Kitchen Cabinet Prices (Local) (Raleigh, Durham: chapel, floors, design)

[frankpc]

Originally Posted by adlnc07

(see pictures of small oddly shaped kitchen)

1) If I did that, there'd be no place for the microwave. Plus, I'd have to have a soffit (if that's the right term) built above the cabinets. Definitely no room for a big fancy stove hood!

2) Food prep isn't done under the cabinets, so although I do like the underlit cabinet appearance, can probably pass on that.

3) While I might invest in some new lighting, probably not over the cabinets.

4) Cabinet space is too valuable (see pictures) to give up any for a trash can. Instead it lives around the corner, on top of a dog food bin.

Any other suggestions?

1.) Most OTR microwaves will recirculate *or* vent outside although the fans tend to be weak. What you do lose is upper cabinet space for the ducts. In your situation, I'd stick with the recirculate microwave and keep the filters clean.
2.) With LED tape light this can be done fairly inexpensively. The battery powered LED pucks are even easier if you don't have outlets available.
3.) You could install all base cabinets on your refrigerator wall. Even at 24" deep they stick out much less than the refrigerator giving you additional cabinet space. Also consider base drawer stacks instead of cabinets as they allow easier access to the items in back.

Mike's recommendation for frameless cabs is a good one. We're going that way in our new design.

Frank

[ArthurL1]

Originally Posted by MikeJaquish

"Rotting food?"
Ewww.... Someone needs to be assigned the job of taking the trash out every now and then, maybe?

Okay maybe rotting wasn't the best word. But some types of food (seafood, etc.) produce waste that I really don't want at the center of my kitchen fragrance plan because it can linger, even with rapid disposal intervals

[adlnc07]

Originally Posted by frankpc

3.) You could install all base cabinets on your refrigerator wall. Even at 24" deep they stick out much less than the refrigerator giving you additional cabinet space. Also consider base drawer stacks instead of cabinets as they allow easier access to the items in back.

Mike's recommendation for frameless cabs is a good one. We're going that way in our new design.

Frank

Yeah, the pantry cabinet is going to be replaced with a wider base & wall cabinet. Even if I wanted another one, it's 82" tall and it turns out that standard pantry cabinets are now 84" tall. Not the best use of space anyhow. I'm definitely going with drawers in all the bases and will be going to look at frameless cabinets this weekend. I like what I see online, but want to see the difference in person.

Countertops are my other quandary - I am really concerned about seams due to the size/shape of the main counter. Right now it's laminate, with a pretty much invisible seam at the sink. Big box store suggested quartz, which I do like (don't want granite). But, I feel like the seams are going to bug me if one is across the main workspace. Lots of sun comes in the windows, and will highlight any imperfections. Time to talk directly to some countertop people as well!

Reico is open on Saturdays so I'm going to head over there tomorrow to check out Ultracraft.

[Bpobill]

Originally Posted by adlnc07

Yeah, the pantry cabinet is going to be replaced with a wider base & wall cabinet. Even if I wanted another one, it's 82" tall and it turns out that standard pantry cabinets are now 84" tall. Not the best use of space anyhow. I'm definitely going with drawers in all the bases and will be going to look at frameless cabinets this weekend. I like what I see online, but want to see the difference in person.

Countertops are my other quandary - I am really concerned about seams due to the size/shape of the main counter. Right now it's laminate, with a pretty much invisible seam at the sink. Big box store suggested quartz, which I do like (don't want granite). But, I feel like the seams are going to bug me if one is across the main workspace. Lots of sun comes in the windows, and will highlight any imperfections. Time to talk directly to some countertop people as well!

Reico is open on Saturdays so I'm going to head over there tomorrow to check out Ultracraft.

East Coast Granite and Marble was the best priced countertop company in the area. (919) 800-8886

Konstantin runs it and he will probably have Joel help you out. This company was significantly cheaper than the dozen others I tried. I picked out my slab at Kosmos and had companies price it out so it was an apples to apples comparison.

[wheelsup]

Baseboard trim needs to be white not the color of the floor.

The trim on the cabinets should match the cabinet color. Don't hire the same people. They did a pretty bad job on the corners.

Are you replacing the flooring?

Do all your painting before you install the cabinets and replace the floors!!

The cabinets will be the most expensive part of the project. The paint and new flooring are relatively cheap. I would also think about stainless appliances.

[adlnc07]

Originally Posted by wheelsup

Baseboard trim needs to be white not the color of the floor.

The trim on the cabinets should match the cabinet color. Don't hire the same people. They did a pretty bad job on the corners.

Are you replacing the flooring?

Do all your painting before you install the cabinets and replace the floors!!

The cabinets will be the most expensive part of the project. The paint and new flooring are relatively cheap. I would also think about stainless appliances.

The cabinets are original to the house, built in 1987. The Pergo was installed sometime later, and the trim looks terrible in general. At least the Pergo was glued at the edges and has been pretty impervious to dog "accidents." Won't be fun to take out though! The flooring will need to be replaced on the whole first floor at once, so that's a separate project. I'm likely go with vinyl plank, and will put something else down in 10-12 years when I sell.

No stainless appliances for me - I like bisque! No granite either. I'm a rebel that way.

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by adlnc07

Did I mention I have a small, oddly shaped kitchen?

Well, your kitchen does present some challenges/opportunities for design improvements. This is where the real fun comes into it!
We were in the house 10 years before we came up with a great design.
You have the benefit of time in the house to really focus on your person use of the space, stuff you like and stuff you don't like so much.

