My refrigerator died-Now I have to remodel the kitchen?
The fridge really doesn't owe us anything. It is (was?) an Amana that came used from a neighbor about 5 years ago for $200. Our previous fridge (a Kenmore) we got in 1986 used from my family. It had been in a mother-in-law apartment in my parent's home for a few years, and before that had belonged to my sister in Vermont for a long while, perhaps 8 or 10 years. So, after 20+ years, it didn't owe us anything either. So now we need a fridge. Not having a neighbor looking to get rid of a fridge, and my family plumb out of spare appliances, we decide that now may be the time to buy our first new kitchen appliance ever. Did I mention we've been married for almost 20 years (and that we're both pretty frugal?) The first thing I remembered was that we have a Sears Appliance Outlet about 8 miles from our house. This is a place where all of the returns and refurbishes and delivery damages go to be sold. All refrigerators are at least 25% off. Last weekend, all "Bottom Mount" (freezer on the bottom) refrigerators were on sale at 50% off regular Sears price (Bottom mounts are not for us, however). So I take measurements of my refrigerator area and hop into my trusty Tahoe and on the way to the outlet, my brakes fail. I still have a working secondary system that will stop the truck, eventually, so since I'm nearly there, I carefully make the U turn and pull into their parking lot. The First Problem Full size, large refrigerators require a 36" space. My space is 33", so this rules out pretty much all of the appliances that I'd like to buy. The Second Problem My other kitchen appliances are all in the "Bisque" color. The manufacturers are eliminating the bisque color. If I buy a nice fridge in bisque, when my other appliances need replacing I won't be able to match them in color, never mind style. If I buy a nice fridge in another color or stainless steel, I will have spent a lot of money and still not have a matching fridge. The first idea is that I can spend $500 and get a smaller fridge in bisque, about the size of the current 22 Cubic Foot Amana, and make do. We've been talking about remodeling the kitchen to one extent or another for years. So if I buy the inexpensive bisque fridge, I know it will be "discarded" whenever we get around to the remodel project. So I start to think about ways that I could inexpensively remodel. The space for the fridge only has one cabinet to it's right side, but it's a full height pantry, and it is literally built into the soffit (an extension of the ceiling that comes down to meet the top of the wall cabinets.) I can move this 3 inches to the right, but then it gets very close to an outside door, and I will have to move the electrical box in the wall to inside the cabinet. That's not too bad at all, except I will have to cut the very bottom of the cabinet off so it can be dropped down and moved, and I will have to find filler for the area around the upper cabinet that is above the fridge. I will also have to trim off the lower 3/4 of an inch of the upper cabinet to allow a full height fridge to slide in. OK, that's an option. so we have two ways to go at this time: 1) buy a small matching bisque fridge for short money, knowing it will be discarded 2) buy a full-sized expensive fridge and do some relatively minor cabinetry to make it fit. Problem #3 Did I mention that our stove's oven sort of half dies a couple of months ago? One of the upper elements stopped working. So it's still functional -mostly- but the oven really needs to be repaired or replaced. It is about 18 years old. So, do I really want to even consider spending $500 on a fridge and then $200 on repairing the oven, and how long before that 18 year old dishwasher goes? So I'm leaning towards replacing the appliances. Finding a matched set at the huge Outlet Store will be a challenge, at best. More to follow... |
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| Oh, Ron! When it rains it pours! I am so sorry! Just thought I'd let you know....I was at Home Depot last night (imagine that! me at home depot.....it is my favorite store!!!) anyway, our store is having a huge appliance and flooring sale.....if you have one close to you.....it might be worth a shot! |
| ...and I think they're doing the interest free for a year financing if that's of interest to you....???? |
| Bottom mounts 50% off?????? I need to go there. Look upon this as an opportunity to get the kitchen you've always wanted. 20 years without buying a new appliance? Yer darn lucky.
And even if you weren't planning on remodeling, this thing always snowballs into a bigger project. So bite the bullet. I still cannot believe you didn't get a bottom mount. |
| I say buy the more expensive stainless steel model. If your other appliances were still in tip top shape and you were planning on keeping them for years to come, I'd say go for the matching cheap one.
