Full Kitchen Reno/Remodel - Advice requested!
Robert
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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Robert
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRelated Discussions
Requesting Kitchen Layout advice
Comments (43)Since you mentioned this is your forever home, it's really worth taking the time to think this through and come up with the best possible plan. There are some real shortcomings right now. On that note - I think if you're going to have the current dining room become the everyday eating area, a doorway from the kitchen isn't enough. I think you need to open that space up so that it's all one room. That way, you are still getting an eat-in kitchen, but it will be an L shape, larger space. Kids can be doing homework at the table and still be in the same space. I am really having a hard time imagining any scenario where it would be okay to have the step down to the family room totally open without a railing. It certainly doesn't work with a table anywhere near by. I think you could instead use this space for a kitchen island/peninsula which would straddle the drop down. Picture having maybe a sink or cooktop on this space - it would be facing into the open family room. There could be stools on the family room side facing into the kitchen. This would leave a much shorter step down area, basically like what you have now. Which looks natural and not weird....See MoreKitchen Reno, need major advice on how to modernize this kitchen
Comments (9)I just bought and will be moving in at the end of the month and was hoping to move from warm beige/brown tones to more modern cool white/grey tones. I had a feeling you just bought the house : ) . Now that you've confirmed that, here's my advice. And I'm giving you the advice as someone who has moved into new-to-me houses several times -- not as the wife of a builder who could make a lot of money with a project like yours lol. Don't do anything now. Not even hardware. You have a nice, virtually new kitchen. It may not be entirely to your taste, but that's fine. What you need to do know is live in, and use, the kitchen for at least a year. Cook, for yourself, your family, your friends. Have people over. Enjoy your new home. See how the space functions first. You may well decide to make other changes, so rather than spending money now on some cosmetic things, see what you think after a year, which will give you a full chance to see how the kitchen and adjoining areas work for you. The problem with moving away from warm beige/brown tones is that, as Sina mentioned above, your kitchen flooring is warm beige/brown tones. So is the dining room flooring adjacent to the kitchen, the living room which is open to the dining room has warm beige/brown tones, and the staircase in the living room. And then in your original post you mention brass, which is definitely a warm tone. Whatever changes you make in the kitchen are going to affect the rest of the main floor, much like the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" lol. So live in the house, enjoy it, and don't make decisions at least until the new year : ) . And congratulations on your new house!...See MoreKitchen Remodel Review Request
Comments (60)Thanks all for the replies. I am seeking a little more guidance from the experienced community here. This is the final plan which we have come up with our KD. As mentioned by some of the people here, removal of wall with island cooktop (something which we really like the idea of but seems non-functional in standard design) make the space a little weird. It should be noted that with this plan unless we move the garage door we cannot switch the range with sink so that the sink is in the island. We really don't like the idea of moving the garage door due to cost involved in it and also it will make the door end up opening right in front of the dining table. Pros: - We get an open kitchen something which is liked in the area we live in. Maybe higher resale value? - Island cooking (something which we like but can live without) Cons: - Loss of cabinet space. Since the wall is removed there is no space for wall cabinets now. - The kitchen side of area has minimal cabinet space. With the refrigerator being moved against the wall that space is also gone for wall cabinet. Very limited drawers to store cooking utensils and even less for pots and pans. No dedicated cabinet for trash. - Removing the wall and replacing it with the beam is expensive due to the span of the beam approx 23ft and since we are in high COL, construction cost is higher. We have been quoted 20-25k to just remove the wall and put the beam. - The ROI on removing the wall seems low. It does give open concept but does not increase any effective kitchen space and take away cabinet space. We also considered many other floor plans which were proposed here (thanks a lot to everyone who shared their idea. Really appreciate it). From all the plans which involved removing the wall the above was the only one which we really liked. Now our second option is to not remove the wall at all and do a total facelift with additional cabinetry in dining area for pantry and other stuff. This is something similar to what @mjlb proposed. I quickly played around with this idea in chief architect and here are some exports. Please pardon the amateur design. Pros: - We do not need to remove the wall. We save approx 25k for the wall removal. - We get to keep the wall which gives us more wall cabinet space. - Simple facelift which minimizes all other cost like permits, electrical, plumbing etc. All appliances stay where they are so no cost of moving those. - The above means that we can do more work by ourselves i.e. demo, cabinet install etc. We plan to hire specific trade for new gas line in kitchen, countertop install, electrical. - Less money spent in kitchen allowing us to put our money in other places of the house. Cons: - We don't get the open concept which is sought after. We wonder how much does it affect the resale value of the house. - We have already spent 3.5k in structural and other design and calculation for wall removal. That money is lost :( @mjlb, @itsourcasa, @Muriel Thompson, @margaret17, @houssaon: Any inputs? Thanks....See MoreAdvice and Ideas requested for remodeling dated cramped home.
Comments (7)First thing to find out is if garage conversions are allowed. I wanted to convert my garage to an office space in my last home and found that it was not allowed. Our neighborhood required every house to have a 2 car garage. Actually - it required 2 covered parking spaces, but you needed the covered parking spaces to be set back 30' from the street - which was where my garage was located. If they are allowed you need to price the cost of the renovation and balance that against the cost of the house. Renovation is expensive, but being that this is your grandmother's home, you may be getting a good price that will offset the reno costs. There are 1000 things that can change the costs of your reno. The worst case I ever ran across was when one of my employees decided to remove a wall between their kitchen and living space. It was a 200 year old home and by the time they were done discovering issues they were down to the foundation and one outside wall. This kept it in the renovation space vs new build space and cut through a lot of red tape and allowed them to keep the original footprint and setbacks which had changed after the house was built, but their $30k reno turned out to be $300k. I have also known many people who have gone through renovations without any major issues. You will need to consult an architect/builder or design/build company to get an idea of what this will cost where you live. It is not all bad to play with ideas before presenting to an architect, but you will want to keep some things in mind. The wall that runs between the kitchen and living/dining space is most likely the major support wall for the home (notice how it runs from one end to the other. You may be able to open it up some, but removing it entirely will be a major, major expense. Moving plumbing is always expensive, if your house is on a slab, moving the plumbing means jack hammering out the slab. Leaving the kitchen where it is and just creating some openings with support posts would be a far less expensive endeavor. There may be many options that you have not even given a thought. A good designer will think of ways to make the house work for you and will know the pitfalls. Not saying this is a good design, but an example that I did in 10 minutes that is a completely different thought than you considered. You really need someone who is a pro who will take the time with you to discuss budget and the needs of your family and figure out the best plan for your home within your budget. Most of the time this means making some compromises and making something better without fulfilling all of our dreams or breaking the bank....See MoreUser
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