Author Topic: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything  (Read 9774 times)

Khaetra

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Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« on: February 13, 2018, 06:11:49 AM »
The time has come to finally remodel my very old, ugly and falling apart kitchen.  I've been wanting to do it for a long time and put it off as long as possible, but my (ahem) beautiful avocado green sink now has a hole in it (it's a '70's kitchen, of course avocado green!) and is leaking, so it's probably time.  Ideally I could replace just the sink, but the way they put it in and with everything else falling apart and rotted away it's best to just redo it all.  It's a small galley kitchen, like pictured here: https://www.kitchen-design-angel.com/galley-kitchens.html (only brighter and more avocado).

To keep it mustachian, I am not ripping out walls, putting in beams, etc. because to open it up would be much more time, effort and way more than my budget would allow.  I am going to replace all the cabinets, countertops and flooring.  The stove and fridge are newer (purchased within the past couple years so they are staying) and I am not putting in a dishwasher (we hand wash anyway since the washer we have hasn't worked in over 10 years).  I plan on doing all the work myself (with help from friends) to keep labor costs down and I enjoy getting my hands dirty.

So I am looking for any and all advice from those who have done this themselves (or hired out certain jobs).  What kind of cabinets did you go with, what countertops (I'd like to do tile ones and do it myself), what issues did you have, etc.  I would like to keep my budget around $6K total, less would be ideal but I also don't want to cheap out (no Ikea!) and end up with flimsy cabinets that will fall apart after a few years.

Another Reader

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2018, 06:23:43 AM »
If you are handy, these cabinets are reasonable and decent quality.

https://www.rtacabinetstore.com/RTA-Kitchen-Cabinets/

Put the dishwasher in.  The plumbing is already there and buyers expect it.  You will sell at some point.

Laminate is fine for countertops in a modest kitchen.

boarder42

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2018, 06:32:50 AM »
RTA is one optio

Cabinets to go is another

Cliq studios is yet another

Cabinets.com is another.

And Ikea is also an option but only have painted cabinets.

Most of these places will design your kitchen for you for free with their cabinets you just have to provide dimensions and pictures. 

Capt j-rod

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2018, 06:36:48 AM »
I live near an Amish community. Cabinets are very well made and very reasonable. I was able to keep the cabinets reasonable by picking  a more simple design on the doors and drawers, and eliminated pulls and knobs with their design. Countertops are pretty crazy. I use large format granite tile and bought the seaming epoxy to prevent grout lines. Everything else came out of the big box retail clearance and closeout. Faucets, sinks, appliances etc. Can lights with LED retrofits, tiles backsplash was discontinued pattern. It can all be done quite reasonable.

kimmarg

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #4 on: February 13, 2018, 08:08:57 AM »
Put the dishwasher in.  The plumbing is already there and buyers expect it.  You will sell at some point.

You're redoing the kitchen for YOU. if you dont' use a dishwasher don't put it in - leave it as extra cabinet space with the plumbing capped off so someone else can redo it easily if they want to.

Brother Esau

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2018, 09:24:29 AM »
Put the dishwasher in.  The plumbing is already there and buyers expect it.  You will sell at some point.

You're redoing the kitchen for YOU. if you dont' use a dishwasher don't put it in - leave it as extra cabinet space with the plumbing capped off so someone else can redo it easily if they want to.

I think this is a good idea. Most future buyers will expect a dishwasher to be in the kitchen the same way they expect a fridge and oven.

jeromedawg

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2018, 10:02:27 AM »
Just curious but for those recommending the online ordering of cabinets, do you normally hire handymen to assemble and hang them for you? Or do you go full-blast DIY? It seems like it could get tricky trying to hang cabinets yourself. How is the assembly part too?

Khaetra

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2018, 10:04:26 AM »
First off, thank you Another Reader and boarder42 for the RTA recommendation, as that's exactly what I was looking for cabinet-wise.  I don't mind building/assembling so those are right up my alley.

