Granite Counter tops...are they the 'only' acceptable surface now? (stove, painting)

[Tesaje]

The answer is yes, provided they are strong enough to support the weight of the granite or stone counter. Stone is significantly heavier than laminate. Options for sprucing up old cabinets include refinishing or painting (you could do a glaze to make them look fresher if you like that look), new doors and veneer over the exposed faces and added trim. If the layout works and the cabinets are in good shape this can be a good option.

[notjustamom]

Wow, what a long thread, I gave up reading after 4 pages.

We have Corian in our kitchen, and we really like it. We are about to put granite in one of the bathrooms soon. My husband is in the business and can do it himself, we are lucky in that respect. Personally, if we bought a house with formica we would redo the countertops, we prefer Corian or stone. Formica just isn't popular in our area.

[notjustamom]

Ooh, I did just go back a couple of pages, what pretty kitchens!

[stock66]

I would ask some local real estate agents what people are looking for in your area. In different areas people consider different things "must haves."
Current trends are just that and you will be constantly jumping through hoops if you try and keep up. A 20 or 30 year old kitchen will look dated, but so will a 10 year old one and even 5 if you choose wrong.
So if you remodel for re-sale that is what I would do.
Personally I am very happy with my "retro" original kitchen. IF I remodel I would only do it just before moving to try and help move the house along.

[tcs1366]

like "nonjustamom", i did not read this entire thread [14pgs is just too many] i only got thru 2 of them. [but will go back and view photos, since she mentioned them]

anyhooo -- we had our home build in mid-2001, figuring we'd be here 15-20yrs or so .... but we may need to sell in a few years, and with the market just about dead in my area, it's a little worrisome.

so - regarding the kitchen....

when we built, obviously we wanted to keep the cost as low as we could, since we'd be taxed on the selling price .... since we hated formica, we went with Stoneite [which is basically Corian, only a different name] and ceramic floors. Didn't go with hardwood, since at the time, i had an older dog with bad hips, and i didnt want him slipping on the floors. Kitchen is all neutral colors, except for the paint. [cabinets, tile, counter tops and appliances are all earth tones.]

We also have "Almond" appliances, figuring we'd upgrade to SS when the time was right ... but i do not want to do it to sell a house. [personally, i'd like to be able to enjoy them for a while]

so -- with homes in my area in the 500+K range, how important is it to have those upgraded counters and appliances? [currently there are 2 homes in my division for sale, they've been on the market a long time. 1 has not budged on price, the other one has dropped substantially and still nothing. prices are 515k for the one with not many upgrades -- and i think they started around 570k. The other one has many upgrades -- beautiful home and I think they are priced around $575k or so ... but not selling.]

We are not really in a position to sink major cash into the house, as I do not think we would get it in return.

OH -- another thing... unfinished basement??

say i sink $20-30grand to finish the basement, will I get that back in too?
I just don't see that happening, and I'd hate NOT to be able to sell because I'm not fulling upgraded.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

[Briolat21]

General rule seems to be that a finished basement will sell a house, but not necessarily raise the price. It also depends it if its "countable" square footage, another words do you have egress windows or is it a walk-out? If so, and you can genuinely say you have a 3000sqft house instead of a 2000sq ft - it will help with the sales price.

But if you have a 2000sqft house, with a finished basement (no egress/no walk out) you just have the nicest 2000 sq ft house around - but not necessarily one someone will pay MORE for.

But they may pick yours, and that makes all the difference.

I don't know if 500K is upscale in your area (here in OH, it would be pretty luxurious) - but here, 500K without granite or SS -- people wouldn't even stop.

Good luck!

[rubytue]

Originally Posted by Aj8900

Has anyone taken into account that granite is really a very poor choice from a sustainable standpoint? I would be interested to know just how long the average American keeps their granite counters for... and what happens to all these discarded counters? If you are interested in a look similar to granite, try looking at some of the more environmentally friendly solid surfacing options, or God forbid... laminate! I'm thinking of one in particular which incorporates recycled glass...

Actually, from the research I have done, granite is considered a fairly "green" material. Yes, its non-renewable, but its also plentiful. And, unlike laminate, there are no petroleum products, no VOCs, no need to use formaldehyde treated wood as a base layer. Not that there aren't some great recycled counter top materials, but implying that laminate is a better choice than granite from a sustainability standpoint is not nearly as black and white as you might think.

[tcs1366]

Originally Posted by Briolat21

General rule seems to be that a finished basement will sell a house, but not necessarily raise the price. It also depends it if its "countable" square footage,
.....but not necessarily one someone will pay MORE for.

No -- it's a standard basement with window wells. So if it were finished, it wouldn't count toward the square footage, just as a finished basement.

I don't know if 500K is upscale in your area

I'd say, Upper Middle Class.

the Upscale are probably 650K and up
and the "tear downs" are 850K and up, with many of them sitting vacant.
They are the granite counters, cherry 42" cabs, w/ SS appliances ... yet they sit unsold.

My home is in a very good location, about 2900 sq ft, 3.5 car garage [tandem] 4 BR 2.5 bath.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by tcs1366

No -- it's a standard basement with window wells. So if it were finished, it wouldn't count toward the square footage, just as a finished basement.



I'd say, Upper Middle Class.

the Upscale are probably 650K and up
and the "tear downs" are 850K and up, with many of them sitting vacant.
They are the granite counters, cherry 42" cabs, w/ SS appliances ... yet they sit unsold.

My home is in a very good location, about 2900 sq ft, 3.5 car garage [tandem] 4 BR 2.5 bath.

It's the tandem garage. Yep. That tandem garage will get you every time!

[eskay]

The previous owners of my apartment had put in granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. I have not changed anything since I moved in since everything works...I guess I will get around to it only if something breaks down.
However, I do remember the estate agent going on about the granite and the stainless steel.