What's your kitchen like?

[nt250]

Has anyone remodeled their kitchen?

I did mine last year. It was the best money I ever spent. What a difference having a nice kitchen makes when it comes to quality of life. I'm no gourmet cook, but everytime I go in my kitchen now I just can't help feeling happy.

For anyone who's thinking of it, just do it. You won't be sorry. Remodeling a kitchen is the best investment you can make. Not only for re-sale value, but just for the everyday comfort that comes from having a really nice kitchen.

Some advice:

Put your money in the things that are permanent. Buy the best solid wood cabinets you can afford. Get granite counters. Beg, steal, or borrow the money, but get granite. Get good quality flooring. That's where your real money should go. Cabinets, counters, the floor.

Everything else, from faucets to light fixtures to the appliances, are easily replaced. But, if you have the budget for brand new appliances, get them. And get stainless steel applliances. They make a huge difference in how the kitchen looks. Even a low end stainless steel appliance looks classier than a high end white one.

The best piece of advise I got was from a co-worker who told me that I should buy all new appliances. I wasn't going to. The stove and fridge in the house I bought were fairly new. I was going to just put them back in. But my co-worker told me that I wouldn't be happy with them. I'm glad I listened. I went to Sears, and I got all brand new stainless steel appliances at 0% interest for a year, and I love them. My kitchen is all brand new and it's wonderful.

I went 5 months without a kitchen. I had a fridge through all of it, and most of the time I had my stove. But I had no water. I had to do dishes in the bathroom. We ate a lot of pasta. A lot of sandwiches. And we had a lot of take out. But when it was finally over it was worth it all. And a year, and $25,000 later, it's like a distant dream.

I highly recommend kitchen renovation to anyone living with a shitty kitchen.

 

[Nienna]

My kitchen is fairly large, but one thing I would add is a breakfast bar/peninsula with stools. One thing I LOVE about my kitchen is the large built-in pantry!

Our appliances are white. I would never get white again. We are still going back & forth about getting stainless or black. My husband likes the stainless; I like the black. I just wonder which is easier to keep clean?

Also, we have tile flooring. I would NEVER do this again in the kitchen! Drop a heavy pan and the tile chips. Also, when I spend long days in the kitchen (like Christmas cookie baking days), my feet & back really hurt from standing on the tile all day. When we build our new house, we are going with hardwood; it has more "give."

But, I agree that investing in the kitchen is a smart move.

 

[Annie]

My kitchen is fairly large, but one thing I would add is a breakfast bar/peninsula with stools. One thing I LOVE about my kitchen is the large built-in pantry!

Our appliances are white. I would never get white again. We are still going back & forth about getting stainless or black. My husband likes the stainless; I like the black. I just wonder which is easier to keep clean?

Also, we have tile flooring. I would NEVER do this again in the kitchen! Drop a heavy pan and the tile chips. Also, when I spend long days in the kitchen (like Christmas cookie baking days), my feet & back really hurt from standing on the tile all day. When we build our new house, we are going with hardwood; it has more "give."

But, I agree that investing in the kitchen is a smart move.

I would love to be able to 'do' my kitchen, just can't afford it. However, I just had it painted and it's gorgeous! Sort of an olive green, with white ceilings and woodwork. I had the cabinets painted white, though I would love to replace them. I am putting in wood floors, in a few weeks.

I have all white appliances and they go well with my look. My friend just redid her kitchen, which is large, from floor up. Over $50k. All stainless appliances including a Subzero fridge, and she is not happy. Because 'fingerprints' bug her, she wishes she had gone textured, white or black. Her husband is not going to let her change those appliances, ever. She is over 60!

 

[archangel]

Don't live in my kitchen...but when I get bored I just BBQ or go out to eat...mo' cheaper...I'm just a guy so what else can I say!

 

[pegwinn]

Don't live in my kitchen...but when I get bored I just BBQ or go out to eat...mo' cheaper...I'm just a guy so what else can I say!

