<p>^^^^^^^^^Thanks, Igloo. Unfortunately, I think I’ve either got the flu, some other nasty virus, or strep throat. Will have to drag myself to an urgent care facility later to see if it is strep. </p>
<p>Not a happy camper here. :(</p>
<p>Hugs to Nrdsb4.</p>
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<p>This also drives me crazy. When we were looking to buy a house 25 years ago (after we saved 20% down), we were thrilled if there were appliances and super psyched if they were all the same color!</p>
<p>We have dark granite, I use Windex on it and it has never needed sealing.</p>
<p>This is a delicate point. We all feel we derserve the best. Somehow the cost is not to be discussed. It scares me when parents take out second and third mortgages to pay their kids’ tuition, $50-60/yr/kid. One can’t argue that their kids deserve the best. And yet, their retirement is approaching fast with 2-3 mortgages still to pay for. I am afraid I would be accused heartless to leave them to die in a poor house.</p>
<p>I also get aggravated watching HGTV. It took us 16 years to be able to afford to do anything major to our starter home (which we are still living in.) When ever I am watching and DH comes into the room he always comments that most of the buyers probably have already been foreclosed on!</p>
<p>^^^^^I’ve always wondered the same thing. And how it came to be that one “deserves” a certain thing because one “works really hard.” Lots of people work hard, but they still can’t afford the starter home with the same amenities as a pricey custom built home. </p>
<p>I also see the first time buyers say “well this house is really overpriced” because it is in their budget but does not have all the bells and whistles. The MARKET determines price, not what you can pay, not what you deserve, not what you think a house is worth. On the selling side (we also see this on HGTV), the MARKET doesn’t care that you paid x for your house, doesn’t care what you need to get out of it, doesn’t give a flip about all the work you did on it, or what you think it’s worth. At the end of the day, a house is worth what someone else is willing to pay.</p>
<p>You only deserve the home you can afford to pay for.</p>
<p>^That’s a “mean” thing to say :)</p>
<p>Yeah, sometimes the truth hurts my feelings, too. :)</p>
<p>The other day I decided I was going shopping for some original art. I really, really wanted this one painting. I saw the price: $17,000! :eek:</p>
<p>My first thought was “geez, how does anyone afford real good quality art?” Then I thought, “I guess some people can or these prices would not all be in this same range.”</p>
<p>Then I went to z galleries and bought a wall art thingy for $149. :D</p>
<p>Threads like this keep me happy and are most of the reason I’m still here. (Between kid college application years, I mean.). I’m collecting ideas, deciding how much kitchen improvement I can stand to live through… We absolutely need new countertops, and our cabinets are nothing special. What we need to do is just hand over the keys to Jeff Lewis and leave for an around the world trip, while it all gets done perfectly in our absence. 
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<p>Anyway, here’s what today’s Washington Post has to say about style choices in kitchens this year:</p>
<p>67% of respondents want white cabinets, a jump of 20% in the past two years.</p>
<p>Consumers are demanding countertops that are easy to care for, including quartz countertops such as Caesarstone and Silestone. The most popular colors right now are white and gray. “Quartz is a pretty honest material, and it functions nicely. If you don’t have the tolerance for natural stone and what it is going to do over time, go for quartz.”</p>
<p>Gray seems to be the color of the moment, showing up on cabinets, counters and walls, balanced with a lot of white to keep the gray from looking chilly or depressing.</p>
<p>Glass tile backsplashes are where a lot of vibrant colors are being used.</p>
<p>I watched an episode of HGTV while I was on the treadmill this afternoon. The couple had to have what they had to have. They wound up buying a house for $300,000, for which they were putting down a whopping $15,000. At the end of the show, they announced what their mortgage payment will be – something in the $1600 per month range. But these shows never discuss what the taxes are, and as we all know, they can be pretty steep. And then there’s maintenance . . . .</p>
<p>^^^^And insurance…</p>
<p>Thank you to Thumper1 (and JShain as well) for suggesting Method Daily Granite Cleaner. I have tried it and it is a fantastic product! My black granite counters are very clean & shiny without any type of residue to pick up finger prints or other various smears or lint/dust etc… (Yipeeeeee!!!) </p>
<p>As an added bonus it was on sale this week at Target!</p>
<p>Just basically finished a whole house renovation- pink laminate counters and cabinets, mauve carpet, wallpaper et al are gone- 25 year old new to us house. Asked our real estate agents last summer for advice even though we intend to stay here 20-30 years- or until we die, whichever comes first… They said to put in whatever we wanted, that it did not matter for resale. We like light, bright, contemporary. </p>
<p>Had a stainless steel sink with Formica in old house- top mount, now undermount here. Definitely would go with the stainless steel. Have seen Corian damaged by heat- cracks, yuck. </p>
<p>Chose light cabinets- I dislike white (did do white interior doors here to replace plain dark stained but worn brown ones- painted trim as well unlike stained up north). Went with Kraftmaid Honey Spice maple in a Shaker? (simple) style, kept same layout with changes in sizes. House came with fairly new appliances- stainless top of the line stove and microwave, black dishwasher and cream side by side refrigerator (white laundry ones). They work- the light refrigerator doesn’t dominate because of its color. </p>
