Very festive-looking for the holiday, Debi.
Sherrie, I think you want me to do WOOD. Definitely. DH is experimenting with stains on different kinds of wood and their effect.
I'll get pictures in before we start. Get a picture in your head of orange counters and a linoleum floor with a pattern that screams 70's ( if you drop something you can't find it) Very dark cabinets.
I figured if I got some great ideas here, I could add them to our plan now, before it gets too late.
I would like a french-door frig. I am very tall and I hate having to bend over sooo far to get things out of the frig. lol
What do you prefer - stainless or black?
Very nice, Deb! I like the light-colored wood cabinets and the floating counter. When we do ours over (hopefully one day soon), we will go much lighter with the wood. How easy is it to reach the top of the cabinets?
Recessed lighting.
edited
I had a black stove with the glass top. Loved it. If I could have stainless I would go that way but expensive. I wouldnt go some stainless some not. Stove, - microwave and exhaust fan ouch, fridge, dishwasher. I would go black and cheap and replace as often as needed.
This message was edited Jan 5, 2009 3:25 PM
First fridge=stainless steal...never, ever, EVER will I ever purchase stainless steal again...it looked good the first day, then everything showed up...everything.
I agree about the flat top/glass top stoves. I have a black one. Dusty all the time, and once it streaks, FORGET ABOUT IT...argh...lol.
My cabinets I can't complain about, hey are a basic pine, the counter tops are formica (couldn't afford anything other than that when I first came into the house) They are holding up nice, it's been about 8 years now.
Get a over the range micro wave...not joking, but the foot + of counter space a regular ole microwave takes up is amazing.
If you do get a side by side fridge, don't put it in a corner! Spring for an automatic ice maker...they are worth it...especially if you or your hubby forget to fill the ice cube trays.
Lazy susans are really, really nice.
Definitely tile, grade 5. That way if anything drops onto the tile, you don't need to worry about the tile chipping/cracking...chance are with grade 5, whatever drops is going to break. Clean up is easy.
For the love of Pete, if you do put tile in your kitchen, don't make it high gloss...if it gets wet, you may accidentally learn how to hydro plane...really quickly, and the glare from the sun, will burn your corneas...
that's my 3 cents.
I keep 2 stools in the kitchen, one about 10" and one 24". I can reach the front of the upper shelves w/the 10" stool, but need the bigger one for the back of the shelves.
We have a gas stove and a side by side no ice door fridge. Neither stove nor fridge was expensive.
And we did fromica counter - not sure I would like the dark green counter, and formica was cheap enough to replace if we tire of it.
The floating counter now has 2 stools with it, so it doesn't look so odd.
Actually - my plan is to install whatever my MIL hates.
Great ideas, Thom. You had me laughing!! I didn't know tiles were graded.
"whatever MIL hates" so, what are you trying to say, Victor? hee-hee
Check - remember to put in a stool.
I think maybe everything showed up on Thom's fridge because people hydroplaned into it!
Hi Jan,
I'm so jealous, I want a new kitchen! I think ours was designed for people who eat out every night.
Thinks I think are great in kitchens:
-pullout cutting board between counter top and first drawer (my mother has one and loves it)
-narrow cabinet with dividers for cookie sheets, cooling rakcs, etc.
-undercabinet lights
-pullout shelves and lazy susans
-at least one big pantry cabinet that fits the really tall bottles and boxes
Things I don't like:
-vertical plate rack (total waste of space)
-hard to reach corners
-dishwasher in the corner (we can't open the cabinets beside it or reach the cabinets above it to put away the dishes)
-cabinet doors with hard to clean decorative features (DH tends to fling flour and water around in the kitchen with wild abandon and the combination tends to form a substance similar to dried glue in the crevices of the lower cabinets)
-stainless steel appliances (impossible to keep clean, though I hear some of the newer ones have special coating that help)
We have a Maytag Wide-by-Side Refrigerator and I really like it. Many people have had problems with the ice maker/water dispenser but ours has never been hooked up. We removed all of the icemaker parts for more freezer room (now you can fit the big bottle of gin on the top shelf :).
I agree with Jen that JennAire makes the worst appliances. That brand seems to have a pretty high rate of injuring people and catching on fire. They were bought out a few years ago and the quality declined rapidly. Which ever brand you get, I would highly recommend the extended warranty that most stores offer.
For resale choose a neutral color scheme for difficult to change items like countertops and flooring. Our old neighbors loved teal and it showed. Their house was on the market for more than a year, when the market was still pretty good. Our house (exact same model) had very neutral colors and sold in eleven days, even though the market was headed south at that point.
I wish you the best luck with your project!
Janel
This message was edited Jan 5, 2009 12:57 PM
Good luck with the renovation!
Here's a thread just on counter tops with varying opinions:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/575136/
My "never again" list after doing over four kitchen in my life:
No white cabinets unless nobody cooks or breathes.
Never again would I have granite.
No cabinets unless they're wood: lighter if they face north
No noisy dishwashers. The quiet of a Bosch is worth the expense.
Only gas. Only gas. Only gas. (Unless you don't cook or hate gas)
I hated the over the range microwave. Anything scorching hot was scary and dangerous coming out and stirring up that high was a challenge and I'm not short.
Self-cleaning ovens. I was shocked to see they still sell ovens that don't have that feature!
Only recessed lighting over the counters.
When we had the counters replaced we threw out the granite. Well, it became a top for my potting bench so it's of some use. I still don't like it. So first the old granite in the new spot for it:
I totally agree with all Katlian said!
The sink was much nicer before the faucet arrived and only because of the way the box with the faucet was put on the counter, by the plumber, did I decide I wanted it on the side and not directly in the center. So much nicer for cleaning the windows!
