Kitchen renovation

[hshiau]

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.

[bloviatrix]

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.

[hshiau]

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.

[hathor]

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.

We did that in our bathroom. Putnam Ladders...I think they are on Greene St.

[hshiau]

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?

[hathor]

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!

[hshiau]

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!

[hathor]

Don't be jealous...its a small bathroom. It was a way to maximize the space....

[andiesenji]

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.

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 have one of those retractable key ring things screwed into the hood next to each elec. receptacle and have an alligator clip on the key hook. I clamp this onto the cord so it gives enough for me to pull it down to the stovetop but keeps the slack taught and the cord from dipping into whatever I am cooking.

I also had all the receptacles were the GFCI type, which means they have a built-in breaker. These are much, much safer, particularly in a kitchen.

See it here

In my old kitchen I had a fire when a coffeemaker shorted out and it could have been serious but the alarm went off. (I have the combination, smoke, heat and fumes type)

and I was able to put it out myself.

Even then I had fire extinguishers in the kitchen. Now I am required to by law. Better to be safe than sorry.........

They are very cheap when you consider the expense of a fire.

[hshiau]

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.

[hathor]

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.

Ah yes....but tommorow that immersion blender may be just what you need! Plan ahead!!

[hshiau]

Ok. Here's what my kitchen looks like right now.

It's 23 yrs old and really needs a makeover.

[andiesenji]

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.

If you ever want to puree something in the cook pot while it is still on the burner, this is the way to go.

They are relatively inexpensive and do a great job and can also mix malts, or milk shakes,

puree cold stuff too. When I want to make just half a cup of garlic mayo this is what I use. Saves a lot of time both in prep and in clean up and the thing is very compact.

I have three, a Braun Turbo 400 watt, which I use mostly for small jobs that one would use one of the mini food processors for. This is easier to clean as all you have to do is stick it in a container with soapy water, run it then put it into clear water and ditto. Clean! I just hang it up and put a paper towel under it to catch any drips.

I also have a Cuisinart that was a gift and I have to use it once in a while because the person who gave it to me comes around fairly often. It lives in a drawer most of the time.

I also have one of the big commercial ones (Dynamic) 24 inches long for working in deep stockpots but you wouldn't need anything that powerful or expensive. I had a welder make a steel "handle" for it that lets me hook it onto the top edge of a stockpot and holds it at a slight angle so I can stick it in the pot, hook it on the edge, turn it on and not have to keep holding it. The action is pretty good at circulating most of the stuff and I just finish by using it hand held to make sure I have gotten all of the lumps pureed.

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.

[Mottmott]

hshiau, You say you’re not much on cooking, don’t know about immersion blenders and yet you’ve been bitten by the current obsession to drop a ton of money on a “new” kitchen. 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. But you don’t get that in your built-in features such as cabinets or counters, anyway. You’re kitchen AS IT IS can be thought of as a blank canvas to draw on with light and color. Spend some money on lighting and decorative elements that make it more personal looking. You could spend a few thousand just on doing this! I recently added about 10' of highend undercounter lighting, and I’ve been very careful not to let my family know how much I spent on this single element.

For example: get yourself some "L" shaped strip molding installed under the front of your cabinets (just match it to the wood finish on the bottom of the cabinets, most cabinet mfgrs make it now so you won't have to special mill it). Install some of the very functional and attractive strip lighting that is now available just behind the molding which will mask it when you are looking at the cabinets. (I recommend the 12 volt/transformer type with a dimmer for the “look,” but if money’s an issue go flourescent.) It’s wonderful to work under and it will turn the wall behind it into a great space for displaying photographs and artwork. You can frame up family photos, children’s artwork, museum reproductions, enlarged pictures of food, etc. And put a nice big mirror on the wall over the sink where you stand to do dishes. It will change the space for you when you stand there, and give the kitchen a more open feeling generally. You could even just cover the back wall there with mirror entirely (tile has become boring to me) or, if you have the talent or friends with talent, paint it with a mural. (Personally I like photos and art work which can be changed from time to time plus a mirror over the sink).

