Old rowhome kitchen renovation inquiry...pls help...where to start?
K T
3 years ago
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K T
3 years agoRelated Discussions
A Rowhouse Kitchen Renovation: Planning Stage
Comments (57)The powder room question is a bit of a stinker. We've woven back and forth on it for several months and finally fell on the side of keeping it. On one hand, we feel that we under-use the room, and we could really up the "wow" factor on the first floor by removing it. On the other hand, we have also admitted that it does have current and future utility, and we feel like that we should be exceedingly reluctant to spend money to remove a functioning bathroom from a 1.5 bath house with enough bedrooms to accommodate a family. It's both a shame to eliminate it, and a shame to leave it in place, but for entirely different reasons. An idea occurred to me while musing over the suggestions that have been made. What do you think of this as an approach? Suppose that we leave the PR in place, and build the kitchen around it. This eliminates all the outstanding repair issues the house has (all are in the addition) and fixes our frustration over the kitchen. We don't reclaim the back view we might have had, but we can address light issues with some combination of improved lighting, side windows, and skylights. I think we could also minimize the offense of the wall the "sticks out" by decorating it - maybe we put something of visual interest on the wall, or perhaps we use it to hang some pots: At the completion of that move, we've got a functional kitchen, and a functional powder room. Here's a rendering I made while playing around, which incorporates some of the smaller modifications suggested - move the sink to the long wall; consider a larger sink; vary the size of the cabinets; conceal the vent. Once kitchen project is accomplished, we can build savings back up and decide where we're going next. One idea, per my previous post, might be to cut back the wall that is partitioning the living and dining areas. Another project might be re-configuring the layout on an upper floor to accommodate an second bath. Perhaps when that is done, we decide the powder room is no longer as needed. Or maybe, once we know our final family size and the kid(s) are older, we can drop back to a single bath. When/if we're ready to nix the PR, rather than redo the entire kitchen, we could remove the PR, and repurpose the now-open space to create an eat-in kitchen. Here's roughly what we'd have, if we removed the PR and touched nothing else - the back door and PR window are in the same place. Not that it matters, but I wonder if this may be close to the original configuration of the addition. It would explain what this space was doing prior to the installation of a PR and a W/D stack, with an off-center door....See MoreWhat % of your house value did you spend on your kitchen remodel?
Comments (90)@Janie it's a funny disparity, but my husband drives home from work every day in his $3700 car, wearing a $7000 watch (company gift for length of service) and when our kitchen is finally finished, he will walk in and make himself a coffee on a machine that doesn't cost a car payment, it cost almost as much as the CAR. Our total expense, hopefully around $30k, will be a title less than 15% of the current value of our home. We're in the Houston burbs, so pretty low COL. Ours is mostly DIY, but wth lots of structural changes. We put about 1/3 of our budget in plumbing and electrical. We knew the espresso setup would be $3k. And I knew I wanted 2 ovens and Marmoleum for the floor. We worked everything else around that, including getting our cabinets from Craigslist and then 16' of counter from ikea clearance for under $100 We got married in our backyard, my youngest daughter was born upstairs, and we love the neighborhood and neighbors and schools and we're about 15 minutes from most of my family. Unless we have to relocate, we're not going anywhere. We used the 15% number as a guide to not overimorive for the neighborhood. I wouldn't have thought a minimum was really applicableto any kitchen though. Because there's so much variation in what needs to be done. Some kitchens might need new counters and a coat of paint. Ours required rebuilding 3 load bearing walls....See MoreNew House! Master Bath Renovation Help. Where Should I Start?
Comments (12)Looks like the past home owners were going for a transitional look, but ended up with a weird hybrid of transitional/eclectic. Nothing inherently wrong with it I guess and looking at it. It doesn't seem you would have to do anything really extensive to get the modern look you are going for. Id start with the cabinets myself. That concrete sink just has to go. Im not sure what the last home owners were thinking with that one. It does not fit well with the current look of the bathroom nor would it fit the modern look you are looking for. Its a Leviathan of a sink that draws the eye away from everything else. The drawer fronts are already flat which is great for the modern look you are going for. I would opt to remove the shaker style cabinet doors though and replace them with flat front doors the same species of wood. Id also re-stain the cabinets to a darker color to give them a little more contrast in the room. If you plan to do it yourself opt for a nice General Finishes or Old Masters Gel stain that can go right over the existing finish. Last but not least for the cabinet door and drawer pulls. Change them out for something longer. 8 to 10 inch bar style pulls will go a long way to updating the look If you are really a stickler for detail and you want to really get into it. Get rid of the block glass around the shower and opt for a frame less plate glass instead. Maybe even add a knee wall where the block glass is between the shower and the toilet. Id also get rid of the mosaic tile on the floor of the shower. It just looks drab. Look for something with the same color variations as the wall tile, but with a little more pop to them. Last but not least for the shower. The shower trim kit to me completely go against the modern look you are going for. The trim can be changed out easily. Just opt for something of the same brand. If you go with a different brand then you will get into having to change the shower and diverter valves which means tearing out wall tile and plumbing. To much of a hassle. Stick with the same brand. Id get rid of that eclectic style ceiling light. For something with a more modern look. That square pot light over the toilet is really hurting the look of the bathroom. The vanity light over the sink is to eclectic and would need to go. The mirror is just to small and the frame around it does not suit the look you are going for. Also the wall mount faucet. Very traditional looking. Nothing wrong with the faucet being wall mounted I would just replace it with something more modern like a the Delta Trinsic wall mount faucet. Just my opinion on what should be done. I am not sure just how for into a remodel you were looking to get though...See MoreBest way to start arbitration process with G.C.? (Details in comments)
Comments (41)IMHO the contractor favors arbitration/mediation to get his 15% fee, which was defined. Mediation will favor compromise on both sides. A mediator is not going to decide in favor of either party. That is just not what they do. A mediator will try to find compromise for either side. Arbitration will favor the stronger legal position presented. However, the contractor is unlikely to voluntarily agree to arbitration and so it is really a moot point. Just Google, "is a time and materials contract legal in California," and you will see information from the CSLB. If you are paying an attorney he will walk you through this information and how to present it as evidence in mediation or arbitration. In mediation, it's purpose will be to encourage compromise. The evidence will pretty much end arbitration. An interesting question becomes why are time and materials contracts so popular if they are not allowed? I don't really have an answer to that, I suspect it is because the homeowner must assert the contract is illegal for that issue to be considered. If you walk into arbitration or court and note that the issue is that the contractor took too long that is going to be the issue considered. If you walk in and say that the contract end date specified 32 weeks and the contractor was overpaid according to the contract by almost $200,000 that is going to be the issue considered. As I said earlier, get a local attorney involved. I suspect you can find some more reasonable settlement than 15%. If not... you are out a couple of hundred bucks for an expert opinion, just think how much better your life would be if you paid that couple of hundred bucks at the beginning....See More
bpath
3 years ago
Carrie B
3 years agoPN _Bos
3 years ago
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