Redoing Kitchen, what would you do different?

shayna82

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 11:39 am

we are in the beginning of planning a new kitchen iyh.

looking back, what would you have done different:

spent less/more on something specific, like tiles, counters, cabinets, appliances

what works/dosnt work as far as placement of certain things

what worked/didnt as far as meat/dairy division

thanks in advance

Rivky

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 11:51 am

One thing I definitely would do is brighten my kitchen up. There's nothing like having bright light in there!

zigi

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 11:51 am

I saw somewhere that it says if you want to get your money back on the equity of your house. don't spend more than 40,000 on the kitchen, and that you could do a really nice job in the 20-30,00 range. an appraiser evaluated the house and how much it would be worth after the renovation.

HooRYou

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 12:42 pm

My mother wishes she had gotten better countertops. It has been a long time since she did the kitchen but they are showing the wear (don't ask me what she got)

tovasmom

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 12:54 pm

For the countertops, if you can find a way to afford granite, do so. Its the best part of my redone kitchen.

JRKmommy

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 1:17 pm

Research the local real estate market if resale value is a consideration.

I was a bit cheap with my first house, and it cost me in the end. My kitchen floor didn't match with the hallway floor, and some people didn't make an offer for that reason alone. We also chose white appliances, and I heard potential buyers talk about how they'd put in stainless steel right away. Spending a bit more for a slightly higher-end "look" may have made it easier to sell. OTOH, it would be foolish to spend tons of money on granite, stainless steel, etc. if none of the other houses have it and if no one would pay higher prices for the area. We have friends who put in 2 dishwashers in an area that had very few frum Jews, and potential buyers just thought it was odd.

yo'ma

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 1:50 pm

I never made my own kitchen Crying

, but my sister has and she told me that next time Rolling Eyes

she wouldn't put in a soap dispenser. She said something else, but I don't remember what it was. I'll have to ask her.

Love My Babes

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 4:09 pm

yo'ma wrote:

she wouldn't put in a soap dispenser.

y not? I wish I had a soap dispenser!

shayna82

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 4:32 pm

thanks for your replys. yes, we are putting in stainless, granite, wood flooring... I would like a soap dispenser, I dont see why not. and yes, lighting is a big deal, im gonna plan that out really well.

to jkrmommy, we got our house for really cheap thank g-d, and its old. so here, you need to update if you are considering selling/renting which we are....

yo'ma

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 4:40 pm

Love My Babe wrote:

yo'ma wrote:

she wouldn't put in a soap dispenser.

y not? I wish I had a soap dispenser!

I don't know, I guess they don't work well after awhile. Just a guess! I didn't ask her why not.

cassandra

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 4:41 pm

Yeah, mine also breaks occasionally, I call the company and they send me a replacement. If you buy from a reputable faucet company it will usually be free.

Mrs. XYZ

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 4:46 pm

Quote:

thanks for your replys. yes, we are putting in stainless, granite, wood flooring...

wood flooring in a kitchen? Never saw that. Are you sure thats a good idea? They say wood floors shouldn't get too wet, and in a kitchen with kids spilling all the time, and the frequent washings...

Rutabaga

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 5:56 pm

Make sure to put in proper wood cabinets instead of the cheaper pressboard stuff. Wood will hold up much better.

If you are going to have a deep cabinets, put in drawers instead of shelves. That way you can easily reach the back.

Mount a microwave above the stove to save counter space.

micki

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 6:20 pm

they discovered that granite emits radiation. not recommended.
we did tile floors, got a color that never looks dirty, but shines when its clean.
when you do the tile have them put half a tile upwards to create baseboards. this way its sealed, and will never ruin the cabinets from mopping.

we did not do an islad so if we need space to make a simcha we can push the table away.

place a few outlets up high so when you put the stereo in the kitchen the cords don't drag for babies to pull.
we left a wall for hooks for backpacks, this way tehy are not all over the floor and kids do homwork in the kitchen at teh desk we put in made of a cabinet and formica to utilize space over a radiatr that cannot be covered.

make a lsit of how many drawers cabines you need for cups dishes etc. so you have enough.
if I can figure out how to post a picture I will.

cassandra

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 6:28 pm

Only some types of granite emit radiation, you just have to make sure you don't get the wrong kind.

micki

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 6:32 pm

I just read this don't know anything else.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07.....itial

What’s Lurking in Your Countertop?

Article Tools Sponsored By
By KATE MURPHY
Published: July 24, 2008

SHORTLY before Lynn Sugarman of Teaneck, N.J., bought her summer home in Lake George, N.Y., two years ago, a routine inspection revealed it had elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. So she called a radon measurement and mitigation technician to find the source.
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Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

TESTING Reports of granite emitting high levels of radon and radiation are increasing.
Enlarge This Image
Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

DETECTION Using devices like the Geiger counter and the radiation detection instrument Stanley Liebert measures the radiation and radon emanating from granite like that in Lynn Sugarman’s kitchen counters.

“He went from room to room,” said Dr. Sugarman, a pediatrician. But he stopped in his tracks in the kitchen, which had richly grained cream, brown and burgundy granite countertops. His Geiger counter indicated that the granite was emitting radiation at levels 10 times higher than those he had measured elsewhere in the house.

“My first thought was, my pregnant daughter was coming for the weekend,” Dr. Sugarman said. When the technician told her to keep her daughter several feet from the countertops just to be safe, she said, “I had them ripped out that very day,” and sent to the state Department of Health for analysis. The granite, it turned out, contained high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays. “The health risk to me and my family was probably small,” Dr. Sugarman said, “but I felt it was an unnecessary risk.”

