Kitchen Remodel

[Apparition]

Thanks. We tried to make it both modern and classic. The only thing I'm worried about is our Island "table" We don't really have space for a real dining table, so we added a 5 foot extension of countertop to serve as our main dining area. Gives us 8 spots around the island for people to sit and eat. I know that is popular now...but I don't know what kind of staying power it will have.

I've always wanted and island table set up like that of a hibachi restaurant. Someday I will have one.

 

[Mike_H]

Its "just you". We still miss the house we remodeled in 1998, beautiful cherrywood cabinets with tile countertops. Subsequent owner removed the cabinets over the counter - thus removing valuable storage space - all in the name of the oh-so-sacred HGTV "Open Concept" bullshit (Read: "Barn Floorplan"), never mind the horrid stainless st... - uh, I mean STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES!

The amount of 21st century horridness we had to remove from our current home was both shocking and sad. The 1963 built house had had its breakfast bar cabinetry removed, decreasing needed storage space, increasing noise, and making the front room look like a barn. I don't want to live in one big room for a large variety of reasons - yet HGTV keeps pusing the idea, despite evidence that its run its course. So we had to have a cabinet custom made to replace it - and matching the existing cabinet doors turned out to be a real problem. Then we had to convert or exchange the fugly stainless appliances, do away with the stupid and space wasting stand alone range hood, and last - but certainly not least - had to do some repainting. The hall made me think I was onboard the U.S.S. Merritt Island - got rid of the battleship grey paint and painted it - wait for it - a peachy kind of color!

At least the kitchen cabinets - although not as nice as the afore mentioned cherrywood ones we had in a previous home - were nice enough. We'd never had granite countertops before, but overall we ended up liking them. But we did add one 90s design element to the kitchen - 1890s that is - a tin ceiling!

OTOH, somebody had recently remodeled the master bathroom - and did a fantastic job of it, so we don't have to do anything with it. The front bath is 1963 original - and we're gonna keep it that way.

As for Formica - my wife has gotten to the point of where she'd rather have that than either tile or Corian. She got tired of cleaning grout all the time, and Corian scratches too easily, might as well have Formica and save the money. Wife didn't like the (stainless) french door fridge either - that went in favor of a black side by side. I could take or leave the french door idea - it didn't bother me either way - but after a year of living with it, my wife still didn't like it and the stainless DEFINITELY had to go. Daughter needed a new fridge in the worst way, so it was win-win. Re-skinned the stainless dishwasher, still have the stove to do but as its only partially stainless, it isn't quite as hideous as it would be otherwise.

Grey paint is just depressing, and is even worse than the "one red wall" trend a few years back.

I tend to agree with you on the older stuff. Something built in the craftsman style in the 60's has a classic appeal. Same with Frank Lloyd Wright and his "prairie style" My house is a product of the 90's and it was pretty awful. Honey Oak cabinets, burgundy Formica (which we had replaced), wallpaper "borders". It was supposed to be open concept, but they failed. Our kitchen is where people gather...so we're making it easier for them to do so and give us some much needed counter space. We're also reclaiming unused floor space in the front room that wasn't big enough for anything but a couple lamps and a love seat. It was utterly useless...Not that I'm trying to justify my choices to you...but not everything 90's was good!

 

[JMT]

Your update is the style my wife and I like. Looks great Mike. Great choices! The table will be interesting.

 

[Zorba]

...Not that I'm trying to justify my choices to you...but not everything 90's was good!

Horses for courses as they say. My dance teacher *HATES* her "open concept" house - too noisy as she points out. Myself, I like Victorians. I like the look, I like the closed rooms, I like the floorplans. Not everybody would! We almost bought one once. It needed a metric butt-ton of work, but it sure was cool! It even had a tin roof!

 

[pc1p]

Its "just you". We still miss the house we remodeled in 1998, beautiful cherrywood cabinets with tile countertops. Subsequent owner removed the cabinets over the counter - thus removing valuable storage space - all in the name of the oh-so-sacred HGTV "Open Concept" bullshit (Read: "Barn Floorplan"), never mind the horrid stainless st... - uh, I mean STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES!

