<p>I admit it still fries my cookies that the subtle and not so subtle bragging about how much $ is there for retirement and for toys like camera lenses, on the heels of maneuvering finances so colleges gave what was clearly NOT need based money. So its time to stop being cheap when it comes to opening the wallet when it may be for others. A cheap reno for purposes of sale will net less than spending a little more for the future homeowner. If the reno is one you wouldnt want to live with, neither would the future buyers.</p>
<p>If you are doing this for resale purposes only, have you brought in a real estate professional. Kitchen remodels are specific to neighborhoods and an agent should be able to tell you what is best for your neighborhood. They also might tell you not to remodel as you will find a buyer who wants to do their own remodeling. I have found though that buyers want everything done. </p>
<p>I have remodeled 2 kitchens and 2 bathrooms. $14,000 is not a bad price at all. If it includes appliance that seems to be a very good price. </p>
<p>I have sold 2 houses in the Midwest. In each one, I have not recouped anywhere near the money I have put in remodeling. I am glad that I was able to enjoy my new kitchens and baths before I sold and lost money. How I would have loved to live in an area of the country where I could actually make money on my house. </p>
<p>DADII…do you have a mortgage on this house? Is it paid for? How mich do you need to net to move on (from other threads…sounds like $0). </p>
<p>Fix the kitchen up. The house will have better appeal and will sell more quickly. Kitchens are pricey. If this is a “starter home” the last thing new young homeowners will want to do is a kitchen renovation.</p>
<p>You don’t have to make it as swanky as you would like…but it should be consistent with what other homes in your neighborhood that have sold have.</p>
<p>Personally, I would ditch the corian. It is dated…and not a preferred countertop. You don’t mention refinishing those kitchen floors, or painting the walls. </p>
<p>$14,000 is not bad…just get your contract in writing.</p>
<p>See what your other estimates come in as…but don’t cheap out. The cheapest offer is likely cheapest for a reason. </p>
<p>I agree re the corian. My sister had to do her kitchen to sell and she spent around $15k. New tile floor, granite counters, new backsplash, undercounter sink and new stainless appliances. She did not do new cabinets only new hardware. She either used lowes or home depot. </p>
<p>The eventual buyers moved in and immediately gutted the kitchen. She did know that was likely, but sometimes buyers have to wait a bit before they can do it and to get her price she really had to do these minor updates so buyers could at least live with it for awhile, if necessary. </p>
<p>I can tell you THIS…buyers will be annoyed that you put in Corian. They will want to yank it out, but will feel wasteful because they’ll know that the home price included that recent addition. </p>
<p>So, folks that look at your home will have to figure out…“do we put up with an out-of-date new remodel or do we throw away more money by changing it or do we buy a different home?” Most likely…they will move on to looking at other homes…and NOT buy yours.</p>
<p>THAT is why it’s the WRONG move.</p>
<p>If you get your fanny to HD or Lowes, they each have 3-6 granite choices that are about the same price as Corian. I know that because I’ve just been thru this with a vaca rental. Lowes has one, Caledonia, that I used in the bathrooms that is really lovely. </p>
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What we don’t want to do is to put too much $$ in the kitchen. That would make the other parts of the old house look even older.</p>
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<p>Ok…as someone who is always shopping for properties, let me share my own position on this:</p>
<p>Right now, I am looking at a condo that has a remodeled kitchen, but the baths are still “old”. Does that bother me? NO. In my mind, I am thinking, “ok, I just have to do the bathrooms because they’ve already done a nice job in the kitchen.” If I were looking at YOUR property, I would be thinking, “Dang it! Why did he waste money on Corian? If he wanted to save money then go with a lesser expensive granite or similar.” It would leave a BAD TASTE in my mouth because I would be thinking that the seller was, well nutty. </p>
<p>The problem is that Corian isn’t cheap, but it’s very dated. It’s what my mom picked out 30+ years ago because granite and similar was not yet being widely offered. Corian screams 1970 remodel. </p>
<p>I don’t think that my perspective is “not the norm.” In fact, I think many women here on CC and elsewhere would think the same…and it’s the WOMAN who usually selects the home! </p>
<p>Do not sign with this guy. Head over to your local HD and Lowes, find a K designer who knows what he/she is doing, and tell them that you want it to look good, not be cheap quality, but not cost a lot of money. Each of the cab brands (and each store has 3-5 brands) will have a range of prices. Pick something that isn’t at the bottom of the barrel, but is somewhere in a decent price range. </p>
<p>BTW…did that quote include all the nice trims…like lovely crown at the top of the cabs, and other nice trim pieces…or is he giving you cheap skinny stuff</p>
<p>And it sounds like that quote does not include appliances. Since this is a home and not a rental, you’ll have to go with better appliances than I had to. I did go with a really nice dishwasher, but the fridge, oven and microwave are “good enough” for renters who are just staying for short periods of time. (Usually, the oven never gets used.)</p>
<p>What is the material of the cabs? </p>
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<p>I suspect this is true. He has a lower-cost connection with Corian. He doesn’t likely push granite or similar because he doesn’t sell enough to get a good volume cost. </p>
<p>Wait, what is wrong with corian? I had it in my last house and loved it. It came with the house but I could see using it again. I like that you can get a nice thick squarish edge with a little rounding so it’s not sharp like grant or marble.</p>
<p>Granite and marble don’t have to have sharp edges. I use the 1/2 bullnose in the kitchen and kitcheneette areas, round top/bottom in the bathrooms <a href=“Phoenix Arizona Marble and Granite, Granite Kitchen Countertops, Papagnos Marble and Granite”>http://www.papagnos.com/faq.html</a></p>
<p>^ you can get that type of edge with granite and I assume quartz and marble, too.