Alas, we gave in and had the faucet installed. I absolutely love the sink!
This was taken before the new dishwasher arrived.
I've had a cook top (as opposed to a range) in three renovations and would always opt for it since when you're at a range the heat is coming at you from the oven all the time - even when it's summer and you don't really want it.
I also love the two box bay windows - not so prison like.
We do have a deep sink at the far end of the kitchen for all those summer vegetables, deep pots, anything that has to soak, etc. It's a big help.
We have the bottom freezer and it's the kind I've had for 40 years since they were first introduced.
In the breakfast area we have the bay window and a bench Jack made that fits into the window to increase space for plants. Now Harry (the dog) has taken over part of it so I'm forced to share.
We went with Corian back splashes as well so cleaning is much easier than tiles and grout - one mistake I never did make!
Jane, so glad to see you posting here.
Hopefully, your DH was making something whilst flinging flour and watre with wild abandon. LOL I totally agree
Now, remember, this is DIY so our goal is to do it pretty reasonably. I know the average kitchen redo is pricey, but, we hope to be the exception. Remember, I said HOPE. LOL on removing icemaker parts to make room for the important stuff to you.
Pirl, thanks for the encouragement and the link to counter top discussion thread. I like your way to recycle your granite. DH snagged some soapstone from a company that had to shut down. He just helped demo the counters. So that will be incorporated. I also would like some butcher block. I'm tall and I don't think I'd like a higher microwave for just the reasons you mentioned. There will be an island so putting the microwave on the counter will be fine, I think. Yes, there will be a gas range.
Keep it up, this is great. I can hardly wait to show Jeff.
Butcher block is wonderful. We all can use a spot where we can pound our cutlets or use knives without constant worry.
Pirl, love the pictures. I like the drawer fronts. Is that a built-in pie safe next to the frig.? That looks great there. Nice big windows for all those plants. I would like a tall faucet so I can fill a pot on the stove. Jeff is toying with the idea of another sink near the stove with that faucet. Great idea for the backsplash.
I can't remember if I dreamed it or have heard that there have been some problems with radon in granite.
Maybe a section of counter for a butcher block to slide in and out for easier cleaning.
One of the best changes to our kitchen was the fridge--side-by-side doors at the top with the freezer section at the bottom. The side by side doors both open up to a space that is the complete width of the refrigerator, allowing cookie sheet, etc. to be placed vertically. This, I believe, is better use of space in lieu of the top-to-bottom side-by-side fridge, which, in my opinion, one is forced to remove food from a tunnel-like space where most of the food has to be placed one behind the other in single-file style.
Also, natural stone (like granite) although expensive really makes the kitchen and improves the value of your home.
The following link is pricey, but can provide some great ideas:
http://www.invitinghome.com/kitchen-counter-support/cherry-corbels-granite-counter.htm
Snug
Re: radon in granite, if I remember correctly, it depends on the density of the stone. I will check on this. I have granite and we discussed this before purchase and it wasn't an issue. There was a write-up on it. If I find it, I'll provide the link. Snug
Thanks for the link, Snug. Would soapstone qualify to be included in your list to bring value to a home?
That type of frig is on my want list. We have been contemplating this and saving for it for awhile, so hopefully we can do it economically, but do a quality job as well.
edited to say:
Snug, we cross-posted. That would be great if you find that info about the radon. If not, don't worry. Thanks
This message was edited Jan 5, 2009 4:36 PM
Here's my $0.02, adjusted for inflation:
* Wood, absolutely.
* Gas, absolutely. You want control!
* Butcher block is nice...we have one as a moveable island with storage space which is great.
* Double sink. Built-in is nice so you don't have those little ridges where gunga collects.
* Dark patterned counter and dark tile floor--hides dirt!!! (We have light wood and dark counter/floor and the overall effect is nice and light, not gloomy at all).
* Storage space with pull-out shelves on gliders--great for pots and pans, tupperware, etc.
* No stainless steel. Impossible to keep clean, especially if you have pets, children, and/or a husband.
* Pantry, especially if (like me) you're a pack rat who has to squirrel things away in case of nuclear winter or whatever.
* I didn't know you could get really hard tile...as mine apparently ISN'T, I would go for the hard stuff! Repairing tile and matching colors/grout is a pain in the yoohoo.
* Carefully organize your space for the most efficient usage (i.e. don't put your cutting space far away from your stove, that sort of thing.)
* Plenty of conveniently-located outlets.
* A dishwasher, for heaven's sake, unless you really, really love washing dishes by hand.
Check builder's surplus stores and/or contractor supply houses--you might be able to get stuff cheaper there than at Lowes. Also, there are businesses that sell recycled Stuff--everything from appliances to bricks. Try googling "surplus appliances", "recycled countertops" , etc etc and go from there.
Good luck! :)
Jan - any home improvement adds to the value so it's not just what kind of counters or what kind of range you'd get. Some people will not have gas so they'd be removing your gas range (and mine) to get electric. There is NO pleasing everyone so just please yourself and pick and choose the ideas you find most appealing.
The rear interior of most refrigerators is the most unused space. I almost would wish for less depth and less cubic feet so I wouldn't have "stuff" back there. I'm sure most of that stuff has had more birthdays than my two year old grandson!
Yes, that is a pie safe and when I saw that spot in the kitchen before we bought the house and knew it would fit I felt the house was meant for us because of the perfect fit. If I didn't already have the pie safe I'd have put in a desk there.
Light colors show the dark "dirt" and dark colors show the lint from paper towels, etc. It's a matter of which "dirt" you mind the least.
Wow - I don't find ss so bad!
Why no granite, Pirl?
It pits, Victor.
Even with sealing regularly? What makes it do that? A builder friend said quartz is getting more popular. Great natural stone, less expensive than granite.