How would you spend a $20k budget? A $15k budget?

11 years ago

Hi all,

Thanks in advance if you are reading this. We are building a house soon and trying to pin down our appliance "package" for the new build. Currently, our architect spec'd out a Thermador package that includes a range top, dishwasher, double wall ovens. There is also a drawer microwave by sharp, and a kitchen aid free standing fridge. And a washer/dryer pair. Total came to $20k.

I'd rather get an idea on what the consensus is from a well-informed panel like this. If you don't mind chiming in. And I wouldn't mind saving some if I could as well. The problem for us in trying to price it out is that we hate dealing with the appliance shops and it seems hard to get pricing info without doing that.

Here is what we are looking for:

-36" range top, gas (we like the "look" and we like to cook; nothing wrong with induction but we just decided to stick with gas because that is an upgrade from our electric glass anyway)

-two ovens (either a dual unit or two units stacked)

-dishwasher, high quality

-microwave (unless people think we could achieve this by making a one of the ovens an Advantium or similar)

-refrigerator (we go back and forth on this, built-in vs not, as well as size 36" or 42" or even 48" - not sure how much a family of four will need, but our 36" freestanding Samsung with french doors worked great)

These items will all be relatively in view given the open floor plan; the family room is right next to the kitchen, so there will be no way these appliances won't be seen. Except for dishwasher and microwave drawer (if we go that route) which will be on the island facing in.

thanks in advance for any thoughts/advice

Featured Answer

Nunyabiz1

11 years ago

20K budget?
Would be $5000 on range/fridge/dw.
$3000 on nice 65" HDTV

and then take $12,000 and put it in the bank and spend $2000 a year for 6 years on a 7 day cruise each year.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

akcorcoran
11 years ago
We're in the same boat and getting all of the above - but only the range is the Thermador. I haven't heard the best things about Thermador ovens/dishwashers and the like as compared to some of the other mid-range or high-range options (ovens: Electrolux, KItchen Aid, Wolf; dishwashers: the Therm is a repackaged Bosch so you're probably good but I noticed a few subtle differences, everyone here likes Miele, Bosch or Kitchen Aid for a heated dry option).

We're getting the same Sharp microwave drawer (and note that the 24" and 30" are the same capacity inside, it's just a matter of the width - I opted for the 24" b/c I wanted to use space for a beverage center in the island.

And, instead of the fridge you're looking at, we're getting a full-size, 32" all fridge, all freezer because it's new space (remodel/gutted kitchen) and we have it, so we'd love the luxury of that pair!

Only other thing we have is a second dishwasher (Bosch,) a wine cooler and an ice maker in our wet bar/butler's pantry.

One of the reasons they might be doing the Therm range, ovens and dishwasher is you might be eligible for the 1-2-free promotion from Thermador? I'd check that out b/c you are certainly close.

Good luck - hope that helps!
clarygrace
11 years ago
Many here (myself included) believe in purchasing the best quality performing appliances, regardless of whether they are a matching set, and based on one's budget. You have a very generous budget of $ 20K and thus can afford to own the best appliances in their respective category that you believe will suit your needs best. I am not an expert, many on this forum are and they will certainly chime in and ask you many questions in terms of how you cook/entertain and what your needs are. They will offer their experience with appliances they love to use, pros and cons of different brands etc.
I had a pretty hefty budget and ended up with different brands based on performance and preference.
My ovens are Gaggenau 30" double convection, which are the showcase of my kitchen, they are beautiful and perform superbly. I have two Miele Dishwashers, which are probably the best DW out there. Fridge is an Electrolux ICON French door with trim kit, a Sharp drawer microwave and a Marvel wine cooler. All the appliances are stainless steel (DW are paneled and integrated) and compliment each other.

