Kitchen remodeler needed in Someret, NJ

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<p>Any wise counsel on here to help me figure out a good kitchen remodeler? We’ve just moved to Somerset County NJ. Have bought a late 90s house with a really bad kitchen. Good footprint and natural light but the cabinets and appliances all have to go. There is pretty good hardwood for flooring but thinking of radiant heat tile. We don’t like the super luxe kitchens but prefer a more modern streamlined look. Must have a good gas burner stove. Have a hunch the granite craze is about to be out of style but not sure what’s next and would like this investment to be helpful in selling the house in 5 to 10 years. </p>

<p>Would appreciate any advice on what is new in kitchens as well as pointers on who is good to work with in this area. </p>

<p>(I think I like concrete counters which sound horrible but are pretty)</p>

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<p>Are you familiar with Angie’s List? There’s a fee to belong, but it could potentially save you from a disaster. </p>

<p>Concrete counters can be very nice…and they can be colored if you want. I’ve seen them used in more modern designs, but they have to be sealed. </p>

<p>I also like the look of glass, very modern and looks high-end. They used recycled glass which is quite ‘green’. [Google</a> Image Result for <a href=“http://www.myhomeus.com/countertops/glass-countertops.jpg[/url]”>http://www.myhomeus.com/countertops/glass-countertops.jpg](<a href=“http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.myhomeus.com/countertops/glass-countertops.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.myhomeus.com/countertops/glasstop.php&h=470&w=450&sz=123&tbnid=bfYgdLCV3lsiTM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dglass%2Bcountertops&zoom=1&q=glass+countertops&usg=__0QKinEJlrScK6wNOSq5y49bEoBU=&sa=X&ei=GHoFTfW7PMK78gbFvOTmAg&ved=0CDsQ9QEwBA]Google”>http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.myhomeus.com/countertops/glass-countertops.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.myhomeus.com/countertops/glasstop.php&h=470&w=450&sz=123&tbnid=bfYgdLCV3lsiTM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dglass%2Bcountertops&zoom=1&q=glass+countertops&usg=__0QKinEJlrScK6wNOSq5y49bEoBU=&sa=X&ei=GHoFTfW7PMK78gbFvOTmAg&ved=0CDsQ9QEwBA)</a></p>

<p>There’s even a product that combines the glass and concrete: [url=&lt;a href=“Netent No Deposit Casinos List 2023 - netentnodeposit.net”&gt;http://www.icestone.biz/]IceStone[/url</a>]</p>

<p>Good luck. It’s very exciting to do a large home project…and a little scary!</p>

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<p>Had my kitchen cabinets & countertops done 16 years ago by Brook Custom Cabinets in Union. No one believes they are that old! I imagine they would be willing to come to Somerset. They are just off Rt 22. </p>

<p>[Brook</a> Cabinetry > About Us](<a href=“HugeDomains.com”>HugeDomains.com)</p>

<p>(we worked with Paul - he was great! I’m glad to see he’s still around!)</p>

<p>What no custom cabinet company in the area will tell you is that most all doors are made in PA by a company named Conestoga and the local custom shop only builds the box.</p>

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<p>I am also in Somerset county and we redid our kitchen 2 years ago. We had a wonderful experience working with Ronnie at Certified Kitchens.
<a href=“Certified%20Kitchens%20Inc.%20-%20Edison,%20NJ”>url=http://certifiedkitchenscom.superpageshosting.com/home/&lt;/a&gt; Certified Kitchens, Inc. Home Page
If you like the line of cabinets that her company sells (we bought Medallion cabinets but they do sell others), then you will be very happy working with her. She was quite good at solving design challenges. </p>

<p>For our countertop, we chose Cambria and used Berkeley Tile for the installation. My parents used this company and had a good experience with them. We also were very pleased with their work.</p>

<p>If you are interested in a forum devoted to kitchen renovation, then I highly recommend GardenWeb. There is a very active forum there filled with folks who are doing or have done kitchen renovations. A few designers also frequent this forum and they offer good advice.
[Kitchen</a> Forum - GardenWeb](<a href=“Kitchen Forum | Houzz”>Kitchen Forum | Houzz)
also: [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.starpoohonline.com/wordpress/]Welcome[/url”&gt;http://www.starpoohonline.com/wordpress/]Welcome[/url</a>]</p>

<p>Happy remodeling.</p>

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<p>For resale, I would go with stone counters. I love honed marble, the not polished honed stone is what’s most popular in upscale kitchens now.</p>

