Any Ideas For My New Kitchen???

[forHISglory]

This fall, we moved into this house built in 1980. Very nice house that really suits our lifestyle, EXCEPT for the kitchen. We paid cash for the house and have no debt, so we can afford to update the kitchen. But we don't want to spend unnecessary bucks.

The cons:
The kitchen is short on storage and countertops. The sink is plastic, and a previous owner must have set hot pots in it and melted part of it. The cabinet doors look good, but the shelves inside are thin particleboard that sag under any weight at all. I'm afraid they are going to crack. There are two lazy susans in the corners, but they are very small and the metal shelves are rusting. A drop-in stove uses most of the breakfast bar countertop. The stove is almost as old as the house and the oven is not consistent on heating. The dishwasher and fridge are also of the same vintage. The dishwasher is rusting inside and no longer gets dishes clean. The fridge is not in too bad of shape, considering the age, but is probably very inefficient.

The pluses:
Nice ceramic tile floor and back splashes. Very good lighting, with a center light, hanging pendants over the breakfast bar, and a sink light. A small pantry holds quite a bit. Adjacent to a fireplace and open to a large family room/dining room.

We hope to live here for 20 some years, and we plan on this being our last home. We live in a nice neighborhood, but I doubt that we will see cost of a new kitchen recouped in a selling price down the road. In other words, we are going to remodel because we want to, not because we expect to make money on it when we sell the house.

Our plans:
We'd like to move the stove to the other side of the room and have a large breakfast bar that functions just as that. We'd like to put a microwave/hood combo over the stove. We need to move the fridge. Both appliance moves will involve moving some electric lines and water line. We plan to add more cabinets and replace the current cabinets. We plan to replace all the appliances. I'd like an appliance garage on the cabinets, and also have task lighting added under the cabinets.

Now:
If you were going to remodel a kitchen, what would you want? What little or big features would be important to you? Remember that we don't have oodles of money! Any suggestions on moving the electric and water lines? Any suggestions for types of appliances or brand names? I'd like to find a fridge that has the freezer on the bottom, and the top opens like french doors; that allows wide shelves inside. But is it possible to have an ice maker and water dispenser in that type of arrangement? I'd love to hear any ideas you might have! Thanks!

[Trishagirl]

Well If I were you I would replace the sink with a cast iron one and make sure it's a deep one. Replace the oven with the new glass top ones and a new microwave (I don't use one) and new cabinets with sturdy pullout drawers they are great! You can wait on the Fridge if you want til it goes out on it own or if you have enough money get a new one also. I need to update my fridge and stove just waiting for them to go out too! I recently replaced the heating element on the stove and it was worth it rather than getting a new one which we couldn't afford so it just depends on your money situation. The task lighting sounds like a neat feature to have in your kitchen! I want a new fridge like you said sounds wonderful! Have fun shopping!

[JenMarie]

We did a minor kitchen remodel in 2008. We have solid wood cabinets, but they were blue (ick)... we painted them white and got a new countertop. We took down the wallpaper and painted the walls. I love it all except the acrylic sink. I picked it out.... and I hate it. It is so scratched and stained and we've only had it a year and a half.

[Judi Dial]

DH installed a plugmold on one of our backsplashes this year and I told him today that he's going to do it again with every kitchen counter we've got (we have one other now and expect to redo our kitchen entirely sometime soon.

I LOVE having a strip of plugs to put appliances into. No clumping up of cords, no having to figure out where I can add one MORE appliance.

The stuff I'm talking about is like this stuff:
http://tools.wiremold.com/diy/products/plugmold.asp

Judi

[Domestic Gal]

We redid our kitchen 5 years ago. I went with drawer that open all of the way and I love them no more digging to the back of the drawer to find anything.
I have under counter lighting and I love it.
We got 42 inch cabinets as it was cheaper than having a sofet built around the cabinets.
When getting the sink think about how much you will be hand washing and how much water it will take to fill up the sink.My sink base is only 30 " wide standard is 36' and could of gotten 1 large sink but opted for 1 regular size sink and 1 6' sink. This is because it would take lots more water to fill up 1 large sink to wash a few dishes than just one regular size sink. I use the small sink for cleaning veggies and thawing meat. Uses less water than a regular sink.
The only thing I don't like about my kitchen is I do not like the shape of faucet I got. I got one that is almost a 1/2 circle. you have to put the pot in the sink to fill it as it will not fit otherwise as the faucet goes down to far.
When buying your drawer and handle pulls check ebay they are lots cheaper than the home improvement stores.
as far as appliances I got a kenmore dishwasher and the stove and microwave are fridgdaire gallery series. I got a smooth top with a white top. It still looks like new. I know some people do not like the smooth tops but I like mine. I kept my fridge since it was only 4 years old at the time.
Check consumer reports for the appliances that is what we did and have had no problems with any of them. They were medium priced appliances.