I am a guy. My idea of the perfect kitchen is one made of stone. Stone allows heat to build up fast and retains it to slowly radiate out. Granite is a great idea for counter tops. I also prefer wood over tile for flooring. But I'd use decking material which not only gives when my cast iron pots hit it, but is sealed against moisture so spills don't stain it. My kitchen is gas since I feel that it is more efficient than electricity and heats quicker. Gas flame will light the charcoal or wood without affecting taste.

The kitchen inside the house? I don't know, but I'll ask my wife.

 

[archangel]

I am a guy. My idea of the perfect kitchen is one made of stone. Stone allows heat to build up fast and retains it to slowly radiate out. Granite is a great idea for counter tops. I also prefer wood over tile for flooring. But I'd use decking material which not only gives when my cast iron pots hit it, but is sealed against moisture so spills don't stain it. My kitchen is gas since I feel that it is more efficient than electricity and heats quicker. Gas flame will light the charcoal or wood without affecting taste.

The kitchen inside the house? I don't know, but I'll ask my wife.

and the view changes daily...without the rediculous cost...mo' money for the toys...then again I am a single guy...no need to ask the wife...


Oh yeah and the food taste mo' better too...not a saucy kinda guy...well except when I do Italian...then the plain ole' kitchen must do!...LOL

 

[nt250]

My kitchen is fairly large, but one thing I would add is a breakfast bar/peninsula with stools. One thing I LOVE about my kitchen is the large built-in pantry!

Our appliances are white. I would never get white again. We are still going back & forth about getting stainless or black. My husband likes the stainless; I like the black. I just wonder which is easier to keep clean?

Also, we have tile flooring. I would NEVER do this again in the kitchen! Drop a heavy pan and the tile chips. Also, when I spend long days in the kitchen (like Christmas cookie baking days), my feet & back really hurt from standing on the tile all day. When we build our new house, we are going with hardwood; it has more "give."

But, I agree that investing in the kitchen is a smart move.

I added and entire addition to the back of my house. I basically took your standard 1970's ranch and doubled it in size. I added a master bathroom, a utility room, and made a great room/kitchen. The whole thing cost me about $110,000. But it all started because I wanted a dishwasher. The kitchen is where I put most of my money.

My house is on a slab. I went with tile floors but that was only because it was the quickest and easiest application. I didn't put much thought into the floors and that's the biggest mistake I made. If I had to do it over again I would have the floors leveled correctly, and I'd put down Pergo. I have two dogs, so durabiltiy was the key thing. The tile isn't bad, they just did a shitty job of installing it. They didn't clean all the grout off before it dried, so it looks like crap. I would have been nice if they had done it right. Oh, well.

I didn't want stainless appliances, either. I liked the all black ones and I had already decided I wanted maple cabinets so I thought the black would look really nice. I didn't want stainless for two reasons: it seemed like the latest fad and I didn't want my kitchen to look dated in 5 years, and they just don't look good in person in the store. They look cheap. At least I though they did. So I decided to get all black appliances.

I changed my mind for two reasons: I picked out my granite counters. I had no intention of getting granite. There was no way I could afford it. I was doing all of this on credit, and there was only one credit card I could use for the kitchen stuff: Lowe's. But I could just NOT pick anything else. The difference between the granite and all the other stuff Lowe's had to offer was just too great. I saw that granite and nothing else would do.

I got Black Galaxy. It looks just like it's name. It's a deep, rich, shiny black. It has silver speckles in it that look just like stars. I have a 6 1/2 foot island and the island slab has a vein running though it. I swear it looks just like the Milky Way.

This picture doesn't do it justice:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/Kitchenafter.jpg

It's really not as dark as it looks in the picture. I painted the walls burgandy, and that was a lot of work. It took 8 coats, but it looks really nice with the maple cabinets. But once I picked out the black granit counters, I couldn't see getting black appliances.

The second reason I decided against all black is because all black appliances cost just as much as stainless steel ones do. All black, and all white, are considered an upgrade just like stainless. And a black refrigerator? It's nothing but this big black hole. Because my house is on a slab, the entire kitchen had to be built around the "plumbing core". That's why my kitchen sink is on a inside wall. There is no natural light at all, except that which comes from the great room. So while it's not as dark as it looks in the picture, all black appliances would have been way too much black with the counters.

