Kitchen Remodel Plan: Ideas & Suggestions

[ChefBeckyD]

I :love: love :love: IKEA! If I could find someone who would take my son for a day, I'd be there! Not sure I could do that to some poor innocent person though. He has been a terror lately - but that is a new thread!

 

[chefann]

We got estimates for granite (about $4k - 60 square feet!) and flooring today. Decided not to go with regular bamboo, as it's not as hard as other wood and not recommended for high traffic areas, which is not what I had been told in the past. But Lumber Liquidators (and there's a storefront only about 5 miles from my house) has a "stranded bamboo" that's made of bamboo shreds and resin that's harder than oak. We're probably going to go with that.There's a neat granite place near me where they have hundreds of slabs on display. Ooohhh.... I could have gone nuts in there! Lots of gorgeous stone. But I think I found the one I want.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Today's the day I check out granite. DH and I are heading out to a couple of shops this morning, and also probably to a flooring store (Lumber Liquidators) to get prices and check out flooring. Yesterday we bought 1 cabinet so that we have a sample of the color to check against granite. And Ikea's currently running a special (24 months financing), so we may end up with a garage full of cabinets by the end of the month.

I'd love a garage full of cabinets! What a great way to store tools, parts...

<giggle, snort, giggle>

 

[chefann]

DH would love that, too, but they'll be flat-pack.

Here are some pics of our selections.

Cabinets: Adel medium brown by Ikea

Countertops: St. Cecelia granite (a particularly fitting name, since St. Cecelia is the patron saint of musicians)
http://www.marblegranitegallery.com/granite_web/images/giallo_s_cecilia_a.jpg

Flooring: stranded bamboo

There's a carbonized version of the flooring that exactly matches the bamboo tools in our catalog.

 

[pamperedalf]

Ann I am green w/ envy. I would love to design a new kitchen. Mine is okay but not the shape that I would pick. Congrats on the remodel, I cant wait to see the finished product.

 

[DebbieJ]

Ann, it all looks beautiful!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Glass doors? A double edge sword...GREAT for showing off PC product...NOT SO GREAT because you can't hide anything."No! No, McGee! Don't open that closet!"

 

[ChefBeckyD]

drooling on my keyboard......

I would so love a kitchen remodel, but a new roof, new siding, and the 4-season porch are all ahead of it in priority...:cry:

 

[RebelChef]

I would so love a kitchen remodel, but a new roof, new siding, and the 4-season porch are all ahead of it in priority...

I feel your pain, Becky. For me it's siding, roof and flooring. Especially since a busted water pipe in the wall ruined the new flooring I was in the middle of installing. The kitchen remodel is last on the list but that's the exact reason I got into PC. That's my long term goal and I intend to reach it!

Everything looks great, Ann! I've been considering the cabinets from IKEA so once you have them in and have lived with them awhile, please let us know how you like them? Congrats on your new playroom!

 

[chefann]

Thanks, everyone. It's feeling more real, since we're actually looking at things instead of just thinking about them.KG, only 3 cabinets will have glass doors. The plan is attached to the first post in this thread - there's 1 page for each wall, and an overhead schematic. The 3 with glass will be for SA or other things that will look nice - the solid doors are to hide everything else. And I got smart - most of the lower cabinets are drawers instead of doors.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Thanks, everyone. It's feeling more real, since we're actually looking at things instead of just thinking about them.

KG, only 3 cabinets will have glass doors. The plan is attached to the first post in this thread - there's 1 page for each wall, and an overhead schematic. The 3 with glass will be for SA or other things that will look nice - the solid doors are to hide everything else. And I got smart - most of the lower cabinets are drawers instead of doors.

That is one thing I would just LOVE! Drawers instead of cabinets....and all corner cabinets with a turnabout in them - so I don't have impossible to reach bowls and pans back in the corners!

 

[chefann]

Of course, most of my pans will be on my pot rack, so the drawers will be for the ones that don't fit on the rack or for other things.

 

[Cassie1037]

Sounds awesome!!

 

[chefjeanine]

Ann,

Did you check with the stone guys about using leftover pieces of granite? Often these are available at a discount (but you have to ask). It might not work in your kitchen (I'm not going to go back to the layout photos) but perhaps there are some areas where it would work and you could save some money.

 

[chefann]

I've got one length of counter that's 21 feet long. Actually, the granite came in less than I was dreading, although we did happen to pick one that's in the lowest tier of pricing (but it was the one I had in my head the whole time!). There is a small piece of counter that may work with leftovers - actually, the cutout from the cooktop might be big enough. I'll have to look into that. Thanks for the idea!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Thanks, everyone. It's feeling more real, since we're actually looking at things instead of just thinking about them.

KG, only 3 cabinets will have glass doors. The plan is attached to the first post in this thread - there's 1 page for each wall, and an overhead schematic. The 3 with glass will be for SA or other things that will look nice - the solid doors are to hide everything else. And I got smart - most of the lower cabinets are drawers instead of doors.