But this way, you can add on new appliances when necessary--you don't have to do it in one fell swoop. |
| Ron id go with all new appliances...sounds like they did their jobs....but time to upgrade..if you do a bottom mount freezer make sure that it has full extension guides..nothing is worse than having to dig your way through your freezer on your hands and knees....
do you really want to remodel a cabinet to fit a 36 refer in? is the 33 enough space for the food that you have? I wouldnt do it unless you were planning on remodeling the whole kitchen..it may look "fixed"...not that im doubting your cabinet making expertise....lol...post a picture of the area.... |
I'm sure we could make it look right (That would be "we" as in me and TheGuru (remember him?) He is an experienced contractor and prefers finish carpentry -- and he made all of his own kitchen cabinets by hand. It's a beautiful kitchen. 
I have more to write on the subject ! |
Ron, you're rich. You must literally be making hundreds of cents off of all the commissions from oes.org! Treat yourself-- redo it all!  |
| Why not just bag the whole sheeeeebang and go for a new house |
Wow, we need a place like that around here. Our oven has died too (the bottom burner went out).  It died about a week ago, and I'm going to kill my crockpot using it so much...lol
Good luck with your kitchen - whatever you decide to do! |
| Memories, light the corner of my mind . . .
We redid our kitchen 4 years ago, and Paula's right - small projects have a way of turning into HUGE projects. When we did ours, we wanted to take down a small wall between the kitchen and the dinette to make a bigger room. It was only about 30" wide, so no big deal, right? WRONG! What we didn't remember that there were two heat pipes that ran up in that wall, so we had to call the heating company in to reroute the pipes - more money we didn't expect to pay. I can almost guarantee you that if you start doing the minor renovation to make a bigger fridge fit, you'll get the bug to do the whole kitchen anyway. So go for it!! Get rid of some of that old musty money!! You and Joan deserve it!! Chris |
| So where were we? Oh yes....
I'm leaning towards replacing all of the appliances. Well, if I'm going to do that, I'm not buying a small fridge to go with it. So I have to either 1) Move that cabinet 3", or 2) remodel the kitchen, including moving that cabinet 3". There is a problem in remodeling this kitchen. The kitchen is fairly large for Northeast standards, it is rectangular, about 19x14. However there are some issues and constraints. The kitchen also functions as a hallway to the Dining Room, which is currently in use as our home office. The kitchen is mostly built on a slab, with a crawl-space channel, so utilities routing and placement of water and electric is difficult if a) I move the range, or b) I don't keep the water over the channel. The whole room has a total of one standard double-hung window. I have installed tons of lighting and it's really bright when the lights are on, but with them off, it's dark and gloomy. So it suddenly dawns on me -- I can move the sink to where the fridge is and install a window over the sink. I can then move the fridge across the room and build a nice custom pantry along side it. I develop a floor plan, which isn't the best in the world (with the fridge across the room the work triangle is too large) but it's not terrible. Now I need to remodel the kitchen, but keep it affordable. My cabinets are mostly in good shape. Certainly the cases are fine and the face frames are fine, but one door has developed a crack and another's finish has been worn off from water splashing at the sink. They are dark, and we want lighter. Joan says "Cherry", and after taking her by the kitchen section at a home center (looking still at appliances, not at cabinets) where she happens to see some light Maple, she says "Cherry or Maple". So I'm thinking she wants either Maple or natural cherry, which certainly starts out light, but will darken with age. Turns out, I find much later, she actually wants a Cherry that has been lightly stained to a reddish color. I guess that means -- ASSUME NOTHING. Anyway I start to look at refinishing or refacing the cabinets. I don't think refinishing is viable because the cabinet doors are an unusual cathedral style and after stripping the old finish, I don't think it's feasible to think that I will be able to match the new cabinets to the old. So refacing and building some new cases it is. I can get Cherry doors finished lacquered natural (this was before the revelation of Joan's preferences for stain) for about $75 a piece; I'll probably need around 20. I'll need some lacquered veneer to match; a couple of sheets will cover the face frames, and probably a few more for ends. Perhaps more if the desire strikes. That'll be another $500. So for perhaps $2,200 in materials, I can have "new" cabinets, in a new layout. Enter TheGuru. TheGuru wants very little to do with a refacing job, and I don't blame him, but I got a budget. TheGuru keeps telling me to price out new cabinets. I keep saying that I have a tight budget. TheGuru does me the favor of taking my floor plan to his discount cabinet supplier, and comes up with $3,500 for Maple. He didn't bother pricing the Cherry, which is wood in which we're talking about doing the refacing. He just says that the cherry will be "more expensive". Thanks. At $3,500 the price is probably close to refacing taking installation into account, assuming I do the demo of the existing cabinets and haul the trash myself  At cherry's cost, it's probably more expensive to put in the new cabinets.