Take a look at Wolf cooking appliances, Subzero fridges, Gaggenau ovens if you like :), Electrolux is good in the upper mid-range price point. Good luck!
Related Discussions
How much over budget are you?
Q
Comments (33)
rileysmom, the difference is I am not going to prejudice whether someone wants to build a large or small house. It's useless to pass judgement as each person has their own choices in life. Why would you want to be repulsed because someone has the financial means to spend the money on what they want ? And why is your magic number 2500 ? What about people who are at 1000sq ft who think your 2500 is wasteful and repulsive ? Like I said, its all relative. Just because YOU think its the perfect number for you doesn't mean it fits others ? You ask about how much good a person does. That same person who you find repulsive for spending 7 figures on knobs/hardware on their house gave over 2.5m in charity last year alone. How much did you do in absolute terms ? Now, that wouldn't be a very fair comparison, would it ? So, you should probably look at relative comparisons - which is/was my earlier assertion. . . I believe every person has their own choice. If they want to live in a 10m postage stamp house - thats great. If they want a 1m 10,000 sq ft house and can barely afford it, thats great as well. While I think overruns are a very common practice in the construction industry, I think a lot of that also had to do with the person building a home. You have to understand that some of that is people not sticking to what was agreed upon (both sides). You're also talking about people bidding and accepting the lowest bid which unfortunately is usually a recipe for disaster.
...See More
Intro and Spending/Budget Catagories
Q
Comments (13)
Thanks for your thoughts, Gibby. :-) I was working on this last night, and making decisions about what to lump together in more general catagories, vs. what to spread out (basically, what I wanted to be able to track later). One of my dogs was just diagnosed with a medical problem that will require monthly meds for life, so I wanted to track those separately from standard vet visits, etc. And some of my groceries are for the dogs rather than us humans, so I wanted to separate those out too, to get a clear picture of thier food budget vs. ours monthly. I think I ended up with more specialized catagories than I'd really thought I would. I created two different catagories for Entertaining vs. Entertainment - because we throw at least one large party and several smaller ones every year, and I wanted to track how much we actually spend on those events, exclusive of things like renting movies & going to shows, etc. So I broke them down into fairly detailed sections. Already I've been using the Pocket Quicken - haven't even synced it with the desktop yet. Our desktop PC is in our office, and I rarely have more than 10 minutes in the morning to check my email...that's about all I look at it per day (today, I made some extra time to check newsgroups, but that's rare even on weekends). But my PDA is always with me - including when I'm sitting in my living room chair being a couch potato after work. This morning I already put in our vet expenditures for the day, and a "cash deposit" to me from my hubby to get to the end of the month. ;-)It's not that I mind bookkeeping, I just want to be able to multi-task...ie, watch TV while I'm doing it, etc. And with it on my PDA, I can enter transactions on breaks at work too...not have to wait until I get home to enter them. I still use checks for most things - my debit card has a daily limit that is okay most of the time, but just frustrating the rest of it, so I just prefer to not hassle with it and use checks instead. I have duplicates so I don't have to keep track right when I write the check - I balance my checkbook online a couple times per week (usually at work on breaks). I rarely have cash...a few times per year at best. I spend it much more easily than if I'm writing a check or using my credit/debit card, for some reason. ;-) The company my husband works for was just sold (closing on the 31st), and we had a bit of a panic in the last couple of weeks thinking he would be looking for a new job (he has just about 3 months of salary stashed away, but still, not fun). He's decided to stay with the new company for awhile, but I'll admit that part of my wanting to get things in order is just "in case" he ends up looking for work in the near future. Like you said, I want to be able to know exactly where we can cut costs if need be, from one month to the next. But I think I'm on the right track! I have a few more catagories I'd like to add, and obviously I can tweak it a little in the coming weeks, but for now it's set up, and in use. I feel way more "in control" of everything now, and I think this will really be a good way to figure out exactly what I spend on "what" every month. Hopefully I can use the budget feature later to put more money towards paying off our loans/CC's too. We're not doing too badly, but I'd feel better if we were doing "better". :-) Thanks again! Jamie
...See More
Appliance Budget -$15k. How to spend?
Q
Comments (5)
I am in the process of doing a lot of research as well since we are about to break ground - I would look at the Wolf M Series single oven and matching convection MW (that piece does not come out until Q3 however - so no pricing out yet at least in the Transitional line), also looking at the 36 inch Platinum BS range top, ventahood hood, and the Miele dw - this set up for those pieces has me in the $12K range before any taxes, etc - so you should be able to pick out some nice pieces for your $15K budget given the limited number of pieces you are looking for. I am basing my prices on quotes from AJ Madison on some pieces and local retailer on others that Madison can not supply due to manufacturer agreements (Wolf)
...See More
Kitchen Cabinet Brand Suggestions for $10-$15K budget.
Q
Comments (22)
My Medallion cabinets are over 20 years old and still holding up. When I first joined this forum, most said the best boxes are plywood, but I have seen that change and many pros now say that a good MDF box is fine. Mine are not plywood - I think they are MDF - and not the best MDF, but still solid - I know because I tried to cut one apart to change it up. Painted cabinets, even high end cabinets, are often MDF or a combo of MDF and wood - usually maple because it paints well. Wood moves with changes in temp and humidity which can cause hairline cracks in the paint at joints. For this reason, most painted cabinets have MDF parts - it is more stable to changes in temp which helps prevent the paint cracks. A good stained cabinet will have solid wood doors and frames - not veneer. If you do not need to go custom, stock cabinets made in America can give a good quality at a reasonable price. The ability to factory mass produce makes stock less than custom. Be sure to be around if possible for the installation. Cabinets can get dinged up if installers aren't careful. Check te cabinets as they are unboxed and try to catch problems before install.
...See More
clarygrace
11 years ago
Ah, forgot to include our cooking appliance which is a Bertazzoni 6 burner gas cooktop. They also make rangetops and beautiful ranges in many colors!
jadeite
11 years ago
You don't mention venting which may require make up air. There are many exhaustive threads on this topic. Venting requirements for a Bluestar cooktop drove us to induction.

