hshiau
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Posts posted by hshiau
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That sounds great. In fact, we're planning on starting with some kitchen places this weekend to check out cabinets. However, your figures don't include labor, do they?
My numbers include labor (although I haven't done a kitchen in 8 years and I'm not sure what a lot of things cost today).
Note that if you go to a high end place like Poggenpohl - the cost of the cabinets should include installation (although you will have to make sure that your space is configured to accept the cabinet installation - including things like walls that will hold the cabinets). The people who supply the appliances should take care of their installation - although you will probably need a plumber and an electrician to take care of plumbing/electrical connections. The flooring contractor will take care of the flooring - and you'll need an electrician for the lighting. The counters are probably a separate contract.
A lot of this depends on how comfortable you are dealing with various kitchen people. On my part - last time I did a kitchen (I've done 3) I was building a house. Had a general contractor who knew less about kitchens than I did. So the GC built the shell - and I dealt directly with the other people who did parts of the kitchen. If you don't feel comfortable dealing with outfits who do the various components - you'll want to find someone who'll coordinate everything for you. It's possible that a kitchen designer from a cabinet place will do this. But - not being from your neck of the woods - I can't say. You'll have to ask questions.
At a minimum - you'll learn a lot just dropping in and chatting with the designers at the high end cabinet places (best to do this on a day when they're not busy). I was in Atlanta a few months ago - and spent an hour talking with the designer at the local Bulthaup showroom (it was a slow day for her - and a lazy day for me - and I may well use Bulthaup in my next kitchen).
If you're interested in design - designers are interested in showing you what they have to offer. And don't be shy about asking questions - like what they think would work for you - and what various options cost. Worst that can happen is the quote knocks your socks off - and you thank the designer for his/her time
(when I was much younger - I once went to the Pace Gallery and asked what a particular painting cost - it was Chuck Close - and it was about $450,000 - which was a bit more than I planned on spending 
- but the gallery person was more than willing to tell me everything about the artist even after I made it known that I couldn't possibly afford the piece - I was interested in learning and that was all that mattered). Robyn Not having done this before, I probably would have a hard time dealing with all the different people and making sure I've got bases covered. The questions is how much a coordinator, an architect, a general contractor, and an electrician would cost. This is before we even look at the materials.
We'll definitely take your advice and drop by Poggenpohl to see if they have advice/information. At the very least, I'll get a better idea about the cost. Thanks.
Howard
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That sounds great. In fact, we're planning on starting with some kitchen places this weekend to check out cabinets. However, your figures don't include labor, do they?
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OK - 50 messages - and no one has asked - what's the budget? How much do you want to spend - maximum? No sense talking about anything until we know how much money we have to play with. Robyn
P.S. Take your absolute maximum and subtract about 20% for starting estimates -because home improvement stuff always goes over budget.
Given your formula, our budget is $25,000. Play away!!!
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Any advice on the oxtails? Should I try?
Omigod! Oxtails are SOOO good. But you have to be ok with things that FEEL a little funny. I go a local spanish place to have oxtail stew.
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Pickles. I've tried very hard to like these as well, and it just isn't to be. In combination with mustard, it means having to order special ad Mc Donald's. Since I don't eat there anymore, the embarassment is more part of my childhood and teenage years. But I'll still be at a casual restaurant, diner, and infrequently someone will ask "are you going to eat your pickle(s)?"
I don't like pickles either but I'm not embarrassed about it.
Should we be making a distinction between what we're embarrassed about or not embarrassed about? I'm sure there are lots of things I don't like that don't bother me at all.
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Caviar. Only place where it didn't totally wierd me out was Per Se. Didn't taste as fishy.
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In the event you actually change your cabinets, get pull-out shelves inside the lower cabinets. It makes it easier to get everything.
Shows how much I know...pull out shelves? Sounds interesting but wouldn't that decrease the space you can put things within the cabinet?
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We're in a rental, which is why I still have my cabinets.
Our problem has been with the brackets holding the shelves in place. The plastic snapped and we can't remove the dowels so we had to adjust the shelf placement.
You mean you wouldn't keep them if you owned your place?
My wife absolutely hates these cabinets. Even if we replaced the doors, she would still hate the way they look inside as well as the configuration. I think we have the same problem with our brackets. They've snapped and the spring no longer works to keep the doors closed.
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Hey Howard, I recognize those kitchen cabinets. I have the same exact ones. Looks like some manufacturer went wild and sold them all over Manhattan.
Hey, maybe we live in the same building!
So does the hardware on your cabinets work? I've had failures on 4 doors already.
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A new bragging-rights kitchen in NYC could run you close to 100K if you intend to do stone countertops @ $70 per square foot (and up) stone counters, high end cabinetry, semi-pro appliances, etc. Just the contractor's permits, labor costs for traffic snarl time, and parking tickets will cost you 4 figures on the estimate. (I've lived in NYC) If you're doing it, be realistic about the costs. Then add at least 25-50% of what you think it will cost. And don't fool yourself. Someone with as nice a kitchen as yours who wants a NEW kitchen just because she wants a new kitchen probably won't settle for home depot quality without resentment. I wouldn't.
She definitely wouldn't settle for the cheapest Home Depot kitchen but some of the better stuff there may do. I don't think we need to pay $100K to get $100K's worth of value on the apartment. I do think a $100K kitchen will probably buy us even more. A more basic renovation will go a long way to getting a better price.
Actually, we're not looking to sell right now but we do know that if we're going to start replacing all the appliances, we might as well figure out how we would renovate the kitchen for max value whenever we do decide to sell.
