Trying not to hijack This Thread of What_Exit’s, but I’d love some input from those that have tackled it.
I want to redo my kitchen for sure, and probably at least one bathroom. Actually I have a laundry list of stuff I want to do here, but those are the biggest, most pressing, and probably priciest.
When getting going on it, do you (does one) start with a budget, or a design? Or a little of both? I’m not all that great spatially but I sort of know what I want - at least I know what I HAVE to change for my sanity, I’m just not sure how to handle the ripple effect, as it were, of moving this here and expanding that. I have utterly no idea of what this sort of thing is going to cost, and though I have a rough idea of the top end of my budget, I think I need a more concrete idea before applying for a HELOC.
Frankly the thought of doing this at the current rates makes my heart hurt, but the Kitchen Fund I’d saved for years went up in smoke during the Covid years, and I don’t think I can live with the house the way it is for much longer without utterly hating it. BTDT with other houses where I put shit off for too long, waiting for The Right Time
This whole thing terrifies me and excites me, but it’s definitely time to get going on it. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated!
Also, @MikeG - - I don’t suppose you live/work in South Carolina??
I worked with a firm that does design and build. You definitely want to hire a designer if you don’t have an eye for that. They should be able to match your style and, most importantly, they’ll know about things in terms of layout that would never occur to you. You don’t want things to be annoying you for the next few decades because a drawer is in an inconvenient place.
I had my company do the guest bathroom first. They did such a great job that they got the kitchen job next. Get references which include pictures of their work. Your local subreddit might be a good place to start.
I think the first part is balancing out Need vs. Want. Then of course, can it even be done.
If you’re just updating and not moving walls and stuff, it makes it much simpler of course.
For the kitchen anyway, big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot have designers that will sit down and help you. Take a good drawing with measurements of your kitchen and scope out the cabinets at the store. Then sit down with a designer. They will be able to whip something up. Then thank them and sleep on it. They may also give you so additional ideas.
Please note: The Kitchen Triangle is for a household where just 1 person is using the kitchen. It is not for everyone.
We purposely avoided the triangle as we often have 3 people in the kitchen prepping dinner or cleaning up after.
Also keep in mind Home Depot cabinets are still fairly pricey but don’t particularly hold up well. Part of redoing a kitchen would probably be improving the value of your house when you’re ready to sell. If selling in decade you’re probably OK, but those particle board cabinets start wearing out after a decade.
Basics for everyone. Starting from the easiest and most obvious.
Try and come up with a plan where the Dishwasher is next to the sink.
Many people prefer to have the sink under the window, I know I’m one.
Locate the fridge where an open door doesn’t block access to the rest of the kitchen but still fairly close to the stove if possible. But not next to the stove of course.
Consider more expensive cabinets with pots & pans drawers. These are awesome and become more so as you get older.
Don’t lock the fridge into a narrow space if possible, someday your fridge will fail and you should have the option of buying a full size fridge without it causing issues. I would ensure at least a 36" space for the fridge.
Counter depth fridges are nice, but significantly more expensive for less space and function.
If you’ve ever thought about 2 dishwashers, this is the time to make it happen. (I’m good with one, but many love the idea of 2)
Oh well, that is a quick start off the top of my head.
I did all of those things except for two dishwashers.
I agree that you should avoid Home Depot unless you’re on a serious budget and want a cookie cutter design that isn’t tailored to you. The designer could give you a baseline perhaps. The kitchen is where you should splurge.
Don’t consider! Once you realize that, most times, the only way to really get to the stuff at the back of a regular lower cabinet is to get down on the floor there is no other choice.
As we downsized in house, property & town; the mortgage on our house was basically to pay for the complete refurb of the 2 bathrooms (done immediately) and the kitchen. (We’re in the middle of a very protracted one detailed elsewhere). We’re going to come in slightly under budget for all 3 without skimping at all.
Our interest rate is under 3% so taking the mortgage was a no brainer. I’ll probably never pay it off until we sell again, if we sell again. We ended up in a ranch in a town we really enjoy, so we may die in this house.