So $4,500 for cabinets with installation, plus another $1,000 (at least) for a window with installation, plus various and sundry things, we're looking at a good $7,000 to remodel. Not very cheap, but not huge. Certainly a lot less than I'd spend for a full gut-it and re-do it. So far, my fridge is up to $7,000, and I haven't bought the fridge yet. Maybe we should go back to moving that right cabinet 3"? More to come.... |
So I guess buying a new house isn't an option?????  Sounds less complicated. |
| Ron if you want fax me the dimensions of all your walls..with windows and doors (include the frame) and I can draw something up for you to take to the guru....i wouldnt do refacing either..it will cost almost as much as new, and you dont get all new drawers, guides, etc....
just let me know...i helped karen.... |
| Ron,
I've got a..hmm..well, I guess it's 14 years (used for 13) year old White, 33" (I think) side by side with ice/water sitting in my garage. It's in great shape. Come and get it, and it's yours.....If not, I have a 33" side by side in white currently in my kitchen. No ice maker. |
| Nice offer Josh... where were you two weeks ago? LOL! Sounds perfect. Oh wait, my brakes would have failed in New Jersey....
Darcy! That's very nice of you. I have posted the drawings I have done, one with annotations. The only existing window is at the desk, and is accurately displayed. The wall with the fridge displayed is 102 inches. Wall with sinkbase is 111", long wall is 228". Window is 42" at sill, and is 57" from pantry wall. Range must stay in place for backsplash, unless backsplash is to be repalced with new countertop. I guess since copper tubing is so small fridge could go almost anywhere, but sink/DW must stay over trench. Layout with annotations: http://photos.oes.org/displayimage.php?pos=-3855 Larger layout, s/b easier to read. I can give it to you in any size up to 4 times this size. http://photos.oes.org/displayimage.php?pos=-3856 Wow... talk about baring your (kitchen's) soul on the internet! Do we need before pictures? Does this mean I have to clean the kitchen first? |
| I'd also like to point out a few things that haven't been incorporated into, or noted on, the drawings;
We are thinking about a pocket door for the pantry, which will be triply good; 1) no swing to worry about 2) more cabinet space to left of window 3) will match the two sets of double pocket doors to the dining room and living room. The island currently has a breakfast bar; we intend to lower that to standard counter height and extend it about 6 inches into the hall and 15 inches towards the fridge as shown in the drawing. Also, we won't be changing the floor tile, so there has to be cabinets everywhere there are cabinets now; especially the island. |
Poor Ron sounds like big decisions. I learned something interesting by reading this post. Darcy I know your the expert from reading your posts. We were thinking about just refacing our cabinets. Does it really cost almost as much as replacing them and how come? Just curious. Were going to do something in a year or two so this post is interesting to me.If its any consolation to you Ron I've been cooking on only two burners of my electric stove for two years because two burners don't work and water is draining into the bottom of my fridge because I forgot to put a twistie on a bag of peas and they spilled in my freezer and clogged the drainage thing  |
Oh dear, sounds like moving might be easier then renovating for that new fridge.
We are just in the process of doing that, Moving, after being in our home for 23 years. We renovated 6 years ago and it drove me nuts, so we need an updated kitchen and bathrooms but told the other half, time to move. Am not going through that again LOL |
| OK, so where were we? $7,000 and no new appliances.