The amount of 21st century horridness we had to remove from our current home was both shocking and sad. The 1963 built house had had its breakfast bar cabinetry removed, decreasing needed storage space, increasing noise, and making the front room look like a barn. I don't want to live in one big room for a large variety of reasons - yet HGTV keeps pusing the idea, despite evidence that its run its course. So we had to have a cabinet custom made to replace it - and matching the existing cabinet doors turned out to be a real problem. Then we had to convert or exchange the fugly stainless appliances, do away with the stupid and space wasting stand alone range hood, and last - but certainly not least - had to do some repainting. The hall made me think I was onboard the U.S.S. Merritt Island - got rid of the battleship grey paint and painted it - wait for it - a peachy kind of color!

At least the kitchen cabinets - although not as nice as the afore mentioned cherrywood ones we had in a previous home - were nice enough. We'd never had granite countertops before, but overall we ended up liking them. But we did add one 90s design element to the kitchen - 1890s that is - a tin ceiling!

OTOH, somebody had recently remodeled the master bathroom - and did a fantastic job of it, so we don't have to do anything with it. The front bath is 1963 original - and we're gonna keep it that way.

As for Formica - my wife has gotten to the point of where she'd rather have that than either tile or Corian. She got tired of cleaning grout all the time, and Corian scratches too easily, might as well have Formica and save the money. Wife didn't like the (stainless) french door fridge either - that went in favor of a black side by side. I could take or leave the french door idea - it didn't bother me either way - but after a year of living with it, my wife still didn't like it and the stainless DEFINITELY had to go. Daughter needed a new fridge in the worst way, so it was win-win. Re-skinned the stainless dishwasher, still have the stove to do but as its only partially stainless, it isn't quite as hideous as it would be otherwise.

Grey paint is just depressing, and is even worse than the "one red wall" trend a few years back.

We've had this discussion before - nothing about cherry cabinets and tile countertops says "90's remodel". I'm obviously talking about the classic 90's remodel - wide-grain oak cabinets, clear/yellow stain, Formica - lots and lots of Formica, preferably in something tan, peach, or green tint, 2" thick x 20" tall Formica backstop.

*shivers in disgust*

Makes me want to wrap that 20' long, overly coiled telephone wire around my neck really tight and take a short dive out the kitchen window...

I'm not a huge fan of the "open style" floor plan. Our current house is very much compartmentalized and my wife just recently said how she prefers that over the open floor (took me forever to convince her of this!). I do like big open kitchens - with wide stoves and double-stacked ovens, etc (not kitchens that blend into the family room, dining room, library, etc). I prefer more function over form in the kitchen, so granite, durable cabinets with easy to clean finishes, a functional range hood (even if it gives up that "precious" 0.22 cubic yards of storage above lol!), oversized range, big sink, etc.

Peach color though? That shit makes me vomit... I love the modern grey/whites (not so much the greige) which are actually classic colors. And I love stainless appliances (going back to function mentioned earlier). My wife likes to decorate with the seasons so the neutrals work and look the best by far in the main areas. Picking neutrals is actually quite the challenge and a lot of people f%*$ it up, and grey is especially so (contrary to popular believe, there are more than 50 Shades!). Neutrals are clean looking and calming - which I appreciate in a home that is also my office.

Thanks. We tried to make it both modern and classic. The only thing I'm worried about is our Island "table" We don't really have space for a real dining table, so we added a 5 foot extension of countertop to serve as our main dining area. Gives us 8 spots around the island for people to sit and eat. I know that is popular now...but I don't know what kind of staying power it will have.

The "island" table has come back but it is somewhat classic too, at least in lofts and smaller floorplans. Nice thing about that is if you decide on something else, an island is relatively easy to deal with.