As for the dishwasher, I am redoing this for me and do not plan on selling (I will probably die here..but not anytime soon!).  It's already been capped off (had the whole house repiped) and I plan to replace that space with a cabinet for more storage.

kendallf

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2018, 10:26:34 AM »
I've done this job a couple of times; one more cheap source for good cabinets can be a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore or other used building supplies store.  I bought the cabinets for my last house for ~$300 from a local place called Eco Relics.  They came from a mansion that was being demolished and were originally high end custom work.

Be aware that used stuff will require much more skill and creativity in fitting, modifying and making someone else's design work for you.

Take your time, level the base cabinets and make sure they're solidly attached, then doing a countertop isn't really that bad.  Using big rendered granite tiles with a minimal, epoxy grout seam works well and is cheap.  Laminate is surprisingly easy to do nowadays with an inexpensive trim router as well.  Full slab granite can be DIY but it's a big step up in difficulty.

The uppers you'll need two people to hang or some creative work with a drywall hoist or the like.  Again, make sure the walls are plumb and square *before* you get started hanging cabinets.

Fishindude

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2018, 10:34:53 AM »
Don't cheap out.   Put the dishwasher in, get nice new appliances, open up walls if necessary, etc. 
Your kitchen is the most used room in your home.

GizmoTX

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2018, 10:43:25 AM »
Consider full extension drawers instead of lower cabinets. You'll get more storage, especially for a small kitchen, & it's much easier on your back. Yes, they're more expensive but much more useful. You can do Ikea innards & put your own fronts on them.

PKate

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2018, 12:15:15 PM »
If you are planning on retiring in the house I strongly suggest looking into making the kitchen aging in place friendly.   Our current home didn't have a dishwasher in it till I tore my rotator cuff and couldn't hand wash dishes for months. My DH ordered a dishwasher after a week of hand washing dishes.    So I am now pro dishwasher even if I only use it as a drying rack on good days. 

You could leave a space and hook ups for a dishwasher and have an easy to remove cabinet in that space if you ever need to add a dishwasher later.

I have health issues that make it very hard for me to stand for stretches at a time and it is creating more physical limitations for me.  I want the new kitchen to allow me to continue cooking from scratch on a daily basis.   My current kitchen does not make it easy to sit while cooking and that is a real problem at the moment.

So when we redo the kitchen the cabinets below the sink and the stove top will be designed so I can sit on a stool and have some place for my knees to go.  The wall oven will have a side hinge door.   Part of the counter will roll out butch block table that is just the right height for me to sit and prep food at.  Hardware and fixtures will be chosen based on ergonomics and the appliances based on possible future wheel chair use.  (My sister is already in a wheel chair so this is something we need to plan for.) While this will make the renovation somewhat more expensive it will mean that we can live here for decades. It will also make it easier for my in laws to move in when they get to a point where they can not live in their current home.

While this may not be a need now it is worth looking at simple design changes that will allow you to age in place or recover from a major medical issue till you are back to your old self.   


lbmustache

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2018, 12:44:24 PM »
Cabinets are likely going to be the biggest expense. Solid wood is always your best bet, ideally you want features like dovetailing (https://www.cabinets.com/benefits-of-dovetail-drawers) that indicate the quality. However, solid wood is expensive, you can do solid wood for the fronts and/or sides, and have the inside be MDF to save money. We did maple wood throughout - I think this is a medium cost wood, oak is cheaper, cherry is more expensive, etc.

If you're feeling fancy, soft-close hinges and slides (sounds stupid, but really does make a difference). We also did lazy Susans in the corners (http://im-7.eefa.co/kv-wks24st-plywd-s7.jpg) and roll out drawers (http://flairrollouts.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/22.jpg) which I love. You can buy a lot of these systems online (e.g. Container Store, or cheaper places) and DIY.

Tiling yourself is a great choice and will save a significant amount of money. We did quartz slabs, but I know you can do the traditional (porcelain?) tiles or even granite tiles. I think the traditional tiles tend to look a bit nicer, although they seem a bit more susceptible to chipping.

Flooring is up to you, we have stone tiles which are great because they are waterproof, cheap, and pretty easy to install (minus the cutting, but you can DIY if you have the proper tools). Downside is that they are cold and hard, but neither bother us. We did the whole floor and placed the cabinets on top, so if there was a leak, the water wouldn't seep below the tiles and pool into the cabinets.

