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Options for High End Kitchen & Bathroom

9 years ago

We're doing a high end remodel of our kitchen and bathrooms. Think granite counters, pro grade appliances, custom cabinets, glass enclosure showers etc.. We walk around barefoot a lot so while the idea and look of stone or ceramic floors is appealing, the feel of it is not. We hate cold feet and hard floors. Durability and low maintenance is important. We have wood floor kitchen now and it's all worn from scuffing and water. We're considering stone/tile w/ electric radiant heat. While it seems workable for bathrooms, for our 200 SF kitchen, I'm not sure it makes sense.

Anybody have any recommendations? I heard about luxury vinyl (is that an oxymoron?). Is that compatible with high end look and feel? I've seen laminates, and it just doesn't look or feel right compared to real wood. Plus I've heard it doesn't handle water well.

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Comments (6)

weedyacres
9 years ago
When you say radiant heat "doesn't make sense" for your kitchen, what do you mean?

We put radiant heat under our master bathroom tile and loved it so much that we put it in our kitchen and breakfast nook when we remodeled, and then into our sunroom that we added on. No regrets on any of it.

We too are typically in socks or bare feet. Loved having heated tile floors. (past tense because we no longer live there)
smackboy1
Original Author
9 years ago
Hydronic radiant heat floors are not feasible, so our only option is electric mat. The utility costs would be high.

Have some samples of luxury vinyl tile and it's not cold like tile.
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Don't they sell uncut lengths of Formica, Wilsonart, or other laminate counter tops near you? Double check dimensions. Often, bathroom vanities are not as deep (front to back) as kitchen cabinets. If you have Menard's in your area, check into ordering a custom laminate top. Often on sale with prices starting around $12 a lineal foot with the basic post formed edge. (Not per square foot, as solid surface tops are priced.) Menard's sales on countertops come around often. Craigslist is a great source for both used and new building materials, as mentioned. Also, Habitat to Humanity restores, if there is one close to you. No question about centering the sink. Do it. Moving plumbing a couple of feet on an interior non-bearing wall is no big deal. Plenty easy for a DIYer. Shouldn't be hugely expensive even if you have to call a plumber. I would guesstimate it to be around $200. (Get quarter-turn ball shut-off valves installed on the water lines.) If your quote was for substantially more than that, call around for other bids. Really is a no-brainer, even if it means picking us a wall hung sink and living with it for a while, installing a vanity at a later time. I just would not go to the effort and expense of remodeling without addressing the plumbing issue. That's the nuts & bolts; the other stuff is mostly aesthetics. I would make sure that I had stuff cleared out of the way, i.e., the present vanity removed, before calling the plumber. Use the plumber to relocate the water and drain only. Installing a faucet and making the water and drain connections is very, very easy to do...it's almost a tool-less project anymore. (I remember the days when you had to have a faucet wrench! Thank goodness you don't need those anymore!!)
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As a real estate appraiser I would advise to try to keep it. It will reduce the valuation by a few percent. If I were to appraise your home, I would now have to compare and adjust it from a 3 bathroom home to a 2.5. That's anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 adjustment downwards. Understand that I don't know where you live or your real estate market. Even though there is no bedroom on the floor, it's a very usable space. At the very least, I'd put in a shower. You just never know when someone will lose their mobility. It looks like an older home. If your laundry room is in the basement, you may want to reconfigure it to bring the laundry up to the main living area. That would be an improvement in utility and the only reason why I would consider eliminating it. Hard to see everything, but you could reconfigure the doorway/entry and take over that vestibule area.
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weedyacres
9 years ago
Utility costs aren't impacted that much by electric wire heated floors.
User
9 years ago
For a high end home, an exotic wood like reclaimed chestnut or a granite tile like Blue Bahia would be considered appropriate. Nothing run of the mill like has been done to death in the midde market and has even trickled down to mass buiders. Something with some rarity. $50 a square and up ought to be the righrt neighborhood for an upper end project.
smackboy1
Original Author
9 years ago
@weedyacres - how are your electric radiant floors switched? On all the time? Programmable timer? Motion sensor? What makes the most sense for kitchen or bath?

@hollysprings - unfortunately we need something that can take a lot of foot traffic and water. Wood is probably out. Our current wood floors are a mess.
happyallison
9 years ago
I have been looking into the vinyl or cork as an option in my walkout basement remodel, as well as engineered hardwood. I'd love to do wood look tile but can't afford electric mats for that large an area. My engineered hardwood held up well in my old home, though I didn't care for the extremely smooth coating ( showed footprints). I would go for something handscraped looking or more textured in this home if I go that route.
I really like the idea of the cork, I'm just trying to determine it's durability/scratch resistance. Might be an option for you. I saw it in a kitchen once, it looks very nice.

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