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Cost of new kitchen and some guidance
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amother
OP


 

Post Tue, Aug 16 2022, 10:21 pm
I am aware it is not a great time to redo my kitchen. But I can no longer wait. It has been way overdue, and I have been saving for this for a while. I absolutely must start this project -- as of yesterday...

If I am looking to redo a small kitchen (L-shape, probably no room for an island even Sad ), but need to gut everything, and would like at least mid-range level of materials -- especially cabinets (semi-custom or custom likely), what kind of price range am I looking at?

I understand that there are many variables other than cabinets, including counters, floor, appliances etc, but am I looking at 50k - 70k? Something else?

I would like a kitchen that would be aesthetic but also durable; not cabinets that will start chipping off in three years... We are no longer 20 (or 30...), and I only want to do this once, and do it well.

What kind of expense am I looking at?

Also, do I need a contractor? or can I hire the various individuals for the job myself (cabinet guy, floor guy, counter, plumber, electrician etc)? Does a kitchen job require someone to oversee everything and coordinate? Do I need a kitchen designer instead of a contractor? In addition?

I am not very savvy when it comes to these things and would truly appreciate your help!
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amother
Mistyrose


 

Post Tue, Aug 16 2022, 10:34 pm
We re did or kitchen, and it was around45k.
We got fabuwood cabinets. There are more expensive better quality ones.
We had a character. I know someone who hired everyone herself. That sounds nearly impossible and beyond stressful to me.
We did not have a kitchen designer. We and contractor designed it.
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happy7




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 16 2022, 10:37 pm
Get a contractor or project manager. Unless you have tons of experience. The workers want to work for someone who knows what needs to be done. They will get frustrated with you and you will get hurt as a result.
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Rubber Ducky




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 16 2022, 11:02 pm
I am a residential and kitchen designer and sell cabinets (I sell cabinets in Maryland — not in New York or Lakewood). You will want a designer who will work with you and your contractor and guide you through the maze of decisions that come with this type of project.

There's a lot more to designing a good kitchen than just stringing together a bunch of cabinets. For example, this morning I spent 2 hours working with a homeowner on the lighting plan for her new kitchen and the rest of her addition.
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amother
Valerian


 

Post Tue, Aug 16 2022, 11:24 pm
I agree with Rubber Ducky. You need a designer/planner/ coordinator for such a project. You can decide which price range you want for cabinets, appliances, lighting etc. But your project will have so much more "taam" with professional help. Ask around, with people that renovated in your area. Hatzlocha raba.
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amother
Babyblue


 

Post Tue, Aug 16 2022, 11:42 pm
Most Jewish kitchen places help you with design and have a wide range of options to choose from. They also install the kitchen.
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amother
OP


 

Post Wed, Aug 17 2022, 8:09 am
Thank you.

Can people who renovated thier kitchen recently share the total cost please? Also, what type of cabinets they used, as this would make a big difference in the price.
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amother
Yolk


 

Post Wed, Aug 17 2022, 8:44 am
amother OP wrote:
Thank you.

Can people who renovated thier kitchen recently share the total cost please? Also, what type of cabinets they used, as this would make a big difference in the price.

M
100k custom cabinets
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amother
Mimosa


 

Post Wed, Aug 17 2022, 9:32 am
I am in middle of doing my kitchen. Did a mid level cabinetry it’s a semi-custom. My kitchen is on smaller size, cabinets are 30k, counters about 15k (haven’t ordered that yet) appliances were 20k( I did some higher end), flooring another 3-4k, then there’s the contractor who took care of demo, rebuilding, electrical and plumbing prob another 15-20k.
All this can be done lower budget.
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amother
Babyblue


 

Post Wed, Aug 17 2022, 10:23 am
I think there’s a range. I’m doing a kitchen now small city apt it’s projected to cost 15k for kitchen plus appliances (5k)and floor 2k
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 17 2022, 10:56 am
As others have posted, a good kitchen designer is absolutely critical but they don't operate in a vacuum as you need to let them know how you want your kitchen to function and of course you must have certain design/aesthetic preferences. You really don't know what you don't know and a kitchen designer can guide you in terms of the best kitchen for your space and you don't have to agonize about stuff like exactly where the knobs and pulls go.

While there is a "bottom line" figure that you will need to spend in order to get a decent kitchen, a lot of the budget will depend on whether you want to economize in some ways in terms of finishes. There is beautiful tile which is $45 per square foot or inexpensive white subway tile that is under $10 per square foot.

