I'm too exhausted to go into detail, but our plans changed drastically. (Our budget also changed drastically.) ;o) But the kitchen I'm ending up with is something I couldn't even conceive of before, and even if I could have dreamed it up on my own, I never would have thought it could be within my reach - financially, aesthetically, materials options, etc.

Our kitchen would have been OK before, but now it's going to be amazing!

Garden Web really enabled my kitchen. I could not have had the kitchen I am going to have without it. Once we decided that we wanted to restore our old cabinets to keep the gumwood, rather than get new ones we were pretty much committed to doing it ourselves -- no way we could have afforded someone to do what we're doing, if we could even have found someone who would be willing to. So I depended on Garden Web for information about nearly every decision. I first heard about so may things, from Blue Star to air switch, on GW. And the pictures! I looked at virtually every kitchen in the FKB and need to personally thank Boxerpups right now for all the photos she has shared. Got excellent input from Woodworking and Appliances also. And, made some TKO friends who I am still corresponding with.

Early on, before we decided to keep the gumwood and I was considering new cabinets, I had a visit from a KD that several of my friends had used and loved. I liked her very much but by the time we had talked for about an hour, she said "you don't need me." There was nothing she could tell me about or suggest that hadn't already been brought to my attention on GW.

While I'm at it -- when we replaced our furnace a few years ago, got excellent help at Heating and learned of a brand I hadn't heard of and was led to an excellent local installer -- would never have known about this without GW.

''...enabled my kitchen.''

That's a good way to put it. I'm not sure GW ''changed'' my plans very much, but GW certainly added to them, for example, ''Let's put ROTS in this cupboard.'' GW also pointed me in the right direction to find needed hardware, corbels, etc.

The form hasn't changed much, but function definitely. I've learned about so many things I didn't know or hadn't thought about, including Tapmaster, Waterlox, the idea of a prep sink and second dishwasher, bottom cab drawers vs. doors, Rev-a-Shelf, etc. The sort of things that come up in the "Defining the GW Kitchen" threads...

As far as form or style, I'm hopelessly consistent so I'm still planning a version of my current kitchen (cream painted cabs) but with nicer features, better function, and bigger so it's more than a one bum kitchen!

Becky

Here is a link that might be useful: Defining the GW Kitchen thread

Through the years, I would come here to the KF and read. I've always loved to cook, so the CF was my home base on GW. When the time came to get serious about redoing the kitchen, I was here. I didn't say much but I absorbed as much as I could.

By the time I had a kitchen designer come over, she laughed and told me I didn't need her. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who posts on the KF!

Just a few more details to finish and then I'll be posting my new kitchen.

Nancy

Before discovering the KF, I was a Man Without a Plan. Now I have one. Sort of.

In a word--soapstone.

You had me at "Bianco Antico".

I googled it, found Redroze, and well, the rest is history.

Ticor sink-- great quality, low price.

Pull-down faucet, knew what to look for to get the least expensive available good one (as far as I could understand).

Granite countertop we are happy with-- and a rationale for selecting among all the options!

Base drawers.

Figuring out how to get the vent hood installed with external venting and pushing the GC to acknowledge it could be done.

Sizing the vent hood and paying attention to our feeling that it was worth spending on.

The concept of zones, so lots of things are not located where I would have put them out of habit (e.g., trashbags are in a holder on the inner side wall of the trash pull-out-- right where we use them, instead of with the cleaning supplies across the room).

Confidence to experiment with unusual-for-us placement (e.g., cleaners up high, not under sink; colanders under sink, where we are going to use them).

Where to find all kinds of useful things like drawer insert makers from Lee Valley.

News of a great sale on our gel mat to save DH's back when he does the dishes.

The only really good cupboard liner I've ever found (Cushy Cupboards).

Figuring out that a built-in microwave was not worth it to us and building a nook for a cheaper, easily replaceable countertop microwave instead.

Confidence in arguing with GC and cabinet maker when needed. (Me: that ceiling fan is too close to and will interfere with the upper cabinet doors. GC: you can just tell people to turn off the fan when they're opening the doors. How much do you open these doors anyway? Me: no, YOU can move the fan!)

