Gearing up for a kitchen/laundry room redo this summer. I have all the major appliances purchased already thanks to sales during Income Tax weekend, got countertops, tile, backsplash chosen. Meeting with cabinet guy and contractor once more this week to finalize things. I am very ready for this 20+ year old kitchen to get a much needed facelift. Anyone here who has done a kitchen redo, what are some of the little things you changed or wish you had thought of. One suggestion I read on a home improvement board was to put an electrical outlet in the broom closet to charge the electric brooms out of sight. I saw a pot filler on one thread here a while back, but that would entail some pricey rerouting of plumbing, so that won't happen. Any thoughts or suggestions? One thought - but not sure how it will look - we have a half wall that the backdoor opens up against. The wall separates the kitchen back door from the living room, so knocking it out is not an option. But it is fairly deep - about 12 inches. I was thinking of making it into a built-in little shelf area to put all the stuff you set down when you walk in - like leashes, keys, golf tees and balls. It would be open on the side where the door is, but still paneled on the living room side, thus closed on that side. Playing with that idea. Any thoughts or suggestions to think about before we start the demo? Thanks!
Get one of these instead of a pot filler. Quick-n-Hot The tank goes under your sink. Make sure there's power for it. Water source comes from sink cold water feed. I love this thing. Fill your pot with this water, put it on the stove, and it's boiling in a minute or two. Instant coffee, oatmeal, etc. really is instant. No microwaving. I can brew a gallon of tea in 10 minutes in the pitcher without using the stove.
Is updated lighting in your plan? Makes a huge difference. Good undercabinet lighting is especially useful. Just updated our kitchen with recessed dimmable LED lighting and love it. HD sells a private labeled Cree recessed fixture for ~$40 that is virtually perfect.
Pogo - thanks - I will check that one out. Hubby drinks tons of tea in the summer so that looks really handy. As much as I liked the idea of the pot-filler, it really was not worth it. The sink is deep and only about 3 feet away from the cooktop. So not a big timesaver. Hot water on the other hand...I have taken to using our Keurig for hot water for things like a cup of tea and oatmeal. But a gallon of iced tea - that doesn't work too well with the Keurig. brntorng - a big hell yeah to the updated lighting. We have the circa 1987 box fluorescent (that has never worked correctly) above the island and ceiling fan/light above the table. We do have under cabinet lighting with dimmers planned. Also a combination of cans, and light fixtures to replace the box and fan light. Will most likely keep the fan though. Been keeping a Pintrest board with all my kitchen ideas. Really makes it easy to see things together. Then delete the ones I don't want or like. Thanks for the help guys!!!
Wood Countertops I know you've already picked your countertops, but I've had my wood ones for 5 years and absolutely love them. The photo isn't of my kitchen, but my countertops look just like the one in the photo. Very low maintenance - I usually just use warm water or water with a little bit of detergent on them. I love that they are different, too - I never like to do what everyone else is doing!
Good to hear you're updating the lighting. This is the Cree recessed light available at Home Depot for $40. Available elsewhere under the Cree label for ~$70. Comes with integrated trim ring and fits virtually any 6" can. 4-packs available for $154 online at HD. These are dimmable, provide soft white light (3500K), are very efficient (9.5 W. An incandescent nightlight is 7W.), help keep the kitchen cool, and should last 20+ years. Way better than incandescent (gag) or CFLs. You should use Lutron LED dimmers available at HD or Lowes. Phillips also makes very nice LED lamps ideal for downlights and such which offer similar benefits.
Demo starts Wednesday, but I will be out of town! Trying to get everything packed up and in the garage before I leave is a pain. Moving the fridge and freezer to the dining room, though. Thanks for the suggestions. Engineered stone was my first choice (Alehouse Amber by Vetrazzo) but cost is a huge consideration, so not this time. There is the real potential that we will be out of this house within 2-3 years, so I could not go all out as I had planned. But it needed some serious updating, so here we go! Pics to follow as soon as work starts.
Kitchen/Laundry Room Redo Back from Chicago conference, and into the kitchen gut. Here are before pics and pics from day1/2. Today they worked on wiring, so no pics. A day without electricity is not fun! Tues 6/26 - more electrical work done today and all holes sheetrocked over. Had to stop about 4 though since power was knocked out by the storm that went through. Should finish up electrical tomorrow.
Wed & Thurs this week they finished up electrical and sheetrock. Paint Friday and Saturday the kitchen cabinet boxes were installed. Laundry room and doors next week. Next up tile! Also got the island light fixture and new ceiling fan ordered, as well as the cabinet knobs and handles off eBay. 45 handles & knobs for less than $100. Why they are so freakin' expensinve in the store is beyond me. Plus found a new fridge on sale too. So now the appliances will match.
Floors completed, countertops almost completed. Baseboards, appliances, backsplash and more coming up this week.
The end is in sight! A slow down this week while waiting for all the cabinet doors to get done. Granite completed today, all electrical except for the outlet in the island completed. Cabinet doors tomorrow! Ready to move back in.
Kitchen/Laundry Room Redo Cabinet doors and drawer faces are finally in. Above is a link to before & after photos. I need to get some of the laundry room, but need to move the washer & dryer back first. I am happy with the way things turned out. I am not a design person, so when you are looking at little samples of tiles etc, you have to trust your design guy! I am moving everything back in today, and once I get everything back I'll take one more set of photos. If you are in west Houston/Harris county and need a reference for a great design place, or a great cabinet guy, I can definitely help. They did our second bath and powder room last summer, the kitchen this summer, and will do our living room and master bath next summer. Awesome work!
Here I thought that you were going to say that if one were in Houston and was hungry, they could try on your new kitchen redo with free enchiladas and burgers. Nope, just a reference. I am interested in the recycled glass counters and plan on being in my casita a goodly amount more time. I do wish they had bigger sample pictures because the smaller ones look more barfy than what they are. They look stunning as a counter but a 3x5 photo, no. Yer kitchen shore iz purty, i reckon, but I cannot get it to load for some reason.
Not sure why the Picasa link won't work. Sigh. Just use the link at the top of the thread. l00p - Vetrazzo is really nice. You are right, the little pics they show on the site are not great. I saw it at a home show a few years ago and intrigued me. It is very cool, though, and manufactured in McKinney. And, if you are ever in Houston and in need of a meal, the door is open! ;-)