Appliances are also a huge range - Do you want top of the line Subzero and Gauggenau - middle level Bosch, GE Profile and Kitchenaid or less expensive.

Do you want wall ovens or a stove? I ask because not only are wall ovens themselves more expensive but the cabinetry and installation is more expensive and then you also need to pay for the cooktop. With a stove you just install in the space that has been left and incur no costs beyond the stove.

It would be very easy for you to go to a site like AJ Madison online and determine how much your "dream" appliances will cost.

I finished a gut remodel prior to the pandemic - squeaked in just in time although I still have some stuff that is being tweaked.

You say you have a smallish kitchen. I have a very small kitchen. The good thing about having a small kitchen is that you can splurge on finishes because you don't need as much LOL I also splurged on fully custom cabinets because I wanted to get all of the storage and functionality I could from my cabinets. With semi-custom cabinets you will possibly need fillers for example. Also the final net cost of my cabinets was probably the same as semi since the price of semi-custom is like cars - all of the upgrades cost money which starts adding up.

I would advise that you start looking at lots of kitchens on websites to get an idea of what you like and also to learn about stuff that you didn't even think existed and the pros/cons of certain stuff so that you are as informed as possible.

In terms of budget, if you have the money to spend on a fabulous kitchen go for it. I don't regret any of my splurges. It is something that you will enjoy every day for many years and something you have dreamed about for a long time. Kitchens are expensive - even basic kitchens because they involve licensed electricians and plumbers and skilled tile setters just in terms of labor. And there will be some expensive surprises along the way no doubt - I had to upgrade my electrical panel because current Code required each appliance to be on its own heavy duty circuit and I didn't have enough on my original panel. And some of my splurges were purely aesthetic like my copper farmhouse sink

Some basic necessities when you plan would be lower drawers instead of cabinets with doors; good under cabinet lighting.
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amother
Stoneblue


 

Post Wed, Aug 17 2022, 11:03 am
We just installed a brand new kitchen. Just me and dh without designer. The kitchen guy was able to help us a lot with designing etc and we also knew what we wanted. We compared it to other kitchens who did use designers and must say we did well. I personally don’t like working with designers. We used a designer here and there but in general I like to do stuff myself.
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amother
Ghostwhite


 

Post Wed, Aug 17 2022, 11:40 am
I’m finishing up a kitchen renovation. But I gutted part of my house & reconfigured the space.
The total cost is going to be about 100k. I’m doing semi custom cabinets, mid range appliances & quartz counter tops.
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Aug 25 2022, 10:48 pm
Amarante wrote:
As others have posted, a good kitchen designer is absolutely critical but they don't operate in a vacuum as you need to let them know how you want your kitchen to function and of course you must have certain design/aesthetic preferences. You really don't know what you don't know and a kitchen designer can guide you in terms of the best kitchen for your space and you don't have to agonize about stuff like exactly where the knobs and pulls go.

While there is a "bottom line" figure that you will need to spend in order to get a decent kitchen, a lot of the budget will depend on whether you want to economize in some ways in terms of finishes. There is beautiful tile which is $45 per square foot or inexpensive white subway tile that is under $10 per square foot.

Appliances are also a huge range - Do you want top of the line Subzero and Gauggenau - middle level Bosch, GE Profile and Kitchenaid or less expensive.

Do you want wall ovens or a stove? I ask because not only are wall ovens themselves more expensive but the cabinetry and installation is more expensive and then you also need to pay for the cooktop. With a stove you just install in the space that has been left and incur no costs beyond the stove.

It would be very easy for you to go to a site like AJ Madison online and determine how much your "dream" appliances will cost.

I finished a gut remodel prior to the pandemic - squeaked in just in time although I still have some stuff that is being tweaked.

You say you have a smallish kitchen. I have a very small kitchen. The good thing about having a small kitchen is that you can splurge on finishes because you don't need as much LOL I also splurged on fully custom cabinets because I wanted to get all of the storage and functionality I could from my cabinets. With semi-custom cabinets you will possibly need fillers for example. Also the final net cost of my cabinets was probably the same as semi since the price of semi-custom is like cars - all of the upgrades cost money which starts adding up.

I would advise that you start looking at lots of kitchens on websites to get an idea of what you like and also to learn about stuff that you didn't even think existed and the pros/cons of certain stuff so that you are as informed as possible.

