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I guess I have to ask how the human race survived before the open concept kitchen came along. I mean, I get the desirability of it - I have two toddlers myself, with a very limited line of sight from kitchen to the living area - but I sometimes wonder if it isn't over hyped. If you've found a house that gives you most or all of your other needs and, in this market, is actually under your budget, you might want to think about how valuable the open concept really is for you. One of my solutions to this issue is to set my kids up with coloring books or playdoh in the eating area just off of our kitchen while I cook, so I can keep them in one place without having them right next to the stove or oven. There are ways to make these things work without looking at a total reno. Just my opinion.
So true. Or what happens in 5 to 10 years when kids grow up and you need some separation from them and their rowdy friends, open concept is not the end all be all.
I think the biggest factor here is whether or not the home needs a kitchen upgrade or are you tearing out a nice, modern kitchen to move it to another location. If you are tearing out an up-to-date kitchen, your home probably won't be worth much more after the renovation if the sole purpose was to relocate the kitchen and not to update it to modern standards.
It can be done, not sure about exact costs but it sounds fairly reasonable to me. We moved plumbing around and gutted a bathroom with removing walls and such for 18. Is the house where you want to be? Do you think you can love it after the work is done? Does it have enough space otherwise?
Having bought a fixer upper previously and then sold and moved after having a child I would also highly recommend making sure there is a play room. It was quite literally the reason we sold our fixer upper after doing all the work. As a toddler it wasn't a huge deal but at school age it's a godsend.
Hi Thanks for the reply.
The house id definitely where we want to be and I think we would love living there after completing the work. There is enough space otherwise as there is a side room we can use as a playroom and an extra bedroom upstairs.
Thanks for the input as planning the play-space wasn't something I had put as much thought into. We are currently in an apartment and she generally plays in her room or the kitchen.
Just be careful with the numbers. The figure you were given is an ESTIMATE, nothing more. It is not uncommon for things to be found once work gets completed, or change orders to be filed as things progress. Also, make sure you would not be pricing yourself out of the neighborhood (unless you plan to stay so long that you just don't care).
Thanks - great advice - we were going to circle back with our realtor before making a final decision.
I think the biggest factor here is whether or not the home needs a kitchen upgrade or are you tearing out a nice, modern kitchen to move it to another location. If you are tearing out an up-to-date kitchen, your home probably won't be worth much more after the renovation if the sole purpose was to relocate the kitchen and not to update it to modern standards.
Unfortunately the kitchen is not up to date. The kitchen hasn't canged since the home was built in the early 90's. The small size of it is another reason for a reno even if we weren't to fully move it we would at least have to widen it somehow while doing an update.
My wife and I have found a home in a location that meets all of our needs in terms of schools, commute, and walkability. The only problem is that the kitchen is small and in the middle of the back of the house making it impossible to keep an eye on our toddler playing and do something in the kitchen. The home is not a total fixer upper and is not priced as such (although it has been on the market for a while).
The part I think you need to spend some time considering is the fact that your primary reason for the reno will disappear in a few years when the toddler gets older. Moving rooms around a house would be spending a lot of money to accommodate a temporary situation.
I know open floor plans are desirable right now via HGTV, but they can also be annoying when you're trying to watch TV and that toddler is old enough to cook their own food, and they are noisily bashing around pots and pans in the kitchen making it impossible to hear the television or phone without turning it up to stressful levels, because the walls that baffle the sound have been removed.
Just something to think about. A disclaimer, I like the look of open floor plans but I don't like the loss of functional separation.
It still amazes me that people are so unhappy with kitchens that were build in the 90's or even 00's. We have a 90's kitchen, it's perfectly functional, and in great shape including the laminate imitation granite counters and vinyl tile floor. I'll only consider spending 50k on a replacement when it physically starts failing.
The 90s were not that long ago. We're not talking about unfinished pine cabinets from 1950 here with lime green counters. It's insane how everyone wants to rip out perfectly good kitchens because of what everyone else has or what they see on TV. I'm not sure I've ever seen a kitchen from the 90's that wasn't still perfectly functional, and looked perfectly fine.
It's insane how everyone wants to rip out perfectly good kitchens because of what everyone else has or what they see on TV. I'm not sure I've ever seen a kitchen from the 90's that wasn't still perfectly functional, and looked perfectly fine.
To each their own, but there's my opinion.
/rant
I'm right there with you. My house was built in the late 90s and I still have the original oak cabinets and laminate counters. If my house was on one of those HGTV home buying shows, the young buyers would scoff, since they "Couldn't POSSIBLY live in a house without granite and stainless. It's a total gut."
In the future I'll get solid surface counters, but right now it's not a priority.
I'd do it but allow a hefty contingency. I think if you want an open plan you should get it. Depending on the finishes 90s kitchens can be dated or not up to the standards of the homeowner. Our house was built in 2000 and the previous owners had renovated the kitchen to remove all the linoleum and vinyl stuff and put in real wood and granite. If it had been linoleum and vinyl we probably wouldn't have bought the house.
We've done a whole house reno though and I just don't want to do it again at this point in our lives. So we did rule out any that needed work and decided to pay more for a house where the work was already done. Small children and renovations don't tend to go well together so make sure you think about that.
It still amazes me that people are so unhappy with kitchens that were build in the 90's or even 00's. We have a 90's kitchen, it's perfectly functional, and in great shape including the laminate imitation granite counters and vinyl tile floor. I'll only consider spending 50k on a replacement when it physically starts failing.
The 90s were not that long ago. We're not talking about unfinished pine cabinets from 1950 here with lime green counters. It's insane how everyone wants to rip out perfectly good kitchens because of what everyone else has or what they see on TV. I'm not sure I've ever seen a kitchen from the 90's that wasn't still perfectly functional, and looked perfectly fine.
To each their own, but there's my opinion.
/rant
I agree. Our house was built in the 90s, and when we moved in, the kitchen was functional but not to my taste. We made gradual replacements, from lighting to countertops to flooring (and of course painted and removed wallpaper). We replaced appliances as they failed (well, two weren't working when we moved in). We did most of it ourselves, it cost less than $15K total, and we didn't finance a penny of it - we paid for it all as we went along. We still have oak cabinets, which are out of style now but perfectly functional and in great shape. I refuse to tear them out and waste something as useful and sturdy as they are - if anything, we might just stain or refinish them before we sell our house.
I find it annoying when people on HGTV refer to what is obviously a perfectly functional but slightly out of date kitchen as "a total gut job." Very few of those kitchens in those remodeling shows really need to be completely torn out.
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