We made several trips to the outlet store, each time getting more confused about what to buy, what brand, what style, how to get it to match, etc., etc. I can't see the value in the difference in prices, can't tell the value brand to brand and now we are just generally confused. Finally we visited the main Sears store in the Natick Mall in Natick, Massachusetts. There we met with a salesman named Tom in the refrigerator department. Tom seems to know everything about every appliance of every brand and every model in his department. It was amazing. He spent a great deal of time with us, going over the different brands, the price points, features and benefits of this over that and really helped us to understand and focus on what we wanted. It's very seldom in this lifetime that you have the benefit of meeting such a salesman. Thanks Tom! So we left Tom and went back to the outlet..... no no no no... we didn't do that, although we COULD have done that! We went home, talked it over and decided we are going to buy a suite of Stainless Steel Whirlpool appliances from Sears. Whirlpool has a rebate going on RIGHT NOW if you hurry. Buy 2, get $100; buy 3 get $200 or buy 4 and get a $300 rebate. OK, we are planning on buying 4 so we're expecting to get $300 back. In addition, Sears is having a huge sale event as well. If you use your Sears card, buy 1 appliance get a 10% rebate, buy 2 get a 15% rebate, and buy 3 or more, get a 20% rebate. Also Search has a price match guarantee; if you find the same item (and they actually carry identical stock items with identical manufacturer's model numbers to other stores!) for a lower price, they'll match it plus 10%. Joan found the fridge for $200 less and the microwave for $40 less, saving us another $264. Also, the same store with the fridge for $200 less was offering free delivery so they whacked another $65 off the price. Then we went to the other kitchen appliance area (No, Tom can't sell ranges and dishwashers and microwaves, a complaint that I registered with the department manager who oversees both departments.) A slaeslady names Siu (pronounced like "Sue") was equally knowlegable as Tom,a nd spent hours with Joan and me. Turns out that Whirlpool didn't have a model with a stainless steel insides for their highest line, go figure. The sound levels for the dishwashers were silly, so Joan and I EVENTUALLY bought the Kenmore model that is made by Bosch, at 52 decibels it ought to be nearly whisper quiet. The Whirlpool models were 62 decibles, exactly twice as loud. So we paid a bit more AND lost $100 worth of rebate from Whirlpool.
All told we wound up saving 29.98% on our appliances including taxes and delivery charges. We wound up getting the Outlet Store price for brand spanking new appliances, in our choices of models and no damages (we hope!). Unfortunately, delivery isn't until March 8th, another 2 weeks. So we're having fun pretending we're roughing it, storing our perishables in coolers outside. Glad it's not summer! So we're about to become the proud parents of some new appliances. Now, what about the kitchen "remodel"? We are still unsure what we're going to do. In the meantime, we can place the fridge against the wall where we'd like it to go eventually, and see if that arrangement works for us. The range and dishwasher can just replace what we have now, and we will do that. The microwave will be replacing the range hood, so that will have to wait until we remodel or not before being installed. After we see if we like having the fridge across the room, we can move that right hand cabinet three inches to the right since either way it's going to get moved, and slide the fridge in, either temporarily, or more permanently. Here come some pictures. These were taken 2 years ago as we headed out on our trip. The house was prepared for rental - that fell through that morning, hours before we left. That was costly. Looking down the hall from the rest of the house towards the kitchen. Notice the two sets of pocket doors along the right hand wall. (Someday, budget willing, we may take some of this wall down and open up the house.. that's a sunken living room on the right...) Notice how dark the kitchen is (the shade for the single window was drawn.. but it doesn't make that much of a difference anyway as it faces west and there's a hill behind us that blocks the sun completely in the winter, mostly in the summer. 
The existing kitchen layout. That's it for cabinets and counter space! And what building inspector let them put the flammable cabinet right up against the stove? Never mind the cleaning hassle. Note the white fridge from the neighbor...
Looking the other way now. That's the wall where I want to build in the fridge and create a large pantry. The fridge will be standing away from the wall a bit allowing for HVAC duct work to go in behind it when we modify our heating system. We will lose the eat-in area (there's a light fixture above it) but we'll be gaining useful seating at the island and at the desk under the window.  |
| I say skip the remodel and look on the Craigslist.org classified for used appliances. Then you can have enough money for Happie Camper Gas for the Philly picnic!
~Verve UP! |
herbgirl wrote: Does it really cost almost as much as replacing them I'll take a stab at it... and how come?
