My Own Kitchen Renovation

[snowangel]

I, too, am hopping in on this late.

I'm on my second DIY in a little less than 2 years. We waited until we'd lived in our former house for 16 years before doing the kitchen, and my big regret is that we didn't do it sooner. And, although you envision living in this house for only about 5 years, you may be there longer. We stayed 13 years longer in our starter home than we originally intended!

I have just replaced all of my appliances. Since we also had to do a fridge (and also need to do furnace and A/C) and since I want to go really good on counters, I ended up with a Frigidaire duel fuel (it's a slide in). Oh, and I also need a new sink, and I just bought a new faucet (a Moen Legend high rise). I had the same faucet in our other house and absolutely loved it.

My next debate is counters. Have you settled for sure on solid surface veneer? I'm debating that choice as well as the much more expensive granite, Silestone or Cambria. It's that old "should be put this money toward a furnace and always regret not having gotten what we really want" or "to hell with it, go for what we really, really want."

I agree with the hardwood floor choice. We put in a wood laminate in the old house and I hated it. This house has brand new carpet throughout over the hardwood floors and vinyl in the kitchen. We've decided to leave the vinyl for now and when we get around to pulling up the carpet in a few years will do hardwood in kitchen and dining room. Everyone I know that has put in hardwood has loved it, and those with tile all mention at least one reservation about it.

Do the other houses in your neighborhood have gas stoves? We were pleasantly surprised when we pulled out the old electric stove to see a hole in the floor (we have a basement) and a gas line running right up to the stove which had been capped off. Talking to my neighbors revealed that they all had gas, so I can only assume that at some point, they took out the gas stove and put in an electric. We were able to hook up the gas ourselves; if they have to run a new line to the area it can get expensive. If you have a basement, go down and take a look around right under the stove area and see what's there.

Good luck. I do know that the kitchen re-do at our old house was what moved our house really fast for more than we expected. It was a huge selling point.

[fifi]

In general, houses in the Houston area will sell faster with a kitchen re-do. I don't know what the return on investment is, though. That can be regional. I do remember seeing some statistics for this area that told you what you could expect. (Surprisingly, pools don't pay out.) You might want to ask your agent if she has that information for your area. That might help guide some of your decisions. A contractor's association is also a source of information but I would expect their statistics could be biased.

[JennotJenn]

Well, I just found out that my FIL was once a GC, and even built one of their homes. This is very good news. They just built a beach house (hired this one out)and need my husband's expertise in putting together their sweet new foosball table as well as a little landscaping help (oh how I love laying down pine straw), so I think we'll trade work for work. We don't have a basement...it's a crawl space (blargh). If he can't run a gas line (there is already existing gas to the house, just not in the kitchen), my MIL works for a GC, and can probably get us a good bid.

I'm pretty sure I'm going with the Blue Star 30" range. Features look cool and it's a good price ($2500 delivered for the basic 30", $3000 for the convection). Husband agreed that with the amount of cooking I do (and the fact that this saves us money because we almost never eat out), and the fact that I enjoy it so much, he's cool with going with my plan, especially since I told him I was willing to wait a year or so on countertops (which are bad but not ungodly) and other appliances. Also, he thinks that range is really cool in terms of form (likes the utilitarian look) and function (all you have to say is 18,000 btus for his eyes to get all dreamy). I do need to find a little more information on how the oven performs, though I am very pleased with the size of said oven. It's pretty huge for a 30" range (a bit over 26" wide and plenty deep). So here's the final plan (for now anyway):

Rip down wallpaper and paint walls (DIY)

Rip up vinyl, put down hardwood (DIY...FIL and my dad are willing to help)

Paint cabinets (DIY)

Possibly replace cabinet hardware, add in lazy susan in corner if needed (DIY...doh! almost wrote DUI there)

Add beadboard around breakfast nook (DIY)

Build in bookcases/open shelves (dad is an amazing carpenter, very talented at cabinetry, though rather slow)

Buy new range, sell/dispose of current range

Add island vent hood and chimney (I have no idea if this is going to be installed by us or if we'll have to hire help...my dad installed his attic fan, maybe he can help)

Run gas line and install range (FIL or GC)

I'm hoping to start as soon as they give us the keys. We close a month before our apartment lease is up, which at first was a not-so-great thought (paying for 2 places at once), but then we realized that it gives us a fair amount of time to get the kitchen (and all those other, less important rooms ) in working order.

Thanks for all of the input and feedback so far.

[mnebergall]

And now I'm looking at BlueStar ranges. We have to go w/a slide in anyway, which is going to be more expensive with most models...the BlueStar is in line with what we would be paying for the Profile (around $400 more), and I've heard good things. Have to see if there's a local dealer, though...otherwise repairs could be an issue.