 

[Zorba]

We've had this discussion before - nothing about cherry cabinets and tile countertops says "90's remodel". I'm obviously talking about the classic 90's remodel - wide-grain oak cabinets, clear/yellow stain, Formica - lots and lots of Formica, preferably in something tan, peach, or green tint, 2" thick x 20" tall Formica backstop.

*shivers in disgust*

Makes me want to wrap that 20' long, overly coiled telephone wire around my neck really tight and take a short dive out the kitchen window...

I'm not a huge fan of the "open style" floor plan. Our current house is very much compartmentalized and my wife just recently said how she prefers that over the open floor (took me forever to convince her of this!). I do like big open kitchens - with wide stoves and double-stacked ovens, etc (not kitchens that blend into the family room, dining room, library, etc). I prefer more function over form in the kitchen, so granite, durable cabinets with easy to clean finishes, a functional range hood (even if it gives up that "precious" 0.22 cubic yards of storage above lol!), oversized range, big sink, etc.

Peach color though? That shit makes me vomit... I love the modern grey/whites (not so much the greige) which are actually classic colors. And I love stainless appliances (going back to function mentioned earlier). My wife likes to decorate with the seasons so the neutrals work and look the best by far in the main areas. Picking neutrals is actually quite the challenge and a lot of people f%*$ it up, and grey is especially so (contrary to popular believe, there are more than 50 Shades!). Neutrals are clean looking and calming - which I appreciate in a home that is also my office.


The "island" table has come back but it is somewhat classic too, at least in lofts and smaller floorplans. Nice thing about that is if you decide on something else, an island is relatively easy to deal with.

Then we agree on one thing: We'd hate each other's houses/kitchens!

Fuck "Neutral". Although I have a liking for white walls, I prefer color - not necessarily bright color, but color - and certainly not anything grey. Like any other house you move into, there's 10,000 things that need your attention. Repainting that horrid grey hallway ended up being #2, right behind patching holes in the MBR ceiling from hook removals.

I have no problem whatsoever with Oak. Its not my favorite wood, but its nice. Beats painted anything. Our bedroom set - purchased in the 90s come to think of it - is exactly that: Wide grained Oak.

 

[pc1p]

I tend to agree with you on the older stuff. Something built in the craftsman style in the 60's has a classic appeal. Same with Frank Lloyd Wright and his "prairie style" My house is a product of the 90's and it was pretty awful. Honey Oak cabinets, burgundy Formica (which we had replaced), wallpaper "borders". It was supposed to be open concept, but they failed.

This was the point I was trying to make earlier... the 90's was a conglomerate of everything awful from previous eras and periods, with nothing unique- other than being ugly AF...

At least 90's music was decent!

 

[pc1p]

Then we agree on one thing: We'd hate each other's houses/kitchens!

Fuck "Neutral". Although I have a liking for white walls, I prefer color - not necessarily bright color, but color - and certainly not anything grey. Like any other house you move into, there's 10,000 things that need your attention. Repainting that horrid grey hallway ended up being #2, right behind patching holes in the MBR ceiling from hook removals.

I have no problem whatsoever with Oak. Its not my favorite wood, but its nice. Beats painted anything. Our bedroom set - purchased in the 90s come to think of it - is exactly that: Wide grained Oak.

I've got about 60 bf of wide grained red oak I'll happily trade you straight up for a curly or even silver maple I don't mind white oak (actually I like to build with it!) but red oak and the "honey oak" faux variant is awful. Honey oak is to the 90's what "open floor plans" was to the 2000/10's...

I grew up with barely colored walls, wallpaper (including borders!), green panelling, blue-colored bathrooms with matching paint, sinks, tubs, etc. I've been scarred for life!

I remember helping my mom paint the living room one-time and she went with what she called "yellow". It honestly should have been a lawsuit against Sherwin Williams b/c I don't know how they could legally call that "yellow". I'm go-big or go-home when it comes to color. I figure if you're gonna do some color - do some color! None of this piddly 3 drops of dye in a bucket of white and calling that "color" nonsense. All those "barely colored" walls just look dirty and aged - even freshly painted...

