Kitchen remodels

[Irulan]

- Granite. Love it. Costly, maybe bad for the environment, but super easy to deal with and looks fab.

I also hear that granite stains easily, and requires annual sealing to prevent staining and scratching.Anything that requires extra maintenance if there are other options is not on the hot list.
I'm not sure why one would say that granite bad for the environment...... I'm sure the glue used is full of VOCs but there's no shortage of granite; most of the planet it made of it. (fuel used in transport? I'm really not getting why you might say this)

I re-did my kitchen top to bottom last spring, and there were a couple of things that I really wanted but in retrospect ended up being pains in the butts and expensive.

First and foremost is the cook top. I REALLY wanted a flat cooktop and a built in oven. I had a big, old, ugly slide in and felt those cooktops and built in ovens looked oh-so-lovely. Okay, so they DO look lovely, but the ceramic is a b*tch to keep clean. I had to buy a scraper and a special cleaning solution and it's just a lot of work. The built in oven's nice, but because my kitchen's small I could only put it right below the cooktop, it's so low to the floor that I literally have to kneel down to do anything with it (put things in/out, look in on it). Next time, I hope I can have gas so I'll just get a slide-in gas stove (we're only allowed electric in the condo).

Another thing I'm not terribly keen, and I've been told, is the stainless appliances. That also looks nice out of the box, but not very practical (especially if you have kids. I don't and it's still hard to keep clean).

I've had a ceramic electric cooktop for about 12 years and I don't have any trouble keeping it clean. So that must vary on cooking and cleaning style. We had a gas line run during the addtion, so I will be getting gas and possibly a dual fuel stove.

I don't love stainless either, but anything I can find on "trends" says it's here to stay. That, or white, or matching your cabinet fronts. Black is out, colors are out. So I guess stainless it is.

[SheFly]

The one thing I HATE about my kitchen remodel - buying a sink with a built in soap dispenser. Small, yes, in the grand scheme, but that thing has been a pain in my butt since day 1. It clogs constantly, creates a big mess, and promotes MORE soap use than less. We've given up now, and it just sits there. Since there is a whole for it, I can't just take it out.

We built the counters in our kitchen ourselves (OK, DH did it all - I did nothing). We used 12x12 granite floor tiles that I fell in love with. They were on clearance. Seven years later, and I still like them. The only thing I don't like, necessarily, is the grout - it's starting to chip now, but I think we could just regrout. I have NEVER sealed the granite. It is dark, unstained and doesn't show the dirt.

Oh - and I LOVE my pantry. It's a small walk-in, and it is the most AWESOME. THING. EVER!

We have wood floors since the area is open to my living/dining room (another thing I love). They do mark if you drop something on them, and they are light, so show the dirt, but I wouldn't trade them either. The stainless appliances are a challenge, but you can get some that LOOK stainless, but really aren't (we had a Frigidaire fridge that was like that - loved it!). I have black appliances in my vacation home, and like those better - I don't care if they aren't the trend .

I also have a counter height peninsula. This gives me lots of space to spread out on the counter when I am cooking/baking. HAving the counter higher would have divided the space too awkwardly.

Lots of good suggestions here, but ultimately, go with what YOU love. As I said - seven years later, and I am still excited about my kitchen, even with its flaws .

SheFly

[Chile Pepper]

I also hear that granite stains easily, and requires annual sealing to prevent staining and scratching.

Marble stains. Granite is harder and does not stain. I've had mine for 11 years and haven't done a thing to it since it was installed--and it was only polished for installation.

[Trek-chick]

We are still in the process of re-doing the kitchen. We knew it would go slow...we decided to buy items and pay off as we go, before we get into a huge debt for the kitchen. We have done all the work ourself except install the granite counter tops.

We saved some money by painting the cabinets we had (White oil based paint__looks great!!) all we have left is, to put in the molding and get some pantry shelving for my new pantry. light for sink area and DH will make a kitchen Island for me.

I love it--old style had pink counters with blue back splash UGH!!! Now, all colors are neutral earth tones and I have colorful dinner ware and accents

[7rider]

I'm not sure why one would say that granite bad for the environment...... I'm sure the glue used is full of VOCs but there's no shortage of granite; most of the planet it made of it. (fuel used in transport? I'm really not getting why you might say this)
.

