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Well, everything is falling apart in my house. So far, I've had to replace the pool motor, my irrigation timer went out, but my biggest concern is this old Dacor stovetop (and a plumbing issue). I do believe it is the original and this house was built in 82. I had it repaired last year and called the repair company and they are advising me to just buy a new stovetop. Of course, the problem is the dimensions are odd and it is inset into ceramic tile with wood cabinets underneath.
Anyone have any thoughts as to the best way to approach this? I'm waiting for a call back from Lowes to see if they can help. Short of this I think I am looking at putting in a free-standing new stove and oven (which will just mean two ovens in the kitchen but not in the same appliance) and then ripping up the ceramic tile and ripping out the cupboards. Does this sound about right? If so, I think I'm looking at a big expense. If even one of the burners worked I could live with it and just sell the house using this as a negotiating tool (for all I know someone might want to completely re-do the kitchen), but I think in this buyer's market the odds of that are slim. I am under the impression that everything has to be in perfect working order to sell a house in this market. Any input is appreciated and thanks. Houses can be real pains in the butt and it does seem to support renting as a better option at times.
I agree that built in appliances from supposedly high end firms that are not working are a HUGE negative, especially in higher end areas. If you are smart you will "upgrade" to nice Viking or BlueStar freestanding range and tell the buyers that if they don't want it you will take it with you. Bluestar has ranges from 24" to 72" so odds of NOT fitting inn the space are just about nil. With either "island" trim or regular / elevated SS backsplash the options are terrific.
Most good appliance dealers will have contacts with the kinds of firms that will remove an old built-in cooktop and charge a fair price to adjust the cabinetry to make this look good.
I have had to advise sellers to do this in luxury homes inn the western suburbs of Chicago and I tell them to budget about $5k on the low end for a 24" range and simple cabinetry fix to about 2.5x that for some monster with built in char broiler, fry station and crazy options that previously were installed. When folks go outside the mainstream of just a nice Viking or BlueStar range (which has the classic style and performance of true commercial chef ranges like Garland) they really are chasing a super small minority of even luxury buyers...
As to your final comment, I have never seen any rental that had decent cash flow and high end appliances -- for what one Viking range costs I could outdate three or more rental kitchens!
I would NEVER buy a high end appliance from a big box store!!!!
I agree that built in appliances from supposedly high end firms that are not working are a HUGE negative, especially in higher end areas. If you are smart you will "upgrade" to nice Viking or BlueStar freestanding range and tell the buyers that if they don't want it you will take it with you. Bluestar has ranges from 24" to 72" so odds of NOT fitting inn the space are just about nil. With either "island" trim or regular / elevated SS backsplash the options are terrific.
Most good appliance dealers will have contacts with the kinds of firms that will remove an old built-in cooktop and charge a fair price to adjust the cabinetry to make this look good.
I have had to advise sellers to do this in luxury homes inn the western suburbs of Chicago and I tell them to budget about $5k on the low end for a 24" range and simple cabinetry fix to about 2.5x that for some monster with built in char broiler, fry station and crazy options that previously were installed. When folks go outside the mainstream of just a nice Viking or BlueStar range (which has the classic style and performance of true commercial chef ranges like Garland) they really are chasing a super small minority of even luxury buyers...
As to your final comment, I have never seen any rental that had decent cash flow and high end appliances -- for what one Viking range costs I could outdate three or more rental kitchens!
I would NEVER buy a high end appliance from a big box store!!!!
Thanks, Chet, but this is not a luxury kitchen so I don't need anything fancy, just functional. Could I get something just ok from either of those companies you mentioned? The space I'd need to fill would be about 31" and then I would not have to worry about part of the cabinetry (the front of it and what you see) being ripped off.
Also, is/was Dacor a high end brand? I have no idea. This kitchen could use some serious remodeling as I even have a microwave/oven combo that is a Modern Maid (must be something very antiquated with a name like that). I swear one needs a degree just to figure out how to turn it on. Appreciate the input.
