Kitchen Remodeling

[Bart]

Thanks John! I've heard about this before but haven't taken it to the next step and actually looked into it! I will now.

From the link on the previous page:

At 15¢ kWh, trading in a pre-1986 fridge for a new efficient one would save about $158 a year in electricity costs. And some older fridges are even worse than the average. One reader estimates her savings to be $238 per year for trading in her 1979 fridge for a 2004 model.

Yikes!

[MarkS]

My wife looked at and like separate frig and freezer each 36"  sub-zero.  I'll know more as design gets closer to reality, about 4 months or so.

[johnb]

My wife looked at and like separate frig and freezer each 36"  sub-zero.  I'll know more as design gets closer to reality, about 4 months or so.

I installed separate fridge and freezer, but not sub zero, at about 1/3 the SZ price.  They are not "cabinet depth" but regular depth (I had custom cabinets anyway so the greater depth wasn't an issue).  I never could, and still can't, understand why anyone is willing to pay SZ prices to get a simple box to keep things cold, but I guess that's just me.

I don't know if that option still exists.

You pay a heavy up-front cost for those cabinet-depth fridges, and get less space to boot. OTOH perhaps it forces you to not have things in the back getting moldy.  To each his own.

Edit: Whirlpool at least has a pair like that called "Sidekick"

[MarkS]

Marvel actually makes a 72" side by side at about 1100lbs.  Yikes.  I'm fairly sold on the SZ/Wolf appliances for service, style, features.  Not the cheapest but neither is an Audi or Mercedes.  Considering that I am blowing my kitchen into the dining room and this will be the last kitchen I ever build everything is on the table.

Harder choices are sinks-Too many choices.

[weezy]

Harder choices are sinks-Too many choices.

Don't go too deep.  I got one 2" deeper than standard and I have to be careful because it's just deep enough that I could pull a back muscle wrestling something large, wet and heavy.  But wide/long....go as big as you can go.  Love that.

[Josh]

Don't go too deep.  I got one 2" deeper than standard and I have to be careful because it's just deep enough that I could pull a back muscle wrestling something large, wet and heavy.  But wide/long....go as big as you can go.  Love that.

   

[weezy]

the latest addition to my new kitchen build.  This is a door I got at an antiques/flea market ~15 years ago and I've been storing it waiting for the right project to hang it.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206842632897179&set=a.1964501445014.107289.1617215174&type=3

[Bart]

Don't go too deep.  I got one 2" deeper than standard and I have to be careful because it's just deep enough that I could pull a back muscle wrestling something large, wet and heavy.  But wide/long....go as big as you can go.  Love that.

Have you looked into a wire insert for the bottom of the sink?

My cousin has one in his kitchen. I never asked why, and their sink is not that deep, but it looks a bit like a wire rack you'd cool cookies on except that it perfectly fit the sink and had a whole for the garbage disposal. It probably rose the depth of the sink an inch and a half or two.

[weezy]

Have you looked into a wire insert for the bottom of the sink?

My cousin has one in his kitchen. I never asked why, and their sink is not that deep, but it looks a bit like a wire rack you'd cool cookies on except that it perfectly fit the sink and had a whole for the garbage disposal. It probably rose the depth of the sink an inch and a half or two.

I'll check it out, thanks.

[MarkS]

Demolition of the ground floor of our house starts Monday with Kitchen to be complete in about 6-8 weeks. Wine storage was completed about two weeks ago and the decision to build out part of a room with racking and cooling proved to be smarter compared to dedicated wine storage unit.  Capacity is around 900 bottles and much cheaper then  wine units with less capacity.

After demolition we will be installing approx. 24 feet of sliding glass doors to maximize view.  No wall cabinets on that side.

Feel free to ask questions,

[LauraB]

 Feel free to ask questions,

Who's your contractor? How did you select them?

[Bart]

Feel free to ask questions,

Can I come over? (nightly)

[MarkS]

This is in Annapolis. We have one contractor who we have used for a few projects. He built the wine room and will be doing the exterior sliding glass doors. it's fairly technical as he had to model 2 steel support beams to hold up the back of the house and allow the 4 sliders to be contiguous.

The kitchen is being installed by Kenwood Kitchen. They worked with us on the design and are selling the cabinets and coordinating all the subs.

[MarkS]

this was completed a month ago before Kitchen was started. we had it designed by IWA who supplied the racking which my contractor installed.

Kitchen progress is slow. Demolition was completed last week. Back of house was converted to sliding glass doors this week after two steel beams were put in to hold up house.

Contractor also worked in crawl space to add support for island, stove and refrigeration.

I'm hoping all will be done around end of May.

[MarkS]

Figured out how to attach photo..oops.

[weezy]

Figured out how to attach photo..oops.

impressive rack!

