Kitchen Remodel Likes and Regrets

savemoney

You may have done what I am asking about for a reason and if you did disregard my comments.

-Your w2130 to the right of the sink will be opening so if you are at the sink, the door will be in your way and you have to lean out around to access that cabinet. You may want to hinge it on the right side so you can access it from the sink side. I understand that the knobs will be opposite of each other instead of next to each other but just know from experience that door may be in your way the way it is drawn.

-The 2 fillers top and bottom on the end of your run I don't quite understand the purpose. (Again if there is a reason never mind my comment) You could increase the drawer stack and the wall cabinet 3" to take away dead space and gain cabinet/drawer space and not lose any counter. If it is a matter of getting the uppers and lowers to line up, I would maybe look at doing a filler off the right side of the sink to shift that run down and be less conspicuous than the box filler at the end of the run.

Also a lot of cabinet lines now a days (including SOME but not all builder/ stock lines) can modify a cabinet to the inch or smaller if you need something between the normal 3" increments. Usually it is a matter of paying for the next size up and shrinking to the size smaller (ie pay for w2730 turn into a w2530 if you need something bigger than a 24 and don't want the filler)

Again if you did those things disregard this whole reply but I have seen this the last few days and wanted to point it out if there is a chance to change or if you didn't notice these points before. I am not critiquing, I just want to point that out.

Chris

 

I do appreciate the observations and considerations. The design was put together by my wife and the designer.
The filler is due to a baseboard heat and a cement obstruction that goes up about 16 inches from the floor. the cabinets in our current kitchen are hinged the same way. However, I can see what you are referring to as being a potential issue.
Our cabinets arrive tomorrow. The company has a 25% restocking fee. The wife and the designer sat together and set this thing up. Notice all drawers for base cabinets except for the lazy susan and under the sink where I will put in slide outs. I think there could have been a lot of other things done, but it is what she wanted. No particle board or MDF. I just hope she doesn't regret this change. This kitchen is smaller, but we have additional storage in a closet under the stairs which is right beside the kitchen.
Our current discussion is about counter tops. Any ideas? She like the under mounted sink. I'm looking at granite. very pricey for me, but I don't want to cheapen this kitchen. the other options I considering is granite tile, or one of the newer laminates.
$700 for material for laminates, and $2300 for slab granite. Maybe cheaper if I can get some from a company that has some for $40 a foot installed. Need 40 sq. feet.

 

Consider quartz counter tops too, as they won't stain like granite tops can. Looking forward to seeing finished pics Larry.

 

thanks, I sure am giving thought to a lot of things. like $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Lots of banging going on today. I went down to look. my old walls, gone! Everything is being tossed out. I used to sit for hours taking out nails from the 2x4s for reuse. Not this time around. It is hard for me to see it all go when I think of how hard it was to put it all in when I was working on a shoestring of a budget and learning as I went. I just have to walk away and let it all happen. In the end, I know I'll be happy. My son is in charge of the construction. I have seen his work. He does a nice job and does it right. cabinets should arrive in another hour or two.

 

"I just have to walk away and let it all happen. In the end, I know I'll be happy." ... a very wise thought Larry. It's far more enjoyable to just let go. Sounds as tho your son will take care of it all and it'll be worth every second of the chaos...

 

My son has a lot invested in this because it is dependent on him getting this done so he can move into the main part of this house and we can move into the new space. He already has a renter lined up for his home. His son will have to change schools but that isn't so bad. He is in preschool now. Spent some time today with my grand daughter today watering some seedlings. So cute. Will be nice to see the little ones around. They are polite. Parents don't tolerate sass or acting out.

 

My 2 cents : I used granite tile to cheapen our kitchen 'freshening' project... it will get done with slab next time.

 

I set up 2 sawhorses outside and when the wife asked if she could help with the kitchen, I gave her a crowbar and hammer and showed her a stack of boards that she could pull nails from. I try to reuse any lumber that is in decent shape, whether I can afford new or not. If they can't be used for a building project, they'll get used as concrete forms or kindling.
My dining room was covered in knotty pine wainscoting and it will make some fine kindling for next winter.
If I had contractors doing a tearout, I'd probably be yelling at them. HEY!, don't throw that away.

 

We do A Lot of quartz counters. That tends to be the most popular in our area. Granite really only will stain if the sealer in not kept up with and if the staining material sits on the spot for a while. If you spill red wine, it isn't going to instantly stain the counter top.

Be careful on the granite and judging on just pricing. We have a lot of butchers in our area doing granite cheap and there are a lot of complaints about jobs but in the end you get what you pay for. The seams are the biggest problem that we see with bad installs, almost everyone can cut and polish the stone pretty well but when it comes to the install is where good companies shine. We have been through almost everyone in our area and have settled on a company about 2 hours from us because we like their work and pricing.

That all said, I am doing a new pattern laminate in my house because I like it and can do an under mount sink in the laminate. Search Karran Sinks " Edge" series seamless under mounts. Most laminate shops won't do an under mount because you really can't seal them ( or don't know how to do the Karran style), but if any of your area fabricators also do solid surface (Corian) they should be able to do a Karran sink for you and you should be way less still then the granite or quartz. Also with laminate, if you get sick of the color in a few years, you can change the tops a few times and still be less than the granite originally.

 

Though we did what you're doing with your son a little differently, it was the same "new" for all of us too, as we moved Mom and Dad nextdoor. I know the issues well. It's quite a project as all of the "parts" come together. So very glad we were able to do it. Would enjoy meeting you and your son someday.

 

I'll have to look them over. not sure how they are set up. knobs are not predrilled. Those are the European hinges that have holes predrill to set them. I really don't think it is much of an issue. the cabinets are filled from the dishwasher, not the sink. She plans to have a single sink this time.

 

That sounds like fun. We have to try to do a get together some time.

 

I was at Lowes today. I took the print out of our new kitchen with me. I reviewed some of their laminates and the granite. The laminate I liked goes really well with the stainless and the new cabinets. The granite is nice. I got a good price for the granite and the installer is one of the best. However, I can do the laminate for $1000 less. Wife says she is OK with either. Now she wants an apron sink. If I go with the laminate, I can save more than enough for the apron sink. Remember, we are older and don't do a lot of creative cooking. What is your intake on this? We are using good quality cabinets that have no OSB or particle board 100% of the flooring is ceramic tile. We have many pets so I don't need stuff that is going to be hard to deal with.

 

We both love our apron sink, best sink ever. I find it to be more utilitarian than a conventional sink and I now use it for a lot of things that I would have done downstairs in the laundry sink in the past. I want to give the dog a bath in it, but the wife won't let me.

 

Support for granite or tile. It's not needed with laminate tops.

Here's a kitchen I'm finishing up for my SIL. I built everything, including the doors and drawers. The lighting is pretty bad, so that is something that will be addressed, and crown molding will be added, as well. When it's all done I'll try to get some better pics.