In terms of budget, if you have the money to spend on a fabulous kitchen go for it. I don't regret any of my splurges. It is something that you will enjoy every day for many years and something you have dreamed about for a long time. Kitchens are expensive - even basic kitchens because they involve licensed electricians and plumbers and skilled tile setters just in terms of labor. And there will be some expensive surprises along the way no doubt - I had to upgrade my electrical panel because current Code required each appliance to be on its own heavy duty circuit and I didn't have enough on my original panel. And some of my splurges were purely aesthetic like my copper farmhouse sink

Some basic necessities when you plan would be lower drawers instead of cabinets with doors; good under cabinet lighting.


Hello,
So where do I start? Do I have to find a kitchen designer first? A contractor? Go to a kitchen design store? Another week had passed and I still haven't taken the first step towards this project... Sad
I really need to get started with this but feeling overwhelmed with the sheer amount of coordination that it requires, and just thinking about the disruption that this renovation will inevitably cause in our lives does not help... I have done other big home improvement projects before and never felt this paralyzed. I literally saved up dollar to dollar for this, but not sure how to go about it. Please help me take the first step. What needs to happen first?
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amother
Ghostwhite


 

Post Fri, Aug 26 2022, 6:40 am
amother OP wrote:
Hello,
So where do I start? Do I have to find a kitchen designer first? A contractor? Go to a kitchen design store? Another week had passed and I still haven't taken the first step towards this project... Sad
I really need to get started with this but feeling overwhelmed with the sheer amount of coordination that it requires, and just thinking about the disruption that this renovation will inevitably cause in our lives does not help... I have done other big home improvement projects before and never felt this paralyzed. I literally saved up dollar to dollar for this, but not sure how to go about it. Please help me take the first step. What needs to happen first?


What I did first was have the contractor come down to tell me if the reconfiguring I wanted to do was possible. Then I had a independent kitchen designer come to my house she saw the space & we told her what we wanted. After that meeting we went to choose appliances so she could make the plan with the appliances we choose. I placed the order then because some of the lead times where 2-6 months!!
Then once the plans were finalized we took them to a few different kitchen companies for quotes. That process made it very clear which companies had good customer service & which did not. That was definitely part of our decision. Once we had all the quotes we confirmed everything with the contractor & started working.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Aug 26 2022, 10:01 am
amother OP wrote:
Hello,
So where do I start? Do I have to find a kitchen designer first? A contractor? Go to a kitchen design store? Another week had passed and I still haven't taken the first step towards this project... Sad
I really need to get started with this but feeling overwhelmed with the sheer amount of coordination that it requires, and just thinking about the disruption that this renovation will inevitably cause in our lives does not help... I have done other big home improvement projects before and never felt this paralyzed. I literally saved up dollar to dollar for this, but not sure how to go about it. Please help me take the first step. What needs to happen first?


Where to start is to look at pictures of kitchens so that you have an idea of what your "dream" kitchen looks like in terms of style - and also think about how you want your kitchen to function better. Take some time before you meet with anyone.

In terms of practicalities do NOT use a GC to design your kitchen. A good GC is necessary and might have suggestions on how to implement a design better but they are not kitchen designers and they won't give you the best result. At best they will give you a functional kitchen like the ones they have installed for every other person.

A kitchen designer is the person to meet with - they will generally have recommendations for a good GC. Also they will provide a design that is complete with specifications and to a great extent finishes and this will be the basis for getting a *true* estimate of the cost as it will be given to the GC for them to provide their firm bids. Getting a bid without the design is meaningless because the GC is just providing a figure without actually knowing what you want.

Take some time to visit kitchen and design warehouses to look at doors and get a sense of what you like. Keep in mind that the "designers" who work in a kitchen store are actually sales people who are selling you the specific cabinet lines or other stuff that they sell. Some of them might be more talented but if you visit several then you can get more of a sense of what they are like to work with. I say this because you might not be able to locate an independent kitchen designer in your location so a really experienced kitchen designer would be the next best option.

Keep in mind that if you go to a kitchen designer who works in a store you are limited to the lines they carry and so it is best to visit a variety of stores to get a sense of different lines. When I was researching for my kitchen remodel I found that different stores carried a different mix and so the most expensive "brand" of cabinets was the cheapest one at a different store that carried better quality and more expensive lines.
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amother
OP


 

Post Sun, Aug 28 2022, 9:49 pm
Amarante wrote:
Where to start is to look at pictures of kitchens so that you have an idea of what your "dream" kitchen looks like in terms of style - and also think about how you want your kitchen to function better. Take some time before you meet with anyone.