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. The potholder can go next to the stove where it will be more useful (and why only one?). 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. :) Get an attractive ceramic jug or heavy canisters to put your spoons and spatulas next to the stove where you use them and put a BIG poster or or photo on that wall instead. And find a place for a bowl or wicker basket filled with fresh fruit, vegetables, etc. Resist feeling extravagant spending money on these “decorations” that will make you happier with your kitchen than just switching cabinets and appliances will do. Remember you’re actually saving money by making your current kitchen more satisfactory for you. (And if you’re into flea markets and garage sales over time you can find a lot of interesting things to use for decoration.) And a trip to Ikea will score some attractive storage boxes to replace the commercial cartons you have piled on top of your cabinets. Little things like this can change the whole feal of the kitchen.

What does seem to be missing functionally is outlets. You can get continuous strips of them that can be attached to the underside of cabinets. Or simply have some extra’s put in. And when you get the electrician’s bill if you aren’t do-it-yourselfers, just think of what the contractor would have charged for a whole new kitchen.

You well may have an old fashioned (ugly) flourescent ceiling light. Check out the new track lighting available now: all sorts of attractive tracks and fixtures in different colors with different sorts of lights . Alternatively, check out the multiple canisters that go into the ceiling.

It looks as though you have a perfectly intact neutral colored tile floor. Get yourself a colorful attractive rug for the space. It's softer to stand on as well as decorative. If you are a messy cook, have kids or pets, go for a cotton rug that can go through the washer. Hey, you’re saving all that money not doing new cabinets, etc., get two so you have a clean one all the time. Not messy, no kids? you could even go for an oriental and steam clean it occasionally. Just use some rubber matting underneath whatever you get to keep it from sliding as you move pot from stove to counter.

If you’re dead determined to waste money on doing over what appears to be well done already, change your kitchen counter, remembering a neutral one such as yours gives you greater freedom in accessories’ color (so why bother to change it anyway). Or buy yourself a snazzy new kitchen faucet. Also, I don’t see a food processor or stand mixer. Indulge yourself on something that makes cooking and baking easier. Upgrade or expand your cookware? Maybe an ice cream maker? Or perhaps a great outdoor grill? Or some cooking lessons so that working in the kitchen is more of an adventure for you? It's what comes out of the kitchen that counts and the fun you have making it.

Many of us drop a bundle of money on the installed items and get stingy on the accessories which makes the kitchen friendly to look at and work in, giving our cooking greater freedom and pleasure. You’re lucky enough to have a really good basic kitchen and be able to splurge on these extra elements that will personalize your kitchen. And just think, you won’t have to live through kitchen renovation hell.

And if none of this encourages you to leave well enough alone, you could always get new cabinet doors or refinish the ones you have even if I don’t understand why you want to do it. At least you won’t live with a torn up kitchen for months and put yourself at some contractor’s mercy. Good luck.

And I suspect when you make the kitchen more homey and indulge in tools that make the job easier, you’ll find you use it more, too.

[hshiau]

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?

[hshiau]

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.

[Mottmott]

Edited August 15, 2004 by Mottmott (log)

[hshiau]

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.

[bloviatrix]

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.

[hshiau]

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.

[winesonoma]

Those Cabinets appear to the the ones with a 32mm system . If you take a door off and remove the hinge you can get new hinges on the internet. PM or email as to how to remove the door(they snap on and off).

[bloviatrix]

Hey, maybe we live in the same building!

So does the hardware on your cabinets work? I've had failures on 4 doors already.

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.

[hshiau]

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.

[bloviatrix]

My real problem with the cabinets are their color. They show absolutely everything. Even cleaning them is a pain because you can see streaks of cleaner when it's mopped up.

In the event you actually change your cabinets, get pull-out shelves inside the lower cabinets. It makes it easier to get everything.

[hshiau]

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?