.

20957

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #13 on: February 13, 2018, 04:40:01 PM »
We are looking at Duraceramic for the floors of a kitchen project we're involved in. Looks like tile, but easier to install and softer on the feet, like vinyl

Cranky

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #14 on: February 13, 2018, 04:53:23 PM »
It will take longer never than you think. That’s my remodeling advice ce.

boarder42

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #15 on: February 13, 2018, 06:38:11 PM »
Minus asthetics I'm confused as to why you put in doors with roll out drawers instead of drawers. Here let's make 3 motions over 1.

bacchi

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #16 on: February 13, 2018, 07:24:48 PM »
Just curious but for those recommending the online ordering of cabinets, do you normally hire handymen to assemble and hang them for you? Or do you go full-blast DIY? It seems like it could get tricky trying to hang cabinets yourself. How is the assembly part too?

We just installed some RTA Cabinets. Assembly is easy. Installing is harder. There was a lot of swearing. :)

For the upper cabinets, we screwed in a 2x4 just below the cabinet level. The upper cabinet can rest on it with a little pushing pressure until the drill is ready.

We assembled an 8' tall pantry cabinet on the ground in the living room, pushed it upright, and then realized that it wouldn't fit under the beam near the kitchen. Oops. We had to disassemble it, move the pieces into the kitchen, and assemble it upright in the kitchen.

lbmustache

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #17 on: February 13, 2018, 08:37:07 PM »
Minus asthetics I'm confused as to why you put in doors with roll out drawers instead of drawers. Here let's make 3 motions over 1.

Easier for pots and pans is my guess. I actually hadn't thought about it till now.

Cranky

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #18 on: February 14, 2018, 04:52:04 AM »
Minus asthetics I'm confused as to why you put in doors with roll out drawers instead of drawers. Here let's make 3 motions over 1.

Easier for pots and pans is my guess. I actually hadn't thought about it till now.

It's a more flexible space. I got a cabinet with roll outs for my dishes, and I can arrange them in more ways than if I just had drawers.

rosarugosa

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #19 on: February 14, 2018, 08:19:16 AM »
Good luck with this!  We are way overdue for a remodel of our extremely archaic kitchen, so look forward to reading all suggestions and bright ideas.

boarder42

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #20 on: February 14, 2018, 08:20:48 AM »
Minus asthetics I'm confused as to why you put in doors with roll out drawers instead of drawers. Here let's make 3 motions over 1.

Easier for pots and pans is my guess. I actually hadn't thought about it till now.

It's a more flexible space. I got a cabinet with roll outs for my dishes, and I can arrange them in more ways than if I just had drawers.

i'd like to see an example of when a roll out drawer with doors is more easily arranged than just a drawer.  the only differenc is the height of the sides - which you'd think you could get a drawer with lower sides and obtain all space requirements. as long as the drawer is full extention - i still submit this is purely asthetic until presented with a concrete example that show doors with drawers inside is different than just a drawer.

Mr.GrowingMustache

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #21 on: February 14, 2018, 08:29:44 AM »
I redid my kitchen using RTA cabinets. The quality was good, EXCEPT for the hinges and it took a while to adjust the doors, and the soft close features worked like crap, but otherwise it was very good.
I still have some crooked doors :/ because of bad hinge mounting, but most people wont notice.

The prep work and planning is the biggest thing.

- Make sure everything is leveled and flat.
- Have a helper help you mount cabinets on the wall.
- Highly recommend to get a level laser for those cabinet lines, borrow one if you can.
- You can make your own counter top! Concrete cast counter top or butcher block counter top.
- I used a butcher block countertop and did all the cutouts and finishing myself. Cost me $250 for the butcher block, and it looks amazing. I finished it with 7-10 coats of Waterlox. I suggest 1 coat per day with light sanding between each coat. Only problem I had was with low quality butcher block, it had these stupid voids that they filled with wood filler, water eventually penetrated the wood filler so I had to remove all the stupid wood filler, put epoxy in there and refinish again with 3 coats.
- Ikea has good butcher blocks. Make sure to put a few coats and seal it right away so moisture doesn't get in and warp.
- Watch a bunch of kitchen installations on youtube! Lots of pros showing their work.
- Redo your floor while your at it?