Wherever you get cabinets, get an onsite design consultation from an experienced salesperson.
Ashley Egulf, (married different last name now?) from Reico was very helpful to us.
We also had a very helpful woman from Lowes, but she retired.

Some thoughts, first cup of coffee and stream of consciousness, and you get what you pay for, etc....
And, with caveat that we don't have your floor plan details....

1.a. Overhead cabinets at the range/microwave.
-Go higher. 42" may look too high in this kitchen. Maybe 39"?
- Wider cabinets on the sides. On the left, go to the corner. On the right, go the same distance, for balanced appearance. It appears that those two extension will net you at least an additional foot of space overall.

1.b. Extend the base cabinet to right of the range to match the overhead extension.

1.c. OR, move the stove a few inches to the right and widen base, counter, and OH that are on the left side.

2. Sink base and peninsula.
Without a detailed floor plan, it seems that your dining area is off the peninsula.
Is your flow good with the dishwasher between the stove and the sink? Or would it be improved with the DW to the left of the sink?
It seems that cooking gear would be well stored between stove and sink.

What is the distance between the left of the peninsula and the refrigerator cabinets?
Is it possible to extend the peninsula cabinet and top 3" (or even more) to the left, or would that be too crowding?

3. Refrigerator area.
Add a panel to left of the refrigerator. Pull the OH over the fridge out all the way to the front, and make it more full depth. Utility of that cabinet will be improved via better access and more storage for that stuff you don't use in back.
Eliminate the pantry for full depth cabinet OH and Base. (But this comes back to not knowing the distance between this area and the peninsula.)

And, you may consider to....
Install the microwave in this area. Shorten one overhead height, and add an open, doorless cabinet box below it. This could be a 24" wide OH box. Bottom of the box cabinet about 12"--13" over the counter below. Your microwave becomes much more accessible, and not over a hot stove top. And, you can get a cheap-o non-vent, smaller microwave while gaining OH cabinet space over your new range hood.




Other stuff...
I love these things, much more than dragging a cord up over the side of a cabinet to an island or peninsula.
Office Accessories, Pop-Up Power Station, with 6' Power Cord, 2 AC Outlets, 2 USB Ports, Made of Plastic with a Black Finish by Hafele | KitchenSource.com

While you are still torn up.
If you still have polybutylene piping, have the plumber run PEX down into the crawlspace for the sink and rerfrigerator icemaker lines. If you ever replumb, that part is done already.

I agree with Wheelsup, to paint when the cabinets are out, and touchup after installation.

In terms of simplicity and cost, I agree with Frank regarding range hood. And, you have enough structural stuff going on around the bay window, poking a duct through the wall could be really difficult. If you gave up the microwave location, you could go downdraft with duct in the wall and under the floor to exhaust. Probably not worth it, although you would save the OH cabinet space. Actually, with the right hood, you would gain cabinet OH space. It doesn't have to be big and fancy to move a lot of air.

Stack the laundry equipment to the right in the cabinet.
Build a pantry in the gained space.

[adlnc07]

Dang, Mike, that's a lot to think about! Very helpful, though.

Overall the kitchen layout works for me - solo chef & vegetarian. I do a lot of prep work on the area to the left of the sink (peninsula) and throw everything in a pot, pan, or casserole dish to cook. There are two 30" pantry closets that I make pretty full use of. Big drawers in at least two base cabinets would really help though. Dishwasher is okay where it is - easy to put away the dishes and glasses in the cabinet to the left of the stove.

Unfortunately when I bought the house it didn't come with a floorplan but I'll try to explain a bit. On the other side of the peninsula is small eating area with a cafe table & two stools. Along the wall is a sliding glass door to the deck. There is an actual dining room, located in the room on the other side of the refrigerator. Beyond the stove wall is the garage, with a small hallway to a half bath (35" opening between kitchen and hallway).

I'll definitely be looking at extending cabinets here and there, but I want to be careful not to get things too tight. The distance between the peninsula & fridge is 45" - I don't think I'll extend there. I do like the idea of moving the stove over a bit!

House has already been replumbed so no worries there. One of the very few (only?) upgrades this house has before me moving in.

Anyhow, thanks for the additional ideas! Love that pop up outlet!

[poppydog]

I designed my own kitchen about 6-7 years ago and we used IKEA cabinets. We love it. We ripped out an old 70s kitchen that was horrible and opened things up a lot and added an island that we eat at every day. (We still have a dining room table, but mostly use it for projects and clean it up for the occasional party.)

I got a lot of help on the GardenWeb kitchen forums: Kitchen Forum - GardenWeb .

At the time we remodeled we drove down to IKEA to buy the stuff and they delivered the whole thing, plus two beds and dresser and miscellaneous other stuff for $99. You had to buy at the store, though, and not online. They also ran a special on kitchens two times a year when they were like 15-20% off.

We ripped everything out down to the subfloor. I kept the sink placement and the stove placement, but everything else was switched up.

[rory breaker]

Need a kitchen redo and don't want to deal w BS. Want to have someone come to the house, design some stuff that fits within a reasonable price range we agree on and then makes it happen. Not for a ridiculously insane premium over doing it yourself, for a reasonable cost commensurate w the quality of the work. Not looking for $50k cabinets and exotic wood floors, just a standard redesign of the kitchen.

Recommendations?