[nancycg56]

We redid our kitchen totally three years ago and I would recommend:

As much lighting as you can afford ~ we put in recessed lighting in the ceiling, under cabinet lighting, drop lights over the cooktop and sink area ~ I love it!

Cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling ~ I have a little footstool for the shelves I can't reach but I store loads on those shelves.

I have a freezer on the bottom refrigerator and love it! Make sure you figure out if it will fit through your doorways to the kitchen if you have them. It has the water/ice thingee and works fine.

Double ovens ~ I don't know how I lived without them before.

I like my smooth cooktop, too.

We put in Caesarstone countertops ~ easy to clean, never need any kind of upkeep except a wiping down and you can put hot pans on them with no problems.

Good luck on your remodel!

[pollypurebred39]

When we do redo our kitchen the MOST important thing will be my ability to reach things without stooping, bending up under cupboards, and stretching beyond my reach.

After a lot of research I discovered that a lot of European countries do not have homes/apartments with built in kitchens. Their kitchens come with them when they move! A lot of pieces just slide in, like stainless steel shelving, stainless steel shelves with butcher block countertops, and of course slide in free standing ranges. They also have the same kind of thing done in plastic, and wood, some with sliding glass or plastic doors & drawers.

You'd never know a lot of these kitchens were moveable, they look like permanant fixtures. The best part is that they are extremely reasonable.

[Lora88]

LG makes double door bottom freezer with ice maker and water thru the door I would get a 10" inch deep sink and high faucet for easy fill of sink ideally granite counter tops if you can manage it if not they have some really nice formica now. you say the cabinets are rotted Places like Home depot have stock cabinets that are not too expensive. You didnt say how much you would like to spend but I think including appliances you can get the materials you need for about 6000 the refrig is a high dollar item

[sommersa]

I did a mini kitchen redo. Just mainly paint but boy does it make a difference. I painted my white walls a deep blue and my ugly mustard yellow cabinets a beige. Got new hardware for the cabinets. I just finished getting decor for the room, and I just love to sit in there and just look. I love how it looks. Nothing is quite as satisfying as redoing something, having it look great and having it be easy on the wallet as well.

[ml2620]

If this is going to be your last house, for the next twenty years, I'd spend some time thinking about how you might navigate the kitchen as an older person - trouble walking, reaching, seeing, etc., something that could be adapted easily if one of you were in a wheelchair. Sorry to say all this. My next door neighbor is a single lady w/out children and she recently designed and built a house for her "old age" to make sure she could care for herself as long as possible, she carefully thought through these scenarios and has an absolutely, beautiful and amazing kitchen I truly envy!

I'd avoid tile that could be slippery, high cabinets that would require a step stool and lots of reaching.

Personally, I think spending money on trendy kitchen cabinets is a waste, styles and tastes change. Personally, I'd choose an adaptable, changable pantry over kitchen cabinets any day of the week, so I'd recommend a pantry with adjustables shelves.

And those under counter pull drawers that allow you to see all your pots and pans instead of leaning way in the back of the cabinet through a big mess to locate your round baking dish! I would love to have some of those drawers!

[mombottoo]

I finally got my kitchen remodeled earlier this year and I love it!!!

I also lacked cupboard & counter space, so we added more counter/cupboard space by the sink and moved the fridge. I would recommend getting a fridge with the freezer on the bottom. They are larger fridges, but they hold a whole lot more.

My best advice is to make sure you are happy with what you decide. You know better than anybody what will work for you and what won't. I have a restaurant style Bunn coffee maker...I had a special spot designed specifically for this coffee maker...LOL. I also had an above the range micro/hood installed to clear counter space. The one thing our contractor did was use the ventless option...which I don't like. I wish it were vented to the outside like our old vent was...kitchen gets too hot.

Our old sink was cast iron, which I prefer. But, due to the cost of replacing the cast iron sink I opted to go with stainless. My new sink is much deeper than my old one and now we don't break so many glasses which is a plus.