Suggesting to my (aging in place) in-laws that they switch the heavy stacks of Pyrex roasting pans from upper cab to base drawers and take the light plastic tupperware from the base drawers up to the upper cab above. Much less reason to fear they will drop the roasting pans on their heads one day.

I bet well over 2/3 of our kitchen was directly influenced by GW and what I learned here. I don't think I'd have ever considered IKEA cabs without reading the raves here, so that is about $10k saved that made going ahead possible without taking so much off our plan that it would almost not have been worth doing.
I had never heard of Marmoleum until GW and that is another huge element. All drawers, few to no uppers, venting issues, etc.. are all from GW.

Our style or vision has not deviated much from what we wanted but the details of how to get there certainly changed a ton.

Major function idea I got from here was drawers--have as many as possible. I had never seen kitchens with so many drawers before, and the idea you could put glasses or plates or pots/pans in a drawer was completely new to me. Now I love having my drawers!

I changed my countertop from Cambria to soapstone after being here--had never heard of it before--and my sink from copper to soapstone. Also first saw my faucet here too (never would have found it otherwise).

Those are the big ones I can think of off the top of my head.

I have not even started kitchen yet...don't even have a formal design (lots of sketches etc), but after lurking here for 9 months, I am:

-doing mostly base drawers
-actually thought about how I use my kitchen and planned accordingly
-taped off where island might be to check how different aisle clearances worked
-narrowed down sink and faucet choices
etc etc etc

Before GW it was all about getting a prettier kitchen...now it is getting a prettier and more functional kitchen!

I came here with floorplan fixed and cabs on order, so much of the layout advice help here was not tapped, but I did make the very important decision to move a door, greatly improving efficiency and creating some other benefits. I had foregone this option previously because I didn't think I could endure having the trauma affect nearby rooms. This peer group definitely encouraged more courage.

Very few of the kitchens here are a match to my project, so I've tried to put out some ideas and in-progress photos just to show readers other options. In return, I really appreciated seeing images of the Formica 180FX product. Suddenly, I stopped bypassing it and really considered it.
Similarly, I got some helpful advice about handling the walkpath & lobby areas which helped rule out some of my screwier ideas for flooring and window treatment and finishes.

I do think that posters and lurkers need to look and think very hard and wear their crap detectors because even here there can be a lot of mismatch with our real needs. The let-your-hair-down and interpersonal postings have especially helped me keep perspective. These are sometimes painfully personal and they rain on the parade, but they're essential as part of the process. Keep your eyes on the prize and let the rest go.

I went to three modest Parade of Homes houses today. Two kitchens were awful. With the same budget and better thinking, they would have been better. Imagine a 6-foot square island with mostly dead space inside it and only one openable area. But...it had granite on top, which was apparently considered greatest part of the kitchen design and the wood matched the balance of the house, creating visual unity. Not until the cook moves in will the waste be noticed.

Good point on the basic nonfunctional kitchens Florantha.

I did a major flip-flop switching out appliance zones since coming here. Rhome was kind enough to draw out a traffic flow that made me stop and realize how "new" change could improve a kitchen I already thought I "knew".

Reading through some of the tutorials helped me prioritize what I needed for my kitchen. Knowing what I need and what is possible helped fine tune the design.

I did not ever see myself having a pulldown faucet or soap dispenser but a major faucet calamity made me have to decide quite suddenly, and not wanting to spend money twice I went for it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! Plus don't you know the DW also went the day before the faucet, so the pull down is getting quite the workout since I AM waiting for the remodel to replace the DW.

I would have never considered custom cabinets before GW and once I investigated the process and the prices I was sold! It allowed me to have a custom corner cabinet made that gave me enough room on my window wall to fit my sconces in on my terms, not factory increments.

My cabinet maker has been more than accommodating when I send him a GW link or tutorial. =) I cannot even imagine how limited my design would be if I had to rely on verbal descriptions & pictures only... with no GW!
The area where I live has not even fully embraced granite yet, so introducing full ext. and all drawer bases has caused him to ask me politely a few times if I'm sure! I think he is impressed with GW too!

Oddly to many of you, I would have never have considered an OTR MW before here, but I have seen some fabulous kitchens here that traded out hoods for whatever reason, and the owners were very happy. They gave me the courage to take their advice and give it a try because it would work well for my design.