There are tons of variables. All things equal they are pretty close in price. Refacing can be a little bit less expensive, but from what I hear from everybody, it's pretty close. The big part of the expense of a cabinet is in the door, and when you reface, you buy all new doors. I suppose if they aer flat wooden slabs, you could just laminate over them, then it would be less expensive. There is more labor and expertise involved in refacing with laminates. There is less demolition debris with refacing. The difference in the price of doors doesn't seem to increase as dramatically with refacing -- the higher quality cabinets/doors I looked at, the bigger the savings with refacing. That's probably because the more you pay for the cabinets, the higher the quality of the casings. In my case, I have good quality cabinets already, so if I try replacing the cabinets inexpensively, it looks to me like I will be going down in cabinet quality. Also in my case (I've estimated the new cabinet approach at $4,500 for maple with refacing in cherry at about $4000 ($2200 + 1800 labor)) I will be taking down some old pantries and cutting them down to size and reusing the carcases and refacing them. But I'm willing to learn! If someone has other experience with this, I'm ALL ears! |
| Wow, If I'm reading the post right you made all of these decisions in one day. That's alot to process. I definitely agree with all new appliances. And it sounds like you really got a great deal! The trend out here is stainless and it's really good to have an updated kitchen for resale but even better to have an updated kitchen for your personal enjoyment. Don't most of the new appliances have better energy efficiency also? Unless, if you had bought the matching bisque, for a temporary solution, couldn't it have been an extra in the garage for when you entertain or donate it to a charity for a tax write off? I had thought about refacing my cabinets at some point so this has been very helpful. Definitely think it's worth it to pay a little extra and get the brand new if it's in the budget. Oh and regarding a custom pantry. That seems a must for dog treats. Also when you have an expert (Darcy) I'd take her advice. One thing is probably true though about what they say about budgets for a remodel whatever you think it's going to be add on a certain amount more. Another thing is considering your great luck with how long these appliances last when you divide that by the years they barely cost you anything. |
| Well, the fridge died two weeks ago, so we've been working these issues!
We already have a packed humongous freezer chest in the garage. It has really saved us, providing lots of "blue ice" for the coolers. Plus the fact that it's been nearly perfect temperature-wise most of the last two weeks for using the outside as a refrigerator 40 degrees is fridge temp and it's been 25 at night and 40 during the day, except for 3 days when it was 0 to 20 brrrrrrrr. We had to bring the food in to keep it from freezing. We're trying not to buy too much food that has to be cooled. We actually had a dinner out on Friday night! I can't remember the last time just the two of us went out to a restaurant! What a treat! One thing bothers me greatly right now -- the fridge only has a one year warranty. That's it! What happened to 5 or 7 years on the comperssor? They want to sell me a 5 year plan for $400! Outrageous! |
| How about sending me the kitchen you NOW have and just starting from scratch I'd be quite happy with THAT kitchen, which, by the way, IS WAY TOO CLEAN |
| Go for all new, remodel, new appliances, woohoo!!!:) |
| All my appliances have been dying lately too actually, and my kitchen was not matching...lol... I had an almond washer and dryer and an almond fridge and an ugly harvest gold stove. Then I bought a used stove, which is almond, and I thought it was so cool that they all matched, I've never had a matching set.
Then my parents bought a brand new gas range, and gave me their electric stove, which is newer than the used one I bought and had better gadgets (all digital) so I have it here now too. It is white. I couldn't decide if I should put the new one in the kitchen, only because my appliances all matched, but then my dryer died and I had to get a new one, brand new this time. It is white however, so in goes the white stove. My dishwasher is white with a wooden butcher block counter top, so now the fridge and washer don't match. LOL All these are in my kitchen by the way, laundry stuff included. I'm trying to sell the almond stove now, but no takers yet. |
| okay, by looking at your kitchen this is what I would do...
1. move the pantry by the outside door to the other end..by the interior door... 2. put fridge next to it... 3. get rid of the tall micro cabinet..put micro above stove... 4. drop your pony wall on the island down so it is the same level as the rest of the counters... This will give you working ct space on either side of the stove and more room to spread out on the island as well.... Refacing tends to cost as much as new cabinets because what they dont get you for in material, they get you for in labor...also the cost of the actual door of the cabinet is the most expensive part... the only time that i recommend refacing is if you dont want to replace your counter top... remodeling is a messy nasty job, if anyone(company) tells you that they can have you back in a fully working kitchen in less than 3 week, laugh in their face....It just doesnt happen..I like to be honest, and if it takes less time than I suggested, I look pretty good, but if its on time, I just look realistic |
Go for all new!!!!!!!!!!!!!  |
| My 2 favorite words are "Gut it" |
Thanks Ron and Darcy I'm learning alot from this post!  |
| Thanks, Darcy!
