I'm planning to renovate my kitchen

12 years ago

Someone recommended this site, and I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised by the quantity and quality of information on here. But it's a bit overwhelming, so I have a meta-question - a question about which questions I should ask.

I'm planning to renovate the kitchen / family room next year, and since I like to be prepared, I figured I'd start early and read up on the topic. I'm a total newb when it comes to this, but I have plenty of time to self-educate.

So, my question is, which topics will definitely come up in the course of a kitchen reno? What do I need to be aware of?

The obvious ones are:

What are the pros and cons of different layouts?

How to pick the materials for cabinets and countertops?

What criteria to use in selecting appliances?

...what else should I research? What did you run into when you re-did your kitchen? Yes, you personally *points finger* :D

Thanks in advance.

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Comments (5)

deeageaux
12 years ago
What are the pros and cons of different layouts?
How to pick the materials for cabinets and countertops?

These are questions you should ask in the kitchen forum.

You should make a post asking for layout help and give detailed information about the kitchen/family room or kitchen great room you are going to renovate. Dimensions of the room including ceiling height and where windows,doors,water,and gas are located.

For Cabinets and countertops you need to establish an overall budget first.Then decide what you want to be your focal point. Flashy counterops with subdued cabinets or vice versa?There are plenty of theads on this topic in the Kitchen Forum. Or maybe subdued countertops and cabinets and a very prominent range and range hood.

For selecting appliances you need to establish an appliance budget first. Decide whether you want to cook on gas or electric/induction. A range or seperate rangetop plus wall ovens.

I think advice GW in general gives to everyone is select each appliance on its own merit and don't buy a suite of appliances from one manufature in order to "match." No single company makes the best appliance in each segment.

Giving detailed answers to all your questions would be to summarize the entire Kitchen Forum and Appliance Forum in one post. I don't think anyone wants to do that. :)
mmhmmgood
12 years ago
welcome sicab217! To the above I would add the following: read the info in the post "new to kitchens ..." on the kitchens forum. There's lots of useful info and links about layout and zones and such. Check out the link to the sweeby test for sure. Then follow along the various threads and learn about things you never knew you wanted!

Ask whatever questions come up through your process, but be sure to use the search (the one at the BOTTOM of the page) to see if you can answer your question even before starting a new thread.

Hope you enjoy the ride ...
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mmhmmgood
12 years ago
sorry, should have linked this in my post before ...

Here is a link that might be useful: New to kitchens thread
stooxie
12 years ago
Sicab,

A recommendation for you. Spend some time thinking about what works for YOU [and your family], how you move about, how you cook, where you put the mail, etc. That can be a very good starting point. Then the answers to all the other questions will have some context and better meaning.

-Stooxie
colin3
12 years ago
I ordered a bunch of kitchen design books. Personally I like Joan Bouknight's _New Kitchen Idea Book_, but don't worry about finding the perfect book -- you can get most of the popular ones used for a few dollars via Amazon, so just order eight or ten that look promising, and see what resonates. And let yourself browse them aimlessly -- look at the pictures and think about what they're up to, rather than worrying about whether it's exactly what you want. Over time, your brain will work it out.

Second, try mapping out what you actually do in the kitchen -- or what you want to do. Who uses the kitchen and how? How do raw materials move, what kinds of cooking do you do, how do you handle washing up? This is Stooxie's point, I think. Before the layouts, materials, and appliances is the question of what you want to happen. Dance it.

I'm planning to renovate my kitchen

Comments (5)

deeageaux

mmhmmgood

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