<p>Counters. Debated between granite and quartz. Did Home Depot so 15 year sealant took that issue out of the running for us. Dislike the uniformity of quartz, chose Colonial Gold with its more wave and interesting pattern. Love the variations. Spills and dirt don’t show as do with inlaws’ black granite. Long bar area between two walls- expected corbels but happy with installer decision to use L shaped steel bars under the counter, had to do with drywall under it etc. Used Corian for desk area counters and bathrooms (integrated sinks- no seams for dirt). Old house had cultured marble in baths- shinier and a few nicks in 20 years. Back then Corian choices were so limited. Was able to catch sales for both granite and Corian (nicely speckled instead of rough looking dots/chips)- a couple of free sinks. btw- with stainless steel sinks choose the overhang with the least sink edge showing for dirt, 18 gauge is fine and 8" deep becomes deeper with counter thickness.</p>
<p>The bottom line- go with what you like. Fashion doesn’t matter. If you sell in 5, 10 or more years the next owner can make changes. I expect the next owner will be saying “What were they thinking?” and I won’t care.</p>
<p>New light carpet in bedrooms, family and living rooms- like to sit on the floor. Tile elsewhere- removed carpet from dining room and much of master bath (yuck- what was the builder thinking???). Know someone who swears by wood.</p>
<p>Looked at many houses before seeing this one- loved the layout, location and views. Knew would change things. Spent a lot of time researching and getting the best prices. Made decisions based on costs and durability- nice, upscale but not as upscale as we could have chosen. Thousands of dollars saved. Guess that shows our maturity.</p>
<p>btw- even if you love your choices when you order things you will go through a bit of regret and even dislike things a bit the first day or so after the installation. You have to remember why you decided to go with x instead of y and your mental image meets reality… Still have a few pending items and always more can do but feel like have a new house.</p>
<p>Much more than anyone wanted- but after 4 months of living with a construction zone feeling so happy to share- just cleaned to keep clean without getting dirty from open doors…</p>
<p>Ah, wis75, congratulations! We are in about the same place you are – kitchen is almost done, and then we have some landscaping and two bathrooms to do. We bought this house because of the location, the layout, and the natural light. We knew when we bought it that we’d be doing these projects. </p>
<p>My take-away from all this is: Find a house with an awful kitchen and bathrooms. You’re going to wind up redoing them anyway, so why pay for someone else’s upgrades when it’s not at all what you want?</p>
<p>Adding to VH…pick a house with worn out carpet too. Then you won’t feel guilty ripping it out and replacing it.</p>
<p>^^^^^Ooooooo – good addition.</p>
<p>I have also started the kitchen remodeling process. We are going with quartz - we replaced our counter tops 26 years ago with laminate, and it’s just time to update to something that won’t chip and is easy to care for. We are replacing our cabinets, too, and will probably go with hickory. Oh, and new flooring, too. The plans are still in the early stages, and I don’t even want to know what it’s going to cost. We are good about doing the most for the least, but some things just cost more money than I want to part with.</p>
<p>Have fun, kelsmom. It’s a really wonderful journey.</p>
<p>I made my first dinner tonight in my almost-finished new kitchen. The lack of cooktop and running water didn’t deter me. :)</p>
<p>Likeminded people here- what it is worth, not just what you can afford mentality plus a lot of life experiences. “Wonderful” journey?, hmmm…</p>
<p>You really appreciate the “little” things- such as cooking in a kitchen, even without running water/dishwasher. What- a refrigerator in the kitchen along with the rest of the food instead of going from the living room to another room to… just to gather supplies? It was a treat to load up the upper cabinets before the counters came. Spent time in the guest bedroom (wallpaper removal in master, plus m bath redo)- remember why we got the king bed and have a separate shower (and 2 sinks)…</p>
<p>Remember to check online prices via Amazon as well as Lowes and Home Depot if available in your area. I crosschecked items with the manufacturers’ websites as well. Not like 20 some years ago when there was no internet to do so (nor any of those stores in our area). The devil IS in the details- I have reasons for every purchase. Door handles that won’t lock you out (Kwikset). Showers that you can adjust temp and pressure separately (Delta). Deepest top cabinet drawers (Kraftmaid). Stainmaster carpet. Learn which are manufacturers’ sales and which specific to the store. Corian ran a free sink offer, Kraftmaid had a ton of freebies (one reason to lump several projects- savings with quantity on things you were doing anyhow).</p>
<p>Choose your general contractor wisely- his (her) choices will dictate how smoothly the project goes. Options are so local.</p>
<p>We tried to save as much as we could- mirrors, shower door and other style details. No matter what you do to your house it will still be x+ years old, not brand new. I can live with the mainly popcorn ceilings and let the next owner do those- cost and inconvenience factor. New interior doors made a huge difference, however, in cheerfulness. Just decided cleaning the louvered closet doors was good enough- too much work or money to repaint or replace.</p>
<p>Once the final details are done no more needing to be up by the time construction workers arrive- this from a night person who doesn’t always dress for hours after getting up late.</p>
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<p>I agree completely. I’m also going to replace all the interior doorknobs. Every single one of them is scratched badly and has paint drips. DH thinks I’m crazy.</p>