In terms of practicalities do NOT use a GC to design your kitchen. A good GC is necessary and might have suggestions on how to implement a design better but they are not kitchen designers and they won't give you the best result. At best they will give you a functional kitchen like the ones they have installed for every other person.

A kitchen designer is the person to meet with - they will generally have recommendations for a good GC. Also they will provide a design that is complete with specifications and to a great extent finishes and this will be the basis for getting a *true* estimate of the cost as it will be given to the GC for them to provide their firm bids. Getting a bid without the design is meaningless because the GC is just providing a figure without actually knowing what you want.

Take some time to visit kitchen and design warehouses to look at doors and get a sense of what you like. Keep in mind that the "designers" who work in a kitchen store are actually sales people who are selling you the specific cabinet lines or other stuff that they sell. Some of them might be more talented but if you visit several then you can get more of a sense of what they are like to work with. I say this because you might not be able to locate an independent kitchen designer in your location so a really experienced kitchen designer would be the next best option.

Keep in mind that if you go to a kitchen designer who works in a store you are limited to the lines they carry and so it is best to visit a variety of stores to get a sense of different lines. When I was researching for my kitchen remodel I found that different stores carried a different mix and so the most expensive "brand" of cabinets was the cheapest one at a different store that carried better quality and more expensive lines.


Thank you for taking the time to write this detailed response. It is helpful. I am reminding myself that I need to be patient with myself, as this is going to be a process. You seem very knowledgeable, and I am impressed by how well you have been researching this. I would like to pm you to continue this discussion. I hope that's OK.
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amother
Burgundy


 

Post Sun, Aug 28 2022, 9:59 pm
Get the designer.
My kitchen, that has splurges, has so multiple dumb parts to it if it was designed properly.
I would say of you have to choose high end hardware vs mid end hardware and proper design, go with proper design.
One example - On a daily basis, I dont care that my sink is a high end brand when the faucet was installed in the incorrect spot so it sprays everywhere on a daily basis.
I can give tons of examples.
(Eta: I didn't install the kitchen, I would have taken a designer. The person who installed is very proud that they didn't use a designer, and very proud of the high end hardware..)
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amother
Azalea


 

Post Sun, Aug 28 2022, 10:03 pm
Does anyone have a kitchen designer and contractor to recommend in Brooklyn?
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Aug 28 2022, 10:10 pm
amother Burgundy wrote:
Get the designer.
My kitchen, that has splurges, has so multiple dumb parts to it if it was designed properly.
I would say of you have to choose high end hardware vs mid end hardware and proper design, go with proper design.
One example - On a daily basis, I dont care that my sink is a high end brand when the faucet was installed in the incorrect spot so it sprays everywhere on a daily basis.
I can give tons of examples.


There is a saying that I learned when I started researching my remodel and it is "you don't know what you don't know" - meaning that there are things that we amateurs don't even realize have to be taken into consideration - like where a faucet needs to be positioned in connection with the drain so that it doesn't splash.

There are SO many decisions that you will have to make during the remodel because you will be working in collaboration with the designer and there are things that are YOUR taste or how you want your space to function that you need to communicate with her. But some things I was happy to leave up to her like where you put the knobs and pulls on the drawers and doors.

Until you remodel a kitchen you don't realize extent of things to think about because when you move into a kitchen that is there you adapt to what is there. So where did I want my knives to be? And how high did I want each drawer to be? Just examples of the kind of decisions you make based on your personal needs.

I didn't know there was such a thing as a microwave drawer but it was perfect for my small kitchen because I didn't want to give up counter space. I also got what is called a work station sink which has a ledge around it so that you can prep stuff OVER the sink - I have a cutting board as well as a "grid" thing which is great because I can dry stuff on it and I can use it as an extension of my counter if I need it to be.

And when I spent time prior to the remodel I saw things that I didn't know existed that I wanted to incorporate. If you start googling and looking at how people configure storage for example - how do you want your spices as there are internal spices organizers or there are ones that are in upper cabinets. One thing that is unique to me is that I had them install toe kick step stools because I am relatively short and this enables me to reach top shelf without shlepping out the step stool.

OP - yes you can PM if you have any questions you don't want to go public with
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