[itismesue]

My name is Sue, and I heard of this site from a friend (Eva) whom I know from another message board.
My friend Eva had Ikea cabinets installed in her kitchen, and while I didn't see it in person, I did see her pictures. It looked very nice, but I knew that Ikea cabinets were very inexpensive, so I made the mistake of assuming that there would be quality issues. Just this past Saturday, I went to Ikea Schaumburg/Chicago (even though I'm in Indiana, we're right next door to Chicago), and I was beyond impressed with the cabinets! My husband and I are going to be gutting out our kitchen and getting all new cabinets, and even without my husband seeing the cabinets at Ikea, *I* have already decided that Ikea is where we're going to get them. He just has to pay for them.
I don't know exactly when we'll get the ball rolling on this because I have to get out of some funeral expense and flooding debt, and we have to replace the roof on both our house and garage, but certainly within the next year to eighteen months. I just thought it wise to start reading what you all have to say now so I can be prepared when the time comes.
I'm so excited I could spit nickels.
Sue

[erikakn]

Originally Posted by itismesue

I'm so excited I could spit nickels.

Ha! You just made me laugh.

Welcome to IKEAfans! I'm so glad to hear that you've decided to go with an IKEA kitchen. There's nothing like seeing a kitchen in person to convince you of the quality.

It's a terrific idea to start hanging out here before you get into the thick of things. There's so much to learn and you'll get excellent support. Even if you don't do the actual remodel for another 18 mos. planning now is a great way to go.

Good luck with your planning! Please take lots of pictures 'cos we loooove pictures here.

Erika

[DesignDiva]

Hi Sue! Glad you're here...I'm as excited about your new kitchen as you are!

Feel free to read ALL the stuff here, including the Articles, Blogs and Resources. The more information you have the better your kitchen will be. Don't hesitate to post any questions or ask for ideas, everyone here is super nice and helpful!

[itismesue]

Thanks so much for inviting me here!
I do have a question, but am not yet sure where to post it. I'll post it here for now, and if this is the wrong place, feel free to either move it or tell me where to put it, ok?
Anyhoo, here is the question:
If Ikea comes to the house to measure everything out, will they help out with design ideas? At that point does the homeowner go to the store to choose exactly what it is that they want?
I'm so confused, hoping to be less so after devouring this site.

[DesignDiva]

Sue, every IKEA has their own subcontractors that they certify, but you don't have to use that service necessarily. Some subcontractors will do the whole thing from measuring to designing and installing, or you can hire them just for installing or just for measuring. There are some great designers here, so if you can give some measurements and locations of utilities you can post them and get some good ideas. You can hire a good handyman to do parts of the job, for example, and maybe even save some money by putting the cabinets together yourself and hiring someone to come out and put them up for you. Countertops, appliances and flooring are also areas where you can do what you want, either getting them from IKEA or elsewhere.

You can choose whatever you want, at any time. It's entirely up to you what doorstyle, drawer/door/insides etc. you want to have. IKEA is really based on a DIY kind of philosophy, so they offer some outside help if you want it but you can really decide everything you would like to decide for yourself.

When you're ready with some basic measurements and ideas, post a thread over in Kitchen Planning and you'll get some great feedback. Once you see the designs, you can start to make some decisions. Click the link in my sig to get started!