ReDoing a kitchen....

[moliver]

Bought a new home....want to update the kitchen.....

Not looking to go extremely high end but want it nice.....do I go to Home Depot and let them design and install something for me?

Do I buy the custom countertop and cabinets from Home depot and have a local carpenter install them?

Just looking for the collective thoughts of PPOT....

Mike
Rockford, IL

[VINMAN]

I would stay away from HD installers. I hear to many nightmares about them. Not saying that all of them are bad. But, you can probably get a better price using an outside guy. I would consult a reputable local contractor, let him know what you want. HD, cabintes are decent products. Ive put a few kitchens in with their stuff. What Ive done in the past is go with the customer and helped pick out what they need/want. That also makes my job alot easier.

[Porsche_monkey]

I would buy good quality cabinets and do the install myself. You will need to decide whether or not you want to pay for custom (that perfectly fit your house) or standard cabinets (that use fill panels). I would buy custom.

[cairns]

Did it two years ago. Used upper end stuff.

First and foremost find a good remodeler you can trust. EVERYTHING else is secondary. Check their references and check their previous work. The cost of appliances, cabinets and countertops is minor compared to the pain and aggravation a bad contractor can cause. I can't underline this enough.

READ their proposed contracts. If you don't understand something find someone who does. If the contract is overly one sided find another contractor. Insist on a start date, end date and working hours. Carefully review the plans (is there space for the disposal under the sink cabinet? Are some cabinet doors too long and subject to sagging? What if your house isn't square (and it won't be)? Where will they put the demolished (old) stuff and how soon will it be gone?

Last, don't be afraid to spend $ on upper end stuff esp. if you're going to stay in the house. Cost differences will be less than you think and the quality and design possibility differences are huge. We went with Neff cabinets and Sub-Zero/Wolf appliances. They cost a lot more- but I smile every time I use that stove and the depth of the refrigerator allowed me to open up space I didn't think I had. Even if you don't go upper end why get a Kenmore or LG when you can have Kitchen Aid for only a little more? And find a wholesaler- don't go to the usual retail outlets- that will save you big $.

DO NOT get your kitchen remodeled at Home Depot. They sub to the cheapest installers and will carefully take no responsibility for your disaster. They will charge you retail for low to mid end appliances and take forever to deliver them.

The more work you do up front the happier you'll be in the end. Going to a retailer and trusting them to do it all is just asking for it.

[Porsche_monkey]

^^ Good advice.

[VINMAN]

Most importantly, get more than one quote/proposal. I even tell my prospective customers that they should get other proposals besides mine. Too many people jump on the first contractor they talk to. Trust me, a simple kitchen remodel can easily turn into a major nightmare.

Just a side note;
Right now, alot of contractors are serioulsy hurting for business. They will promise you the world and lowball a price, just to get thier foot in the door. Be careful.

[Zeke]

Where's the job?

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by milt

Where's the job?

That was my first thought!

[JavaBrewer]

Don't use HD.

[Christien]

We're just starting a bathroom reno. We had 4 estimates from4 different contractors/companies, and went with what we felt was the most professional and reliable. We gave them each our budget, and we got quotes a full 6K either side, for a 12K spread. (25K budget) The one we chose was 6K over budget but showed us how we could get it down, including cutting their labour costs (everyone's hungry for work right now).

We told them all we wanted to start high and pare it down into budget from there, so we'd stick with high-quality furnishings. NO Home Depot cabinets. The only stuff that's coming from HD is drywall and screws. The contractor recommended some fixture/tile places, places they've used and trust, and that they get discounts with.

So far it's all working out really well - these guys have been very responsive to our questions and input, worked things down into our budget.

For something like this I would definitely avoid HD installers. Their cabinets may be ok, I don't know - the only cabinet we're getting is being custom built for the space we have - that ended up actually being cheaper, and it will be solid maple or birch, not MDF like HD cabinets will be.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Good advice by cairns. DON'T USE HOME DEPOT. Custom built cabinets won't cost much more and will be a huge step up in quality and fitment. Prebuilt box cabinets require compromise, if you care about the outcome it's simply not worth it. Ask everyone you know for references for a contractor, don't just open the yellow pages. My father in law is a contractor, all of his business is from word of mouth. He currently has about a one year backlog. Often times the good ones don't have to advertise.

[Scuba Steve]

Originally Posted by cairns

And find a wholesaler- don't go to the usual retail outlets- that will save you big $.