Good luck!



alanB

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #22 on: February 14, 2018, 08:32:19 AM »
Minus asthetics I'm confused as to why you put in doors with roll out drawers instead of drawers. Here let's make 3 motions over 1.

Easier for pots and pans is my guess. I actually hadn't thought about it till now.

It's a more flexible space. I got a cabinet with roll outs for my dishes, and I can arrange them in more ways than if I just had drawers.

i'd like to see an example of when a roll out drawer with doors is more easily arranged than just a drawer.  the only differenc is the height of the sides - which you'd think you could get a drawer with lower sides and obtain all space requirements. as long as the drawer is full extention - i still submit this is purely asthetic until presented with a concrete example that show doors with drawers inside is different than just a drawer.

I have these ridiculous roll out drawers behind doors, great for if you want everything to fall onto the lower level when you pull it out then you have to take everything out of the cabinet to get it to roll back in.  I have seen some (more organized) people make it work though, so maybe that is more of a personal problem ;)

ETA: note that you also lose a little space on the sides for the tracks, only a few inches, but every square inch counts!!
« Last Edit: February 14, 2018, 08:34:04 AM by alanB »

jeninco

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #23 on: February 14, 2018, 08:51:23 AM »
My advice is to back up, if you haven't already.

What do you cook in this kitchen? What tools and appliances do you use regularly? How can you arrange those things in a way that makes the things you use all the time easy to find and get to, and where can you put things like dishes that you move back and forth multiple time/day?

For instance, if you had a dishwasher, you'd want to put it close to both the sink and the cabinet that holds the dishes. In your case, where will the drying rack go? (Or are you one of those unicorn people who hand dries and puts away everything as soon as you wash it?) How can you minimize the distance you have to move with a handful of dishes when you're taking them out/putting them away?

Pick something you make a lot, say spaghetti sauce. Where will the canned tomatoes live? How about onions and garlic? Spices? olive oil? How many different places will you have to go to gather the components for cooking this one dish? How about pots and pans and pasta? (and salt!)

One activity that's useful is to take every single thing out of all your cabinets and cupboards and arrange them all someplace (counters, floors, dining room table -- whatever). Take this moment to weed out the stuff you no longer use. Then look at the rest and see if there's a sensible way to organize it. You may find, for instance, that you have a ton of baking trays and cutting boards. Great! If the cabinet measurements work out that way, we have a 10 inch wide by full-height cabinet with a vertical divider in the center -- great for holding baking sheets, the griddle for our stovetop, and a few other miscellaneous very tall but not very wide items (like the huge cutting board we use only for rolling out dough).

Good luck!

ReadySetMillionaire

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #24 on: February 14, 2018, 09:03:20 AM »
Have you thought about painting the cabinets?  My wife and I did that and it it only cost about $150.

Pictures below:




Fomerly known as something

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #25 on: February 14, 2018, 10:51:04 AM »
Check and see if any of the bath/kitchen supply stores have an outlet around you.  There is a local one around where I live that has decent prices on good quality cabinets if you are willing to poke around the warehouse and is pick up only.

bacchi

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #26 on: February 14, 2018, 11:08:32 AM »
Have you thought about painting the cabinets?  My wife and I did that and it it only cost about $150.

Nice. It's a dramatic difference. It went from blah 80s to nice looking kitchen.

Why is there a plug (?) on the furr down above the window?

ReadySetMillionaire

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #27 on: February 14, 2018, 12:55:16 PM »
Have you thought about painting the cabinets?  My wife and I did that and it it only cost about $150.

Nice. It's a dramatic difference. It went from blah 80s to nice looking kitchen.

Why is there a plug (?) on the furr down above the window?

It's not an outlet, just a blank cover thing that I assumed was there due to installing the light above the sink way before we moved in.

Also, we are painting the kitchen a soft green in a couple weeks...should be fun.