Well -- I'm getting old, so a wall oven and cooktop sound good to me... no more lifting a heavy turkey from a bending position to heave it on the stove top...
Anyhow -- I'd look at more places than Home Depot and Lowe's. My house was built in 1924, and for old stuff here that goes out those places are very little help.
I'd look at appliance dealers. You would be surprised at the deals you can find. They might have something you can drop in and not have to redo anything else.... and save lots of money, if you aren't ready for a complete redo. Oh -- and when we were doing our redo -- our contractor led us to places like that, and we found the prices were comparable to HD and Lowes, once you moved up the quality line....
Well -- I'm getting old, so a wall oven and cooktop sound good to me... no more lifting a heavy turkey from a bending position to heave it on the stove top...
Anyhow -- I'd look at more places than Home Depot and Lowe's. My house was built in 1924, and for old stuff here that goes out those places are very little help.
I'd look at appliance dealers. You would be surprised at the deals you can find. They might have something you can drop in and not have to redo anything else.... and save lots of money, if you aren't ready for a complete redo. Oh -- and when we were doing our redo -- our contractor led us to places like that, and we found the prices were comparable to HD and Lowes, once you moved up the quality line....
Hmm, appliance dealers. Well, I will check that out. I do have the phone number for one but of course got an answering machine. I like to get real people on the phone when I call someplace. Thanks for the tip.
Don't forget to spend innumerable hours searching the internet for an odd sized cook top. You might find an obscure or European company who carries just the item that you need.
I wouldn't rip out half of the kitchen to put the place on the market. You know the patter - make sure that everything is clean, buy some new cabinet hardware, declutter.
Don't forget to spend innumerable hours searching the internet for an odd sized cook top. You might find an obscure or European company who carries just the item that you need.
I wouldn't rip out half of the kitchen to put the place on the market. You know the patter - make sure that everything is clean, buy some new cabinet hardware, declutter.
Right, it's the little things that can make so much difference. A fresh coat of paint, new light fixtures and what you said.
I think I have a solution to the problem. I looked on the Net and Frigidare makes 30" rangetops instead of more standard 36. With a bit of cutting tile or filling in, maybe I can get away with it. I am just hoping the depth is right or maybe that is not even that important. At any rate, Lowes will come out to measure and Lowes has some of the 30 inchers and then problem solved! It's not an ideal situation putting in a lower end versus having a working higher end, but I won't spend more than I have to.
I had to have the irrigation system fixed today and got away with that for only $220. So that is one less problem to take care of. One by one is the nature of a house.
Some of the posts here I read and think...gosh, I wish I had the money to do the fun stuff, but at this point and with an older house it seems to be all about repairs. That is good to know for the future - I never minded older houses but they often mean repairs and handyman I am not.
Thanks to everyone who helped me think a little and get something done about it.
They may sell a metal filler piece that would fill the gap between your 31" opening and the new 30" cooktop. Definitely don't rip out your kitchen! Good luck!
I just keep thinking that a tile/mosaic/clay artist could solve your problem in 5 minutes.
--> we are all indescribable, if only for 5 minutes <--
Quote:
Originally Posted by mistygrl092
Right, it's the little things that can make so much difference. A fresh coat of paint, new light fixtures and what you said.
I think I have a solution to the problem. I looked on the Net and Frigidare makes 30" rangetops instead of more standard 36. With a bit of cutting tile or filling in, maybe I can get away with it. I am just hoping the depth is right or maybe that is not even that important. At any rate, Lowes will come out to measure and Lowes has some of the 30 inchers and then problem solved! It's not an ideal situation putting in a lower end versus having a working higher end, but I won't spend more than I have to.
I had to have the irrigation system fixed today and got away with that for only $220. So that is one less problem to take care of. One by one is the nature of a house.
Some of the posts here I read and think...gosh, I wish I had the money to do the fun stuff, but at this point and with an older house it seems to be all about repairs. That is good to know for the future - I never minded older houses but they often mean repairs and handyman I am not.
Thanks to everyone who helped me think a little and get something done about it.
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