Most people just want stone now. </p>
<p>Thanks for all the discussions. It is refreshing to have a good exchange on CC without being accused of something.</p>
<p>During my morning run, I talked to others people live nearby. They basically say go with other solid top for the where we live. Need to put in a little more $$. Also, they said for the size of the kitchen, 10K will probably a reasonable price. </p>
<p>Have all new SS stove, dish washer, and frig. </p>
<p>That’s good to know. My current kitchen has butcher block with a slab of marble. I love being able to put hot things down on it. I am in the process of selling my house and have an accepted (contingent) offer on a new one. It has miles of granite counters and I am not wild about them (plus, they were put over horrible old cabinets and ugly black appliances). My plan is to do a gut renovation and open the space up to the small dining room. I am a big fan of IKEA cabinets so hopefully it will be relatively affordable.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if it’s possible to resell granite that is being ripped out of a kitchen? I guess it could be cut down and reused but I am just not a fan of the color at all.</p>
<p>Some people like concrete or stainless counters in contemporary houses. Many are tiring of granite, or are now using the leather finish on it. If DadII goes cheap, he may get what he pays for. Let a little dust fall out of that wallet and open it up a bit.</p>
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<p>Since when does granite have sharp edges? Granite edges are ground to have smooth edges. Leaving them SHARP would be a horrible idea because any sharp edges would be extremely vulnerable to chipping!!</p>
<p>The issue with corian is that its price can’t often be justified anymore since there are more favorable options at similar prices. </p>
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<p>Oh good, so you won’t have that expense. I think $10k may be a bit low for a kitchen budget. I think this will cost you at least $12k unless you pick out really cheap stuff and/or go with short upper cabs (don’t do THAT…that will turn off many women!!!). What about the floors…are you replacing?</p>
<p>Dont’ forget you still need to buy a sink, faucet and GD.</p>
<p>The marble slab in my kitchen has a sharp edge. And yes, I have heard people complain about their granite chipping. I don’t mean super-sharp, like it would cut you if you rub against it.</p>
<p>I agree with the earlier advice to ask a realtor. We recently sold a house and did not upgrade the kitchen which was a mixture of early 60’s and early 90’s (including Corian). We got an offer in 3 days. Our realtor suggested we upgrade appliances but we didn’t. If the house hadn’t moved, we would have.</p>
<p>We did spend a few thousand dollars having the whole interior repainted, doing some work on the exterior and putting new tile in the entry hall (first impressions and all that). The realtor also offered free staging. </p>
<p>Some people want an instant fancy kitchen, others will look at it and think, “I wouldn’t do it that way” and walk away. It’s a gamble. I think granite is over, try quartz or something else that hasn’t been in our faces so much for the last 10 years. </p>
<p>$14K sounds very reasonable to me. One of my estimates had about $8K for demolition alone. Around where I live, people are saying granite is so yesterday. I don’t know what that means or what is today’s countertop. I never liked a granite top myself. I went with wood. I also ditched the garbabge disposal. So far, so good. More space under the sink.</p>
<p>Most granite is just too busy for my taste. I’d rather have a monochromatic counter without too much “detail” and do something more interesting with tile on a backsplash.</p>
<p>I am also not a big fan of stainless appliances. Had those in my last house and hated them.</p>
<p>I could not live without a garbage disposal.</p>
<p>If I could redo the kitchen in my new house for $14K I would be very happy.</p>
<p>What do you do with a garbage disposal that you can’t do with a straining sink basket? I just collet food residue and dump it in the compost pail. This is the first time I am without a garbage disposal in the last 30-40 years. I don’t miss it at all.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t dare ditch the GD! lol</p>
<p>Yes, there are probably regions in the country where granite and quartz are becoming less popular…heck, even SS appliances are becoming “so last week.” On the DIY channel, we’re seeing more butcher-block and concrete countertops. </p>
<p>But, in many areas of the country, going with granite or quartz is still a popular option. Unless some rare buyer really has it in his/her head that they don’t want granite/quartz, going with one of those will likely be fine. I wouldn’t pick something that is too “colorful”. My cousin recently bought a home and the granite is really “bright”! lol Maybe fine for a bonus room’s kitchenette, but too loud for a kitchen …at least that’s what we all thought. </p>
<p>If you go with stone, don’t use it for the backsplash…that is too last decade. Pick out some fab tile, maybe with some accent tiles, that compliments the countertops and could become the nice focal point of the kitchen! </p>
<p>“Does anyone know if it’s possible to resell granite that is being ripped out of a kitchen? I guess it could be cut down and reused but I am just not a fan of the color at all.”</p>
<p>I don’t know if it can be ripped out in good condition to sell - but instead of selling it you could donate it to Habitat For Humanity. We donated our laminate counters, porcelain sink and glass cook top when we gutted out kitchen. </p>
<p>I have no idea if granite is passe. I tend to think that any natural surface - whether it’s granite, marble, quartz, will never look dated. Now, some might prefer another surface - but natural materials usually stand the test of time, imo. </p>
<p>I hate butcher block for instance but would much rather that then laminate or corian. </p>
<p>As for marble, my cousin did a $250K kitchen remodel and put in Carrera marble counters and on her island. She is so nervous about staining that she covers the island with a table cloth when having company. If you need to be that nervous, imo, it is not the type of stone to use. </p>
<p>I put very hot pots and pans on my granite. My house is a simple 3 bedroom ranch built in the mid 50’s. I am sure if we ever sell a buyer would be thrilled there are granite counters and a high end kitchen - even though it is quite small (I did a complete gut and spent $50K on the remodel.) </p>