[weezy]

I've changed my mind about the backsplash, and my contractor took the wine racks out to do a little tweaking on them, but otherwise here is the kitchen (if I can make the link work):

 

[DonRocks]

I've changed my mind about the backsplash, and my contractor took the wine racks out to do a little tweaking on them, but otherwise here is the kitchen (if I can make the link work):

Gorgeous!

My God, you ought to see my kitchen. My God, you ought to have seen my *old* kitchen, or lack thereof.

[MarkS]

If you are considering Wolf, Sub-Zero or Asko I strongly suggest you visit Fretz in Columbia.  They are not a dealer but a showroom with a vast array of products on display.  Very knowledgeable staff who can explain every feature and nuance and they have most options and models in their showroom.  I have already bought my appliances but they were able to answer several questions about the French cooktop which am getting.

They host a complimentary dinner once a month, demonstrating use of many appliance and features.

[curls]

If you are considering Wolf, Sub-Zero or Asko I strongly suggest you visit Fretz in Columbia.  They are not a dealer but a showroom with a vast array of products on display.  Very knowledgeable staff who can explain every feature and nuance and they have most options and models in their showroom.  I have already bought my appliances but they were able to answer several questions about the French cooktop which am getting.

They host a complimentary dinner once a month, demonstrating use of many appliance and features.

I second the Fretz recommendation. Helpful salespeople, huge showroom, and a lot of working appliances to try out.

[MarkS]

Week 5 of my remodel and actually excited to pay 2nd half of appliances so that they can be delivered next week. Supports have been added in crawl space to support 1000lb stove.  That will be delivered by 4 folks through sliding door in rear of house.  Probably another 6 weeks to go and hoping to have tile backsplash selected tomorrow,

[MarkS]

Well somehow we are a week behind so maybe next week it will be close enough for pictures.  Murphy's law dictated that the vent showed up without blower  and that the project manager didn't like the way the countertops turned out.  The project manager has an exceptional eye for detail and is always thinking of what needs to be done.  When he saw where the seams in the Island were going, he has the carpenter notch the cabinets frames so reinforcing steel could be inserted.  Plumber also caught that the stove and outdoor grill needed a larger gas regulator.

Also now realize that since our pantry is all drawers we will need to get drawer dividers to keep items from rolling around.

Very happy though it would have nice to be done.

[MarkS]

Hoping to post pictures as soon as Paint and floor are done.  Very happy with design and installation.  Cooking on big gas burners is great so far(tried once) but I am still learning how to organize drawers and refrigerator.  Our Refrigerator has two refrigerator drawers below the door as a full size stainless door would have been too heavy.  Biggest problem so far is that the island is about 16' long and it is like running track to go from stove to eating end.

[MarkS]

Pictures coming soon but finally using kitchen.  Learning where to put everything and how to find it again is a chore.  Same with refrigerator as we chose a 36 subzero but split refrig into an upper door and two lower drawers.  I doubt my mother in law, 87 years old, who is visiting in two weeks will be able to open the door.

So far have only used the cooktop a few times but will say that these are huge hot burners.  Anyone who claims 18K or 20K isn't enough is nuts.  That high and you'll burn food quickly unless you are boiling water. Cooked Paella for 8 using what I believe was an 18" pan and it was great. Really liked having a low simmer so I could walk away from stove and great guests.

 

[MarkS]

I had a bunch of issue getting high res picture down to 2 Meg.  Here are some pics, ask me any questions and hope to share a magazine article soon with pro picture of the kitchen.

 

 

[weezy]

wow!  I'd cook in there for sure 

 

[MarkS]

Yeah-We decided that we are living here for a while.  We have had several couples cooking at once and there is plenty or room.  What you don't see if that one wall is essentially all glass with 4 6' sliders opening up to the desk with a view of the South River and Chesapeake Bay.

Flanking the freezer/Frig are pantries as there are no closets or doors.  In fact we gave up a formal living room when we expanded and built the kitchen.  The Refrigerator in the right has two pull out drawers so the door did not weight a ton.

Having a dishwasher drawer is great as we mostly use that as opposed to the full size dishwasher.

Countertops are all caeserstone. We liked the options.

 

[MarkS]

These are much better pictures of our kitchen.

http://www.photopian.com/galleries/kenwood/streger/

[Rhone1998]

I'm in the market for a built-in wine cooler and am having trouble finding something with good reviews in the middle range between the cheapo $250 models and ones running several thousands of dollars (which get great reviews obviously but are out of my budget).  Anyone look into these recently and have any good recommendations?

Also, LPT for anyone doing kitchen remodeling with small kids - the Reico in Springfield has a kids playroom where you can drop the little ones so you can browse and talk to the consultants there without interruption.  Genius!

[MarkS]

We put in 2 Marvel coolers in our island.  One for wine and one for beer.  So far they have been performing well and would recommend.

