I searched the archives for Getting Started and got over 350 hits back. Hope if I am more specific I won't have to wade through all of those. This is painful after reading for a while about people doing $50 and $80k kitchen remodeling. We aren't going to do that - we have a budget of $10,000 to do as much as we can in a house that is 26 years old. Our kitchen was generic in its time - almond laminate counters, medium-dark oak cabinets that are vinyl covered boxes with real oak doors, soffit all the way around the kitchen, and vinyl flooring. The refrig and dishwasher need to be replaced. I replaced the oven 2 years ago with a stainless steel Maytag Gemini - 2 ovens and black glass top. The entire room is wallpapered and the former owner used glue of some kind to continue keeping the wallpaper edges in place. I know from doing just the laundry room that the original building contractor glued the wallpaper directly to the drywall so taking it off and remudding the walls will either eat up a lot of the budget or we have to cover over it. I have a quote of $1500 to do these kitchen walls.
A friend suggested I go to Home Depot or Lowes and let them act as the GC by coordinating the installation of new flooring, counters, wall covering. Given my limited budget is that a real option? Is there somewhere that I can find out which items I should spend the most on? Like I'd like to have Corian counters with a built in backsplash. I cook a lot from scratch and my kitchen is genuinely used daily. Easy to clean, low maintenance appeals to me.
I just went to someones house who put in Corian and she says it does scratch and lose its luster from use. Can anyone tell me what their experience has been?
We live in a heavily wooded area and the garden and outside debris the kids and pets bring in keeps the kitchen floors dirty - so I'm thinking vinyl again instead of hardwood, which would match better, but I'm concerned about scratching. I have had stone and ceramic in former homes and don't want to go there.
The adjacent rooms have light-medium cherry floors but as I said, I would be very concerned about the care of that in my kitchen area. I did think about putting in a mix of slate-look vinyl in the high use spaces like in front of the sink, primary prep counter and stove, and hardwood elsewhere. I'd like to look at some pictures though.
There are so many things I'd like to change! Like my kitchen sink is facing into a corner and the huge corner cabinet underneath is wasted space. I'd like to turn it onto a long outside wall and extend the existing window so I can look outside from the sink. Then just put a lazy susan into the corner cabinet. I'd like a giant sink instead of my double that I can't get my biggest items into. I'd like a cool new faucet set up. I'd like one of those deep cabinets over the refrigerator that I can get the big serving pieces into. We have no real pantry so I stock extras in the basement. The cabinet that could be called pantry is about 3 feet deep, dark and you can't find anything. I hate to keep anything in the bottom shelves because I have to get on my hands and knees to look down there. I've thought about framing a door on the side of it and letting it be opened from the side as well as the front so I could see things.
What are the latest things people like in refrigerators? I don't think side by sides hold as much - or do they?
I've been reading this forum and really like the idea of drawers for pots and pans. Can that be installed in existing cabinetry?
Probably the biggest area I will have to work on is the cabinets. I don't really have budget for replacement so that means painting or refacing. HomeDepot says refacing costs as much as replacement in many cases but I haven't really sat down with them yet on this. I do not like oak at all but thats what I have. They are pretty heavily grained so either they would have to be sanded, wiped with a stain for an intentional rustic look - not my first choice or something.
On that corner cabinet where my sink is. Who would I go to to find out what my options are and what the costs will be?
I've always hesitated to accept the offers of free visits and advice from kitchen and bath stores - mindful that they need to make a $ too and I might not buy anything from them. Is there an option?
I prefer a clean looking kitchen in light colors. I tend toward an warm, eclectic mix of clean modern with antiques in the rest of the house. Because of the oak cabs, I feel like my kitchen could end up looking really country and that's not exactly what I want.
I'd be grateful for any thoughts on how to minimize the running around and headaches of getting started. We've had illness in the family and I'm already a busy parent and back in grad school. I've gone into showrooms and the big box stores but I don't know how to get started. Thanks for your help!
Angie
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