Oh, I was supposed to look at the plan?

 

[chefann]

Guess what I did today? Here's a hint. This is what $7k of Ikea cabinets look like:
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/chefann1138/Kitchen/DSCI0001.jpghttp://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/chefann1138/Kitchen/DSCI0002.jpgOnce we got them into the house, these are the piles:
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/chefann1138/Kitchen/DSCI0003.jpghttp://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/chefann1138/Kitchen/DSCI0004.jpghttp://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/chefann1138/Kitchen/DSCI0006.jpghttp://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/chefann1138/Kitchen/DSCI0005.jpgThere are 58 handles in the blue bag, and the open cardboard box is full of hinges.It took the warehouse staff almost 2 hours to pick it all, and it filled 7 flatbed carts. Luckily we were able to get it home in one trip. Phew!Later this week: appliances.

 

[janetupnorth]

Yeah for you Ann!!!!

I too have kitchen envy...<Sigh>

I love your countertop choice earlier in the thread - it is beautiful.

Are the cabinets you bought today as you showed earlier?

 

[chefann]

Yes - they're the medium brown color. Most are solid (non-window) fronts, but there are 4 doors that have glass in them. It took us about 20 minutes to get them all loaded into the truck and car at the store, and over an hour to get them into the house. Tomorrow I'm going to go through them to make sure everything's there and nothing's damaged. Then I'll number the boxes to correspond to the numbers on the floor plan so that we can grab the right components to assemble them.We still have to get legs (didn't feel like waiting in another line to spend almost $200 for something we don't need right away). And only 1 item was out of stock. They put a reserve on it for us and will call when it comes in.Much assembly required...

 

[Kitchen2u]

Is that a double oven I see in the wall?

Double oven is the ONLY way to go ~ it was a MUST for me. I got the kitchen, he got the 3 car garage...of course, I've taken over the 3rd side! He-he ...and 3/4 of our walk-in closet...he-he ...AND the office!!! He-he ~ I'm married to the BEST husband! Not sure many others would married me anyway ~ good thing I caught him, hook, line and sinker! He loves to fish too...so he's got the boat! How could I say no to a boat! Not to mention...especially when I can "suggest" him to go fishing...great way to get him out of my hair.

Love your kitchen Ann!

 

[janetupnorth]

Much assembly required but you will :love: it when you are done!!!!!

 

[janetupnorth]

Ginny - you are too funny!

I have a small kitchen, 1 car garage (good luck getting a car in there), my clothes are downstairs because our closet it small (2 bedroom house)...but guess what?!?!?! I'm STILL happy - I have a great DH too.


...and yes, I tend to take over the house too!

 

[chefann]

<giggle>
Some of the wives in our car club ask me why I let DH build his 4-car garage (behind the 2-car, so he's got 6 spaces under roof). I tell them that I know where he is on Friday nights. And that was his project. Now I get my kitchen.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Looks GREAT Ann! I can't wait to see the finished kitchen.

 

[Kitchen2u]

<giggle>
Some of the wives in our car club ask me why I let DH build his 4-car garage (behind the 2-car, so he's got 6 spaces under roof). I tell them that I know where he is on Friday nights. And that was his project. Now I get my kitchen.

You sound soooooooo much like me Ann! Give him what he wants...then I get what I want...trade off! He just increased of storage rental unit...I've got 3/4 of that too! But I QUICKLY reminded him...if I didn't have my PC stuff (not just PC stuff though) in there, we couldn't write-off the rental cost! Tah-dah! Then just last night he told me "I think I need to buy another house so I can have a place to sleep/live!" Silly guy! But he might have REALLY meant it! :yuck:

 

[pamperedalf]

Ann, you are going to love love that kitchen. Good thing you are so far away, I won't drool on your floor. Instead I will drool on my own floor.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Much assembly required...

The three most feared words in the English language:

Some Assembly Required.

 

[chefann]

I'm going to be an expert on assembling Ikea cabinetry by the time we're done. Their instructions are non-verbal, which can be a little daunting the first time through. Luckily, we won't be assembling every single item at once. First we'll do the upper cabinets - pretty much as soon as the walls are back in and painted. Then we'll do flooring and install the lowers. All the drawers and inserts can wait until we have a chance to get to them.DH's latest great idea? Lighting under the lower cabinets. We're going to put some type of low-wattage lighting under them as a night light. We're also installing a switch to deactivate the smoke detectors, with a red warning light. The red light will be under-cabinet lighting also, so that it's noticeable but not a big ugly floodlight (like DH has in the garage). (side note: DH has a switch to turn off the detector in the garage so that when he starts an old car it doesn't set them off. Our detectors are all interconnected, so the 3 in the house also go off when the one in the garage does. And that freaks out the birds.)

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Sort of like those blue neon-wannabe lights you see under low riders?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Guess what I did today?




Here's a hint. This is what $7k of Ikea cabinets look like:

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb315/chefann1138/Kitchen/DSCI0002.jpg


Later this week: appliances.