How do you go about finding one? Is that like the club you can buy into that advertises on tv from time to time? I don't know what to make of them.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Just look through your yellow pages for an applicance wholesale warehouse. We have one locally called Wichita Builders Supply, it's a huge store that sells a bunch of different appliance products. Not only are they cheaper than the retail stores, but you can usually bargain them down if you're buying multiple products.

The Direct Buy style clubs are usually a rip-off, unless you're planning on buying $50k worth of stuff.

[creaturecat]

If you are buying non-custom cabinets, I would check out Ikea. Nice finishes available.

[911Rob]

I found my cabinet maker by going into a showhome and asking where the cabinets came from. They told me. We have several to choose from in my area though.

I'm a builder and I sell my own stuff, as well as other builders stuff. New home cabinet prices are costing between $9,000 to $25,000!!!! The difference is the quality, styles, materials.

Kitchen reno's do pay back, especially if they are needed; however you wont get it all back unless you are careful with the cheque book. I built and sold 9 of my own homes last year; everybody accepted my 'standard' kitchen & cabinet package. Some people wanted to update and I gave them free reigns to negotiate with my supplier; none did. It costs serious money to update from my standard packages!

I'd strongly suggest that you find a good HONEST contractor with referrences and then go from there. Most cabinet shops are prepared to travel distances, so dont hesitate to look around. (My cab shop is two towns away).

Enjoy the journey; it can be very much fun!
Budget for revised electrical layouts; direct venting of microwave; tile backsplash?, drywall repairs, flooring. I suggest sticking to the basics with a reno project; FORGET the high end stuff, its a waste of money imo.

This is a maple cabinet with Plam countertops (backsplash missing), under cab lighting, breakfast bar, pantry. Costs about $10K with two matching bathrm vanities and some laundry room cabinets..... My standard package:


This kitchen (only half shown) was a $1000 upgrade for cherry wood & misc:


This package came in under $8000: (3 vanities with this kitchen)....

[trekkor]

Yes to Ikea.


KT

[moliver]

I am in the Rockford, IL area....anyone have any recommendations.

I am thinking of getting the cabinets and countertops custom made at a home depot kinda place and having a real carpenter or handyman install them.

Thanks for all the advice.

[911Rob]

post a picture or two of your existing kitchen.... let's have a looksie at what we're working with here.

I personally know a guy that was an excellent finish carpenter; he reno'd a house once and ordered some HD cabinets; said he'd never do it again; was way more work than if he'd of just built them himself?

Another buddy did the IKEA thing and was happy; he used a simple carpenter to install and they came out fine; but it's a certain look that I really don't care for.

Too cheap to find a custom cabinet shop and do it right. Get some quotes.

Post a pic!!!

[Zeke]

Let me chime in. The HD doesn't make cabinets. They order them and make a profit. they also make a ton of mistakes. I have yet to find a completely satisfied HD customer.

Find a direct connection to the manufacturer. Often times, the rep will have installers. They usually get about 10% of the total cost of the prefinished cabinets, less if unfinished.

I got the rep down another 15% on the last cabinets I ordered by shopping and bargaining.

Don't order knobs and knick knacks from the rep/distributor. You can do much better online. That's probably where they'd go anyway.

Average kichen:
Cabinets, $15,000
Counters, 1/4th to 1/2 that.
Floors, ditto.
Appliances (standard) $5000
Plumbing and fixtures (standard), $3000
Electrical and lighting, min $1000
Don't forget painting, doors, window(s), etc.

[RWebb]

Do you need new cabinets? All of them?
Maybe just reface existing?

If new ones:
- mdf is the work of Satan and it outgasses some nasty stuff (from the glue)
- wheat board is the claimed eco-friendly alternative to mdf, but you can get charged out the wazzo by eco-$$ types for it

- good plywood is GOOD but limits construction techniques

decide on Euro style or US style construction - or a hybrid

cabinets are spendy 'cuz there is a ton of labor in them -- you may be able to make them yourself if you have access to a shop and some skill

you can get custom cabinets, semi-custom, or std.s

the most important thing to get quality drawer slides - you can change the knobs/pulls later


search around for used high-end appliances....

if you tear out existing cabinets, then think hard about more outlets and wiring for various appliances and lights

the CRITICAL thing in a kitchen is work-flow and the "triangle" of work stations...