Author Topic: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops  (Read 10124 times)

SwindledNPimped

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Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« on: October 09, 2014, 02:34:20 PM »
Someone we know just shared their kitchen remodel photos.  The original Kitchen was less than 5 years old, and the largest kitchen I've ever seen, BTW (it's in Texas, prob 600-800 sq. ft.).  Anyhow, they did a $10k kitchen remodel, throwing away the massive 4 year old Granite countertops, and changing the color of the cabinets (which were pretty high end to start with).  The island in the kitchen alone was about 12x4  I'll try to add the before / after pics so you can see for yourself. 

Northerly

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #1 on: October 09, 2014, 06:28:44 PM »
Pretty dumb, but... only 10 grand? Pretty cheap for a kitchen remodel.

lauren_knows

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #2 on: October 09, 2014, 06:31:06 PM »
Pretty dumb, but... only 10 grand? Pretty cheap for a kitchen remodel.

That's what I thought. Granite for that size kitchen must have been way more than that!

Donovan

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #3 on: October 09, 2014, 08:38:12 PM »
BTW (it's in Texas, prob 600-800 sq. ft.).
That's not a kitchen, it's an apartment!

Emilyngh

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2014, 08:50:02 PM »
Someone we know just shared their kitchen remodel photos.  The original Kitchen was less than 5 years old, and the largest kitchen I've ever seen, BTW (it's in Texas, prob 600-800 sq. ft.).  Anyhow, they did a $10k kitchen remodel, throwing away the massive 4 year old Granite countertops, and changing the color of the cabinets (which were pretty high end to start with).  The island in the kitchen alone was about 12x4  I'll try to add the before / after pics so you can see for yourself.

I've noticed similar...The old look of warmer wood cabinets, tan fancy tile backsplashes, and swirly granite is out.   White cabinets with counters in white quartz/marble/soap stone with stupid white subway tile backsplashes are in.   I'm amazed at how many people are tearing out their perfectly good, expensive (possibly still not paid for), kitchens to replace with the above.   The sad thing is that while I really like white kitchen cabinets and soapstone myself, I do think that having a kitchen with the exact look I described is going to look dated fast.

I'm actually interested in interior decorating/design and think that it can be very hard to walk the line between stylish/not outdated and just ridiculously bending to trends.   Hind sight is 20/20 whether something new is the new norm that will be around for a while (like stainless steel appliances seem to be), or a trend that will quickly look dated.   My own plan is to try to look for things that I've seen around for a long time in the homes of people whose taste I trust (trying to find classics), and try to do cosmetic updates only if I'm confident that I'll love them for a long time, and/or that are super inexpensive/use minimal resources to do/change.

Ze-french-architecte

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2014, 02:47:03 AM »
Emily, I totally agree.
I am of the business (am an architect) and I want to "build to last". But unfortunately I usually have a taste for fashionable high end style.
Your take on it (find classics) is absolutely the best solution I have found for my own home. My classics are 20th century ones. Garage sales in trendy neigbourghoods get me accesories that modernise this look (don't want to live in an antique store, nor not benefit from ingenious new designs).
Also, I am working on my inner peace  and zen attitude by accepting my interior decoration is a work in process, I HAVE time to wait for the good garage sale deal, etc...
So tell me more about your tricks to decorating please, I am very happy to hear a sensible persons' projects.
My clients usually want things to be "finished" quickly and want a "reveal" so that implies much more new things that on longer projects... I have had a few more eco-friendly projects that were time consuming but less energy and money cinsuming. I want more of those !
My architect and designer friends are to cool and  spendy for me to compete with, I prefered their style as students with crates for furniture, mugs as breakast cereal bowl/coffee cup etc etc.

Emilyngh

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2014, 08:53:24 AM »

So tell me more about your tricks to decorating please, I am very happy to hear a sensible persons' projects.


Well, please keep in mind that I'm no expert and who knows if you'll even like what I like, but this is what I've been doing :

(1) Like you, I try to keep trendier things to accessories or things that are really inexpensive.   For the inexpensive side, I've found the easiest way to get trendy things really cheaply is to DIY.   By following home decor blogs I see lots of pics to then get ideas for what's trendy and what I like.   I then google how to do some of them myself.   For example, I've made a wall hanging like this one for less than $2: http://www.thenester.com/2011/01/how-to-make-a-sunburst-mirror.html It's large and I can just pull it apart and recycle the poster board if I get sick of it.   I also buy old used canvases and paint my own modern-type art using colors I want to bring in (can even just paint dots or spray paint stripes).