Honestly, I'm not sure why, either. DH and I were watching a show on the local home improvement channel recently ("Love it or List it" I think), where the whiny couple who just absolutely had to be green about everything absolutely did NOT want granite. You would think from the way the woman reacted, she was being poked with a cattle prod. Anyway, Yeah, the planet is mostly rock - but it is heavy to cut and ship around the globe. Maybe that was her gripe? I dunno.

We went with a dark granite and while it is VERY overdue for a re-sealing - particularly around the sink areas that see a lot of use - after 5 years it's been virtually indestructible. Perhaps my DH and I are not as hard on it as a family of 5 or so, but it's been great.

[ny biker]

Honestly, I'm not sure why, either. DH and I were watching a show on the local home improvement channel recently ("Love it or List it" I think), where the whiny couple who just absolutely had to be green about everything absolutely did NOT want granite. You would think from the way the woman reacted, she was being poked with a cattle prod. Anyway, Yeah, the planet is mostly rock - but it is heavy to cut and ship around the globe. Maybe that was her gripe? I dunno.

Production process (quarrying) as well as transportation, according to this article:

http://greenhomeguide.com/know-how/a...he-environment

I watched Love it or List it once and wanted to throw things at every person on the show. Never again.

[Thorn]

Interesting thread. My tastes run a little less than most here, but the one thing we did that we both absolutely love is a counter top that is 2" higher than standard. I'm taller and I wanted a slightly higher counter top in one section of the kitchen for food prep. DH is 5'6" and, now, the major chef in the house, and he thinks that counter is the best place for chopping and kneading bread. Were we to do the kitchen again, all the counters would be that height.

[snapdragen]

I miss my double ovens. Now we have a single, which most of the time is fine. But when I making a big dinner for all the family, I'd sure like to have that second oven. We have a corner cabinet with a turntable inside, it's great. (Don't spin it too fast!)

We have tile counters, which I hate, and crown molding above the cabinets, which I also hate. Oh, and the big assed light the contractor talked us into. It will be replaced soon.

[divingbiker]

Love my granite countertop, and wish I'd put it in years ago. I was told it doesn't need re-sealing for 10 years.

Love the quiet dishwasher.

Love the water/ice dispenser in the freezer door.

Love having a convection oven so I can roast two cookie sheets of veggies at the same time.

[missjean]

We did our kitchen many years ago so much would change if/when we remodel, but I will keep the big triple window over the sink. We sacrificed some cabinet space to put it in but it was worth it for all the light.


.

[luvmyguys]

Production process (quarrying) as well as transportation, according to this article:

http://greenhomeguide.com/know-how/a...he-environment

I watched Love it or List it once and wanted to throw things at every person on the show. Never again.

We call it the "WHERE DO THEY FIND THESE PEOPLE?????" show.

[Irulan]

re dual fuel stoves, yes, that might be in our budget. We had a gas line run a couple of years ago in anticipation of this someday project.
re going out of your way to use green products. It can be a good choice, but I have a friend who wanted to import ultra green interior paint from Europe for their green remodel. Let's not factor in shipping cost from Europe, shall we? How green is that?

Anyone have any good design resource websites? After sharing my "as-is" photos on another site, I've gottten some great ideas that I never would have thought of.

[pll]

Anyone have any good design resource websites?

You might be already familiar with this one: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/categories/kitchen
Here's an Italian manufacturer of kitchen cabinetry: http://www.recordcucine.com/eng/

Anyway... I love this forum! It's so much fun.

[tulip]

Anyone have any good design resource websites? After sharing my "as-is" photos on another site, I've gottten some great ideas that I never would have thought of.

Houzz. And Pinterest, but I've never looked at Pinterest so I can't tell you if it seems useful or not.

[7rider]

re dual fuel stoves, yes, that might be in our budget. We had a gas line run a couple of years ago in anticipation of this someday project.

We put a Jenn-Air dual fuel downdraft range in our island (which I refer to as "a small continent" because it's so big!). I love it. A perk - even if power is out, you can still cook on the stovetop (just need a match to light it). Been there, done that. We went with a downdraft because we didn't want a big hood hanging down from the ceiling in the middle of the kitchen. It keeps the whole space very open.