I'll take a house full of properly toned grey or white with colorful accents and furniture over a house with 15 different rooms painted with a "sorta, kinda, maybe a color" any day of the week and twice on Sunday

 

[Mike_H]

Horses for courses as they say. My dance teacher *HATES* her "open concept" house - too noisy as she points out. Myself, I like Victorians. I like the look, I like the closed rooms, I like the floorplans. Not everybody would! We almost bought one once. It needed a metric butt-ton of work, but it sure was cool! It even had a tin roof!

I personally gravitate toward the old bungalow style. Wide front porch with a Gambrel or Hip roof and deep overhangs, Generally a story and a half. Usually craftsman inside. Natural finishes, individual rooms, etc.

Our house is a bit more modern outside. They could have really made it nice and classic, but it was a spec house so little details like having an overhang on the gable ends were not done to "save money." Its stupid because for an extra 1000 bucks in material they would be there now, but if I try to add it, its probably 10,000 dollars worth of work. The one thing I HATE from the 90's is the garage being front and center in the house. My house also conforms to those rules...I don't like it, but I'm not moving because of it. I'm so glad people are recessing the garages or even better, turning them 90 degrees and making them side entrance.

 

[pc1p]

A blue room...

A "might as well be grey" room...

 

[Dr. Internet]

You are in good shape and it’s easy to see the job is being logically executed- The first thing I notice is everything that needs to be complete is - You don’t have cabinets sitting there with half of the wall still bare studs, wires where they shouldn’t be and nonsense like that- The contractor is following the critical path and from what you described the overall turnaround time is well above average.

Critical path management — PM in the house!!

 

[pc1p]

I personally gravitate toward the old bungalow style. Wide front porch with a Gambrel or Hip roof and deep overhangs, Generally a story and a half. Usually craftsman inside. Natural finishes, individual rooms, etc.

Our house is a bit more modern outside. They could have really made it nice and classic, but it was a spec house so little details like having an overhang on the gable ends were not done to "save money." Its stupid because for an extra 1000 bucks in material they would be there now, but if I try to add it, its probably 10,000 dollars worth of work. The one thing I HATE from the 90's is the garage being front and center in the house. My house also conforms to those rules...I don't like it, but I'm not moving because of it. I'm so glad people are recessing the garages or even better, turning them 90 degrees and making them side entrance.

I love turn of the century Craftsman homes as well as the furniture usually with them. I'm also partial to similar timeframe Prairie style homes, particularly the American foursquare.

My son and daughter love some of the late 1800's style Queen Anne.

This just popped up on FB and my family all said we should buy it and restore as a B&B: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/615-Columbia-St_Elmira_NY_14901_M43093-03037

 

[Zorba]

I personally gravitate toward the old bungalow style. Wide front porch with a Gambrel or Hip roof and deep overhangs, Generally a story and a half. Usually craftsman inside. Natural finishes, individual rooms, etc.

Our house is a bit more modern outside. They could have really made it nice and classic, but it was a spec house so little details like having an overhang on the gable ends were not done to "save money." Its stupid because for an extra 1000 bucks in material they would be there now, but if I try to add it, its probably 10,000 dollars worth of work. The one thing I HATE from the 90's is the garage being front and center in the house. My house also conforms to those rules...I don't like it, but I'm not moving because of it. I'm so glad people are recessing the garages or even better, turning them 90 degrees and making them side entrance.

I'm with you on garages. Do not like the "phallic symbol" some of them seem to project. Side entrance, rear set, or even rear entrance off an alley is a much better solution. The old style detached rear set where one drives through the side yard works pretty well too.

Speaking of which - I'm a big fan of the "zero lot line" idea where the house is directly against the property line on one side. Gives a bigger side yard on the other side instead of two narrow strips which are completely useless. But my very favorite is the traditional Moroccan/middle eastern layout. House looks inward to a central atrium, and often occupies the entire lot. Contrast to the "English Manor Style" with front lawn. Both have their plusses and minuses.

