intro and zomg! We're redoing out kitchen!

13 years ago

I've been reading here long enough I finally made an honest netizen of myself and joined up. :) Helloooo, smart home design/improvement people! Thank you for the wisdom I've gotten from you thus far.

We're going to redo our kitchen this summer and I sort of can't believe I've actually reached the life stage where this is even an option. I guess I just wanted to get another dozen sets of eyes on what we're thinking because we are totaly nOObs at this.

Our house: Built 1930 and was tract housing at the time. 3br with a sort-

of-finished attic. Lots of orangey wood trim. Not arts and crafts, exactly, just a modest 1930 brick house with warm dark trim. Unfortunate additions include a 1960 kitchen that has reached the end of its life having already been extended as far as it can with MANY coats of paint; and some popcorn ceilings that we can't get to yet.

This is our inspiration kitchen as far as cabinets and general feel: http://www.aharchitecture.com/portfolio/detail.php?id=33 We would probably put a very light grey-sage on the walls where they have white. We are not changing the footprint but we are wanting to tear out the old water heater closet and put in a proper pantry. We are getting rid of the soffitt (sp?) and getting a new oven and dishwasher. Our refrigerator is fine.

Floor: Environmental concerns are important to us to the point of spurring us to spend a bit more than what would get us maximum return our investment on resale... so, we think we would like cork or linoleum, maybe with a light border and a subtle checkerboard in the middle.

Counters: I'm interested in Eco by Cosentino or Enviroglas (because we are in Oklahoma and they are as close as Texas... gotta include shipping distance in that eco-impact consideration). I think Eco would look better with the inspiration cabinets than would Enviroglas.

Sink: I HATE HATE HATE cleaning the scummy area that forms behind our current faucets that sprout up out of the counter, so I really want a wall-mount cast iron sink with an integrated backsplash and faucets that come out horizontally so there's no scum trap behind them. New farm-style wall mount sinks are pricey so I have been thinking about getting a cruddy antique one on Craigslist and having it resurfaced. I realize the contractor may not be willing to include this in the contract.

We need a new oven and dishwasher but we hzven't started thinking about that yet even though we are both serious cooks.

Budget: We paid $190K for a house in a neighborhood where it's a mix of updated and not-yet-updated homes, and even considering the recession our neighborhood is generally improving. Five or so years ago the nearby university put in a lot more student housing which meant that our neighborhood became more homeowner than renter. There's now a boutique hotel going in at the end of our block which, if it succeeds, will help make our area more walkable and trendy. The adjacent neighborhood was recently named the first runner up up-and-coming neighborhood in our city, and some houses are being listed for the $220s, although $250s don't sell. We plan to be here for at least six years. Soooo... between that and the fact that we're willing to pay a bit more for things that will last and not pollute, I am thinking $45K is a good figure for us.

Cost-saving ideas: Having a handy coworker come and haul away our old cabinets for her laundry room instead of hiring that out.... doing cleanup and wall painting ourselves after all else is done... buying an antique sink and having it resurfaced, even if that means working out the installation separately...

Is there anything else I've not thought of? Like, a million things, right? Sigh. I'm kinda terrified here.

Oh, and incidentally: I'm typing on an ipad touchscreen so please forgive the typos. I can't scroll up and check myself.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