That's pretty much exactly what we are/were planning. Our first shot at it had me moving the two tall cabinets to the other wall with the fridge next to it- in fact that's why the food pantry is shown as 51 inches, the two cabinets are 27 and 24. The more I think about it, the more I'm sure we're not going to just move the pantry cab though, we're going to build a huge (for us) pantry with a pocket door. The pocket door that would fit is exactly the same size as one of the pocket doors leading to the office or living room. That's really cool. Plus without the door swing, I can have another 21 inches +_ of counter space, another cabinet below, perhaps a nice set of bookshelves for Joanie's cookbooks! She'll love that! Shhhhh don't tell her... I don't think she'll read this thread anyway..
"Pony Wall???" That's what the stupid thing is actually called? We've always called it the "breakfast bar" and yes, that will be cut down and extended by a few inches, and the island will be extended towards the fridge by 15 or so. I always thought that a proper overhand is 15", but it was resently suggested to me that I am at the very limit of what's right. Can you tell me the proper overhang for an eat-at island? Thanks. Now, what I REALLY neeed help in is trying to figure out what kind of countertop to put in. As you can see, it's currently tiled. I have seen some very nice countertop built of granite tile, and that would be a HECK of a lot less expensive than buying solid granite. I was quote $84 a square foot and guesstimated at 65 square feet for granite ($5,500). I thought that was way overpriced. (This is pretty standard granite, nothing fancy). I figure I can get it for around $50, but that's still $3,200. I can probably build it from a nice granite tile for as little as $500. My groutlines would be a lot smaller than what I've got now, I'll tell ya! lol Thanks Darcy! Darcy wrote: okay, by looking at your kitchen this is what I would do... 1. move the pantry by the outside door to the other end..by the interior door... 2. put fridge next to it... 3. get rid of the tall micro cabinet..put micro above stove... 4. drop your pony wall on the island down so it is the same level as the rest of the counters... This will give you working ct space on either side of the stove and more room to spread out on the island as well.... Refacing tends to cost as much as new cabinets because what they dont get you for in material, they get you for in labor...also the cost of the actual door of the cabinet is the most expensive part... the only time that i recommend refacing is if you dont want to replace your counter top... remodeling is a messy nasty job, if anyone(company) tells you that they can have you back in a fully working kitchen in less than 3 week, laugh in their face....It just doesnt happen..I like to be honest, and if it takes less time than I suggested, I look pretty good, but if its on time, I just look realistic |
Ron, I think that seems like a lot of $$ for granite tile. You can go to the Tile Shop website. They have nice choices and are reasonable priced. You can also check Home Depot (  ) or Lowe's to see what their prices are. We are thinking about putting in granite tile and it was nowhere near that much... |
| Ron, Your overhang should be anywhere from 12 to 15 inches for barstool to comfortable fit under...however, since you have that main walk area behind the stools, I would recommend at least 48'' clear from the wall to the edge of the ct...so if someone is actually sitting there, someone else can still pass...54'' would be perfect....
I have granite tile ct's right now and love them, except for the color...its navyblue/black called blue pearl...you see everything on them...every crumb, water streak, etc...I like the colors that look natural...good color in granite tiles are giallo venuzio, santa st cecilia, giallo santo...I know these colors come in tiles as they are only grade ones...ours have butt joints with minimum grout...we have the splashes as well...here is what ours looks like..(I just uploaded them...) We will probably do the same again too when we redo the kitchen....it IS a lot cheaper and looks just as good... |
| Ron,
Darcy is the Master of All Kitchen Goodness! She designed my kitchen and it works great... even down to the fact that when I open my BRAND NEW dishwasher, it opens into blank space, and NOT into my island, which is what wouldv'e happened if I'd been left to myself. Not to mention that the dishwasher fits exactly into it's allotted space next to the sink, even though it is nearly 6 months since we planned for it to be there... You're in good hands
I think tiled countertops are really attractive... they (I think it is 3M) even make new grout which resists staining from spills... I imagine a wine purple grout stain in light tile would be a bummer... As for the appliances, I'm going the "replace/add as we can afford them" route, we just bought the dishwasher, in black. Eventually everything will be black, which will go nicely with the black/grey counters, grey cabinets, and cherry floor (You should see it Darc- it's really pulling together!!!) But right now that is the only thing that is the color I want it to be. And it's fine, if not as aesthetically pleasing and it will be when I'm all done. Note that ALL DONE in my remodeling project keeps extending itself, we've gone from gross nastiness, to non functional, to functional, to 1/2 there, to 3/4 of the way there (I finally finished all of my cabinet drawers woohoo!). So um... I feel your pain, and you've got a (kitchen remodeling) friend in me
Karen |
| I was figuring $5 per square foot for the tile, plus materials to build the top on which the tile goes, plus mastic and grout.
