Minor kitchen remodel - need recommendation (Durham: sale, countertops, appliances)

[NM posts]

Hi, I have a really small galley kitchen with a 31-year-old drop-in range and awful countertops, and I want to change things.

I'm going to keep the perfectly good cabinets and paint them, so I don't need cabinetry. I do need a new countertop, and I'd like to change the drop in stove to a freestanding range. That will require cutting out the base that the range sits on, which I could probably even do myself with my trusty new sawzall, but I'm not sure.

I'm also thinking of forfeiting an entry closet and my pantry (side by side) to turn that into additional counterspace with cabinets underneath. OK so then I would need some new cabinets there.

The only new appliance I want to get at this time is the stove.

Given all of that, who would I hire, and can you recommend someone good? I'm in Durham - thanks! I will do the floor myself, painting, and need to get rid of a laminate backspash.

Edited to add: I can't believe how expensive drop-in ranges are. Around $2K!

[cyn7cyn]

Advantage Remodeling Jon Adcock 919-825-9524 or Frank 919-592-3633.They do work in wake and johnston county I know of, but assume they work in Durham as well.

[GotHereQuickAsICould]

I'd suggest going to various businesses that sell cabinets and work with their designers. It doesn't cost anything, and you'll get a lot of good ideas.

We remodeled a kitchen several years ago and started by taking our measurements to several different stores. They all have software for kitchen layouts.

Several of the designs were awkward and uninspired. But two were outrageously functional and just what we wanted, though we didn't know exactly what we wanted when we started out.

We were able to turn a small, awkward, dysfunctional kitchen into a beautiful, workable space, with a low counter for chopping and rolling out dough, etc., spice racks on the inside of cabinet doors, a pantry I still dream about....

The designer we finally settled on helped us find granite remnants for our countertops, cabinets that were one sale ...

Years later, it was the main selling point for our home.

[NM posts]

Thanks both! That's a good idea about the designer.

[goodbyesnow]

Since we weren't changing a layout in our old home, we just took measurements into the big box home store and they put it on the computer and we had a counter made that my husband installed to save $$. We had someone "cheat stain" our cabinets and our kitchen looked 100% better for a fraction of the cost of a full remodel.
Now, had I planned on staying there, I might have considered more, but it was a simple solution for us.

the house before, I took in measurements, then hired out a "handyman" to install a floor, cabinets, and counter. It saved me a ton of $$.

[GotHereQuickAsICould]

I have no idea if these folks are any good. Discount Wood Cabinets for your dream home! | Cabinets To Go Ran across their website after reading your past.

I would strongly recommend meeting with designers from stores that special in kitchen remodels. We went to the big box stores and got generic layouts from employees that barely knew the software and had little or no design expertise. Their prices were no better either.

We liked the designers in the smaller businesses. They had innovative solutions to problems and worked with us on costs.

Not all designers are created equal. Several had awkward ideas.

As the designer we ended up working with was employed by a business that did not sell granite countertops or appliances, she directed us to other businesses that saved us money. For example, we bought our refrigerator and microwave from a scratch and dent store that she recommended, and as i mentioned, saved a bucket of money by using granite remnants.

Good luck.