[jgsearls]

Well, we decided on a contractor and so I think I should start a progress blog.

This floorplan is not entirely accurate but it gives you a sense of the wacky placement of things in the current kitchen. The original plan was just to paint the cabinets and replace the countertops but...well...everything started to snowball when we thought about knocking down the wall between the kitchen and the den.



The latest and greatest floorplan is this one. Much thanks to Eva and the other folks who gave me such great input. We'll be using the Adel Medium Brown cabinets, putting down a new hardwood floor to match the hardwoods on the rest of the ground floor of the house.



The work will involve:

-demolition (wall, old cabinets, horrible poorly made soffit)

-plumbing (capping off the second sink, moving the sink and dishwasher, running a gas line to the new dual fuel stove)

-electrical (better lighting everywhere throughout the kitchen and breakfast nook, GFCI outlets where needed, under cab lights)

-a new French door opening out to the patio (currently we have to schlep all the way through the house to get outside)

-new countertops (probably Wilsonart Laminate in Limestone-I don't LOVE granite enough to want to spend the bucks on it and I'm likely to want something totally new in 10 years)

-new appliances - all new everything in stainless steel.

-Fridge - either a KitchenAid or Maytagfridge but either way it'll be counter-depth, french door, bottom mount.

-Stove will be a 30"Jenn-Air Dual Fuel Double Oven FreeStanding Range

-a good micro hood but doesn't need to be oustanding top of the line model

-new dishwasher (same as the micro hood doesn't need to be outstanding top of the line model).

I'm actually kind of shocked about how little I care about the appliances. I thought I'd be all gaga and want super expensive appliances but I really don't. When it comes down to it, my super thrifty Scottish side (who, let's face it, has never made herself known until now) just cannot fathom spending $5K on a stove when I mostly make mac and cheese and pancakes. I mean, my homemade mac and cheese is tasty but it's not $5K tasty

-new sink (potentially - the current sink is actually in good shape and could probably be repurposed but I'd really like a deeper sink), new faucet

-all the finishing touches - interior fixtures for the cabinets, cabinet hardware, paint, trim, maybe tile backsplash

And all to be done before House Hunters comes back in the middle of July to film the follow-up to our house hunting. Should be fun! Wish me luck!

[fisheggs]

Looks good! Be sure to take lots of good "before" and "during demolition" photos for house hunters. And for us!

Some of those Wilsonart laminates look really, really good. They're so much warmer than granite, too, so I'm kind of tempted myself. Have you invested in some good trivets that you won't mind having out all the time? Limestone is a light enough color that you could get a scorch mark pretty easily.

[chabuchie]

Looks great. One caveat though - my bottom mount french door refrigerator has a pretty big design flaw that appears to be present in all of them. When you pull out the bin for the icemaker, ice falls out the back. It then slides forward and out the door.

Oh, and I love my laminate counter

[Brodysmom]

Shh, don't tell anyone (especially my DH), but after I got my granite (which I love BTW), I thought to myself, that I don't really see what the big fuss is about! I don't find it cold (but I'm not sure if that means cold in temp or appearance), but it is noisy (I'm used to it now, but the first time I set a plate down, I about cried) and I do fear chipping it. I don't have to worry about staining, as I picked an earthtoned granite with tons of movement so everything blends in.

Regarding the comment that you might want to change your countertops in 10 years, those of us lucky and smart enough to choose IKEA cabinets can change our whole kitchens for what some other people pay for cabinets! I love many of the kitchens over at that THS website, but I saw a link where a woman said she was paying for her kitchen over 20 years!

[jgsearls]

Cue the music please!

Today is cabinet ordering day! Whoopee! My lovely dad is going to come down and do something he's fundamentally opposed to - making tacos for little rug rats who will likely spill it everywhere - and put them to bed while DH andI skedaddle over to Ikea in New Haven right around 5:30 to order our kitchen cabs - minus the fridge panel, I think, because I'm not sure a 3' x 8' panel will fit in our van (even without the seats in it).

Thanks for your encouragement.

Edited to add some response:

fisheggs - you know in our last house we had granite (it was there when we moved in) and we used trivets anyway. It wasn't until we were about 6 months from moving that I finally got used to just slapping a hot dish on the counter. I don't think I'll mind it too much.

chabuchie - good to know on the bottom-mount fridges.

brodysmom - 20 years to pay off a kitchen :shock:WAAH?! That is unbelievable to me. Right now, our kitchen is coming in around $18K. If we knew anything about some of the stuff that the contractor is doing (or if we had the inclination and the time to learn) we'd be coming in around $11K. No way, no how would I pay for a kitchen for 20 years - 10 years in you'd be bitching about how dated it looks and how you need to update it and you'd still have 10 years left to pay...I. Don't. Think. So.

[laurie]

We have a bottom freezer drawer as well (but not french doors) and have the same problem. You pull out the drawer to get to the ice and IF the ice holder is full, the ice will fall out the back. It's supposed to stop making production when it's full, but it doesn't until it's rrrrrreally full. Thus, the problem. I've also found that since the freezer is so close to the floor, any little floating things that skip across the floor prior to sweepingcan end up in the bottom of the freezer below theinterior drawers. I sweep every other day and still have the problem. So, not sure when we get a new frig. if I will go that route again or not. Perhaps other models may be better than ours. Ours is an Amana bottom mount.

[chabuchie]

My fridge is LG, so it's not just either brand.

[jgsearls]

Ittook two trips to Ikea to get our cabinets home but we did it. We worked with Travis, Patricia and Brenda at the New Haven Ikea and they were all great.

The only things we're waiting for are:

-5 30" base cover panels

-1 Hjuvik 18" faucet

-1 cover panel (not sure which one 700.227.58)

-1 36" drawer front

And here's everything else stacked up in the garage...



Then, I ordered all of the appliances:



The Jenn-Air 30" Dual Fuel Double Oven Range

Maytag Cabinet-Depth French Door Refrigerator





Maytag dishwasher





Maytag OTR Microwave





Now I'm on a hunt for a sink.

I really really really want either of these two Elkay sinks but I just can't justify spending over $500 for a sink. So my next best option is something about 25" x 22" and as deep as I can get it in stainless steel self-rimming with one hole. Seems like it wouldn't be hard does it?

[GardenOfDarwin]

That looks like our dishwasher! Plus, that's basically our refrigerator, only ours isn't cabinet depth -- we love it! And what I wouldn't give to have that range. Sigh. Ours is a hand me down, but boy is it better than what we had before! ("coppertone", aka **** brown, and took 1 hour to preheat to 350!)

Have you checked on ebay for your sink of choice? I've gotten a lot of good deals on ebay, although since you have a tight schedule, what with filming and all, you may not want to risk it. Still...

Sing the praises of your IKEAns on the "Name your IKEAn" thread over in General IKEA Kitchen Questions!

Susan

[chabuchie]

Ditto on ebay. I bought my sink from a metal shop on there that drills the holes for you after you bid. I think it took less than a week from auction end to delivery. If you're not moving your sink, installation is one of the easiest projects in the kitchen.