Oh and the biggest game changer! If I had never seen Jenwren's beautiful wood counters I would have not have lingered here long enough to become utterly disgusted with my poorly layed out, no counter space kitchen!

My layout changed drastically, thank goodness! But most of my choices are the same.. colors, cabinet style etc.

my plans didn't change.

In the first six months, when I posted for reassurance or idea confirmation, GW posted responses were not helpful.

In one sense, GW helped "change" my layout. Having read archives here, I decided to put drawers in every base cabinet: this includes the sink cabinet! I posted about this, but everyone resisted. Nobody could believe that I could get the plumbing to be compact enough to stay above the drawer floor. When I posted about the idea of sloping the drawer runners slightly so that it would be easier to push big drawers back in, everyone who posted offered resistance. When I posted about the idea of removing base cabinet floors so that I could have deeper drawers (and that I could open with my foot), everyone who posted offered resistance. Examples among others.

In another sense, GW helped me with my plans: I learned to spot phonies fast. I mean they may be induling in idle conjecture, or they dismiss things without thinking openmindedly and neutrally for a minute.

Hth

GW has changed many of the plans for my whole house renovation. I had a general idea of what I wanted, but I had not vocabulary to describe it. Windows, R-value, sprayfoam insulation, cooling and heating load calcuations, mini-split system, Building Science website, and a host of learning that changed my ideas from a "pretty" house to a house as a system in which all of the parts work together.

My ideas of "pretty" have not changed terribly much, except maybe to be more expensive ;p, but the importance of the intergrated infrastructure of the house, those ideas have grown here on GW.

Having words for what I want have made research, budgeting, and planning significantly easier. Instead of "I don't like the look of those cabinets" and my general disgust of how all of the kitchens of my life have not functioned for me - bottom cabinets too deep so I have to crawl of the floor to get things out and uppers that are so high I either have to use a stool for everything above the bottom shelf or use only the bottom self and be annoyed because there's not enough room. My cabinet hatred has been completely replaced by the simple knowledge that kitchens don't have to have uppers and can have drawers on the bottom or rolling pull-out shelves with inset shaker style - never had I contemplated such things nor did I know what to call them.

I enjoy looking at others' kitchens and bathrooms - some I like, some not so much. But looking at pictures and reading about all of them are a learning experience for me. Learning about the good, bad, and the ugly of working with contractors and other tradespersons in terms of what they can and cannot do or will or will not do, and the fact that I don't have to accept whatever I'm told is empowering.

The appliances, underlayment and flooring options, bathroom fixtures, even the type of home loan changed as a result of GW - all for the better. If knew then what I know now, I would have had my own house long ago.

Came with cabinet plan for a 1912 9.25'x10.75 corridor galley. Only outlet to backyard through kitchen. Can only move 1/2 of one wall back 1'. Can't move doorways- staircases etc. Now, even with all these BIG design limitiations, I am going to have a kitchen that will be the best it can be because of this site. Two biggest changes, gurus telling me that this is a kitchen where the range should be closer to the wall and to get rid of an L that was cramping an all ready cramped space. This came after a discussion about my stove being on the other side of the galley. Best perhaps on paper and in theory, but I was able to see that I REALLY did not want to cook in a traffic pattern ever again. Other wonderful change was actually losing a bit of storage after Davidro1 conjured up a wall of windows for me. Will now have two side by side instead of one and this change coupled with opening wall on either end will transform the space - I HOPE! We should start at the end of April - fingers crossed.

OH my,...I haven't even finished my floorplan for my new home, but I have gained so much from this forum. I've lived in an awfully designed kitchen for so many years.I really hadn't put much thought into "what I do" in the kitchen. But, I do now thanks to this forum.

For one thing, I'm 5'2", and I have always struggled with upper cabinet usage. I learned, on GW, about kitchen drawers, and I will definitely be incorporating this idea into my kitchen. Never thought I'd like a prep sink, but now it's a must. Tired of trying to rinse vegetables in the cleanup sink. I also now love the thought of the extra counter space of an island, and also the storage that can be created in an island. Less uppers for this shorty! So many great ideas here.
I was also looking for affordable alternative to granite countertops, without doing Formica. Love the idea of wood countertops in certain areas. Also learned to think outside of the box. I found the idea of "mixed cabinets." They don't have to be all stained or all painted. (think outside the box!!) I could go on all day. Great forum!

