Thanks for the feedback. Keep the ideas coming. A couple of things:
We are fortunate enough to have a separate walk-in pantry with door next to the kitchen. Would not dream of cutting it out as I am a big fan of having enough inventory to not run out if weather or circumstances prevent shopping for a few days (or weeks).
In a previous home, we got rid of the soffits and had one with ducts. We were able to hide the ducts behind some crown moulding and it was great. This one has high ceilings and no soffits…The cabinets are all builder’s grade and honey oak (we both hate it). The counters are granite, but not a color I would pick. Don’t understand the upgrade to granite over cheap cabinets. I love some granite but will likely save that for the forever home. Dakota Mahogany (the real stuff, not the cheap imports) is magnificent.
I am a convert to gas cooktops. Grew up with old electric coils and was a little afraid of gas. Now I use the burners to ‘toast’ jalapenos to remove the skins and other handy things that are better done with actual fire. Don’t think induction is good for me. I was thinking of splitting the stove and moving the cooktop to the island. I may save that for the future house given the cost feedback.
Any thoughts on colors? The floors are a Kona-colored engineered hardwood. Anything that is not oak is on the table for wood species.
Our soffits also contain ductwork…can’t be removed. Guess that means our kitchen looks cheap. Oh well. I’d rather have a good vent fan that vents outside…with a soffit…than a recirculating fan because I eliminated the soffit.
I would love lower drawers instead if cabinets, and my next house will have those except for under the sink.
Just make sure the opening where your fridge is is large enough to accommodate a larger fridge. Friends have had to knock out cabinets,many move walls… or get a smaller fridge than they wanted…because the space for,the fridge couldn’t hold anything bigger.
If you’re still considering splitting your range, think about the size of the cooktop compared to your island. Our last house had a gas cooktop on the island and we hated it. One person couldn’t sit there with paper while the other cooked without risking a fire. The cooktop had a built-in downdraft vent but it wasn’t very effective. Also, the cooktop took up a lot of the space I would’ve rather had for prep, and the workings limited storage space in the island.
Yes, yes, yes to Thumper re: fridge openings. Our house has space on;y for a 30" fridge and let me tell you, there are NOT a lot of options in that size. Fridge is wedged between a wall and cabinets/counter. Would have to do major reno to make more room.Of course, I am following this thread for ideas, since I know we’ll need to do this one of these days. The thermofoil cabinets and pressboard with glued laminate countertops that the previous owners installed in 1991 are falling apart.
Just a suggestion: I know you said you have a walk in pantry that you love, but consider how much space you are wasting in the middle of the pantry – the area where you stand when you look around at all the stuff arrayed on shelves around the perimeter. You can use the same space to store perhaps two and a half times as much stuff, by inserting in your current pantry area the pull-out sliders. You can line up three or four or five sliders right next to each other. My sister did this in her kitchen and (a) you can store a ton more stuff, and (b) you can see everything without having to move stuff aside. You’ll learn which slider has which stuff in it.
Re: oak flooring. We toured a lot of new construction to check out what materials are being used because we will be redoing the “new” house (fingers crossed!), and newer light greyish brown-stained wide planked oak floors look awesome. I would get those in a heartbeat. Maybe too much $$ though.
(Following this thread with enthusiasm because we are getting close to getting our hands on a house in desperate need of a kitchen redo: junky old Dacor oven, horrid bottom of the line DW, solid tops that stain like there is no tomorrow, and the blight of modern kitchens - cabinets painted for resale - why???. Those ALL will be gone and replaced with Miele, quartz, and wood door cabinets. B-) Mr. plans on retiring in this place, so we might as well spend a small fortune on it ).
Maybe I am thinking too much about the future owners…painted cabinets are often made of a lower quality or less appealing wood. I love the look of the actual wood, but maybe I need to let that go. I could probably be OK with painted cabinets for a few years.
BTW, we are beginning to see fewer new higher end homes being built with painted wood. Whoever does not like our custom maple cabinets can have a painting party.
Bunsen, when you start redoing, you need a thread of your own. A “not a flip” remodel thread. We all want to see your beautiful new kitchen come together.
Spend some time looking at open houses in your area and talking to real estate agents about what should be done for future sales. So much is region specific and those people will know what is desired in your area at your price point. Since it will be years before you sell I would feel no obligations to any agent you speak with now. great idea to get to live with the updates. We moved nearly five years ago and it has been four years since we renovated. No permits needed except when we replaced all of the windows as a separate project. Love drawers and slide out lower shelving. We have a set of slide out shelves for our pantry.
It may be worth your while to consult a designer at Lowes or Home Depot even if you go with another contractor for the work. They will have ideas and know products available. Spend time perusing the aisles at those stores for ideas as well.
We like that our fridge is in the corner, where the cabinets end so we can have a larger fridge than the original owners did, since it still fits and isn’t hemmed in on the other side–it’s a doorway on the far side of the fridge and a shallow cupboard for canned goods on that wall. The fridge is also deeper than the counters, which is also fine and gives us more fridge space.
I disagree - if you are in the house for another five years, there’s no point in talking to real estate agents about what sells. Well maybe if you’ve been convinced by these boards that all your brass doork knobs have to go maybe you should talk them…
In 5 years, the trends will turn towards something new… Don’t try to chase them. There will always be a mix of styles on the market. As long the kitchen layout and bones are good, the house will sell in a decent market.
Here is a kitchen we checked out on one weekend - wood cabinets, not painted:
Main thing if you are sure you are leaving in 5 years is to stick to classic, relatively neutral, finishes at a quality level that is good, but consistent with the level of the rest of the house- don’t over (or under) invest. As @BunsenBurner said, put effort into a good layout.
The thought of talking with real estate agents is to find out what is currently out there. We get used to our old kitchens and never learn what today’s commonplace kitchen things are. Things not because they are trendy but because realtors see changes. Local agents can tell you if “everyone” in the area has wanted X while Y doesn’t make much difference. We asked the agents who sold us our house when we were going to renovate and found out that in our area granite/quartz made no difference. In your area agents could see one or the other as the standard, or neither. They can tell you what makes or breaks many deals in your market. The same houses will still be around when you want to sell.
Just go to a few open houses in the new upper end (but not super-upper end) developments - that will give you a good idea what finishes will still be around 5-7 years down the road.
I did several kitchens - both small and large. The first thing I would do is upgrading an electrical panel and adding electrical outlets. You can never have too many outlets and circuit breakers. And you may want to add several empty breakers for future use.
Then I would add a variety of lighting options. In my current kitchen I have multiple lighting types on separate switches: pendants above an island, recessed lighting above the bar counter and in the main area, a central chandelier, under cabinet lights throughout, wall sconces above each sink (I have two symmetrical ones), and one strong recessed light above the main food prep area. I use all of those constantly in different combinations.
Lastly, I would invest into a top quality sink - its very difficult to replace later. On the other hand, you can save money on faucets, handles etc as they are easy to replace when you are ready to sell.
You may also want to add some open shelves to be used as display (corner shelves work well) . Nothing is more boring than a standard warehouse-style kitchen, and there are many opportunities to decorate and personalize it using open shelves without wasting valuable counter space.
For open shelf advocates, how do you keep them clean? Dust and cooking deposits? I love open shelves and on one side of my new kitchen, I’d love to have shelves instead of cabinets. They’d be next to the cooktop. I am afraid there will be sticky deposits from cooking.