Good luck with your remodeling project!!!

[Grainlady]

1. I'd suggest you hire a CKD (certified kitchen designer) to help utilize your ideas, provide even more, and point you in the right direction and avoid some potential pitfalls that could cost you in the long run. I say this because my husband has been a CKD for decades, has a degree in Interior Architecture, is VP in charge of Customer Service, and has been with the same cabinet manufacturer for 35-years. Professional experience can be invaluable.

2. Nothing lasts forever - especially kitchen designs and equipment. Expect 7-10 years before that kitchen will look "dated" in one fashion or another.

3. Space and storage... People usually have too much "stuff", and much of it little used, than the space can accommodate. Trim your "stuff" to accommodate the space available, then do an inventory of the "stuff" to design cabinetry to accommodate it.

4. Avoid fashionable trends, stick to traditional looks, and choose durable goods if you want to get the most years possible from your make-over. Appliances garages have not been popular for many years now. They were not a lasting trend at all. You might consider a shallow pantry cabinet with pull-out shelves to house the gadgets/appliances better use of space. Deep or tall storage is always difficult to use. Large pull-out drawers are the best idea in recent years, along with pull-out shelves.

I also agree with ml2620 about planning for the future for convenient use as you grow older. Choosing an induction stove top is going to be our next up-grade as we get ready for retirement - for it's safety features and they are more energy efficient.

[Pemberleyan]

I'd suggest going to your local library to see if they have any kitchen idea books. These are full of ideas you may not have thought of.

Think about whether you want to have cabinets go to the ceiling for all the storage space you can get, or have a space above them for decorative items. Another cabinet suggestion; I love large drawers instead of cabinets below the countertops. They can hold anything from your Tupperware, pots and pans, heavy Pyrex and ironware; just make sure you get the really good drawer guides, which come in weight categories, like “90-pound drawer,” etc. With these drawers, there will be no getting on the floor to dig in the back of the cabinet.

Someone suggested Ebay for knobs and hardware; I have to agree. I got great deals there on those and also on kitchen faucets and a sink. Pick out a kitchen faucet you like at the local home store and then search for it on Ebay.

On appliances, you might check around at both Sears and other large stores, but also appliance-only businesses and ask them to call you about any returns or dented items. Sometimes the dented items are not dents that are really noticeable and are high-end items at a great discount. I don't know about your refrigerator preference, but having had a side-by side for 16 years, I don't ever want another one. Both sides are narrow and deep, causing things to constantly get lost in the back. I'd like a freezer on the bottom, I think.

I like having spice drawers and a cabinet with separators for cookie sheets and other like items. I don't know how much baking you do, but one of my wish list items was a marble section in the countertop for rolling out cookie dough, pizza crusts, rolls, biscuits, etc. I am short and had that section of the cabinet built at a good height for me. I measured the area and just had the marble cut so we wouldn't have to pay for installation. This may be the exception and not the rule, but we paid about half for custom cabinets compared to what manufactured cabinets were going to cost. Another savings; we got unpainted cabinets and I painted them with oil-based gloss paint. We chose very plain cabinets which I don't think will become dated.

I had a section of countertop between the refrigerator cabinet and the wall oven cabinet which would need no cut-out for like a sink, etc. I went to a restaurant supply store and bought a stainless steel table with backsplash and had the cabinet maker take this into consideration. The legs to the table were discarded and I got a stainless countertop for a small fraction of what a stainless countertop would normally have cost. I love being able to pull hot items out of the oven and put them right on the counter. We also used this idea in my mother's small kitchen and she loves it.

Some mistakes we made: I was determined to have double wall ovens and I can see now that there was really no need with just the two of us and no family to cook for. I use both of them, but I could have done without both. In one section we ended up with two very narrow cabinet doors where one wide one would have worked better.

I hope you'll share pics when you're done!

[forHISglory]

We used a CKD at our former home. Although we used stock cabinets, the kitchen was customized just for me and my habits. It was great!

I really appreciate all your remarks. I shared them with Hubby and we are mulling over choices. I agree with thinking toward access as we grow older. Thank you so much. I'll share the progress of this project as we move into it. And if you think of other hints, I'd love to hear them.

[JerryG]

Check out this site for more specific info on appliances.

http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/41

My add to this conversation is that I love my stainless steel sink. The other thing I would consider is an overhead fan for my oven / stove. I don't have one and really miss it.