It's amazing how much stuff you can stuff into a mini-SUV! You might want to borrow that pick-em-up truck again when you do the appliances, though. Somehow, I can't envision a shoe horn large enough to get a range into the Cruiser.

At least, you kept the load somewhat normal, as opposed to this genius:

 

[chefann]

We tease our friend that the only thing we like about him is his truck. Luckily, he doesn't mind helping us out. And actually, DH and our friend will probably end up getting the appliances themselves, because I have a cluster meeting on Friday and shows on Saturday and Sunday. And the sale at Sears runs through Saturday.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I have an uncle who used to do that - he'd get everybody started on a job, then jawbone with the neighbor over the picket fence. We're all Tom Sawyer wannabes, but some of you can actually pull it off.

 

[pamperedlinda]

.................DH's latest great idea? Lighting under the lower cabinets. We're going to put some type of low-wattage lighting under them as a night light.....

Hey Ann,

Here's something you might want to look into. We installed rope lighting above our upper cabinets - out it behind the crown molding so you get a really nice ambient light at night. I'll tray and remember to take a photo for you thisevening when it gets dark. We have 11 foot ceilings in our kitchen so there is a lot of space above the cabinetry and the lighting is nice. We also have the rope lighting in our tray ceilings and under the toe-kicks in the bathroom (great night light). You can get the rope lighting by the roll at very reasonable pricing.

 

[chefann]

That's exactly what we're looking at, Linda. One of our car club friends owns a commercial lighting business. He gave us a catalog from one of the companies he buys from. They have the typical under-cabinet "pucks", but with Xenon bulbs instead of Halogen. The Xenon uses less energy and runs cooler than Halogen.Our upper cabinets will be right against the ceiling, so no lighting up there. But we'll have the rope under the lowers, the pucks on the bottoms of the uppers, and some in-cabinet lighting in the 3 with glass doors. We're going to put up some simple ceiling fixtures for general lighting, but most of the light in the room will be task lighting.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Hey Ann,

It finally got dark enough for me to take the pictures.

Here is the rope lighting in my kitchen:
(The picture makes it look brighter than it actually is. It's really more of a soft ambient light.)

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc293/lindachild/044.jpg

This one is hard to see, but this is the rope lighting in my bathroom:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc293/lindachild/045.jpg

 

[janetupnorth]

Ah, I have kitchen envy AGAIN!

 

[chefann]

Thanks, Linda.

 

[janetupnorth]

Another neat use of rope lights...my brother took the carpet out of a bedroom before his son was born to reveal the nice wood floor. The trim around the room was put on to match the carpet height. Rather than moving it all down, he put rope lights under the baseboards all along the room. It worked great at night for them to turn on those and have a soft light to check on the kids or for his wife to sit in the rocker and nurse without turning on a bright light and waking up the kids. They also later trimmed the closet with them.

I think the light looks great and classy.

 

[pamperedlinda]

One of our friends had their roof line trimmed with the Rope Lighting so at Christmas time all they have to do is flip a switch and their Christmas Lights are on. The rest of the year you don't even know that they are there. It looks good too.

 

[chefann]

Gotta be careful with that application. They're not rated to withstand extended exposure to UV light and will break down.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Gotta be careful with that application. They're not rated to withstand extended exposure to UV light and will break down.

Figures that you'd know that

 

[chefann]

Only cuz DH and I considered it ourselves - I hate hanging lights, and DH won't help because he thinks they're a total waste.

 

[janetupnorth]

Figures that you'd know that

She married to an EE - I'm sure she is FULL of useful and useless electrical facts.

 

[chefann]

Can't spell "geek" without double e!

 

[pamperedlinda]

Ya'll are just nerds!

 

[pamperedlinda]

Oh, I meant that with love!

 

[chefann]

DH and I say that all the time. We'll comment on something on TV, look at each other, and say, "We're such nerds!"

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Regardless of your denial, I still think you two sit at opposite ends of the sofa, with your laptops, and IM each other.

 

[chefann]

Nuh-uh! Of course, I think we sat on the couch watching Law and Order while surfing the net all day.

 

[lkprescott]

Here it is! This is the plan for my kitchen remodel next year. Go to page 5 first, that's the overhead schematic, the first 4 pages are views of each wall's cabinets.

Right now, I've got far fewer cabinets than what's indicated on here. Half of the room is a breakfast area. We're going to be closing in part of a window to extend the cabinets to the left.

Right now, the plan is to have bamboo floors, installed on the diagonal to add a sense of motion to the room. The cabinets will be medium brown (from Ikea, Adel fronts), and I plan to have granite countertops installed, although I'm still deciding on a color. The appliances will all be stainless. I'm not sure if we'll do tile or stainless steel for backsplashes.

Any suggestions from anyone who's done kitchen work recently?

Wow, how cool!

No words of wisdom, sorry. We're planning our own little remodeling... our kitchen was built in the stone age and didn't take a lot of things into consideration. It's exciting to see someone else taking the remodeling plunge!