Khaetra

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #28 on: February 14, 2018, 03:32:44 PM »
Have you thought about painting the cabinets?  My wife and I did that and it it only cost about $150.

If I had cabinets like that that were in good shape I would (awesome job they look beautiful!), but my cabinets are falling apart.  I'm not exaggerating by saying that, the cabinets are all particle board and bottoms of three drawers have fallen out, the whole front face of where the sink is has come unattached, I've screwed the door fronts to the cabinets so there's no gaping holes.  If there was ever a kitchen that needed help this one is it.

I ordered cabinets from RTA this morning (pretty white ones) and I am looking at tile for both the countertops and floor.  I should probably post pics of before, during and after somewhere.  It'll be a big difference when it's done.

affordablehousing

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #29 on: February 14, 2018, 04:05:46 PM »
Just want to throw two cents in there that a tile counter is an awful idea, uneven to work on, grout lines even epoxy grout getting dirty, worries over chipping. I would vote for solid surface like Corian or any of the other companies' offerings. Cheap, easy to cut with woodworking tools, looks and performs better than tile. Tile is useful for backsplashes where a smaller format allows for slightly out of plumb walls.

Mrs. PoP

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #30 on: February 14, 2018, 04:38:31 PM »
Minus asthetics I'm confused as to why you put in doors with roll out drawers instead of drawers. Here let's make 3 motions over 1.

Easier for pots and pans is my guess. I actually hadn't thought about it till now.

It's a more flexible space. I got a cabinet with roll outs for my dishes, and I can arrange them in more ways than if I just had drawers.

i'd like to see an example of when a roll out drawer with doors is more easily arranged than just a drawer.  the only differenc is the height of the sides - which you'd think you could get a drawer with lower sides and obtain all space requirements. as long as the drawer is full extention - i still submit this is purely asthetic until presented with a concrete example that show doors with drawers inside is different than just a drawer.

The bottom of my pantry has doors that open up with a sliding tray on the bottom and a non-fixed shelf on the top.   

I store my large appliances (big convection toaster oven, heavy duty food processor) on the bottom, and rolling the tray out is really useful to get them out.  Then the shelf has small appliances (immersion blender, hand mixer, etc) that I can just reach in and grab easily.  Being able to move the shelf makes the space more flexible and helps me save space, since you might not realize how much space you lose with drawers, particularly if you have face frame cabinets. 

scottish

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #31 on: February 19, 2018, 06:06:52 PM »
We did our kitchen 2 years ago.   It was pretty worn out.

The company we ordered cabinets from convinced us to go with less expensive MDF instead of plywood.    I think this was a mistake.   The MDF is pretty susceptible to water damage as I noticed when we had a small dishwasher leak.

I'm not sure why they pushed the less expensive cabinets, but I have discovered that other manufacturers do the same thing.   So i'd recommend plywood if it's not too late.

Astatine

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #32 on: February 19, 2018, 10:41:57 PM »
I'm hopefully getting my kitchen redone mid-year but we'll be paying a builder to do it (for many reasons, including physical disabiliy).

I would suggest putting in a dishwasher. As others have noted, it's important for resale (even if you don't think you'll move any time soon, you never know what the future will hold). And, you also never know if you'll end up with some sort of temporary or permanent physical issues that a dishwasher would help with. I say this as someone who has never lived with a functioning dishwasher (I'm in my mid forties) but I've been reliant on DH being able to handwash dishes for the past few years due to me having some fairly serious health issues. If DH is ever injured, even temporarily, we're screwed.

Cranky

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #33 on: February 20, 2018, 05:27:18 AM »
We've done our remodeling with the intention of aging in place, and one thing that I did was pretty much only have bottom cabinets. I have two glass fronted cabinets (and was interested to find that glass doors are much more expensive that wood) for displaying stuff, but that's it. I am short and can only reach the bottom shelf in those cabinets anyway, and I don't see myself climbing the step stool in my old age.

I found that I didn't care about the counters, but my dh did. He wanted granite and he enjoyed the whole process - he liked going to the granite place and picking out the slab and all that. They do look nice and I find them very easy to take care of.