(2) Keep down clutter and look for big statement accessories.   IME one of the mistakes people make is that they buy lots of cheap little clutter.   Instead, I try to incorporate useful items in a way that looks nice (eg., keep our fruit and veggies in nice baskets and interesting bowls in the kitchen and dining room).   And when I do accessories, I try to stick to fewer large items that I truly find interesting (and often make myself-see previous).  Or, inexpensive big changes, like we added board and batten in the dining room for less than $100 that makes far more of a statement than $100 of accessories (looks a lot like this, but taller: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2013/07/home-improvement-diy-board-and-batten.html)

(3) Look at lots of blogs and pics to really explore my own personal style.   Eg., compare different styles of furniture and see what speaks to me.   Then, when we do need something new, I have much more of an eye for what elements I like and can try to find them in used furniture, or how to modify used furniture (eg, paint it, add new hardware, etc) so that it has the elements I like.

(4) Try to make sure that everything is livable and usable.  I don't care how nice it looks, if having it limits our life instead of enhancing it, I don't want it.   There are plenty of beautiful things that we can integrate seamlessly into our lives.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2014, 08:56:48 AM by Emilyngh »

seanc0x0

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2014, 09:40:10 AM »
The kitchen is one place in our house that definitely needs a remodel. It is very firmly entrenched in the '70s and is looking pretty worn down. It's also not very well optimized, and as the main cook I often get frustrated by it. It's mostly the layout that causes me to want to remodel, though. If it was more enjoyable to spend time in there, then I'd just live with the dated look. However, if I need to redo it anyway, might as well bring it up to date a bit.

iris lily

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2014, 09:45:18 AM »
White kitchens, which are never out, are in like Flynn again.

My kitchen cabinets are white and are about 25 years old (well, they were started back then and finished about 23 years ago; DH took 2 years to build them) and they are white. I LOVE them and would never tear them out. The countertop though is a different animal. We still have old formica because I can't find anything that really trips my trigger. Of the gorgeous granites out there DH and I could never agree on one.

I came close to ordering a solid surface, only to find out that after all of the measurements were taken, they no longer had that particular surface and honestly, I just didn't like anything else they had (like it for the $$$ required.) I can afford anything but am not enough of a consumer to really care about countertops. My current yen for countertops is cherry wood, but DH says they easily become damaged, especially in our house (we are hard on things) so that's another reason to not get them. Our cabinets are old style with inset panels and glass doors, so it's got to be a countertop that goes with this style. I like the idea of a slate-like surface, at the moment.

iris lily

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2014, 09:47:09 AM »
I think that builder-grade granite, aka Home Depot type mid range choices, already look dated because they are so common. Very fine grain granite OR the big, rocky, showy "statement" granites are still cool.

As far as general"datedness" and home decor: I live in a Victorian village of 1880's houses. I'll preface this to say that I love these houses as they were built and that's why I am here. So I find that, over 25 years, the most successful houses are those that retain all of the "bones" of the house like crown moldings and original doors and woodwork, fireplace mantels, etc.  Floors, when possible (ours here are not very good, they are soft pine and don't hold up to wear) might be original. But decor can be anything because that is, by definition, temporary. I like the look of Victorian houses with modern furnishings, or at least SOME modern stuff.

I still remember the absolute worst decor I ever saw in one of our neighborhood houses. Remember the "Southwest " trend of about 20+ years ago? Yes, someone did up a Victorian in turquoise and brown. Ermagod. It was dated before the paints were even put away. Remembering this trend, I looked at the whole "Tuscany" craze of recent years as something that would be dated by ten.

Be original in your paint colors. Embrace the architectural style of your house. And just know that every ten years or so, the colors and accents will look "dated" unless you go for full-out period restoration, and few people want to do the latter because people don't want to live in a museum.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2014, 09:56:08 AM by iris lily »

Cassie

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2014, 09:49:18 AM »
When I redo a room I intend to live with it for a long time so do it with things that I really love. I never understood redoing the kitchen every 5 years & no one I know does that either.  I think finding a great countertop makes a big difference too in the kitchen as it is often a focal point.  Again it has to be something that you will be happy with for decades.