As the popularity of granite countertops has grown in the last decade — demand for them has increased tenfold, according to the Marble Institute of America, a trade group representing granite fabricators — so have the types of granite available. For example, one source, Graniteland (graniteland.com) offers more than 900 kinds of granite from 63 countries. And with increased sales volume and variety, there have been more reports of “hot” or potentially hazardous countertops, particularly among the more exotic and striated varieties from Brazil and Namibia.

“It’s not that all granite is dangerous,” said Stanley Liebert, the quality assurance director at CMT Laboratories in Clifton Park, N.Y., who took radiation measurements at Dr. Sugarman’s house. “But I’ve seen a few that might heat up your Cheerios a little.”

Allegations that granite countertops may emit dangerous levels of radon and radiation have been raised periodically over the past decade, mostly by makers and distributors of competing countertop materials. The Marble Institute of America has said such claims are “ludicrous” because although granite is known to contain uranium and other radioactive materials like thorium and potassium, the amounts in countertops are not enough to pose a health threat.

Indeed, health physicists and radiation experts agree that most granite countertops emit radiation and radon at extremely low levels. They say these emissions are insignificant compared with so-called background radiation that is constantly raining down from outer space or seeping up from the earth’s crust, not to mention emanating from manmade sources like X-rays, luminous watches and smoke detectors.

But with increasing regularity in recent months, the Environmental Protection Agency has been receiving calls from radon inspectors as well as from concerned homeowners about granite countertops with radiation measurements several times above background levels. “We’ve been hearing from people all over the country concerned about high readings,” said Lou Witt, a program analyst with the agency’s Indoor Environments Division.

Last month, Suzanne Zick, who lives in Magnolia, Tex., a small town northwest of Houston, called the E.P.A. and her state’s health department to find out what she should do about the salmon-colored granite she had installed in her foyer a year and a half ago. A geology instructor at a community college, she realized belatedly that it could contain radioactive material and had it tested. The technician sent her a report indicating that the granite was emitting low to moderately high levels of both radon and radiation, depending on where along the stone the measurement was taken.

“I don’t really know what the numbers are telling me about my risk,” Ms. Zick said. “I don’t want to tear it out, but I don’t want cancer either.”

The E.P.A. recommends taking action if radon gas levels in the home exceeds 4 picocuries per liter of air (a measure of radioactive emission); about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day. In Dr. Sugarman’s kitchen, the readings were 100 picocuries per liter. In her basement, where radon readings are expected to be higher because the gas usually seeps into homes from decaying uranium underground, the readings were 6 picocuries per liter.

The average person is subjected to radiation from natural and manmade sources at an annual level of 360 millirem (a measure of energy absorbed by the body), according to government agencies like the E.P.A. and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The limit of additional exposure set by the commission for people living near nuclear reactors is 100 millirem per year. To put this in perspective, passengers get 3 millirem of cosmic radiation on a flight from New York to Los Angeles.

A “hot” granite countertop like Dr. Sugarman’s might add a fraction of a millirem per hour and that is if you were a few inches from it or touching it the entire time.

HAPPYMOMMY

Mon, Aug 04 2008, 11:06 pm

My mother has this neat little closet to store the broom, dustpan, shopping bags... It is this small little closet that would've been just a plain wall. It is so useful. She has a shelf at the top of the closet where she stores pushkas and stuff.

Tefila

Tue, Aug 05 2008, 12:17 am

If you have a buit in central vacume system then have them make a built in dustpan/garbage area so all u do is swep lift up flap with foot and all junk goes into central vac area is so easy. I love it!
We had real wood tall deep cabinets and though they are sturdy and have survived the years I changed their color by sanding and painting them to a brighter color changing the handles thus enlarging my kitchen considerably. I also love that there is no space on top of my cabinets they go straight to the ceiling so I do not have dust or an excuse to pile junk there.
If I had to redo my kitchen I would just change the formica countertops since they are old . Granite besides the expense and health risks involved I have heard needs sealent every year since the stone is pourous. I need something cheap and maintenance free.

One other thing I strongly discourage ceramic/slate tiles if you have kids. We have it in our hallway and though it looks gorgous and is so easy to clean, when wet it's slippery very dangerous and if a child falls they are more likely to hurt themselves worse then if they fell on say laminate or linoleum. Wood in a kitchen is not a good idea, since there is alot of spills and stuff and wood and water are not a good mix

ganizzy

Tue, Aug 05 2008, 1:19 am

dont know ur layout but putting the washer/dryer near the kitchen makes sense so u can share water and gas lines.

make sure that there is enough counter space for people to stand next to each other while working (think about u making supper while ur husband cuts a salad while ur in nidda)

by the sink u can have a "drawer" at an angle to keep ur sponges and stuff

if u have mixers or big machines that dont fit in closets maybe make a pull down door matching ur closets to "hide" it

def. get sliding drawers if ur cabinets are deep.

childproof dangerous cabinets - classes, soaps...

get big sinks to fit all ur dishes in and easy to wash big pots.

if u make big shabbosim - I saw something intersting. the piece is not expensive but u would have to run a water line. basically its like a faucet by ur stove so u can fill up ur pots without shlepping them full of water from the sink. it expands out to reach the pots and then folds back and is out of ur way.

bubs

Sun, Aug 17 2008, 12:36 am

The one thing I would definitely do is put in lots of sliding drawers- in the pantry, for the pots, for anything. They make seeing and organizing so much better. I did not build my kitchen but where there is sliding drawers, it's great. Wish I had more of them. Good luck.