Renovating my kitchen need ideas and advice

amother

Aubergine

Mon, Jun 01 2015, 7:55 am

We are thinking of redoing our kitchen. I'm just wondering if any of you can help me.

What were the most expensive items when renovating your kitchen? Counters, cabinets, electrical work, plumbing, tiles etc.

What were the hidden expenses that you did not think of when planing your renovation?

How much did you actually pay compared to what you expected?

Did you a hire a contractor that did all or specialist in each field?

Costom cabinets or ikea, Home Depot style cabinets?

What kind of counter did you choose?

Any insight would be helpful.

amother

Cerise

Mon, Jun 01 2015, 8:05 am

I have renovated two kitchens.
Cabinets were the most expensive part of the project.
Don't buy a top of the line fridge like Viking or Subzero, they are not that much better than the midrange ones. Spend on a good dishwasher or dishwashers.
Instant hot water is nice but a safety hazard if you have little kids.
A pot filler is a total waste.
Think about whether you really need six burners. Unless you do all your cooking in the hour before shabbos its unlikely you will use that many all at once.
Deep sinks are wonderful.
Enjoy your new kitchen

amother

Jade

Mon, Jun 01 2015, 8:22 am

Yes, cabinets were the most expensive, followed by appliances and then counters. Electrical work was pretty costly too. We didn't do much plumbing work.

Get a garbage disposal in your sink(s), it's a pleasure and pretty inexpensive. Minimum 1/2 horsepower, reputable brand.

I have huge, deep sinks and love them. Go for undermount unless you're getting Formica counters - then try to get the sinks that are overmount but nearly flush with the counter (forgot what they're called). Invest in a good faucet with a pull-down or pull-out spray (or a sidespray, depending on style) and get an integrated soap dispenser. You may find high-end brands of faucets at Home Depot, but a Grohe faucet from HD may have plastic innards while the "same" faucet from a good retailer has brass and is more durable.

Get under-cabinet lights, they make a huge difference and are awesome!

Try for a large, uninterrupted countertop somewhere so that you have a nice workspace to spread out. If you have an island, use that and make sure to put the sink somewhere that doesn't break up the stretch of counter.

Granite counters. I don't like the modern quartz counters, they're too uniform. I love the uniqueness of my granite, but I did have to get more expensive granite to find a slab that I liked. I spent a lot of time in stone yards. With quartz or Formica you can choose from a small sample in the store.

We didn't have a contractor but we knew what we were doing. If you're clueless it's probably best to hire someone to oversee the project.

There were no hidden expenses for us, but we did a lot of research and planning.

saw50st8

Mon, Jun 01 2015, 8:31 am

amother wrote:

Are you doing a cosmetic renovation or are you doing anything to change the layout and structure?

We did the latter. We found additional structural problems and had to eliminate some things to stay on budget.

You might have to move some pipes in the wall (we had the upstairs bathroom lines running right through an area we wanted as a doorway). The subfloor might not be in good condition. You might find wall rot or termites or carpenter ants.

We hired a reputable GC. For us, it was well worth the increased cost.

We went with custom cabinets because our kitchen isn't large and in order to fit what we needed, we had to get custom. We also went to the ceiling for better storage.

We chose to get a really strong quartzite that doesn't etch or stain. It's amazing.

Depending on your space, I highly recommend 2 dishwashers. That was life-changing for me (more than 2 sinks and I love having 2 sinks).

Think about how you use your kitchen in real life, not how you would like to use it in theory. Design for that.

Rubber Ducky

Mon, Jun 01 2015, 8:40 am

I do kitchen design professionally. I'll try to answer a few of your questions.

What were the most expensive items when renovating your kitchen? Counters, cabinets, electrical work, plumbing, tiles etc.
If you're not moving any walls, usually cabinets.

What were the hidden expenses that you did not think of when planing your renovation?
Upgrading electrical is an expense many people underestimate. Another is "surprises" like discovering pipes or structural elements you were unaware of.

Custom cabinets or ikea, Home Depot style cabinets?
Ikea is is good deal if you're handy and can put them together yourself. Home Depot/Lowes sell cabinets ranging from junk ("builders grade") to very good quality with may semi-custom options. Go custom if what you need is unusual enough that you can't get it with a semi-custom brand.

What kind of counter did you choose?
Most kosher consumers in Baltimore go for granite or laminate. I have a maple topped peninsula/island in my own kitchen that is an excellent work surface.

sitting

Mon, Jun 01 2015, 11:17 am

since we have young kids we spent on closet doors and got top drawers that when shlepped out 50 times a day withstand the strain.
I vote for hot tap.
we didnt spend on counters....got a dark color that doesnt show any marks and is good for heat.
make sure floor isnt too hard. stone tiles will cause things to break when dropped on and then tiles crack too.
consider pesach if u wld use ur kitchen then. self cleaning oven if wld use. ...and gas stove.
deep sinks and taps that swing round to fit large pots in and out. also taps with pull out hose useful for washing kids hands when they can't fully reach the sink.
ensure corner closest under sinks are put to good use. I was told not to use corner carousel pull outs as you waste souch space with it, unless u have tons of space, eather leave corner closet with shelves and use for kenwood and other bulky items.
useful features; plenty of plug sockets, lights under counter, shelf for cookbooks, if u have a corner eat in area storage benches are great.
hope this helps