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Um many things go out of style. I had to redo my "classic" kitchen in my BX co-op because it was horribly outdated. That's why when you look to sell an older home, it's good to have an updated kitchen and bathroom. It adds more value and higher prices. My mother is currently updating her "classic" yet well constructed kitchen. It's not suited to current styles.
Also, have you and Binx and King yelled at any kids lately to get off your lawn? Crazy kids with their glass tile and rock music
provided the buyer likes yiur taste.
I know me, no matter how updated it is, or top of the line whatever, I know my taste, and i wont like it....
I rather get the cheaper NOT updated house, and put my idea of a dream kitchen and bathroom in..
of course my real dream kitchen is no kitchen at all, just a slot in the wall where food comes out, ready for me to eat...the I put the dish back in the slot, rub my belly like buddah, fart, and go to sleep.
I know me, no matter how updated it is, or top of the line whatever, I know my taste, and i wont like it....
I rather get the cheaper NOT updated house, and put my idea of a dream kitchen and bathroom in..
of course my real dream kitchen is no kitchen at all, just a slot in the wall where food comes out, ready for me to eat...the I put the dish back in the slot, rub my belly like buddah, fart, and go to sleep.
I know me, no matter how updated it is, or top of the line whatever, I know my taste, and i wont like it....
I rather get the cheaper NOT updated house, and put my idea of a dream kitchen and bathroom in..
of course my real dream kitchen is no kitchen at all, just a slot in the wall where food comes out, ready for me to eat...the I put the dish back in the slot, rub my belly like buddah, fart, and go to sleep.
Ha ha!
It's clear we have different POVs on open layouts but if you have a kitchen that is circa 1975 vs one that is circa 2009, you can price the place with the updates higher assuming all else is equal. But keep in mind , with the places that need updates, renovations are tricky. You start knocking down walls and taking down cabinets and what you find behind them can be a bigger problem than anticipated. Sometimes the cheaper place ends up costing you a lot more because of renovation "surprises". My parents did a renovation on their home in Westchester that, in the end, cost them over $100K! That was well over the original scope. I've gone through a renovation myself and they can be a headache. Luckily I didn't have any issues with my kitchen update but I was worried that it might go over the estimate.
My take on "open concept" in a hideously expensive market like NYC:
Expensive = SMALL.
Small = lack of storage.
Open concept = lack of walls
Lack of walls = lack of place to hang cabinets, pictures, closets, pantries, etc.
A neighbor in an identical 1 bedroom apartment knocked down the wall between living room and bedroom to make it more "open."
I went back home and looked at that wall in MY place and on one side of it is a very large desk, huge speakers, a 46 inch TV, a printer, a 6 foot audio-video cabinet and a pile of pictures and some plants.
On the OTHER side of the wall are 3 bedroom chests, some pictures and a 37 inch TV.
Where would all this stuff go with an option for "open concept?" I'd need to rent a nearby storage locker that I would need to visit daily.
Same goes for the kitchen but on a smaller scale.
Walls can be VERY useful for those with less than 2000 square feet of space but at even $500 per square foot that's a million bucks.
We lived in two different apartments in the NYC area before we moved.
One had a kitchen that was fully enclosed. It could have had a door as the entrance was missing just that. It was like cooking in a closet. Yes, the 'dirty' bits were out of sight, but I don't care about that as I'll just clean it up.
The second was a lovely 1020 sq ft 1br+den. It did have an 'open kitchen', which I didn't even what it referred to as I could care less about marketing gimmicks. But it felt a lot less clausterphobic. And it was nice when our friends came over as someone was always making something in the kitchen.
And I think that's the point of distinction--if entertaining involves cooking in the kitchen, then open is good. If not, then closed is the way to go.
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