[Genevieve]

On 12/4/2016 at 7:49 AM, MarkS said:

These are much better pictures of our kitchen.

http://www.photopian.com/galleries/kenwood/streger/

Beautiful! Love the tile. That's a kitchen with plenty of room to cook in.

The barstools are especially nice - where did they come from?

[MarkS]

I believe the stools are from Basset Furniture.   We eat most of our meals in that part of the kitchen. 

The tile installer was great, his grout lines are amazing.  And he didn't break one glass tile!!!

[KeithA]

We are currently in the design phase to remodel our first floor which will likely include moving the small kitchen from a back corner to the center of our long, narrow row house. I've never had an island before but think we'll likely need/want a big one for extra counter space and storage underneath. Any suggestions on storage solutions - whether special types of cabinets for pots, good spice storage solutions, kitchen "essentials" beyond the basics?  I'm think we may want to put in a wine fridge and maybe one of those pot filler faucets by the stove.  Please tell me what cool things you love in your or other people's kitchens that we should consider. It is a blank slate right now.

[weezy]

Big deep drawers for pots.

 A sink big enough for your largest pan/cookie sheet to sit flat on the bottom.  

More outlets.  I don't care how many you think are enough, you'll want more.

Don't have and wish I did:  roll out tall-boy pantry

[Rieux]

I second the roll out tall boy pantry. It is my favorite item in my kitchen. So easy to organize spices, vinegars, oils etc. 

[Poivrot Farci]

Assuming you have a hood over the island, consider hanging short cabinetry/shelves on both sides (with light & outlets far away from potential splatter) as any space way up there is otherwise wasted and makes good storage for tableware/pantry/small appliance miscellany.  A recessed counter-top compost bin next to the double sink is the next best thing

[MarkS]

Our remodel included 2 dishwashers. One is a 1/2 drawer dishwasher which we use most of the time,  Highly recommended.

We also got the biggest sink we liked.  Including the wet area it is 45" x 18-1/2" x 9-13/16" .. Huge

Almost all of our cabinets have drawers, even the pantry's have pull outs inside the doors.  The back of the island has a few regular cabinets for odd items like the stand mixer.  My pots go in the  4 drawers on either side of the stove, on the right is a small pull out which holds tongs and tools. 

Also have a dedicated knife drawer with soft inserts.

 

http://www.photopian.com/galleries/kenwood/streger/

[smithhemb]

Anyone know anything about the Hestan rangetops?  Can’t find any reviews online.

[smithhemb]

And an aesthetic question.  I rarely seem to want appliances from the same manufacturer. But I’m kinda worried about ending up with 5 different variations on stainless steel in a fairly small kitchen.  (Not to mention 5 different repair services.)

How did you handle this?  Or is it a non-issue?

[MarkS]

I can vouch for my Wolf range, 6 burners plus French cooktop.  All the specs regarding BTUS are overkill as there is no way regularly turn one burner on high except to boil water and turning all 7 to high would heat the house.

The stainless on my range match the stainless on my sub-zeros as well as my Asko and Fisher Paykel dishwashers and Kohler sink. 

 

 

[ktmoomau]

In our old condo- we had a Kenmore fridge ss, next to a Bosch range and microwave both ss, it all had the same exact color, ours didn't really have any color variation, but I don't know if other brands do?

[dcandohio]

2016 remodel. GE Refrigerator, Bosch dishwasher, Frigidaire stove and microwave. No problems with matching. 

[smithhemb]

 

16 hours ago, MarkS said:

All the specs regarding BTUS are overkill as there is no way regularly turn one burner on high except to boil water and turning all 7 to high would heat the house.

Just to make sure I understand, is your point that the formula for the right cfm for a rangehood assumes the simultaneous use of all burners and that’s unrealistic in a home environment?

And thanks, all, for reassurance re using stainless steel appliances from different manufacturers!  One less thing to worry about. 

[MarkS]

The point is that all these ranges get pans uber hot, way beyond what is typically needed.  I.E.  If you sauté on high you must tend to that pan constantly and simply can not do the same if you had 3,4 or 5 pans at that high setting.

[smithhemb]

Ah, ok, thanks!  I want one really hot burner for the wok, but, yeah, I’m not going to be managing more than 1 or 2 pans at once (with the second most likely just simmering or steaming). 

[Ferris Bueller]

Just completely redid our entire kitchen from studs out - if you use a wok, check out BlueStar ranges, locally made in PA.  If anyone watches "Chopped" those are the ranges they use.  There is a 25,000 BTU burner in the front center which boils water in minutes.  All the burners have an insert that pops out by hand and conveniently fits a wok.  You can custom-order knobs, trim, door panel etc, which was a great addition to our home.  The custom color is really cool.  The Platinum range is worth the extra $$ and we have 6 burners with an interchangeable griddle and grill as well.  It is awesome and I prefer it to some of the other high end ranges - it is simple and does what it is supposed to do, a virtual workhorse.  