I'd be interested in your sources of information about the Blue Stars and what you ultimately conclude. Also, be careful of your use of terminology. I don't think Blue Star makes a "slide in" range; their's are free standing.

[MEM9]

The main BlueStar site, right now, is www.prizer-painter.com. Also, there is this site in progress: www.bluestar-usa.com (I think this is the url; it's close).

There is a great deal of discussion of BlueStar in the appliance forum at www.thathomesite.com. Just search for BlueStar.

Prizer Painter made the Garland residential ranges/rangetops before Garland gave up its residential business. Prizer now makes and directly markets the BlueStar, which is, in substance (if not in law), a Garland -- most notably in the form of the famed Garland star burners.

I've had a 30" BlueStar rangetop for about three months, and it's been great (I'm also a sucker for 18K BTUs, and the star burner configuration does seem to get the heat to the pan very effectively).

Can't help you out about the oven, but, again, check out the thathomesite (also known as gardenweb) appliance forum, as many people over there have (or, at least, are purchasing) BlueStar ranges. Be aware that you may run into a considerable wait, as the demand for BlueStars seems to be on the rise and the Company is working hard to keep up.

In case it's of interest, BlueStar will do a range in any color you'd like (for a modest additional fee beyond the standard stainless steel cost); they will also vary the burner configuration, I believe, again, for an extra fee.

BlueStar came in first (ahead of a close-second DCS, followed by Viking, and Jade (formerly Dynasty) in testing done by David Rosengarten, and published in the November-December 2003 issue of Amercian Express Depatrtures' magazine: www.departures.com. Rosengarten only tested the rangetop features; not the oven. He also didn't test some obvious contenders, like Wolf and Thermador; don't know why.

Online sources for BlueStar are Distinctive Appliances and CuttingEdgeKitchens.

As for servicing. BlueStar uses a central clearningouse, named VAC Services, which sets you up with a local service provider in your area (sort of analogous to AAA for auto towing and repair). VAC, however, only accepts service calls for work under warranty, so you'd need to buy the extended warranty to use them beyond the first year. Ordinarily, I never go for extended warranties, but in this one case I did -- besides it was only around $100 for a 5-year warranty.

[JennotJenn]

And now I'm looking at BlueStar ranges. We have to go w/a slide in anyway, which is going to be more expensive with most models...the BlueStar is in line with what we would be paying for the Profile (around $400 more), and I've heard good things. Have to see if there's a local dealer, though...otherwise repairs could be an issue.

I'd be interested in your sources of information about the Blue Stars and what you ultimately conclude. Also, be careful of your use of terminology. I don't think Blue Star makes a "slide in" range; their's are free standing.

Are you sure? The one I'm looking at comes with "island trim." I was assuming this meant that it was trimmed for use in an island, and therefore not freestading. I'll call and ask.

[mnebergall]

Sorry, it is I who should be more careful with terminology. I was confusing slide-in with drop-in. If you don't get the back-splash, the Blue Stars will be flush with the countertop.

[JennotJenn]

Sorry, it is I who should be more careful with terminology. I was confusing slide-in with drop-in. If you don't get the back-splash, the Blue Stars will be flush with the countertop.

Whew. That's what I was thinking. We had the home inspection last night and it went pretty well. The inspector said was a really nice, tight little house (especially being 50 yrs old), and that the attic was better than most he'd seen in any home. The kitchen is vented through the roof already, so I won't have to saw anything myself, yay!

However, the current stove is less than 27" wide. This should be ok, since there's about 5-6 inches on one side, along with some narrow cabinets that we can saw out and front with plywood since we're painting them anyway. And the existing cabinets are really cheap, so it won't be painful to cut them up. We'll have to do new countertops, though, but I'm going with laminate because it's just not worth doing anything else in this kitchen.

Time to get my Blue Star to NC will be around 4-6 weeks, so I'm going to order about mid-July. Woo!

[phaelon56]

Don't be intimidated by running gas line yourself. I've done it on a few occasions - had to screw up my nerve the first time but found it to be very easy. Unlike H2O plumbing, there are no concerns about the pitch of the pipe for drainage etc.

Just find a good spot to tie in to the existing line with a T, measure the distances and get to HD or a similar supplier. Make sure you get the black iron pipe that is recommended for gas (some people use plain old galvanized and say it's okay but IMHO the few extra $$ for the black pipe is worth it. Measure your distances carefully - you can most likely use pre=threded pipe for the longest runs but for the final piece or two the store will cut to length and thread it for you. be sure to use pipe goop or the appropriate type of teflon tape to seal the joins and make them tight. You'll probably need a "union" at some point to joint together two pieces in order to tie into the existing gas pipes but I stress - it's really easy work. I do suggest having your local utility come after you've finished the work and have them check for leaks - they will typically do this for no charge and by the way - if there are any joins or elbows behind walls - get it checked before the sheetrock goes in!!!