Since it's 65 square feet I figure there's some waste and stuff, so I figured 75 square feet * 5 = $375 plus 25 for grout plus 25 for mastic. plus $100 or so for underlayment (plywood, durock). It was just a ballpark
What kind of prices did you see for granite tile? |
| I want pictures kar...and a glass of wine, sitting in your new kitchen when its done
....it's about time you got those drawers done |
Ron, be careful when you start thinking of remodeling! We started off thinking of maybe new cabinets and ended up with a total kitchen remodel that overflowed into the rec room and, eventually the rest of the house to the tune of $50,000!!!! Definitely a one-time deal! However, we are very happy with the results and plan to live here until we are taken out horizontally! 
You mentioned you were thinking of cherry wood for the cabinets. We got cherry wood cabinets and they are beautiful. We had them distressed and stained fairly dark. I recommend distressing - that way you don't cry the first time you "ding" one of the doors! |
| Yep!!! I finally took over the tool bench in the basement and got down to it... Now if I can just get Mike to finish installing our hardware, we'll be SO close! Then it's just the buy/install the hood, paint/install the chair rail and floor trim, and finally update the appliances as we can afford too. then comes round 2- putting in the tin backsplash, raising the ceiling, tin tiling that, and getting the lighting done... I'm ignoring the fact that eventually our poor plaster walls will need to be ripped out and rebuilt, but that is the WHOLE HOUSE and is too much work to contemplate right now. I'm just happy I've got a good spot to put Puppy's food and water bowl
Your welcome to come and visit anytime... I'd advise one of those really awful desert summer days in the 100s, when we're a balmy 70-80! |
| Oh, yes.... About the counter tops: We looked at a number of options and ended up with Corion (I'm not sure if that's how it is spelled). We considered granite but, after weighing the pros and cons decided against it. One reason is that my husband knows someone who works for a home remodeling outfit and his entire job consists of repairing granite that has cracked. Also, our kitchen design company said that when granite is installed, most companies "wash their hands" of the deal then and there. If it cracks the next day, too bad! Hopefully, you wouldn't have that problem and I know several people who have put in granite counter tops and love them. Just thought you might like to know what we were told. |
| thats one reason granite tile is better than slabs...slabs can have unseen fisures in them...and drop something heavy on it and oops you have a crack ding or gouge....we had corian in our condo...loved it, but it did scratch...i was forced to use a paper plate under my mixing bowls, because i had scratched them so badly....it is repairable, but at 150.00 per pop...in the long run, i still think granite is a better choice, doesnt burn or scratch... |
here is one angle.. 
here is a second angle...you can barely see the grout lines... |
| Oh you do NOT have a book on a stand on display next to your stove...
That's in the showroom, right?
Also, I would have THOUGHT that a dark, variegated surface would have hidden crumbs et. al. So we should go a little lighter? I think TheGuru has a light grey flecked |
| no silly, its my house AND its a junior league cookbook too
Props...Brian calls all that silly stuff props...you should see the lamp shade I just picked up... I had two shriner hats with all the glitter and tassles made into wall sconce shades for the family room! |
| Darcy--we were thinking of angling the tiles in a diamond pattern to hopefully make our countertops look bigger. Do you think that would work? Our biggest counter space is pretty much about the size of the space you showed in your picture... |
| I know that angling them on the floor makes the floor look wider..so it would work on the counters as well...but remember..on the angle you will need more tile, hence, more grout line...I like the splash on the angle and the deck square...but it does look nice that way... |
| Darcy doesn't like my kitchen, I can tell.
Too many constraints. Too cheap. |
| Poor Ron... ha ha |
| What ARE you talking about Ron??????????? You big baby!! Your kitchen has a nice layout and has GREAT potential!!!! You are on the right track, keep going....where did you get that silly notion? Just because you ''slam'' me on my props doesnt mean that I dont like or appreciate the clutter free people....besides, I bet Joan would love one...if she has that many cookbooks...and it keeps them from getting gunky....youre whiney today |
| Oh Ron!