Bathrooms: These are generally replace existing old crap with nice new things. Usually no major changes.
In our case we made fairly large changes to the pair of bathrooms. They were next to each other and our bathroom had a 1963 telephone booth pink tile shower. The main bath was oversize but with far too much cabinets and a bathtub/shower in a dark alcove.
So we stole the bath tub space and a bit of the back of our linen closet to make a large modern shower for us. Complete gutting with new floors, walls and ceiling. For the Main Bath, the tub/shower is now at the window. Despite stealing square footage from the main for the ensuite, the main looks bigger.
I’ll dig up some pics from this project. It went extremely well with a very professional crew. But alas, they only did bathrooms.
My Wife and I often cook in the kitchen together. The triangle allows us to keep out of each others way. YMMV of course. It is important to have plenty of counter space. Ours is a modified triangle, the stove and the oven are separate.
Our Home Depot cabinets are most certainly not particle board. Solid wood doors with a very nice finish and hardware. Ours are not showing the slightest bit of wear after 10 years.
One thing that is sometimes not mentioned is lighting. Have plenty of it. That may require more than the OP is planning on doing though.
One thing that I would also consider is get wall cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. Extra storage that does not become a mess of dust and things that need to be put somewhere.
One thing that I would avoid is the microwave stove exhaust fan combo. It’s to high, especially if you have someone of a shorter stature that may be using it.
My guest bath, built in 1960, had the exact same tile! Hilarious.
It’s smaller than yours and I put in a bathtub. They call them soaking tubs now and are way more comfortable. My mom told me that I’d really appreciate it as I age.
I used savings to pay for all of the remodeling. I was able to re-negotiate my mortgage to a 40 year fixed at 3.25% during the Covid insanity so I’ll never pay it off nor will I ever sell it.
This is good advice, it’s a starting point to design and budget considerations.
I also think the triangle theory is a sound one no matter your kitchen size.
I started with things I did not want. No visible hinges on cabinets and no deep lower cabinets. I wanted a few glass doors on cabs and soft close drawers. I have a white sink, shoulda kept it stainless.
Don’t locate the kitchen cabinets holding your dishes directly over the dishwasher. That makes it difficult to put the dishes away because you can’t stand right in front of the cabinet when the dishwasher door is open.
And speaking to that, put in ‘handi-cap’ grab rails in the shower or tub. Now is the time to do it rather than retro fit. And you or some of your guest may appreciate it.
My master bath cabinets are from Home Depot and are solid wood. They are 15 years old and not wearing out by any means but I wish I had gone a little better. It’s a small bathroom but it works for me. The next person will probably do a major upgrade and expand it.
My neighborhood is tract homes so about 25% of them have my floor plan or the mirror image of it. I’ve gone to a ton of open houses over the last 30 years and have seen what others have done with the same space. It’s a great way to get ideas if you’re in that situation.
That’s a good point, I didn’t think about that, but luckily my layout is good for that.
Are they hard to retrofit in?
It seems like an easy DIY job to me. Find the studs, buy the bit to neatly drill through the tile and install.
So sorry for the Home Depot bit, when we looked everything seemed to be particle board cabinets. The doors were often wood but not the cabinets. The particle board stuff is what starts wearing out in 10-12 years.
My last house had a kitchen redo with the particle board cabinets. This was done about 2 years before we bought it. I don’t love it. Only really good for a house you’re flipping or planning to move out of in 8 years or less. I put a lot of work into making this crap presentable for sale and pretty much knew almost anyone buying the house would redo the kitchen not long after buying.
I insisted all wood for this kitchen refurb. It should be in great shape when we sell it or if we stay, at least I won’t being trying to do major repairs when I’m 70.
Not that hard. But keep in mind that you may have to find the studs underneath tile and wall board. Doing first allows you to put in 2x4’s crosswise between the studs (backing). And you can put the grab rails where you want.
I went with the ADA recommendation for where to put them. That’s not always where the studs are.
Thankfully I have a stud finder that works through tile. So when it comes time I should be OK. That and some pictures of where the studs are. Putting them in ahead does seem like a solid idea.