So I got the stainless, and I'm really glad I did. It's very easy to take care of. And it looks really sharp with the black granite counters and the burgandy walls. Really cool.

They only thing I hate is my stove top. It's one of those new fangled glass cook tops and no matter what I do I can't get the damned thing clean.

 

[Annie]

I added and entire addition to the back of my house. I basically took your standard 1970's ranch and doubled it in size. I added a master bathroom, a utility room, and made a great room/kitchen. The whole thing cost me about $110,000. But it all started because I wanted a dishwasher. The kitchen is where I put most of my money.

My house is on a slab. I went with tile floors but that was only because it was the quickest and easiest application. I didn't put much thought into the floors and that's the biggest mistake I made. If I had to do it over again I would have the floors leveled correctly, and I'd put down Pergo. I have two dogs, so durabiltiy was the key thing. The tile isn't bad, they just did a shitty job of installing it. They didn't clean all the grout off before it dried, so it looks like crap. I would have been nice if they had done it right. Oh, well.

I didn't want stainless appliances, either. I liked the all black ones and I had already decided I wanted maple cabinets so I thought the black would look really nice. I didn't want stainless for two reasons: it seemed like the latest fad and I didn't want my kitchen to look dated in 5 years, and they just don't look good in person in the store. They look cheap. At least I though they did. So I decided to get all black appliances.

I changed my mind for two reasons: I picked out my granite counters. I had no intention of getting granite. There was no way I could afford it. I was doing all of this on credit, and there was only one credit card I could use for the kitchen stuff: Lowe's. But I could just NOT pick anything else. The difference between the granite and all the other stuff Lowe's had to offer was just too great. I saw that granite and nothing else would do.

I got Black Galaxy. It looks just like it's name. It's a deep, rich, shiny black. It has silver speckles in it that look just like stars. I have a 6 1/2 foot island and the island slab has a vein running though it. I swear it looks just like the Milky Way.

This picture doesn't do it justice:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g303/Jaynie59/Kitchenafter.jpg

It's really not as dark as it looks in the picture. I painted the walls burgandy, and that was a lot of work. It took 8 coats, but it looks really nice with the maple cabinets. But once I picked out the black granit counters, I couldn't see getting black appliances.

The second reason I decided against all black is because all black appliances cost just as much as stainless steel ones do. All black, and all white, are considered an upgrade just like stainless. And a black refrigerator? It's nothing but this big black hole. Because my house is on a slab, the entire kitchen had to be built around the "plumbing core". That's why my kitchen sink is on a inside wall. There is no natural light at all, except that which comes from the great room. So while it's not as dark as it looks in the picture, all black appliances would have been way too much black with the counters.

So I got the stainless, and I'm really glad I did. It's very easy to take care of. And it looks really sharp with the black granite counters and the burgandy walls. Really cool.

They only thing I hate is my stove top. It's one of those new fangled glass cook tops and no matter what I do I can't get the damned thing clean.

It looks beautiful to me, I'm so jealous! Enjoy!

 

[nt250]

I would love to be able to 'do' my kitchen, just can't afford it. However, I just had it painted and it's gorgeous! Sort of an olive green, with white ceilings and woodwork. I had the cabinets painted white, though I would love to replace them. I am putting in wood floors, in a few weeks.

I have all white appliances and they go well with my look. My friend just redid her kitchen, which is large, from floor up. Over $50k. All stainless appliances including a Subzero fridge, and she is not happy. Because 'fingerprints' bug her, she wishes she had gone textured, white or black. Her husband is not going to let her change those appliances, ever. She is over 60!

It's amazing what a little paint will do.

The kitchen part of my great room/kitchen addition is fairly small. I have a wall and a half of cabinets and a pretty huge island which has room for two counter stools. The fridge sits to the side. I painted the kitchen part a deep burgandy color before the cabinets went up. It really came out great. It was a lot of work because it was all new drywall and plaster skim coat. It took two gallons of paint to do that one small area. Painting any room a dark color always takes several coats to get the rich look you're going after, but the new plaster just sucked it right up. It took 8 coats of paint, but boy, it really came out great.

