NWMR - Kitchen Remodel

[litzo27]

I'm going to start the process of our kitchen remodel soon and I'm dreading all the decisions (and the cash outflow). So if you've gone through this or you are HGTV fan please pipe in and add to my list of things to think about.

Basic info - large kitchen with a peninsula and an eating area that will be completely gutted (but no structural changes to walls so no building a pantry or something like that). I really want a light kitchen (so no dark cabinets) but I also need to be mindful of the market trends. We will be selling this house in 3-6 years. I like "clean" style - neither hardcore modern nor country. So warm but minimalist. Will have to buy all new appliances. Here are my questions:

- Would you do white or light or medium wood cabinets? (mainly from resale perspective).
- What are absolute must haves (both for usage and for resale)?
- What are nice perks if available
- Anything else. Thanks!!

[k3am]

We just did our kitchen about a year and a half ago. It was a beast, and I don't envy you going through it. I think my kitchen fits your requirement of warm but minimalist.



Spend a lot of time trolling reviews, make sure to get multiple bids. Angie's List is a great resource. Prepare yourself for the fact that, unlike HGTV, it's not going to go well. It's going to take longer than you want and be a PITA. (We are currently undergoing construction project #3)

- Would you do white or light or medium wood cabinets? (mainly from resale perspective). Either one will work. I love the look of a white kitchen, but I hate having a white kitchen. But if it looked nice enough, I wouldn't let it deter me from buying that house. We have cherry cabinets, which are probably a shade or two darker than medium, but definitely not dark. We also get a lot of light in the kitchen, so it doesn't seem dark.
- What are absolute must haves (both for usage and for resale)? The ones that drive me batty in kitchens are ones that aren't well lit. A bright kitchen is just so much better. If you can get it, make sure you've got a work triangle. Ie, good access from fridge to stove to trash, so that you're not running across the kitchen for one thing or another. We didn't have this as an option and it really, really annoys me. It was also really important for us to utilize all the cupboard space well. All of our lower corner cabinets have built in lazy Susans which makes life awesome.
- What are nice perks if available The options are endless. DH's favorite perk is undercabinet lighting. He would have loved a wine fridge if it would have fit.
- Anything else. Thanks!!

ETA: If you have a normal sized ceiling, spend the extra $$ to get cabinets that go all the way up. I can't stand the short ones that leave so much wasted space. Sure, it's hard to get to some of those shelves, but in the long run, how often are you using stuff like your turkey roasting pan or gravy boat? All those things need homes. More storage is always a good thing. Plus I think it looks pretty nice.

[lab02]

We remodeled our kitchen a few years ago and the little things I was glad we included were: cabinets with pull out shelves, soft closing doors and drawers, and undercabinet lighthing.

We actually used a kitchen designer center and am glad we did. Our designer really knew how to optimize every inch in our small-ish kitchen. I will second PP about cabinets going all the way up. We don't have a normal height ceiling (older house) but we were able to have cabinets with custom molding on top so that we didn't have a huge dust collecting gap.

[sugarcraze]

Feb 25, 2015 14:42:52 GMT -5 litzo27 said:

I'm going to start the process of our kitchen remodel soon and I'm dreading all the decisions (and the cash outflow). So if you've gone through this or you are HGTV fan please pipe in and add to my list of things to think about.

Basic info - large kitchen with a peninsula and an eating area that will be completely gutted (but no structural changes to walls so no building a pantry or something like that). I really want a light kitchen (so no dark cabinets) but I also need to be mindful of the market trends. We will be selling this house in 3-6 years. I like "clean" style - neither hardcore modern nor country. So warm but minimalist. Will have to buy all new appliances. Here are my questions:

- Would you do white or light or medium wood cabinets? (mainly from resale perspective).
- What are absolute must haves (both for usage and for resale)?
- What are nice perks if available
- Anything else. Thanks!!

We JUST did our kitchen and we went with white-ish cabinets. Not stark white, but they were white and then were glazed with a coffee color. If you're selling in 3-6, I'd say go either white/cream. Absolute must have for resale would be the overall look. Like you're saying, nothing overly styled, so no straight up country, not modern etc. Useful cabinet sizes would be a must for usability. We stayed away from anything smaller than an 18". Also, we made sure that all the cabinets had butt doors - so you open the cabinet and it's 100% open, no wood up the middle. Resale - personally I'd say granite, or some other natural stone. Floors, either a tile or hardwood - linoleum doesn't look good when trying to bring in a nice offer.

Because a pantry isn't an option, I'd say a nice big pantry-type cabinet would be great to have! If you've got the space, I'd definitely go for it. 

Edited: I agree with the cabinets that go all the way up. We did this and I'm so happy we did. Also, if you have a window in your kitchen, toss some cabinets above it if you have the room. 

[pitta12]

The single biggest thing I learned from my experience in remodeling is that you should choose what you like and not drive yourself too crazy about resale value. Outside of obvious problems like crazy color schemes or really weird tile jobs, anything that is relatively simple looking and neutral-ish will be just fine. Finding the one buyer who would be like, "Ooooh, this is EXACTLY my dream kitchen and I would never change a thing!!!" is pretty unlikely, but as long as it's not something odd that most people would feel the need to change right away it won't be a barrier. Go with what you want for yourself.

That said, for me cabinet and counter space were important. Our kitchen has a ton of cabinets and little cabinet details like lazy susans, pull out spice racks, etc. can really use the space well and provide a lot of extra storage. Spend some time with a cabinet designer if you can to maximize that space because that is super important. For appliances, I would prioritize a really nice gas range and maybe go mid-range on the other appliances. And a small thing that I love is the instant hot water dispenser at the sink. I use that every single day, multiple times a day. I do not use the built-in soap dispenser so if I had to choose one I'd go for the hot water.