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<p>Welcome to New Jersey! Don’t have any recommendations other than to say we’ve used Angie’s List for other things and generally been happy. Hope things go well for you here in the land of jug handle turns.</p>

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<p>As for what is in style, look in the showrooms to see what they have, and also look at some open houses of new(er) homes to see what they used. Summit Public library has a great magazine section with many design magazines, and you can look at Better Homes and quite a few others to see what you like. Maybe your local library has a good magazine section too (some do, and some don’t).</p>

<p>I did a kitchen a number of years ago when white on white was they style. It went out of style but I think white with another color is coming back. Right now I prefer the wood colored wood, but I moved to a place with a bigger kitchen and here it works - the old one was small.</p>

<p>What I learned - get real wood. I had that white fake stuff, and it melts if you leave a candle burning on the counter, and water warps it too - not serviceable in my opinion.
Next, in terms of what is new, a pot filler on the stove is probably a waste of money. The warming drawer, while somewhat useful, does not get a lot of use. I also have refrigerated drawer units, which I use quite a lot. I personally like the look of wood front appliances to match the cabinets, but for a sleeker modern look, all stainless steel is popular.</p>

<p>For the concrete counter, I saw this in a magazine, but I have not seen this in a house.</p>

<p>Years ago I used Kitchen and Bathworks in North Plainfield just off rt. 22 (you can see it from 22). They have a show room to see cabinets, which is the main reason that I mention them. You can get an idea of what is current. I think it worked out a bit pricer than finding a contractor yourself and having him arrange for the cabinets etc. which is what a lot of people do, but kitchen prices vary greatly based on the materials selected.</p>

<p>You can also look at the showroom in Home Depot to see what kind of cabinets and counters they have available to get ideas for colors and materials.</p>

<p>We have a dual fuel stove (gas on top, electric oven) and I do like it. It is the first gas stove I have had since I moved out of NYC many years ago. I like double ovens (the best is double wall ovens imo), but this has the oven under the burners (six!!) I never use them all, but it looks nice. This came with our house as did the other gadgets, and in terms of budget, it probably is expensive. In my old house I bought all GE, which were awful, and most needed repairs. My old dishwasher lasted only a few years with one major repair (under warranty) before I threw it out and got something else.</p>

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<p>The problem with Stainless if you have kids you will constantly be cleaning off the finger prints.</p>

<p>I think stainless is probably on its way out and black appliances will make a resurgence again in the most popular color.</p>

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<p>I did love my black appliances in my old house…they went beautifully with the dark oak cabinets (which I did not change out as they were solid wood) when I redid the countertops in granite. We were ramping up the house to sell and, though SS is very popular, I thought they were too cold a look with the wood floors and cabinets and the kitchen being so filled with sunshine. </p>

<p>This house (only 3 years old) has two different colors of cabinets. Mostly creamy white with a cocoa detail brushed into the corners and a dark reddish maple for the bar and the island. It’s not my favorite look, esp. since they did a black countertop. Something with the cream and the reddish tones (like the Santa Cecilia in my old house) would have looked much better, IMHO, but I wasn’t in charge. I think the two colors of cabinets in one room, while being shown a lot these days, is going to look very dated in a couple of years. I wouldn’t recommend it. </p>

<p>Definitely go with a tile backsplash! So easy to keep clean.</p>

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<p>Our cabinet doors are cherry and we love how they have held up and look timeless. We also took the cabinets doors all the way to the ceiling to maxmize storage space and eliminate the useless soffit. (I put all my rarely used stuff on the top shelf - I’m 5’9" and still need the step stool for it)</p>

<p>We did the bulk of our counters & all backsplashes in Corian, as we had a few angles and I really disliked the grout lines I saw in all the granite countertops I saw. We picked a light color (sandstone) to contrast with the darker wood cabinets. We did, however, have a granite top installed on our 7’ island and went with a darker, more dramatic color (the called it mahongany). I love having the granite island, as I can put hot pans right from the oven on it with not worries. It’s also a great place to make rolled out cookies & pie crust. If you go this route, you will also save on the granite, as we found an orphaned piece that was leftover from another job and got it for 50% of regular cost. (ask to see their one-off pieces if you do this - most places want to sell you the matched stuff, but they have a pile of small pieces that are perfect for islands or vanities). </p>

<p>We put in a wood floor - my only regret is we used pre-finished. It has not held up well. This was our only contract change - as the addition was coming along, I realized I wanted to put the floors on a 45 degree angle to match the rest of the floors in my 1920s colonial. Our contractor quoted us an extra $1000 for that, but said he would do the prefinished at the same price. Since we had been writing big checks, we cut corners and have regretted it since. Depending on where you furnace it, you may not need radiant heat. Our furnace is below our kitchen and the floors are always warm. </p>

