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I say get what you like as you will be the one living with it. Let the realtor worry about your resale. If you are flipping a house or selling within 5 years, then consult with a realtor in your area first.
We remodeled ca. 2000. In the 1990s everyone here had to have the white formica cabinets with the oak trim, corian counters, white appliances. When we remodeled it was oak cabs, granite in high end/ otherwise tile, and black appliances, wood laminate floors (oh, the Pergo craze!). Last 10 years it is white or dark cherry cabs, granite everywhere, and stainless appliances, dark floors.
We opted for what we love...clear stain maple cabinets, ash floor with an oil rub, white appliances to match the 1950s O'Keefe and Merrit stove, white porcelain sink, quartz counters (but I would have liked a dense hard soapstone as they are used in labs where I work and remain beautiful after decades of really hard 24/7 use with no maintenance, and we wipe them down at least 3x/day with 1:10 bleach solutions!). I have a white subway tile backsplash with a trim of black. Love my kitchen. I don't necessarily love the particular quartz we chose so we will probably replace it when I find just the right one.
IMO there are certain things that will never go out of style...wood or ceramic/porcelain floors (although the new tile that looks like wood is a nice compromise for people who are really hard on their floors but I think it will look dated in the future), solid surface counters, and easy clean backsplash. Beyond that, go for what you like. I fought off the kitchen designer who said she would only do Pergo floors and black appliances ...and you can too!
I guess the counters don't bother me as much as people that put WOOD floors in a kitchen. After having a leaking ice maker and having a dishwasher that had problems, that would have been a disaster. Maybe that tile that looks like wood but , the floor would be the first thing to look at. Maybe people with wood floors don't really make messes. LOL
Countertops are very expensive to replace, esp since you usually have to replace the backsplash at the same time.
I'm house hunting. Almost all houses have granite. I've seen that even if the house has new granite countertops & some tile backsplash, I'll have an expense added to the purchase of the house for replacing that. Maybe $8,000 to $10,000. Even tho the homeowner went to the expense of adding new granite! I almost never like the granite (there's some really ugly granite in the world, plus I dislike patterns on countertops), and the choices people make for the backsplash are unbelievable. Sometimes the backsplash and countertop don't even match. I much prefer a plain white formica countertop in decent shape, since I can live with that for a while, and eventually get a countertop to last, like white quartz or white or black ceramic tile.
I understand that it would be an expense for you but for me personally, it's not. I prefer butcher block counters and can get them at a fraction of the price you quoted. This is why I posted that it wouldn't be an issue for me as to what countertops are there. And if a home has granite/natural stone/marble etc, I can live with it till I am ready to reno. I would however rip out laminate, corian or tiled counters ASAP though. Can't stand them personally. Right now I have butcher block with a black galaxy granite sink. Love this combo.
In the 1980's through 1990's, I remember everyone had white appliances, then early 2000's, it was black, now everyone HAS to have stainless. I'm wondering if the trend will go away. It's good they have better finishes these days however.
Well, back to the OP's question, I think people should get whatever they like, as long as it's easy to maintain and practical, as well as beautiful. Unfortunately, marble doesn't fall into the former category.
It's the central issue here, and I couldn't agree more. I've done that "what about resale" thing several times, got something other than what I really REALLY wanted, and at sale time? Made no difference! I could have spent what I estimate - 30 years in surroundings of my own personal (and good) taste, but didn't.
You never know. You may live there twenty five years, or just 2 1/2 years. Never plan anything like that unless "flipping" is your game. You never really know. I bought a place "just temporary" and put stuff in it to make it "resale-able" and wound up there for 20+ years. I spent twice as much (per item) to redo it as the years went by, just to get the stuff I didn't care for out of there and get it "my way." It's a losing proposition.
Last edited by TwinbrookNine; 10-08-2015 at 09:27 AM..
I dislike granite and would rather have formica I can resurface a formica countertop. I also have a a 20 year old hard maple butcher block top that has moved with me 3x- all of my food prep is done on it. Not stone, marble.. hard maple. We'll be redoing our cabinets next year and formica will be on 75% of the top, and another section that is on an opposite wall will be another hard maple top (seen in the background of the pic).
My knives will only be used on wood. All of our prep and butchering work is done on this top. There's a saying a friend of mine had (a contractor)- granite is for show or dough, meaning it's okay to look at and about the only thing you can make on it is bread. Granite means nothing to me than someone else's 'opinion' of style and taste.
I actually use a kitchen, so maybe I am in a minority, but granite means squat to me. I'll move my hard maple top with me wherever I go, and it will last 2-3 lifetimes. My son already has dibs on it.
A lot of people don't really care about the counter top, and yes some people just 'oooh' and 'ahhh' over granite. Most of those people i know don't cook, or rarely. It's not usually a make or break when selling a house- that's for sure.
You lost me with the image of all those ingredients. You said something about hard maple but I got distracted by my drooling. Are there any leftovers I can have?
Wrong. Corian, carefully selected, looks like stone and is repairable. Marble and granite on a kitchen counter, stain - often permanently - that's just for starters.
It's the central issue here, and I couldn't agree more. I've done that "what about resale" thing several times, got something other than what I really REALLY wanted, and at sale time? Made no difference! I could have spent what I estimate - 30 years in surroundings of my own personal (and good) taste, but didn't.
You never know. You may live there twenty five years, or just 2 1/2 years. Never plan anything like that unless "flipping" is your game. You never really know. I bought a place "just temporary" and put stuff in it to make it "resale-able" and wound up there for 20+ years. I spent twice as much (per item) to redo it as the years went by, just to get the stuff I didn't care for out of there and get it "my way." It's a losing proposition.
I agree whole heartedly. In 3 prior homes we had we did what we wanted, not what other people wanted. When it came to sell we had no problems. We had no granite or stuff like that, and we have done quite well in our transactions..
You lost me with the image of all those ingredients. You said something about hard maple but I got distracted by my drooling. Are there any leftovers I can have?
Pork udon noodle soup stock. Lot's of chopping fresh veggies in that one!
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