The downside, IMO, is that we had to have all the cabinets installed before the granite measuring could happen, and then there were several weeks before the counters were ready and installed. Formica could have gone in right away.

Mesmoiselle

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #34 on: February 20, 2018, 05:38:55 AM »
It will take longer than you think.

1. There was a death in the family with someone we were very close to and we couldn't make ourselves do renovations for a solid week. We could hardly clean.
2. If the cabinets are that bad, then I wonder very heavily at the supportive structures. Nearly every figgen time I tore up some floor or pulled off the plaster and laith, there was structural damage to repair. Additionally, the studs weren't the same distance apart by a long shot. We added lots of studs, and horzontal studs to hang our future stuff on. Like the exhaust fan, the microwave, the doggy door.
3. When two of us weren't working with the third to help when he got home from work, we were moving at a fair enough pace to make me think we could start cabinet install 6 weeks after starting. We were wrong.  That death in the family hit, using up the last few weeks of "off from work time".  The two people who were off off went back to work, and then it was three people doing it part time. We tore out the sink Mid november and just got our sink back this week. We've been doing dishes in the bathtub twice a week this entire time.
4. Only to find out the faucet I'd ordered, the cold water copper piping at it's base leaked. Good thing I didn't have MDF cabinets. So now our hot water tap is our source for cold water and only hot water comes out of the main faucet.


Not to mention the frustrations of working with a contractor for the cabinets.  I know you aren't dealing with that. But you may or may not be dealing with a plumber and electrician? Whereas we DIYed plumbing and electrical ourselves.  I would say dealing with a Contractor on the cabinets, and all the imperfections I could see that he would "forget" now make me wish I'd just done it myself. I also feel tricked but that's another story.  Doing it myself would have added yet more months to a project that was started in November and isn't close to finished. We walk on subflooring (future ceramic tile), most of the outlets are empty attached boxes, and we use a ladder to go into the basement because we had to move the stairs to move a wall and add floor 4x4s.

And now I've injured my shoulder. So the person with the most time and 2nd place on the most skills can't even cut vegetables. So, consider emotional and physical setbacks while you're at it, eh?

good luck


Pigeon

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #35 on: February 20, 2018, 06:47:37 AM »
We did ours DIY several years ago. 

We bought high quality, wooden cabinets from a local manufacturer.  They were well worth the money.  We got Corian countertops because at the time, the kitchen place that did our cabinets had a special  that made some Corian actually slighter cheaper than the Formica we were leaning toward.  I like the Corian better than laminate, but if I had it to do over again, I would spring for granite.  I do like the integral sink that you can get with Corian, but you have to be careful of it or it scratches and discolors.  But it's so easy to keep clean without having any seems.

I've had tile countertops.  Yuck.  The big granite tiles with minimal grout lines are a little better than traditional tile, but I wouldn't do either.

I regret not going for under-cabinet lighting. No way in hell would I not have a dishwasher.  We didn't get new appliances though.

I really struggled with flooring choices.  I have beautiful custom cherry flooring in adjacent rooms, but it is way too easily scratched for a kitchen, and I didn't think oak hardwood would look good adjacent to it.  Dh did most of the work over a summer (teacher) and didn't have the time it would take to put down tile.  I ended up with a slate look laminate that was pretty expensive, has held up perfectly and is easy to keep clean.  I happen to love tile though, and I wish we'd contracted that out to get it done.

I agree with the pp who said to think about the amount of time you spend in the kitchen.  It's the center of our house and I'd rather spend on getting it done well.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2018, 08:23:59 PM by Pigeon »

MsGuided

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #36 on: February 22, 2018, 10:07:41 AM »
Hey Khaetra,
Everyone's preferences and willingness and ability to spend on a kitchen vary wildly, but getting advice and feedback can be super helpful.  We just completed a non-Mustachian kitchen remodel (paid for in cash, but still quite spendypants) and I sweated every detail because I'd waited 13 years to do it and wanted to get the best bang for my buck on every single thing.