Cheryl
cooksnsews
11 years ago
Yes, you haven't mentioned venting, which is NOT a cheapie accessory with high end appliances. Your range hood plus installation IS a major appliance!
slada
11 years ago
We just bought new appliances for our remodeled home. We decided first on what appliances we wanted (brands, size, styles) first then found the best prices on individual items.

We cared less about "matching" appliances, though did buy all in stainless so there was some cosmetic consistency.

We found that looking for unused, still under warranty floor models, online shopping to potentially avoid sales tax costs, offering to buy in cash, etc. saved us big $$. Remember too that all prices are negotiable.

We ended up getting a 48" bluestar (floor model with upgrade side hinge doors), 42" french door KA fridge (floor model), KA kude60 dishwasher (new), 52" vent liner (discontinued) with abbaka remote blower (new) all for under 15k, delivered.
chris401
Original Author
11 years ago
Just wanted to say thanks for all of the replies. You have given me some things to think about and I'm trying to build some configurations.

Yep, need a hood and blower. Didn't realize how that adds on to the cost. Especially for the nicer models

Will try to build around a 36" range top by Wolf (36" range) and see where to from there. For some reason, I'm drawn to that appliance.

Thanks; will report back soon. And kudos to nunya for putting some perspective on it all. Appliances can get pricey, but maybe they don't need to be.
Nunyabiz1
11 years ago
Yep no "need" to be unless you have more than enough funds and living in a top 2% lifestyle. If thats the case then 20K it less than 10% of your yearly income and you should have at it, you cant take it with you when you die so enjoy it.

We spent $1800 on range (NXR 30")
$2000 on fridge (Samsung CD 24cf) that was on sale for 30% off.
$395 on OTR MW
$500 on DW
All in stainless, everything works and looks great.
So around $4700 on everything and we couldn't be happier.

Of course 36" range is going to raise that by about $1500-$2000. But for under $10K you should be able to find about anything you "need".
cooksnsews
11 years ago
The difference between a 30" and 36" cooking surface is huge. It is IMPOSSIBLE to vent a 36" one with an OTR microwave.
Davis_Helen
11 years ago
I am NO expert - but we have started the process of spec'ing out potential options - I found AJMadison site valuable for a guy just trying to leave from a start of zero.

Based on some config constraints - I ended up looking at things like a FiveStar Duel Fuel (we needed the 24in depth but wanted a 36 inch 6 burner, a Leibheer 36 inch fridge french door bottom freezer, Dacor MW drawer, Meile dishwasher (mid line in their line), a Futro hood and ended up pricing out some basic stuff for a snack station on the lower level for the kids off the rec room/ media room - and included there a basic beverage center by Frigidare, a GE Profile MW, and a Bosch dishwasher - this all approached a bit over $17K at the internet site prices - I then called them directly with the same choices and they offered a package price that was over $2000 less right out of the gate - and free shipping/no tx - they said they could have done more but apparently the fridge we inquired about is a tank and has high shipping costs. I know it is a hodgepodge and most likely now what we will end up with, but I was trying to get a rough order of magnitude and see what they would do with a single phone call to press on price.
Nunyabiz1
11 years ago
True, instead of $400 for the OTR microwave would be more like $1500+ for hood and installation, plus another $1500+ for the range. So at least $3000+ for that extra 6" and 2 burners.
But that still keeps the whole thing well under $10K

How would you spend a $20k budget? A $15k budget?

Nunyabiz1

Comments (12)

akcorcoran

clarygrace

Related Discussions

clarygrace

jadeite

cooksnsews

slada

chris401
Original Author

Nunyabiz1

cooksnsews

Davis_Helen

Nunyabiz1

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

How would you spend a $20k budget? A $15k budget?

Comments (12)

Related Discussions

chris401Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

chris401
Original Author