Renovating a Kitchen. Looking for Advice.

[Buehler445]

Mrs. Buehler445 and I are buying a different house. It is really what we want in terms of size, layout, neighborhood, etc. The only drawback is there are no upper cabinets in the kitchen...WTF? Anyway, we made the decision to man up and put in a kitchen that we want.

Since I'm a home renovation n00b, I'd appreciate any advice, tips, or experiences the CP braintrust can provide.

In doing this, we are going to have to come up with,

Cabinets (obviously)

Countertop

Backsplash

Moving the sink I hate plumbing. But it shouldn't be too bad, the plumbing is in an unfinished portion of the basement

Flooring which I'm pretty comfortable with.

Most of the work will be hired, partially because I'm a noob. Partially because I'm busy as ****.

TIA

EDIT: Already have the antifreeze tap on order.

[Perineum Ripper]

Make sure you put in one of those pole things to hang your dish towels on..I recommend one like this..it seems to have a waving motion built in

I'm sure this Mrs. would enjoy it as well

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by mac459

Make sure you put in one of those pole things to hang your dish towels on..I recommend one like this..it seems to have a waving motion built in

I'm sure this Mrs. would enjoy it as well

If you go this route, you're going to want the backsplash.

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by mac459

Make sure you put in one of those pole things to hang your dish towels on..I recommend one like this..it seems to have a waving motion built in

I'm sure this Mrs. would enjoy it as well

You need to post more. You seem very knowledgeable about renovating and remodeling kitchens.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

To me nothing says "cheap remodel" like Formica countertops. If that is the route you choose to go, make sure to complete the look with linoleum floors, plain white tile backsplash, and gold light fixtures.

Fair enough.

I was just meaning resources are better spent elsewhere in the remodel - tile, backsplash, lighting, etc.

In fear of outing myself as a backwoods hillbilly mother****er, I've really been around very few non-formica countertops. Just like everything else, construction can go from jank ass to pretty dang good. I'll definitely look into it, and if the value is there, I'm down, but I don't really want to spend money for the sake of just spending money/status/etc.

Any advice on which types are the best value? I'm definitely all about functionality.

[ChiefsHawk]

Corian countertops are worth looking into. Less expensive than granite but very durable and better looking than laminate

[Rain Man]

bwillie had a good point earlier in the thread about function versus appearance. You can go pretty cheap if you're just after function, and it'll work just fine.

However, you're going to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen, so it may be worth spending more so that it's a pleasant experience. I've done a lot of remodeling on my home, and when you're in a house for 20 years you really appreciate the investment to make things pleasant. Your home is where you spend much of your life.

Resale is always an issue, too, though I admit that I don't worry about it much. I was talking to someone at a large homebuilder the other day, and they said, "No one ever builds a new home without granite countertops these days. That's a 100 percent deal. It's just not done." Now, you may not care about it, but if you're building a kitchen with formica (which is a much older style), it'll make your remodel look older. That could affect resale.

[DaneMcCloud]

Granite, Quartzite or Corian countertops with a glass mosaic backsplash is the way to go. Don't make the mistake (like I initially did) and do the entire kitchen area in granite. You need contrast.

Granite and the man-made materials are cheaper than ever and if you pick a nice neutral color (nothing strong), you'll be able to change your backsplash out fairly easily with changing times.

But nice Granite/Corian/Quartzite countertop never goes out of style.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I just thought you did based on your farming posts. I realize you don't have to live there but a lot do.

Enjoy the move asshat!

Sorry for the sarcastic ass response. I couldn't help myself.

Anyway, here's the story. I grew up in the country. I liked it and all when I was a kid, but it is a pissassload of work. When I look at all the country houses out here, all I see is the work that needs to be done out there. There have been a couple opportunities, but son of a bitch. All these houses are used up and the lots needs mountains of money and work in order for it to be up to my standards.

I have enough places for my money and most notably my time. I have enough trouble keeping up with the work on the farm, the last thing I want to do is fight 100 year old septic tanks, try to keep trees alive that are lifecycled out, fight wells that pump sand, or dry up all together, jank ass county roads, on top of old ass houses that need attention.

There is also the commute for my wife. I have a pickup, but she drives a car. Cars don't handle rock roads worth a damn anymore. Plus, for 2 years my wife commuted 90 miles a day for her job. It would have sucked nuts to make her drive through the mud (in the event it actually rained LOL) AND THEN drive 45 miles.

There are also some benefits for our daughter from a social perspective. Both my wife and I grew up in the country and we think there are some social benefits to living in town and being closer to social circles, etc. We think we can still get work ethic, chores and stuff at the farm. We'll see how it works out, but it definitely factored into the decision.