 

[pc1p]

@Mike_H I hope you don't mind me sharing this on your thread, but you mentioned Craftsman style with natural finishes and I figured some of you guys may appreciate it...

We are remodeling the basement starting this winter. It is currently finished, probably sometime in the 70's or early 80's and needs a refresh as well as some improvements. I want the final design to be inspired by the 1920's speakeasies and will be designing the furniture, bar, etc. Anyways, I picked this lot of planes up yesterday for $30:

I'm a sucker for a vintage Stanley Bailey (top one) and wanted another No 5 for jack/rough work (I'm buying some raw boards this winter and will prep them to season for next year). This is a Type 14, made in 1929-1930. As I was looking at it, I was wondering where it came from and how many pieces of furniture it may have made over its life. Just shy of its 100 year birthday, this plane (as well as the 1930 made Fulton below it!) will be rocking and ready for another 100 years of service after a weekend restoration.

Can't think of too many things nowadays that would last 100 years and then with some basic work would be ready for 100 more...

 

[AndyG]

@Mike_H I hope you don't mind me sharing this on your thread, but you mentioned Craftsman style with natural finishes and I figured some of you guys may appreciate it...

We are remodeling the basement starting this winter. It is currently finished, probably sometime in the 70's or early 80's and needs a refresh as well as some improvements. I want the final design to be inspired by the 1920's speakeasies and will be designing the furniture, bar, etc. Anyways, I picked this lot of planes up yesterday for $30:

View attachment 287071

I'm a sucker for a vintage Stanley Bailey (top one) and wanted another No 5 for jack/rough work (I'm buying some raw boards this winter and will prep them to season for next year). This is a Type 14, made in 1929-1930. As I was looking at it, I was wondering where it came from and how many pieces of furniture it may have made over its life. Just shy of its 100 year birthday, this plane (as well as the 1930 made Fulton below it!) will be rocking and ready for another 100 years of service after a weekend restoration.

Can't think of too many things nowadays that would last 100 years and then with some basic work would be ready for 100 more...

Man after my heart

 

[Mike_H]

@Mike_H I hope you don't mind me sharing this on your thread, but you mentioned Craftsman style with natural finishes and I figured some of you guys may appreciate it...

We are remodeling the basement starting this winter. It is currently finished, probably sometime in the 70's or early 80's and needs a refresh as well as some improvements. I want the final design to be inspired by the 1920's speakeasies and will be designing the furniture, bar, etc. Anyways, I picked this lot of planes up yesterday for $30:

View attachment 287071

I'm a sucker for a vintage Stanley Bailey (top one) and wanted another No 5 for jack/rough work (I'm buying some raw boards this winter and will prep them to season for next year). This is a Type 14, made in 1929-1930. As I was looking at it, I was wondering where it came from and how many pieces of furniture it may have made over its life. Just shy of its 100 year birthday, this plane (as well as the 1930 made Fulton below it!) will be rocking and ready for another 100 years of service after a weekend restoration.

Can't think of too many things nowadays that would last 100 years and then with some basic work would be ready for 100 more...

I have an old plane my grampa gave me years ago. It needs a handle, but the rest of it is as good as the day it was made.

 

[Mike_H]

Carpenters are done until it's time for final finish. We have paint coming the week of the 22nd and counter install on the 19th. I decided to do the floor myself, so that is this weekend's project. I'll have my buddy come over and measure for stair 'spindles' tomorrow. We're doing horizontal bars vs vertical.

And we had to have a 'beam' installed to support the massive linear light fixture that will be situated about the island

 

[AndyG]

Job is going good, just realized it was a split level.

 

[Mike_H]

Job is going good, just realized it was a split level.

Yeah, it is. Has its nice features...its a lot of house for the "footprint" Also, nice divisions between the rooms. I do wish we had a third bathroom, to have one on each floor, but thats a nit to pick.

 

[AndyG]

I see all kinds of signs of good project management-

Drywall patches done ahead

No major incompletes-what needs to be done is, what should not be done isn’t

Protected floors

All the layout/placements are good and logical

A Level is present - speaks volumes.