Range vents above 450 CFM, often require installation of a "make-up" air vent.  In new home and retrofits it is usually a code issue.  We have a 1200 CFM fan which is certainly overkill, but having gone from a very inefficient downdraft originally, which could not do much of anything except interfere with the efficiency of the cooktop, I did not want to under-size the hood and have to redo it later.  For comparison's sake, your bathroom fan is likely 100 CFM or less.  650 CFM is substantial, on 1200, which we rarely if ever use, you can dry your hair and blast the scents of your cooking all over your neighborhood. 

[squidsdc]

2 hours ago, Ferris Bueller said:

Just completely redid our entire kitchen from studs out - if you use a wok, check out BlueStar ranges, locally made in PA.  If anyone watches "Chopped" those are the ranges they use.  There is a 25,000 BTU burner in the front center which boils water in minutes.  All the burners have an insert that pops out by hand and conveniently fits a wok.  You can custom-order knobs, trim, door panel etc, which was a great addition to our home.  The custom color is really cool.  The Platinum range is worth the extra $$ and we have 6 burners with an interchangeable griddle and grill as well.  It is awesome and I prefer it to some of the other high end ranges - it is simple and does what it is supposed to do, a virtual workhorse.  

Range vents above 450 CFM, often require installation of a "make-up" air vent.  In new home and retrofits it is usually a code issue.  We have a 1200 CFM fan which is certainly overkill, but having gone from a very inefficient downdraft originally, which could not do much of anything except interfere with the efficiency of the cooktop, I did not want to under-size the hood and have to redo it later.  For comparison's sake, your bathroom fan is likely 100 CFM or less.  650 CFM is substantial, on 1200, which we rarely if ever use, you can dry your hair and blast the scents of your cooking all over your neighborhood. 

 BlueStar is great! Did our remodel about 13 yrs ago. Still a workhorse, and still love it. And recommended if doesn't use a wok, too!

[Ferris Bueller]

8 hours ago, squidsdc said:

 BlueStar is great! Did our remodel about 13 yrs ago. Still a workhorse, and still love it. And recommended if doesn't use a wok, too!

Yes, in re-reading my post, I did not mean to pigeon-hole the wok (only) utility of BlueStar.  Great range no matter how or what you cook with.  It is extremely versatile and highly adjustable for all cooking types.

[smithhemb]

12 hours ago, Ferris Bueller said:

Just completely redid our entire kitchen from studs out - if you use a wok, check out BlueStar ranges, locally made in PA.  If anyone watches "Chopped" those are the ranges they use.  There is a 25,000 BTU burner in the front center which boils water in minutes.  All the burners have an insert that pops out by hand and conveniently fits a wok.  You can custom-order knobs, trim, door panel etc, which was a great addition to our home.  The custom color is really cool.  The Platinum range is worth the extra $$ and we have 6 burners with an interchangeable griddle and grill as well.  It is awesome and I prefer it to some of the other high end ranges - it is simple and does what it is supposed to do, a virtual workhorse.  

Range vents above 450 CFM, often require installation of a "make-up" air vent.  In new home and retrofits it is usually a code issue.  We have a 1200 CFM fan which is certainly overkill, but having gone from a very inefficient downdraft originally, which could not do much of anything except interfere with the efficiency of the cooktop, I did not want to under-size the hood and have to redo it later.  For comparison's sake, your bathroom fan is likely 100 CFM or less.  650 CFM is substantial, on 1200, which we rarely if ever use, you can dry your hair and blast the scents of your cooking all over your neighborhood. 

What range hood did you get?  The platinum 36” rangetop has been my default and two friends that have Blue Star ranges have been very happy with them.  Hestan just entered the residential market, so I was wondering if I should reconsider, but I can’t find enough info, so I’ll probably stick with BS.  

[Ferris Bueller]

The BS Platinum is definitely worth the co$t.  We did the 36".  The added features and attachments for the Platinum were worth the upgraded investment.  Since we did a custom color - the lead time was about 4-6 weeks.  Ferguson has several on display and depending on where you live and what showroom you go to, you may find the appliance person knowledgeable on BlueStar.  They do not have the branding of Wolf, Thermador or Viking.

Hood we went with the Zephyr Canopy-Style hood, Tempest II - 650 CFM standard, but you can upgrade it easily and get double the capacity.  The Canopy allowed me to raise the hood up higher than code recommended installation height.  I have seen others installed and if too low, you literally hit your head on it if  you are taller than 6'.  We have a window above our range, so the chimney-style would not work.  The baffles in the hood are really easy to clean, just throw them in the D/W and let dry.  It even signals you to do this after 30 hours of use.

Vent-a-hood makes a great hood as well, but there was a significant cost difference for similar performance & features.