Thank you all for your responses. I can see that I'm not the only one to learn a lot from GW :)

When I first posted my kitchen plan, I got some great suggestions, but didn't think they would work in my space. Now, I'm seeing that my plan has many of those original ideas. Thanks to everyone...and sorry it took me so long to see what was right in front of me!

The other thing I've found, is that the area I designed, mainly for my use, to prep and bake....is going to be perfect for my husband. He's going to love the prep/bar sink and the butcher block counter on the island. The counter behind him (between the fridge and range) will be perfect for setting up his deep fryer or working on his pork and chicken. If I could manage a grill somewhere, he would be completely happy! LOL Maybe a slightly bigger range....

For me, I think my area has gravitated to the corner, between the range and main sink...which will make an excellent baking corner. Still working on the details, but I would love to find some White Princess granite (looks like marble) for that countertop! The wall oven is on the other side of the sink, so we can both work, without tripping over each other.

Don't get me wrong, I know I have a lot more to learn, but I want to thank everyone who has helped me...and all the many posts I've read (maybe from people who don't even stop by anymore) that have taught me so much. Also, thank you all for the beautiful inspiration pictures, that have given me so many ideas! :)

So far it has made an unbelievable amount of change: my loving wife wanted soapstone; I was completely opposed because of my memory of dirty chem lab sinks and lab tables through HS and 8 years of college. After researching the posts on the kitchen forum, I am a convert. I was against single bowl sinks because that is what I grew up with in a 150 year old caretaker's house and didn't want to go back there. KF completely changed my mind. I now am open to painted cabinets and mixing paint and stain-- wasn't before. I now understand why prep sinks are good. We got a huge amount of design inspiration from KF. I had never heard of Crownpoint, Omega, Rutt, P&F. I thought our full overlay Eurobox cabs were the only way to go; now we are going with inset. The AF has had a similar amount of effect on us: we were going with KA, or Jennair or GE and possibly viking-- never thought about Wolf or Miele. Now we are going with Miele, Wolf, Marvell (ref drawers)-- companies we never considered. We feel that not only have these 2 forums helped us design better, they have perhaps saved us from major errors and poor choices in terms of quality.

When I started thinking about renovating my kitchen in March 2010, my simple plan was to remove my island, add a peninula, get new appliances (change smoothtop electric to gas), change from range to cooktop so I wouldn't have to pull out a stove and clean behind it, and put the cabs up to the ceiling. I also knew I wanted a few more drawers as my current kitchen has very few and all of them are small ones above lower cabinets. I figured a KD would be best at figuring out the details. I know if I had gone forward, I would have blindly accepted whatever the first KD recommended, nodding and saying "Of course, of course."

After finding the GW kitchen and appliance forums, I started hanging out here almost every evening--reading and learning. Quickly learned about ZONES vs. TRIANGLE! Instead of adding a peninsula, I'm planning on putting in a small buffet where there is currently a half wall between kitchen eating area and FR. Door to dining room will be moved over about 7 feet to eliminate a blind corner and allow use of about 2 more feet of wall space between current DR doorway and closet pantry--who knew 2 feet would mean so much!

Moving the doorway will allow me to put in a small prep sink at the end of my cook/prep run. I also learned about taking the MW off the counter and putting it on a shelf above the counter. Perfect!

Drawers, drawers, drawers!!! All drawers except under 2 sinks and the trash pullout (which will be located in prep area).

Pantry pullouts and various options for blind corners. Never knew about the pantry pullouts at all and thought the only option for the blind corner was a lazy susan like I have now. I'll still have one blind corner and I'm not sure which option I'll use, but at least I know what my options are now.

Appliances--induction vs. gas, speed, steam, convection, and combi ovens, separate frig and freezer columns, frig/freezer drawers, etc. No reason to finalize choices yet other than general types since reno has been put on hold for now, but I know what my options are and keep researching reliability and service issues.

Cabinet and open shelving options--so much info including considering custom options now because of information on deeper cabs and counter learned here!

I could list more--flooring, backsplashes, countertop material (ranging from quartz and soapstone to the new formicas), venting, GC issues and acting as your own, etc., etc. Thank you, thank you GW!! I never would have guessed there was a community people so giving of their time, experience, and knowledge!