Kitchen Remodeling Help! (Duncanville: real estate, house, refrigerator)

[northa]

I'm thinking of remodeling our kitchen w/ a completely new layout including wall removal and new cabinets, granite, etc.

Does anyone know of any good company? Do I need to hire a contractor or can I go to Home Depot or Lowe's for each item? I would like this to be done within a reasonable price range. Thank you for your help!

[lh_newbie]

A kitchen remodel is by far the most complicated room in the home. This is not a first time DIY project.

If you are wanting to change the layout, you are going to have electrical and plumbing to move. Moving walls means you have to determine if it's a load bearing wall - and if so, properly engineer support for it. If you have done drywall and electrical and plumbing and installed cabinetry already - then you MAY be able to take on a kitchen remodel. This is certainly not a project to cut your teeth on. Since your changing the layout, you're looking at all new flooring and cabinets. A small kitchen with this much work is probably going to start at $20-25K.

I would strongly recommend a contractor and architect.

Brian

[Lakewooder]

As he said if you are going to change the layout you are going to need help. If you can keep the plumbing and electrical in the same places, maybe not so much.

The last time I had cabinets installed it was so much trouble (they had to come out three times and it took a month - and that's after all preliminaries such as choosing,etc.) I decided I will do it myself next time.

[northa]

Thank you for your reply. Any suggestion for contractors and architects?

[pepper131]

Everything I have seen from W2 is amazing.
http://www.w2-studio.com/

Not really sure what you have in mind or the style of your home, though...

[StuffedCabbage]

Originally Posted by northa

I'm thinking of remodeling our kitchen w/ a completely new layout including wall removal and new cabinets, granite, etc.

Does anyone know of any good company? Do I need to hire a contractor or can I go to Home Depot or Lowe's for each item? I would like this to be done within a reasonable price range. Thank you for your help!

I have remodeled three kitchens in the last 10 years. I am not Warren Buffet and the value of real estate these days is dicey. So, I try to do these things as cheaply but as effective and as attractive as I can. This is how I do it...and btw, when resale came to being, I cashed in.

Plan that kitchen yourself. It only takes 8th grade math and geometry. Graph paper is a wonder for this. Measure carefully, and consider the costs of altering any walls or doorways. Always consider pocket doors if that is pertinent. Make sure you plan the placement of doorways to coincide with the standard widths of cabinets to get maximum space for cabinetry. Very important.

Start from the bottom costwise and work up from there. I did two of them with unfinished cabinets off the rack at HD. I finished them myself. Not too hard to do, but you need to plan on time and patience. There are a multitude of stains available so you can finish those oak cabinets (which cost half as much) yourself and achieve exactly the look you want. I have driftwood colored cabinets that people adore and wonder where I got them. They are unfinished cabinets that I finished myself. Totally gorgeous, and not available in cabinet lines unless you go ultra expensive.

Unfinished cabinets have a limited number of sizes and so you need to tinker with the space and layout that is available and just see if they will fit your layout and your needs. Sometimes they'll work, sometimes not. Just remember, there are numerous accessories widely available to make those basic cabinets most useful. What you save on the cabinets, you can spend on those accessories as well as the hardware (very important when it comes to the final appearance...way more important than the cabinets themselves).

Always make sure that the refrigerator is placed such that the doors can be opened fully. Nothing worse then a fridge against a wall on the right as you face the fridge, and you cannot open the doors all the way so you can get in there.

If unfinished don't work, drat. You'll pay twice to three times as much per cabinet. In any event, stay neutral...white, some color (see Ikea cabinets) or bland wood, not grainy stuff (people hate that knotty pine look in most cases - makes your kitchen look like a musty up north cabin). If you like that look, fine; save it for something less fixed.

I don't know about you, but for me, drawers are indispensible and so you should have at least two banks of drawers, chosen so that at least the lower ones are deep. Drawers in many premade cabinets these days are too shallow to be of any use....always think of that.

Bon appetit.

[BeenThereDunThat]

StuffedCabbage's advice is spot-on and excellent! You can save a lot if you're able to plan things out and DIY. Other things
like plumbing, electrical... get licensed pros...don't scrimp on that really serious stuff.

FWIW...if you can live with existing layout / bones of the kitchen... I'd recommend replacing doors or finding a good cabinet maker who can make doors for you. There's a place in Duncanville but the name escapes me that will take your measurements and either make or have in stock new doors for a fraction of the cost. They have a website but I don't have it handy...
I helped a friend on their house and they found a cabinet maker who did installs for Home Depot and he also had his own shop and made & installed Shaker style doors at a fraction. Tried to find him for another job but he has since moved.

So the takeaway is that there are more ways to skin a cat and if you ask around at places, you may find some "freelance craftsman" who are able to deal direct and save you a bundle ...but you have to ask them for references and pics.

Good luck!

[HockDad]

Keep in mind that a very large factor in resale of a home is the kitchen. My family, like many families, spends a majority of time in our kitchen and the attached living room. They need to work together.

[brienzi]

Originally Posted by northa

I'm thinking of remodeling our kitchen w/ a completely new layout including wall removal and new cabinets, granite, etc.

Does anyone know of any good company? Do I need to hire a contractor or can I go to Home Depot or Lowe's for each item? I would like this to be done within a reasonable price range. Thank you for your help!

Not from Texas but your question itself speaks volumes. Hire a contractor. A good contractor can give you
a new kitchen in a few days..I've done over a hundred myself..In the trades here.
25k sounds pretty steep..It depends on the size of your kitchen, and even if the wall is load bearing...that's
an easy do..

First go to L or HD and find the cabinet style you want..then a granite counter top to fit. The folks at HD can help you with layout and such. Once you know what you want, call some contractors and get at least 3 quotes..check their references and go with it..
good luck!

[TurtleCreek80]

Folks, the OP was from 2008. Somehow got revived today by a "drive by" poster. I assume the OP has remodeled the kitchen by now.....