I painted the living area part of the great room a sand color. That only took two coats. What a difference it made.

The day I painted the kitchen Lenny, the crew boss, came back to install the cabinets. He had this young guy with him. I never knew when they would show up, but once the drywall crew and plasterers were done, I wanted to paint the room. I knew it would be a hell of a lot easier to do it before they hung the cabinets. They thought I was nuts. When they showed up I had only the first coat of paint up.

It was red. It was awful. It was like this bright, reddish pinkish hideous color. But I've painted rooms a dark color before, so I knew the first coat would look awful. I had faith. They made cracks the whole time.

But even they admitted that it looked really cool when it was done. It was the perfect color as a backdrop for the maple cabinets and black granite counters. I couldn't have picked a better color.

Too many people are afraid of dark paint, or putting any kind of color on the walls, but what a difference it makes in a room.

White cabinets against an olive green wall must look really great.

 

[Annie]

It's amazing what a little paint will do.

The kitchen part of my great room/kitchen addition is fairly small. I have a wall and a half of cabinets and a pretty huge island which has room for two counter stools. The fridge sits to the side. I painted the kitchen part a deep burgandy color before the cabinets went up. It really came out great. It was a lot of work because it was all new drywall and plaster skim coat. It took two gallons of paint to do that one small area. Painting any room a dark color always takes several coats to get the rich look you're going after, but the new plaster just sucked it right up. It took 8 coats of paint, but boy, it really came out great.

I painted the living area part of the great room a sand color. That only took two coats. What a difference it made.

The day I painted the kitchen Lenny, the crew boss, came back to install the cabinets. He had this young guy with him. I never knew when they would show up, but once the drywall crew and plasterers were done, I wanted to paint the room. I knew it would be a hell of a lot easier to do it before they hung the cabinets. They thought I was nuts. When they showed up I had only the first coat of paint up.

It was red. It was awful. It was like this bright, reddish pinkish hideous color. But I've painted rooms a dark color before, so I knew the first coat would look awful. I had faith. They made cracks the whole time.

But even they admitted that it looked really cool when it was done. It was the perfect color as a backdrop for the maple cabinets and black granite counters. I couldn't have picked a better color.

Too many people are afraid of dark paint, or putting any kind of color on the walls, but what a difference it makes in a room.

White cabinets against an olive green wall must look really great.

Thanks! the kitchen does look great, for relatively little $$$. Now when you go into the reds, well you are speaking my living room and dining room! Same reaction, before and after! Same white ceilings and woodwork!

 

[nt250]

I am a guy. My idea of the perfect kitchen is one made of stone. Stone allows heat to build up fast and retains it to slowly radiate out. Granite is a great idea for counter tops. I also prefer wood over tile for flooring. But I'd use decking material which not only gives when my cast iron pots hit it, but is sealed against moisture so spills don't stain it. My kitchen is gas since I feel that it is more efficient than electricity and heats quicker. Gas flame will light the charcoal or wood without affecting taste.

The kitchen inside the house? I don't know, but I'll ask my wife.

Alas, there is no gas on my street. I would have had to go with propane. Which is an option. But propane is very expensive. I had a propane fireplace when I moved into The Dump, and that pretty much was heat for the whole house. I got rid of it and put in all new HVAC. That was good money spent well.

I don't mind cooking on electric. I actually prefer it. My first house had a gas stove and when my daughter was a baby I used to heat a dutch oven full of water to make her formula. It took forever for the water to boil on the gas stove. This was an acient stove, mind you. It was yellow, so that should date it to about, what? 1975?

But when I moved to a new house where there was no gas, I could boil water in half the time on my electric stove.

I don't like these new electric cook tops, though. They work OK. I can adjust the heat just as well as any gas cook top. I can't just frigging clean the damn thing. What a mess.

 

[nt250]

Thanks! the kitchen does look great, for relatively little $$$. Now when you go into the reds, well you are speaking my living room and dining room! Same reaction, before and after! Same white ceilings and woodwork!