<p>The one big slurge we made was to buy a subzero fridge with a botton freezer. Since I’m tall I love not bending down to look in the produce drawers and nothing gets lost in the back. since it’s not as deep as traditional fridges.</p>

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<p>OP reporting back here. Have printed out all the great insights and am using as a very valuable reference. Thanks, all.</p>

<p>I was really delighted to find that Angie’s List is available here in NJ. Have been a member for over ten years and consider it a terrific resource. Will definitely consult Angie’s as we dig into this project.</p>

<p>Seems like the biggest decision is cabinets - they are much harder to change than counters down the road. Am leaning toward a lighter cherry or maple color. Also considering mixing cabinetry and surfaces. Have been seeing that in some houses and it is often really a pleasant effect. I love tile and would want a tile back splash. I especially like the really dense small tiles for a back splash that produce a sort of mosaic effect.</p>

<p>My husband is enamored with butler’s pantries. That will be our one trendy feature. </p>

<p>My big requirement is plenty of book shelves. I love my cookbooks and am excited to finally have the space to display them where they belong - the kitchen!</p>

<p>Have also decided that I don’t care for the long narrow islands but prefer something more squarish. Don’t know why just respond better to that configuration.</p>

<p>Oh, and although I have an office on the ground floor of the house I think it would be good to have at least a small desk area somewhere in the kitchen.</p>

<p>This is the fun part, of course – compiling the wish list. Then getting realistic and figuring out what we can afford . . .</p>

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<p>We love our Brookhaven cabinets (by Woodmode).
They are 6 years old now and look/work great.</p>

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<p>Don’t do the desk unless you have a lot of cabinets. It really is a waste of space. </p>

<p>We have had 2 homes with them and I don’t remember 1 day anyone used it.</p>

<p>Are you going to move your office to the kitchen and sit at this desk? If the answer is no, than put cabinets in.</p>

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<p>I guess you’re right about the desk. I just like the idea of a phone station in the kitchen but probably not necessary.</p>

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<p>One thing about the kitchen phone is that you can get a set of cordless phones and only one has to go into an actual jack. The others can plug into any regular plug, and then you can talk anywhere. I have my laptop open on the kitchen table a lot, and then I just take the cordless to the table, and it is easy. The plug could be on the island or on a counter top. Here is one example
[VTech</a> CS6229 4 DECT 60 Digital 4 Handset Cordless Phone Set With Digital Answering System by Office Depot](<a href=“http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/733875/VTech-CS6229-4-DECT-60-Digital/?cm_mmc=Mercent-_-Google-_-Phones_and_Accessories-_-733875]VTech”>http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/733875/VTech-CS6229-4-DECT-60-Digital/?cm_mmc=Mercent-_-Google-_-Phones_and_Accessories-_-733875)</p>

<p>If you have room for a closet type pantry with a lot of shelves and storage, this is a really great thing.</p>

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<p>I have a small desk area in my kitchen. I don’t sit at it much but I would do it again. It is the place where I have the telephone, put the kids papers that need to be signed. It has a ledge around the top and that is where I put mail that comes for other members of the household. I also keep a netbook there to use to look up recipes.
OTOH my spouse things the desk is nothing but a place for me to pile up junk.
I have plenty of cabinets so I don’t feel like I am compromising on storage.
My MIL has the same concept. She uses it for the same purpose I do. My FIL shares my H’s sentiments. Maybe it is a male/female thing.</p>

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<p>I’ve had a home office on the ground level for many years and I love it but have always wished for a small station area in the kitchen just for day-to-day stuff. Maybe it would simply expand my clutter to two rooms vs. two but I often find myself in the kitchen, taking a call and then carrying the phone to my office so I can sit at my desk and take notes, check the computer, etc. </p>

<p>Musicmom - those Brookhaven cabinets are gorgeous on the website. I like the contemporary line especially. Thanks for sharing.</p>

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<p>sewhappy-</p>

<p>It’s taken me a few days to recall our kitchen contractors name…old brain is uncooperative sometimes…
Rivers, Inc in Livingston. We were very pleased with their work,especially the attention to detail with cabinet installation. We have a traditional old home and purchased maple raised panel cabinets. Nice pantry next to frig and lots of deep drawers. They had good design ideas but flexible to our needs. Not inexpensive (what is?) but worth it to us to replace our 1960’s wreck of a kitchen that we lived with for over 20 years!
Sounds like your taste is more to modern than ours.<br>
Best of luck to you!</p>