Metta

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2014, 01:23:50 PM »
When I redo a room I intend to live with it for a long time so do it with things that I really love. I never understood redoing the kitchen every 5 years & no one I know does that either.  I think finding a great countertop makes a big difference too in the kitchen as it is often a focal point.  Again it has to be something that you will be happy with for decades.

I completely agree with this. In truth, my tastes are not the norm so I just design for what we love and would be happy living with forever. Why should we design for either a trend or a classic look? Why make other people happy instead of ourselves?

When we redid our kitchen (which was previously styled in 1986 on the cheap by the builder and was falling apart) we chose what we loved and ignored people who said it would be ugly or not current or wouldn't sell the house. The result is a room I love being in and a room that a surprising number of people tell me is one of the most beautiful kitchens they have seen.

chicagomeg

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2014, 01:29:34 PM »
I actually read just th other day that white is out and all black is in. In case any of you need to immediately remodel your kitchen.

Jack

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #13 on: October 10, 2014, 01:42:17 PM »
I've noticed similar...The old look of warmer wood cabinets, tan fancy tile backsplashes, and swirly granite is out.   White cabinets with counters in white quartz/marble/soap stone with stupid white subway tile backsplashes are in.

Hey, my parents' kitchen (built in 1993) is back in style!

(Well, other than the fact that their white tile is square instead of rectangular and that they have white laminate countertops with a cherry woodgrain edge instead of stone... and the wallpaper that I thought was terrible even back in '93...)

I actually read just th other day that white is out and all black is in. In case any of you need to immediately remodel your kitchen.

Damn. Never mind; I guess I spoke too soon!

russianswinga

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #14 on: October 10, 2014, 03:12:02 PM »
This actually hits really close to home - we just finished our kitchen remodel in our condo. Did it all ourselves - no contractor. Busted open a wall, did new drywall, new texturing... ripped out all cabinets (30 years old and rotting), the only professional service we got was installing quartz countertop.
Costs were roughly 1.5K ikea cabinets, 2.5K counter, 1k appliances, etc... floor tile, wall mosaic glass was another 2K in materials alone. we're easily pushing $6K in a kitchen that is 10 ft x 12 ft that we are doing ourselves.
10K for a kitchen the size of a 1 bedroom apartment as the OP posted is not a realistic number. $25K+ I'll believe.

Here is our before photo as we bought the condo


A "during" photo"


And an "after" photo (ceilings and texture are all done now and there are bar lights, I just don't have a more recent photo)


justajane

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #15 on: October 10, 2014, 06:24:19 PM »
I love the remodel russianswinga! Our kitchen is the mirror image of yours with white cabinets and black counter tops. It is from the 80s or so, but we have no plans to upgrade it, mainly because we would do something in the exact same color palette. It's hard to justify the cost, all things considered.
 
$10,000 is a steal to remodel a kitchen. Are you sure that number is correct?

iris lily

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #16 on: October 10, 2014, 08:04:15 PM »
russianswinga, I have to say that you ripped out cabinets that I consciously look for in my haunting of Realtor.com. :) Oh well!

Ze-french-architecte

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #17 on: October 12, 2014, 04:26:26 AM »
To keep to the first post, I hope someone reused that granit they replaced with granite.
It is so environmentally un-friendly to quarry stone, move it (heavy = gas consuming) finish it... If it's not going to last. If it is, then IMo (i don't have numbers to give) It's better than using "modern" materials held together by solvents and glues and heated and compressed...
Did you know most granite is radioactive though ? Sealed limestone would be my choice.
Someone mentionned formica. Formica (diner's style) is IN in Europe.
And thanks to Emily, diy IS fun, creative and inexpensive. A good reason to make it a regular hobby.
The advice that I prefer is uncluttering and having a few very nice pieces. Yes. Absolutely.

For the kitchen remodel pictures, I thinks the existing cabinets could have been nice with new hardware and a very good paint job because they were just so square. I understand they were rotting so of course they had to go ! But anyone who has similar cabinets should not go wasting energy on replacing them entirely !!!

Davids

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #18 on: October 12, 2014, 09:04:20 AM »
Russianswinga, awesome job on the remodeling.