There is nothing like a deep, dark color againt a white ceiling and trim. I painted my master bedroom in my last house hunter green. It looked so great. But when I went to sell that house I ws told to paint it white. So I did.

Well, I hired someone to paint. I'm a smoker so I needed to have the whole house painted inside. You'd be amazed at how many people care more about smoke residue than they do about real damage. I also had all the wall to wall carpeting taken up in the whole house, and the damage my dogs did to the hardwood floors was pathetic. We're talking about thousands of dollars to replace these floors. That's how bad they were.

But more buyers remarked on the stench and stains from smoking than cared about the thousands of dollars in ruined floors.

When I do the front room next year, which will be my formal dining room, I think I'll paint it a mauve color. Something deep and rich, but that compliments the burgandy. And I want the gas fireplace converted back to wood burning, and I want a formal, white, mantle built around it. I have this round mirror from my grandmothers house that I want to hang over the fireplace, and that requires a formal mantle.

Deep colors. white trim. Nothing looks better.

 

[pegwinn]

Alas, there is no gas on my street. I would have had to go with propane. Which is an option. But propane is very expensive. I had a propane fireplace when I moved into The Dump, and that pretty much was heat for the whole house. I got rid of it and put in all new HVAC. That was good money spent well.

I don't mind cooking on electric. I actually prefer it. My first house had a gas stove and when my daughter was a baby I used to heat a dutch oven full of water to make her formula. It took forever for the water to boil on the gas stove. This was an acient stove, mind you. It was yellow, so that should date it to about, what? 1975?

But when I moved to a new house where there was no gas, I could boil water in half the time on my electric stove.

I don't like these new electric cook tops, though. They work OK. I can adjust the heat just as well as any gas cook top. I can't just frigging clean the damn thing. What a mess.

Actually I was describing my perfect "Guy Kitchen". IOW an outdoor BBQ command post of stone. I want the gas because it makes lighting charcoal or wood simple. Me and the Mrs. are still searching for the perfect home. We thought we had it, but the seller wanted us to buy the place for 110K and it needed about 10K worth of repairs. The deal fell apart when he offered 500 bux as a repair allowance.

 

[Annie]

There is nothing like a deep, dark color againt a white ceiling and trim. I painted my master bedroom in my last house hunter green. It looked so great. But when I went to sell that house I ws told to paint it white. So I did.

Well, I hired someone to paint. I'm a smoker so I needed to have the whole house painted inside. You'd be amazed at how many people care more about smoke residue than they do about real damage. I also had all the wall to wall carpeting taken up in the whole house, and the damage my dogs did to the hardwood floors was pathetic. We're talking about thousands of dollars to replace these floors. That's how bad they were.

But more buyers remarked on the stench and stains from smoking than cared about the thousands of dollars in ruined floors.

When I do the front room next year, which will be my formal dining room, I think I'll paint it a mauve color. Something deep and rich, but that compliments the burgandy. And I want the gas fireplace converted back to wood burning, and I want a formal, white, mantle built around it. I have this round mirror from my grandmothers house that I want to hang over the fireplace, and that requires a formal mantle.

Deep colors. white trim. Nothing looks better.

While we might vehemently disagree regarding schools, we are simpatico regarding decorating. I've always been a neutral person, but had a change of heart in the past few years.

Kitchen is a deep olive. Living room and dining are a near Federal Red. Stairway is a custard, also with white trim. My Master BR is a deep gold, also white, Baths are deep grays/blues with white trim. Other bedrooms are blues/creams. All trim is white.

 

[nt250]

While we might vehemently disagree regarding schools, we are simpatico regarding decorating. I've always been a neutral person, but had a change of heart in the past few years.

Kitchen is a deep olive. Living room and dining are a near Federal Red. Stairway is a custard, also with white trim. My Master BR is a deep gold, also white, Baths are deep grays/blues with white trim. Other bedrooms are blues/creams. All trim is white.

We do have similiar tastes. I painted my bedroom and baths a blue/gray also.