pinch_me
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
You are going to have Fun! Be prepared. The money goes fast. I can't wait to see the sink. I love sink porn!
introvert
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hhahahaha! I will promise to be very tasteful with my photography.
Related Discussions
hard to say what week we're on, but this is what it looks like
Q
Comments (5)
Ha ha! When I first saw the post-it note idea it didn't seem especially helpful. Then it came time to empty my kitchen, a daunting and discombobulating process. After checking and rechecking the same cupboard for about the tenth time, I remembered the post-it notes, which suddenly sounded genius! Thank you all for your words of encouragement! I'll post updates.
...See More
we're out of the game
Q
Comments (51)
We started to hate this house. boy, does that resonate! I've been thinking, why would ANYBODY want to buy my apartment? Why do *I* want to live there! Remember I mentioned our seller called; they want us to get more aggressive on pricing and are willing to do so as well; they just want a sale. They're exiting the market (retiring to their 2nd home out of state), and they don't want to pay broker fees, or expend much energy selling (which of course don't go hand-in-hand; if they keep us as sellers, they don't pay a broker OR do any work FSBO). They're also really nice, and a bit romantic, and I think they liked the idea of being such a perfect opportunity for us (plus they'r epretty sure we'd be approved by their board, since we're neighbors). Not a businesslike outlook, but I think that was a motivation for them, honestly. Honestly, it's probably not their best move, to drop their price and sell to us. The 3BRs are holding steady. It's the 2's that are dropping. (though I suppose; if they sell to us at $510, it's still more $ in their pocket than a 5% fee on a sale of $530) Here's a brief history: In Jan & Feb, apartments exactly like mine went for $450 and $439. In early May, we got a bid for $450. (asking prices were $465k for all of these, except for the $439k; its asking price was $439k). About a month and a half ago, another guy on the block for $430k. An apartment just like ours (and estate sale, the guy wants out now) came on the market for $420k (the co-op board pressured him not to list below $400k). He got, and apparently rejected, an offer of $400k. It is possible the market has dropped by 11% in 6 months? Anyway, our sellers have said they'd come down in price if it would make the deal. But I'm not so sure it's worth the effort. I think if they list, they can get what we were offering. And I think they can get it before we can get a buyer. I'm just not ready to face the idea that my place is worth only $400k. Maybe that's foolish of me, but it just seems like a fire sale. And even if we got $400k, by the time we pay the realtor, we'll be borrowing $130,000 (that's *if* they're willing to drop the price)--that's more than we wanted to afford, given that we're now a 1-income family, and the maintenance will be a lot more. We'd really hoped our equity would have a bigger oomph than that. The thing is, if the market drops, I don't think that will help us; I honestly don't thin the 3BRs are under the same pressure as the 2BRs. There aren't nearly as many of them, for one thing. And people who can afford a 2BR will be more likely to try to reach higher for a 3, which means actually fewer people for us. Plus, this second wind may all be moot. Frankly, the 3BRs move off the NYTimes website much faster than any of the others. True, their apt. isn't up-to-date renovated, but it's fine. I think they'll get a sale much faster than WE would, even w/ a lower asking price.
...See More
I Can't Believe It....We're There...!
Q
Comments (36)
Update.... They are at our house today installing the decorative door panels on the ends of the peninsulas (& patching the hole behind the PR mirror they made taking the old medicine cabinet out). Another step toward the end! My DH (at home today) says they look great. [These are 2 of the panels that I had originally eliminated due to budget but am now getting for free...the granite folks irreparably damaged one of my peninsula cabs and when the replacement came it had two "blobs" of glaze on the end (the only issues we've had w/finish, btw. Our KD said that rather than reorder the cabinet they would purchase & install the end panels on both peninsulas so they could move the Project forward! We may eventually put them on the back of the peninsula as well, but not now.] Still a few "minor" things like the final plumbing inspection and getting our granite properly caulked (not caulking b/w counter & wall on one side!) [Sheesh...I would definitely not recommend these guys....our counters are still so uneven at the seam on the sink wall that a glass rocks on it!] Here is a link that might be useful: Passed Final Elec Insp...Mocketts & All!
...See More
We’re buying a house! let’s get some kitchen remodel ideas going!
Q
Comments (54)
Here's a suggestion. It hinges on ditching the side porch. Right now your public rooms (kitchen, living) and your private rooms (bedrooms, bathrooms) are all jumbled up. It's better to have public all together on one side of a small home and private on the other. To achieve this, I drew your kiddo's room + the front bathroom as a master suite. I'm hopeful that closing up the existing doorway and opening a new one across from the vanity is an affordable project. Another bummer about your existing layout is the disconnect between your living spaces including your back yard. To remedy this, I put the kitchen where your master bedroom is. It would be so nice to have one larger, open living space that peeks to the backyard. It's hard to tell if it's feasible, but I thought that by closing off the master bedroom door you could create a closet for a stackable washer/dryer outside the bathroom. I'd enjoy working this out on graph paper if you have a chance to measure your rooms. Yours is one of my favorite kinds of . projects!
...See More
flwrs_n_co
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Welcome! Your inspiration kitchen is beautiful! And you've given me a new website portfolio to check out and dream about! You might want to check out the Appliance Forum for your DW and oven. Use the search box at the bottom of the page because there have been lots of threads about DWs and ovens.