If Darcy could find it in her heart to love my poor 125 year old ghetto kitchen, and help me transform it into lovely-in-progress kitchen, I'm sure she has room in her heart for your already-very-pleasant kitchen too!!! BTW My dad just got got the dishwasher running 1/2 hour ago!!!!   i Can't wait to wash some dishes!!! (note this is the first and last time you will EVER hear me say that!)
I love my Dad!!! 
(I say that all the time, cause it's true!!!) Karen |
| Just to clarify, the pics of my kitchen were from when we had emptied the house and had just had the kitchen cleaned by a service (that's the "Thank You" note on the counter.) Normally, out limited counter space is covered with all sorts of stuff.
I wasn't slammin ya, Darcy! I was SHOCKED at how great and clutter free your counter was -- so clean and clutter free that you could have a book on display! I was whining because I wanted more attention... I was feeling needy
It's two more weeks 'till they deliver my appliances!
So, I called my dad up, and chatted with him about it. When he was 6, his family moved into the third floor walk up cold water flat. They had an ice box, and the ice man came every few days to deliver ice. In the winter, they had a box sitting on a table on the porch. The box was just at window height and it was placed right outside the kitchen window. If they someone didn't bring the milk in when it was cold, it froze. He says it was a little bit larger than one of today's milk crates, perhaps it was an orange crate, a box made of wooden slats. The box couldn't have been more than perhaps 2 cubic feet of space (my new fridge/freezer will be 25+). My grandmother went shopping every day for whatever food would be needed for the 3 boys and their parents. They had to go down three flights into the basement 3 or four times a day and shovel coal into the burner to heat the apartment. The stove in the kitchen was a coal burner, and coal had to be lugged up three flights to run it. It was on all the time. The water was heated by turning on the gas in the kitchen, which heated a tankful of water for the apartment. Later, my grandfather purchased an "oil burner" for the kitchen stove so that nobody had to lug coal upstairs anymore, the ice man delivered the oil as well. He lived like this from the age of 6 until he went off to the war at 18. I'm not whining anymore today. |
| lol..you notice that I took the picture of the small counter top...the other side with the sink, had dishes drying in the rack, bills piled up, and the coffee maker full of coffee from this morning....normal working kitchen at my house.....I wish I had a dishwasher...one day..sigh....just think Ron how cool its going to be when those new fantastic appliances come...its almost like christmas |
| umm Ron--when you get done with yours...could you tackle mine? |
| When our fridge died about 5 years ago I wanted a side by side one, so we found a nice JennAir. of course it didn't match the stove so I talked my husband into a JennAir with the built in grill by telling him what great and wonderous meals I could make on it. It cost over $800 to have it installed and......I've NEVER used the grill |
| http://aolsvc.aol.com/realestate/index.adp?ref=ws
Ron, this may help you. bdx4 |
| Thanks.... I think I'll be staying here a few more years. |
| Ron, it's an article about kitchen remodeling.....not moving . |
| It just brought me to a real estate page. |
Quote: Trends of the Future
Noisy whirlpool tubs are soooo five years ago; the "hot tub" is the more ergonomic soak tub, but new infinity tubs may be the next big thing. More trends of the future: · Chameleon nts · Fusion Kitchens · Teak Cabinets · Bamboo Floors More Designs The bathtub: Yesterday -- whirlpool; Today -- soaking tub; Tomorrow -- infinity tub? Paint colors: Yesterday -- neutrals like ecru; Today -- bold like chocolate; Tomorrow -- chameleons? Kitchen: Yesterday -- uniform design; Today -- mix and match; Tomorrow -- anything goes? Kitchen cabinet woods: Yesterday -- cherry; Today -- anegre; Tomorrow -- teak? Counters: Yesterday -- solid surfacing; Today -- granite; Tomorrow -- still granite? Wood floors: Yesterday -- red oak; Today -- white oak; Tomorrow -- bamboo? Appliance colors: Yesterday -- black; Today -- stainless steel; Tomorrow -- full overlay? Appliances: Yesterday -- trash compacter; Today -- wine cooler; Tomorrow -- cheese cooler? Mmmm, this wasn't on the left side of the page? |
| Aha! I will read it now! |
| Oh No!!! Is my beautiful black dishwasher a thing of the past??? Oh wait- I don't really care That is a cool article though... I'd LOVE a big soaking tub... of course, I'd also like more then one toilet in my house sigh. |
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