I like the custard idea. Right now there is an ugly brick wall in what used to be the living room. Next year I'm going to have that whole wall ripped down, I want the whole room taken back to the studs. New drywall. And I am gong to have the floors done with wood. Pergo at least. And I want that fireplace converted back to wood burning, and I want a formal mantle around it so I can hang Nana's mirror.

There is nothing like a real fire. In my last house we used to do that every Christmas. I'd turn off all the lights in the house. Only the tree would be lit. And I'd start a fire in the fireplace. My daughter and I would sit on the couch and just talk. Or not. Sometimes we'd just sit there. In the glow of the fire, in the light of the tree.

I won't be the same having the fireplace in the dining room, but it will be close enough.

 

[Annie]

We do have similiar tastes. I painted my bedroom and baths a blue/gray also.

I like the custard idea. Right now there is an ugly brick wall in what used to be the living room. Next year I'm going to have that whole wall ripped down, I want the whole room taken back to the studs. New drywall. And I am gong to have the floors done with wood. Pergo at least. And I want that fireplace converted back to wood burning, and I want a formal mantle around it so I can hang Nana's mirror.

There is nothing like a real fire. In my last house we used to do that every Christmas. I'd turn off all the lights in the house. Only the tree would be lit. And I'd start a fire in the fireplace. My daughter and I would sit on the couch and just talk. Or not. Sometimes we'd just sit there. In the glow of the fire, in the light of the tree.

I won't be the same having the fireplace in the dining room, but it will be close enough.

Just getting eerie. I have to have the fireplace cleaned, it's a real with gas start. All the same, but my sons and daughter in the place of just your daughter. Damn, weird.

 

[Abbey Normal]

I agree about fireplaces, Jillian. When we moved in, one of our two fireplaces had a wood burning stove in it. We immediately took it out and sold it. If I could afford it, I'd even have a third fireplace in the house.

As for the kitchen, we are about to have hardwood installed there, and also in the dining room. I am a little nervous that with the wood cabinets, there will be too much wood, though.

We almost did tile. I'm glad we didn't after reading what nt250 wrote about it.

 

[Abbey Normal]

Thanks! the kitchen does look great, for relatively little $$$. Now when you go into the reds, well you are speaking my living room and dining room! Same reaction, before and after! Same white ceilings and woodwork!

I wanted to do that in our family room, but my husband is afraid it will look bad. So I let go-- for now!

 

[nt250]

Actually I was describing my perfect "Guy Kitchen". IOW an outdoor BBQ command post of stone. I want the gas because it makes lighting charcoal or wood simple. Me and the Mrs. are still searching for the perfect home. We thought we had it, but the seller wanted us to buy the place for 110K and it needed about 10K worth of repairs. The deal fell apart when he offered 500 bux as a repair allowance.

I'm incredulous.

I paid $228,000 for The Dump and I considered myself lucky to find it and get it.

I bought this house for three reasons: it had an attached garage, a level yard, and it was 15 minutes from work. Being closer to work was the main reason I moved. I commuted for 8 years and I just couldn't take it anymore.

$130,000 and two and half years later I'm still living in half a dump. The new, back part of the house, is nice. The three front rooms are still a dump. But I'll pay for all that as I go. At one point during the renovations I owed $60,000 on credit cards. Never again.

Cosmetic stuff is nothing. But any house you buy that requires any kind of major renovations? Keep looking. My situation did finally work out. But the permits, and the variances, and the construction. It was all hell. I would never do it again.

What's left to do on this house is all basically cosmetic. No more structual changes. No more plumbing involved. The rest will be a piece of cake.

But I love my kitchen and it was worth every penny and every minute of hell it took to get it done.

 

[Nienna]

Thanks! the kitchen does look great, for relatively little $$$. Now when you go into the reds, well you are speaking my living room and dining room! Same reaction, before and after! Same white ceilings and woodwork!

I recently painted our bedroom a deep red. I was afraid it would be too dark with the wood trim, but the deep paint makes the wood look like gold! I love it. Now if I could just get my husband to help me put up the curtain rod...