I can't wait to see pics of the sink! I completely agree with you about the gunk around the faucet. I'm hoping I can get a wall mount but I don't think there's enough clearance between counter and window trim.

Be sure to post your layout when you get a rough draft done as there are many people here who can give you great suggestions on ways to maximize your storage and make your space supremely functional. (I'm not really one of those people, but I always learn things to watch for when I read those threads!)

Here is a link that might be useful: Appliance Forum
introvert
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oooh, thank you! We're still meeting with kitchen designer/contractors and when we have a layout I will definitely post it. (Or did you mean our current layout?)

I have realized I shall probably have to forego the farmhouse sink and integral backsplash because of the lack of space under our window. OH HOW I SUFFER! Heh, just kidding. Well, it was nice while it lasted.
marcolo
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Welcome!

Just have to say, you definitely do NOT want to "resurface" a kitchen sink. The product simply isn't built to stand up to the abuse. You can purchase some vintagey sinks with integrated backsplashes, or you can have a sink actually re-fired. However, this is not something your GC can do. The only place I've seen discussed online that does this is in the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Place that's supposed to re-fire cast iron sinks
friedajune
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
...anything else I've not thought of?

Don't forget about ventilation for your new range. In your inspiration pics (I'll direct link below) I notice they have a nice hood, and no OTR microwave. The MW is located on the shelf elsewhere, that's good. There are lots of posts about ventilation/exhaust on the Appliances forum. Here are some basics:

- rough rule of thumb is 10 cfms per 1000 btu's. E.g., if you have 4 burners with each one at 15,000 btu's = 60K. You should have a 600 cfm hood.
- ideally, the hood should be 6" wider than the range (i.e. 3" wider on each side). Many people can't fit this "ideal", so a hood the same width as your range is fine.
- Try if you can to get a hood that is 24" deep front to back (many are 22" deep). Like my previous point, this would be the ideal. If a 24" deep hood does not fit the budget, the 22" depth is fine.
- baffle filters are better than mesh filters, because mesh will clog quickly with grease and lose efficiency.
- when installing ductwork for the hood, make sure it is 8" or 10" in diameter. Most hoods require at least 8". There are some hoods that are OK with 6" diameter duct, but they're harder to find. If your duct is too small for your hood, you will get increased noise and decreased efficiency.

Regarding your sink, many people here have the apron front sink without the backsplash. Would look awesome in front of a window. There are so many threads about the apron front sink, I'll Link one below. The apron front sink comes in fireclay, stainless steel, and cast iron (the Kohler Dickinson sink). There have been some threads recently about problems with fireclay apron front sinks, though many adore theirs. Fireclay and cast iron will be more expensive (the Dickinson sink runs $1600), though Ikea has the Domsjo sink reasonably priced. Stainless apron front sink can be had for $350 and they're easier/cheaper to install.

Introvert's Inspiration Pic

Thread Farmhouse Sinks
dianalo
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have the sink you want. I got it from freecycle from someone who had had it in the bsmt for decades and it had not been used much. I had been hunting through ebay and CL for one like this, so when someone offered it out, I jumped. You could post a "want" if you are on freecycle. I'd include a picture of the type you are looking for. There also also architectural salvage places that could have what you are looking for. I am all about reusing when at all possible.

I'd keep an eye on CL and ebay for appliances as well. We got our wall oven from CL, brand new, and saved a bundle. We also got our Chambers stove from CL for less than I had been seeing it anywhere else.

Since you like repurposing, you can also shop for a demo kitchen from showrooms and try www.greendemolitions.com for similar. I know there are other sites like that all over the country. The Habitat for Humanity Restores are great resources.

Good luck with your project!

intro and zomg! We're redoing out kitchen!

Comments (7)

pinch_me

introvert
Original Author

Related Discussions

flwrs_n_co

introvert
Original Author

marcolo

friedajune

dianalo

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

intro and zomg! We're redoing out kitchen!

Comments (7)

pinch_me

introvertOriginal Author

Related Discussions

flwrs_n_co

introvertOriginal Author

marcolo

friedajune

dianalo

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

introvert
Original Author

introvert
Original Author