Perhaps the biggest thing is that living in town gets me away from the farm. If things are shitty and dying, I can get away from it and not be surrounded by it every waking minute. During busy times, I can get away and not feel (quite as) compelled to go back to work all the damn time. I work with a lot of stress, and it is fairly important for me to separate myself from it.

So anyway, that's the non-dickhead response.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

We had a small, really small kitchen at our new place. See the pics for before and after.

Upper Cabinets were from IKEA. Open shelves are just bookshelf's. Custom installed by a professional that happens to live down the street. Went with Granite and the mirrored backsplash.

Looks great man. Did you install them?

Originally Posted by Bowser

Advice - spend a few extra bucks have a pro do it.

Done.

Originally Posted by lewdog

I have never heard anyone say a backsplash is out of style. The best designers are still using them. So consider the source on that one.

After not having a backsplash all of my adult life, I'm having a backsplash, damn it.

Originally Posted by Rain Man

bwillie had a good point earlier in the thread about function versus appearance. You can go pretty cheap if you're just after function, and it'll work just fine.

However, you're going to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen, so it may be worth spending more so that it's a pleasant experience. I've done a lot of remodeling on my home, and when you're in a house for 20 years you really appreciate the investment to make things pleasant. Your home is where you spend much of your life.

Resale is always an issue, too, though I admit that I don't worry about it much. I was talking to someone at a large homebuilder the other day, and they said, "No one ever builds a new home without granite countertops these days. That's a 100 percent deal. It's just not done." Now, you may not care about it, but if you're building a kitchen with formica (which is a much older style), it'll make your remodel look older. That could affect resale.

Good advice, thanks. We are not going to cheap out on a lot of the stuff, but I'm definitely on a budget. I've had comparatively cruddy kitchens my whole life. At this point we have spent the money on nice appliances and want to get the kitchen right as we intend to stay there for a long time.

[Perineum Ripper]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Advice - spend a few extra bucks have a pro do it.

She seems professional

[ClevelandBronco]

Ideally, a person using a work surface in a kitchen should not have to move out of the way to make room for an appliance to be opened and used by another person in the kitchen. And pay attention to the position of the dishwasher in relation to the sink. I like mine on the left. That's the hand I prefer to use to load the thing.

[SLAG]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Granite, Quartzite or Corian countertops with a glass mosaic backsplash is the way to go. Don't make the mistake (like I initially did) and do the entire kitchen area in granite. You need contrast.

Granite and the man-made materials are cheaper than ever and if you pick a nice neutral color (nothing strong), you'll be able to change your backsplash out fairly easily with changing times.

But nice Granite/Corian/Quartzite countertop never goes out of style.

This...

but I would also keep in mind that price range of your home / neighborhood.

If most of your neighbors have a stone then you should.

In my neighborhood we are about to list / sell and we re-did our kitchen but we put in the regular but solid tops you get at home depot - just cut and install.

My parents had the quartz put in - looks great and from what I understand also less expensive than granite.

[TinyEvel]

Your OP is too vague. What are you looking for advice on? Materials? References for stores/contractors/designers?

Are you looking to make something you like? Or, considering resale value, too?

I think you'd be best to post some pics of kitchen styles you like and then ask "How do Iget this look for the least cost"

Is that what you want? Everyone's taste is different, so that's what you are going to get with a general ask.

I think the basics are: colors and shapes.

SHAPES: are you going to make the new kitchen in that same footprint/layout as the existing? Are you going to keep the existing base cabinets and just add wall cabinets? If so, are you open to painting/resurfacing the existing cabinets? or want to keep them as-is (in which case you will just be finding matching wall cabinets and your upgrade will be in the countertops/backsplash.)

COLORS: Will you be painting the walls? Will you be keeping the colors of the cabinets the same? Do you want mono-chromatic look or bright colors? Cabinets: wood or white or gray or what?

(I just went through all this and it is painful and it cost more than I had expected but we opened a can of worms)

[Brock]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

To me nothing says "cheap remodel" like Formica countertops. If that is the route you choose to go, make sure to complete the look with linoleum floors, plain white tile backsplash, and gold light fixtures.

It's certainly cheaper. But Formica and other laminates are available in a wide array of colors and textures and finishes. They make some absolutely beautiful stuff now.

[Dunit35]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Granite, Quartzite or Corian countertops with a glass mosaic backsplash is the way to go. Don't make the mistake (like I initially did) and do the entire kitchen area in granite. You need contrast.

Granite and the man-made materials are cheaper than ever and if you pick a nice neutral color (nothing strong), you'll be able to change your backsplash out fairly easily with changing times.

But nice Granite/Corian/Quartzite countertop never goes out of style.

Granite in Enid, OK is $55/sq ft. That seems expensive. I'll be stuck with Formica when we do our remodel. I'd never get my return on granite, mostly due to my average neighborhood.

My bathroom remodel I was lucky enough to find a 5x3ft granite leftover for $450.