VirginiaBob

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #19 on: October 13, 2014, 09:31:06 PM »
Someone we know just shared their kitchen remodel photos.  The original Kitchen was less than 5 years old, and the largest kitchen I've ever seen, BTW (it's in Texas, prob 600-800 sq. ft.).  Anyhow, they did a $10k kitchen remodel, throwing away the massive 4 year old Granite countertops, and changing the color of the cabinets (which were pretty high end to start with).  The island in the kitchen alone was about 12x4  I'll try to add the before / after pics so you can see for yourself.

I've noticed similar...The old look of warmer wood cabinets, tan fancy tile backsplashes, and swirly granite is out.   White cabinets with counters in white quartz/marble/soap stone with stupid white subway tile backsplashes are in.   I'm amazed at how many people are tearing out their perfectly good, expensive (possibly still not paid for), kitchens to replace with the above.   The sad thing is that while I really like white kitchen cabinets and soapstone myself, I do think that having a kitchen with the exact look I described is going to look dated fast.

I'm actually interested in interior decorating/design and think that it can be very hard to walk the line between stylish/not outdated and just ridiculously bending to trends.   Hind sight is 20/20 whether something new is the new norm that will be around for a while (like stainless steel appliances seem to be), or a trend that will quickly look dated.   My own plan is to try to look for things that I've seen around for a long time in the homes of people whose taste I trust (trying to find classics), and try to do cosmetic updates only if I'm confident that I'll love them for a long time, and/or that are super inexpensive/use minimal resources to do/change.

The funny thing is that I have the white subway tile backsplash in my kitchen from back when it was popular in the 50's.   My kitchen made it through an entire trend cycle on this item (in style, went out of style, and now back in style).  Now as soon as those shag carpets are back in style, I'll be living in the trendiest house in town.

iris lily

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #20 on: October 13, 2014, 09:34:18 PM »
...

The funny thing is that I have the white subway tile backsplash in my kitchen from back when it was popular in the 50's.   My kitchen made it through an entire trend cycle on this item (in style, went out of style, and now back in style). 

So cool!!!!!!!

tmac

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #21 on: October 14, 2014, 07:47:30 AM »
I'm slowly coming around to the idea that our house decor should be in whatever style was "in" when it was built in 1957. Keeps down on the churn and helps with CL/Goodwill shopping.

This website has an awesome "by the decade" section: http://retrorenovation.com/

And we have a pink bathroom that I really don't want to change anymore: http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/

iris lily

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #22 on: October 14, 2014, 08:10:57 AM »
I'm slowly coming around to the idea that our house decor should be in whatever style was "in" when it was built in 1957. Keeps down on the churn and helps with CL/Goodwill shopping.

This website has an awesome "by the decade" section: http://retrorenovation.com/

And we have a pink bathroom that I really don't want to change anymore: http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/

Thank you for not ruining that pink bathroom!!! I love that website and would love to have a pink bathroom.

horsepoor

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #23 on: October 14, 2014, 12:57:20 PM »
I'm slowly coming around to the idea that our house decor should be in whatever style was "in" when it was built in 1957. Keeps down on the churn and helps with CL/Goodwill shopping.

I just can't bear to surround myself in 1978aliciousness

I'm wondering if the remodel pricetag in the OP is missing a zero - it wouldn't be hard to spend $100,000 on that big of a high-end remod.

seanc0x0

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Re: Replacing Granite Countertops....with Granite Countertops
« Reply #24 on: October 15, 2014, 08:19:47 AM »
I'm slowly coming around to the idea that our house decor should be in whatever style was "in" when it was built in 1957. Keeps down on the churn and helps with CL/Goodwill shopping.

I just can't bear to surround myself in 1978aliciousness

I'm wondering if the remodel pricetag in the OP is missing a zero - it wouldn't be hard to spend $100,000 on that big of a high-end remod.

We have the same problem. Hard to believe one decade could be so... ugly.

We replaced the (original) brown carpet in the house last year with laminate, we're currently saving up to remodel a bathroom that's sorely in need of repairs (sink is rusted out, for one), then the driveway needs redoing. After that, I'll start thinking about the kitchen.

Wow, that last paragraph really drives home why it's often better to rent! ;)