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What’s wrong with yours? It looks very functional, neutral, and isn’t shabby. To my eye what’s “wrong” with it is that it has no color or personality showing.
A couple of things not visible...the hardware on the cabinetry is slowly falling apart. I've had to add magnets to several of the door so that they stay closed. The top oven does not work and the bottom oven sometimes does not stay hot. Otherwise, you're right. While it's not new and impressive, it is functional.
Thinking of the aesthetics of that space over your counter: above all, get rid of that ugly roll of towels. They have freestanding roll holders you can put next to the sink, or put it inside the under-counter door.Absolutely. However, we do have little enough counter space.
The potholder can go next to the stove where it will be more useful (and why only one?).Actually, we have potholders in 3 different places.
And you can probably find a more convenient and less conspicuous place for the plastic and foil wrap than next to the dining room doorway, like a drawer. :)Our drawers are full. Another reason we want to reorganize with new/taller cabinets is to maximize our storage.
Remember you’re actually saving money by making your current kitchen more satisfactory for you.One other big reason is we are looking at resale value of the apartment. In NYC, renovating the kitchen can mean an extra $100,000 on the selling price.
And if none of this encourages you to leave well enough alone...And last but most importantly.....the wife wants to redo the kitchen and this is the 3rd year of "so are we going to redo the kitchen?".
I figure 3 strikes.... I'll post some of my ideas on what I'd like to see changed in a couple of days after I've gotten my head together.
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Recently one of the online vendors was selling the "Thunderstick" brand stick blender
for a very low price and several people on one of my small private lists bought them.
They can usually be found for around $35.00 but this vendor was selling them for $19.99.
If you put the bracket in a place where it will be handy you will find yourself using it often.
This vendor
here has it for 32.99.
Interesting. How does this compare to the Williams Sonoma stick blender?
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I go for the kid memories here. I still have on occasion...
white bread
skippy's creamy peanut butter
strawberry preserves (ok, i didn't have this when i was a kid)
mmmmmm.......
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Ok. Here's what my kitchen looks like right now.
It's 23 yrs old and really needs a makeover.
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Also, one of the best things I did was have overhead receptacles put in over the stove, at either end of the exhaust hood.
This makes it so much easier to use an immersion blender in a pot on the stovetop without dragging the cord through something or catching it on a pot handle.
I don't think we'll have to worry about this. We're not much in way of cooks and I've never even heard of an immersion blender.
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I live in a loft with really high ceilings. We built cabinets over the shower, and on another wall at that height. The ladder doubles as a towel bar!
I'm so jealous!!! It sounds like your bathroom is bigger thn my apartment!
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Actually, I was thinking how cool it would be to run a rail on the ceiling with a ladder attached like you see in the libraries and book stores.
We did that in our bathroom. Putnam Ladders...I think they are on Greene St.
I'm sorry....in your bathroom?!?!?
How big is your bathroom and what do you need to reach?
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Since your wife is short, make sure there's a place in the kitchen to keep a step ladder so she can reach things on upper shelves.
That's what the middle of the of floor is for, no?
Actually, I was thinking how cool it would be to run a rail on the ceiling with a ladder attached like you see in the libraries and book stores.
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Check out this Thermador cooktop which is what I would get today instead of the cooktop I do have.
I like the star burners much better than the ring shape.
This has enough output to cook with a wok.
I have a separate wok burner which I rarely use because it throws out too much heat for me.
Looks nice but given the size of our kitchen, it wouldn't make sense to break up the cooktop and oven so we're going to get a range.
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- no eye-level cupboards - I have low ceilings so would have compressed my space further; instead I have 'tower' cabinets in the corners of the room
My ceilings are 8' (I think. I got my kitchen dimensions wrong before). We'd like the cabinets to go to the ceiling. What do you mean by 'tower' in the corners?
- I specified a washing machine which had a zero-degrees option (for washing woollens)No washing machines are allowed in the units in our building.
- slightly taller than standard units so my countertop is at a comfortable prep levelI'm assuming this is because you're tall. My wife is 5'2" so the standard units would be high enough. How much more would it be to customize the cabinet height?
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Wow. I just figured out that my kitchen is 10' x 10', not 8' x 10'. I'm off to a bad start.
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Put in more outlets than you think you will ever need, Phone and speaker wire for the stereo. Design for ten years from now. It's cheep when all the walls are open. Cover your walls between your upper and lower cabinets with Durable and washable things. Plastic laminate is cheap if put up before the Cabinets and cleans nicely. Feel free to contact me with questions, I'm from NY and have no desire to go back.
Speaker wire! How big do you think my apartment is? The living room is right next to the kitchen. You sure you're from NY?
Now plastic laminate. How does that look? It doesn't sound real nice. I was thinking possibly of tile.
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Plus you'll need good light to take photos of the great food you'll be preparing and show them to us here, right?
Oh! Did I say we cook?
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First off; Do you own this or are you upgrading for the landlord? My SO / Girlfriend bought one of these and I love it. http://www.kitchenaid.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...me=Gas%20Ranges Also one of those 2 upper-door pull out bottom freezers from Sears. Good luck and as a contractor please don't change things halfway through. Cause it's gonna cost ya big time. Upgrade the electrics or you'll be sorry. Lights ,switches and plugs more than you thought and in 2 years you'll be glad you did. It always costs more later. (The contractors motto). Good luck.
We own the apartment. Funny...that's exactly the range we're looking at right now. As for changing things halfway, that's why I'm here. I don't know enough and want to try to make sure I have my bases covered.
What do you mean by upgrade the electrics? All the wiring? Just the outlets, switches?
Kitchen renovation
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
I'll take one before and one after!