I spent hours on Houzz Gardenwebs forum reading all about kitchen layout, appliances, the virtues of various countertop surfaces and cabinet quality etc.  It sounds like you're planning to do something pretty modest (and, good on you as a Mustachian!), but it's probably worthwhile if you have the funds to strategically decide what areas might be more worthwhile spending a little more on depending on what you value.  You plan to stay forever, so I'd just remodel it based on your taste/preferences.  For example, countertops.  You mentioned possibly tiles, which many people don't like for countertops due to grout.  I'd say, from reading tons of personal opinions, that more people would be happy with laminate over tiles from a utilitarian perspective. Granite tiles might be preferred for someone who places a high value on a granite look etc.

One option that is both loved and hated is IKEA wood/butcherblock countertops.  They are not expensive.  Some people love them and say they are easy to maintain, others say they are a pain and show every scratch and ding.  Aesthetically, I think they're nice, but I've never personally had them. 

My personal choices if I were in your position would be to do a laminate countertop and spend $ on lazy susan and pullout shelves or drawers for increased function as a previous poster mentioned  We got drawers (mostly) on lowers and a super susan in the corner and LOVE them.  Ours were part of our overall cabinet order, but you can buy those individually online and I think it would be worth the extra money.

Good luck!!

chickinyow

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #37 on: February 22, 2018, 10:12:14 AM »
I would seriously recommend putting in the dishwasher even if you don't use it. You can get them for not that much money. I seldom use mine either, but it is expected in ANY kitchen these days, and since you have the plumbing and the space there already it would be a shame to lose that feature. Any future buyers will expect one. I know you say you aren't planning to sell, but life has a way of changing. We weren't planning to sell either, but we did just that this past summer.
« Last Edit: February 22, 2018, 10:14:09 AM by chickinyow »

Khaetra

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #38 on: February 22, 2018, 11:11:28 AM »
Thank you for all the replies/tips!  For those saying add a washer, I decided against a built-in and instead went for a portable one, which will add both washing and a bit more counter space when I need it.  The cabinets I ordered are these and should be arriving in a few days: https://www.thertastore.com/kitchen-cabinets/rta-kitchen-cabinets/dakota-white.html

I looked at countertops and didn't find anything I liked nor anything to fit as the sink side is a weird size (107 3/4" wall to wall) so I decided to go with granite tile (the look for less! LOL!) and have been watching videos on YouTube.  I do know how to tile, but I want to make sure I get it right the first time.  I lucked out on the flooring because Home Depot has a tonnage of light-colored tile on clearance for $.57/sq ft.  So I not only bought enough to do the kitchen but the entire house*.  I've been slowly taking the old bricks off the walls and patching/sanding/rinse/repeat, but I can't do much else until my new stuff arrives and I start to dismantle the old.  I do have two pics up on Instagram (@pixilox) and will add more as things get done.

*Due to hurricane damage and sitting water, my tile that's down now is popping up and cracking, so it would need to be replaced anyway and that price I decided to go for it.

gooki

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #39 on: February 23, 2018, 07:15:23 PM »
This cabinets look great, I wish we had similar options here in NZ.

112ontoyou

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #40 on: February 25, 2018, 09:28:42 AM »
For counter tops, we went to a local granite shop and found pre-fab pieces.  They had thousands available.  They already have the edges done and come with a 4" back splash included in the price. 

  The lowest priced options were $99 for 9 feet long pieces, already counter depth with the edging already bullnosed.  We upgraded to about $179 per piece for a selection we liked and used the back splash that matched (included in the price).  We ended up with 5 total for the project.

All in for granite pieces - about $1000.  We got a referral to a local fabricator who came to the house and measured - price for and fabrication, delivery and installation - about $1100. 

For $2100 we got an amazing set of counter tops that are going to last my lifetime.  This was cheaper than any quote we got for corian or granite from Home Depot.

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Re: Kitchen remodel...tell me everything
« Reply #41 on: February 26, 2018, 04:58:05 PM »
If you are looking at having glass doors put in don't order the glass from the cabinet place.  Someone else said they were more expensive.  I have 4 glass front doors, the place I got mine cabinets from doesn't do the glass themselves.  So I ordered essentially 4 glass door frames.  The glass from a local glass place was $40 plus tax total.