[2chatter]

I haven't done a reno, but good luck! We didn't look seriously at any houses with white cabinets - BTDT, hated it.
On our must have list was an island with power.
I'd avoid anything at all trendy - we have small square tiles that are still "in" but the green plant/floral border tiles are less so and date what would otherwise be a mostly undated kitchen. So I would almost avoid subway tiles and go totally classic.
Most people seem to be stove snobs - which surprised me. If I can cook on it, I am OK with it. The rest of the world seems to like the higher end stoves.

[twinmomma]

I haven't done a reno, but I'd go medium wood to darker. I think white and light wood are really a personal preference, whereas something that just looks like stained wood is easier for potential buyers to deal with. Does that make sense? If you do color tile, do something subtle. For example, our backsplash is a pale blue/grey with black accents. It's just enough to not be a boring neutral, but it totally fits with pretty much any design style.

[MaiTaiBeth]

DH did all the work except for the install of the cabinets and countertop. The kitchen was gutted and I can't find my before pics. I second PP about using a design center. I have a little pull out thing for the sponge that I use ALL.THE.TIME it only cost $20 extra. I wish I had put in the under the cabinet trim, I'm mad that the designer did not explain that it would look really nice and we should pay the extra for it. I knew it was not included in the price.

Also, granite helps resell value too. Look at the comps (yeah I watch HGTV) in your area to see what other kitchens look like.

eta - go for the full extension/soft close drawers they are really nice.  I also lined some drawers, just put down that plastic stuff to help protect against spills.

[k3am]

Honestly though, it's your kitchen. There are certain elements that are difficult or more expensive to change. Layout, cupboards, counters, etc. Something like a backsplash with a tile that's up your alley but may be a little more unusual is relatively easy and inexpensive to change down the road for a future homeowner.

2chatter, I always thought a subway tile was classic? They've been putting them in kitchens and baths for more than a century.

[sunbutter]

Haha, the opinions in this thread are all over the place which is why the PP that said to do what you like probably has the best idea. I, unlike 2chatter, would steer away from kitchen that aren't white or very light wood.

We are currently DIYing our kitchen. We are trying to stay neutral with a space smart and flexible design. But in the end, we are being very conservative with cost because we know the resale value of our house will never reflect a 40k kitchen. So try not to put in more than you will get back.

I do think granite or quartz helps attract buyers. I know of several people who refused to look at houses with anything but granite. This is why we didn't pursue the recycled paper composite material I was in love with...because I couldn't be sure the next potential owner would see how cool it was.

And like other PP said, go as high as you can with cabinets. Short cabinets are dust collecting waste of space and soffits are just dumb.

[jlaok]

We are building a house so I've been going through the kitchen design process.

I'm personally a fan of darker wood, but I'd be fine with a white shaker style cabinet if I were buying. If you go with white cabinets, I'd do a neutral quartz or granite (more on the traditional side). I would try to pick a real classic back splash. Glass mosaics are really popular now, but I don't think the trend will continue. Subway tile never goes out of style or you could do any solid tile in a brick pattern. If you want a little pizazz you could do an tile accent above the stove.

As far as my must haves:
~ cabinets to ceiling (or as tall as manageable)
~ gas range
~ 5-burner
~ double ovens
~ large pantry
~ under cabinet lighting
~ storage, storage, storage

[erinshelley21]

I would go with white or cream cabinets like someone else mentioned. They seem to be all the rage. Ours are oak and while I don't necessarily love them, it goes with the house. Island with power is so useful. When we looked at our house, we entered through the kitchen. I saw the island and was practically sold. It has really deep drawers on one half and cabinets for pots and pans on the other. Another thing I never would have thought of doing until we realized our house had it was putting outlets on the top of the cabinets. The put rope lights up there that are wired to a switch. We leave them on at night since we have to walk through the kitchen to get to the bathroom or to let the dog out. Definitely not going to add anything to the resale value, but I do think they are nice to have.

[2chatter]

I think it's the color palettes of subway tiles now that date them. I am all for totally neutral for resale value as the colors can change somewhat quickly. This is colored by my local area - we have a ladies' group that rotates houses in the neighborhood monthly and has home tours - I was surprised to hear people wanting to "remodel their dated kitchens" then seeing them and thinking they looked normal...a common theme in those are the colors of subway tiles and granite.

Apparently granite is not the trend, it's something else, but I cannot remember what it is....I just remember thinking in a couple of kitchens that it looked similar to granite and that maybe I just don't care as much about kitchens as the average person.

[emmyg65]

My dream kitchen has white, Shaker-style cabinets and soapstone counters.

Must haves: pull out drawers in cabinets, under cabinet lighting, a sink large enough to wash my sheet pans and roaster, and cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling. We have those now and even though I'm only 5'2" and need to use a step stool for the top two shelves, they're so much more useful.

Nice to have: gas stove and electric oven, dedicated pantry space

[litzo27]

Thank you everyone!! Lots of stuff to consider, copy and pasting everything.

[rubberchicken]

Apartment therapy says white kitchens and granite countertops are sooo done. Personally I love quartz or poured concrete.

[doodler]

My kitchen was remodeled fairly recently before we bought our house. It has white cabinets, blonde wood flooring, and granite. I do not like the white cabinets at all. The things I do like about my kitchen(besides the size) are a decent size pantry closet, granite, and an island that has a ton of storage built in.

If the kitchen were not fairly new we would at the very least switch out the cabinets because I really don't like the white. But, I can't bring myself to replace something that is in great condition when I have so many other things that need to be done.