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Nothing drive me crazier than those idiots on House Hunters who complain about a perfectly fine kitchen that doesn't have granite and SS appliances. I've seen the "3 months later" recaps where brand new appliances have been replaced with SS. I really think people are off their rocker and totally get why so many people are in financial straights.
That said, I like quartz and solid surface material like Corian better than granite. I've never met a granite that didn't have an issue of some sort.
Or the ones who say "Oh, that definitely has to go" (whatever it may be) and then in the "3 mos. later" clip, they still have the same stuff because, obviously, they learned it wasn't such a problem after all.
I think our impression was that your TOTAL was $8-10K, not just the cabinets.
Sorry for the confusion..as my thread was specifically about kitchen cabinets...I assumed that was what was being referenced. Overall budget is $15k including appliances. After much research..we will probably be under budget. We don't close until Dec. 30 but I will update with pics when all is said and done.
Anyone can buy cabinets. Only a skilled carpenter can make them look good. Dont cheap out on the install, you will regret it. $8-10k still sounds about right. You have plumbing, electrical, all kinds of stuff your not budgeting for. This stuff adds up fast. You will see.
I agree..after we invest this amount of money in the cabinets..not gonna skimp on install. I was surprised to find the kitchen/bath companies here don't install. We have to find a contractor ourselves to install..so the search is on. Made difficult by the fact that we are new to the area.
I also wanted to add that Desertsun was right on about Lowe's versus cabinet company. For similar line cab co was 1/2 the price of lowe's..not to mention lowes install was $1600. That equates to about $85/box. I think I read somewhere $25 was average.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Avalon08
Make sure you know where the seams will be when they do the template.
Just caught this. Thanks for the tip..question though. Where do the seems need to be? Is there a better place than another for it to be?
Sometimes they can be avoided completely by smart layout of cabinets.
There is software that will show you the "maximum yield per slab" and all good fabricators either use that OR have a library of old templates to do a visual slab layout. The best fabricators will allow the customers to be present when layout is done. It is never a good idea to have a seam to close to a natural veined area, try to lay it out in the slab where there is more of a "random field".
In general you can get a bigger "L" shapes cut from the center of a slab if the grain lays out nice. Of course if that leaves no remnants that are resell-able you might end up paying for a lot more stone than you need.
If the fabricator allows you to choose where the seam(s) will be (if any are needed) I strongly encourage avoiding the area near the sink for the obvious problems that can occur near water BUT also because when stacking dishes and such the seam can be more easily noticed in such a location. Also avoid area near cook top, as even the most advanced seam sealing compounds behave differently than granite when it comes to heat and clean-up.
Visually an area that is heavily in shadow is smarter than someplace that has lots of light, especially if your granite has a lot of highly diffractive mineral forms that make it glint -- the seam will be an obvious "dead zone"...
Quote:
Originally Posted by ~Pajama mama~
I agree..after we invest this amount of money in the cabinets..not gonna skimp on install. I was surprised to find the kitchen/bath companies here don't install. We have to find a contractor ourselves to install..so the search is on. Made difficult by the fact that we are new to the area.
I also wanted to add that Desertsun was right on about Lowe's versus cabinet company. For similar line cab co was 1/2 the price of lowe's..not to mention lowes install was $1600. That equates to about $85/box. I think I read somewhere $25 was average.
Just caught this. Thanks for the tip..question though. Where do the seems need to be? Is there a better place than another for it to be?
If there has to be a seam, I prefer it right in the middle of the sink or stove. It only leaves a couple inches in front of and behind the sink/stove for the seam vs. all the way across the counter anywhere else.
A good (and most are not) granite installer will make sure the color/character of the pieces match up when putting 2 pieces together. They will keep the seams very small and make the glue invisible. I've seen bad jobs where the granite was clearly a different color on one the two pieces and the glue was coming up above the seam and smeared on the granite. Also, there is a "direction" of most granite patterns, make sure they keep the same direction and don't put two pieces of the slab at an angle to each other. It will definitely show. Make sure you ask them how they will cut out and lay out the granite for the install.
Would like input on door construction. With Aristokraft as well as Merrilat some doors are solid and some have a veneer center. Of course the solid costs more..is it worth the difference? Will the veneer not hold up as long?
Solid doors block more sound. Laundry doors are good when they are solid! Also, solid wood can be scratched and repainted or restained. Verneers are harder to touch up. But they are cheaper and often look quite nice. So it depends on where the door will go and how it will be used.
No..no dishwasher. Could still put one in without ripping all of the cabinets out but if we are replacing everything else then leaving the old cabinets is..to use a desertsun term..like putting on new jeans while wearing old dirty tennis shoes.
I have done quite a few remodels and if the cabinets are in good shape and you are looking a short time frame there I would keep the cabinets but spruce them up with some nice handles.
Go with a black solid surface counter, granite or whatever you like, and chrome appliances, sink and faucet. Throw down some black tile and add chrome light fixtures.
With all that new even if the cabinets are older but in good shape it will still pull off a good look. While many may say the black and white is out, if done right it still sells and it has since I started doing such things 25 years ago in NY up until I did my last one a couple years back.
You can put some transition pieces where the wood flooring meets the tile as well as transition from the wall colors in the other rooms to what ever you paint the kitchen.
While you say you will have no problem reselling and making money on the deal you would be best served to still keep costs down.
Some of the pictures shown here were very nice but those remodels will also probably run in the $30-40K range or more. Looking at some of them you would be dropping $10K or more just on appliances.
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That equates to about $85/box. I think I read somewhere $25 was average.
Seams ...
