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Kitchen Remodeling


Heather

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On 5/13/2019 at 10:10 AM, Ferris Bueller said:

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. 

Have you had occasion to replace the light bulbs in your Zephyr hood? My last house had a Zephyr Island Hood, I think it was the Napoli, and I had to order replacement light bulbs from Zephyr, as the domestically available bulbs had a shorter base that wouldn't make contact in those receptacles. I could have replaced all four receptacles, but it was easy to just order the bulbs direct from Zephyr. I was wondering if this is still the case. 

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Anybody here ever done piecemeal kitchen remodeling?  Basically, we have one wall that’s becoming increasingly urgent — fridge and wall oven are on their last legs.  A pantry closet would have to be deconstructed and cabinets replaced.  The wall is a little over 11 feet long and cabinets would be full length (so no counters).  I’m thinking of doing it separately because I don’t want to put money into dying appliances (and can’t install new ones w/o work on cabinetry), but i’m not quite ready for the full remodel and the waiting/disruption that would involve.  So I’m thinking that this is a discrete/manageable project that could potentially be completed quickly (no real plumbing or electrical required since new appliances are same kind/same location as old).

I’m probably only months away from doing the whole kitchen (or rest of the kitchen).  Should I just bite the bullet and do it all at once or is it realistic/relatively unproblematic to take this one piece out of the mix and do it first?  Doing so might skew my cabinet choices (either toward custom or IKEA — had been looking at Poggenpohl but that’s inherently a 12 week wait).  It might also make me think about whether that wall could have different cabinetry than the rest of the kitchen (there’s an aisle between the two parts).

Reactions?  I’ve never done any kind of remodeling before so I could be missing something really basic.  (Flooring is probably a non-issue; hardwood and staying that way.)

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For the inconvenience of doing a kitchen renovation, I would err on the side of complete versus partial.  The cabinet choices typically involve some lead time (6+ weeks) and the design/layout is probably the main reason you are considering a remodel.  Depending on your appliance selection(s) you can have lead times on those as well.  Since you will be without cooking facilities in the kitchen while the renovation ongoing, better to limit the time and get life back to normal as efficiently as possible.

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3 hours ago, smithhemb said:

Reactions? 

Knowing *nothing* about kitchen remodeling, but a whole lot about project design, it sounds like you've been forced into a piecemeal project. My advice would be to do at least some big-picture planning, so the work you actually perform now doesn't get wasted in the long run.

Maybe have an architect help you with the long-term plans, and make the wall Phase One?

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A few more bits of info.  

I have a second kitchen downstairs that’s fully functional.  No dedicated place to eat down there, but fridge/stove/oven are all working.

Upstairs/main kitchen remodel will not involve changes in design/layout (house was under construction when we bought it 20+ years ago and I tweaked kitchen design before it was built and have been happy with the layout).  New appliances will be in the same place and use the same type of power as the old ones.  There’s a chance that the new cooktop might need a higher volume gas line and the hood might require a larger vent.  Both are projects that wouldn’t involve work on the “phase 1” wall with the oven/fridge.

I already have plans drawn up for the whole project but haven’t done things like chosen sink, countertops, lighting, paint, backsplash, bookcase design.

Also the main kitchen is on the floor where we spend most of our time and that floor is fairly open plan (the only doors are to powder room, downstairs, and outside). There’s a lot of coming and going over the summer and so I’d rather put off heavier work until the fall.  

 

 

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21 hours ago, smithhemb said:

Anybody here ever done piecemeal kitchen remodeling?  Basically, we have one wall that’s becoming increasingly urgent — fridge and wall oven are on their last legs.  A pantry closet would have to be deconstructed and cabinets replaced.  The wall is a little over 11 feet long and cabinets would be full length (so no counters).  I’m thinking of doing it separately because I don’t want to put money into dying appliances (and can’t install new ones w/o work on cabinetry), but i’m not quite ready for the full remodel and the waiting/disruption that would involve.  So I’m thinking that this is a discrete/manageable project that could potentially be completed quickly (no real plumbing or electrical required since new appliances are same kind/same location as old).

I’m probably only months away from doing the whole kitchen (or rest of the kitchen).  Should I just bite the bullet and do it all at once or is it realistic/relatively unproblematic to take this one piece out of the mix and do it first?  Doing so might skew my cabinet choices (either toward custom or IKEA — had been looking at Poggenpohl but that’s inherently a 12 week wait).  It might also make me think about whether that wall could have different cabinetry than the rest of the kitchen (there’s an aisle between the two parts).

Reactions?  I’ve never done any kind of remodeling before so I could be missing something really basic.  (Flooring is probably a non-issue; hardwood and staying that way.)

I did some upgrades last summer. We added extra lower and upper cabinets while matching fairly close the wood color and granite counter top. Additionally we added back splash all around the counter space. For power, upgraded the smart outlets to add USB connections. Finally, took out the old track lighting and put in a drop down pendent Edison build light.

It took about four weekends of work and since it was piecemeal we were able to keep using the kitchen for the most part. Since we were trying to add to the existing kitchen and it's design, feel like it worked out ok. However if the plan had been to remodel with new design elements would have preferred to do it all at the same time. 

Good luck with your decision and project!

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On the wall oven, based on my recent experience, do not go for the Wolf double electric.  Ours is about to have its SECOND control panel replacement after installation in March.  Each time has involved a week's wait for a service call and at least another week's wait for the part.  The folks at Wolf are very pleasant, but one more failure and I will be asking for a refund plus costs to install a replacement for this very expensive oven.  

 

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I live in a townhouse.  The first floor is the garage and pool table room, the second floor is the main living area including kitchen, the third & fourth floors are bedrooms.  My kitchen has an island with a gas cooktop and a downdraft vent.  I was wondering if anyone has replaced a downdraft vent with an overhead vent?  I think the vents run between the 1st and 2nd floor and between the 3rd & 4th floor.  Who the hell should I talk to? A kitchen renovator or someone else?

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Yes - you can likely do this, easier if it an end unit. Best place to start, check with the original builder (depends on how old the place is)? They should be able to explain how they ran the duct out (under) the island and out the rear or side exterior of home. New codes in place will potentially affect other requirements like make-up air needed depending on displacement of fan with new hood.

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As I perused the above - I wanted to see if anyone had a specific contractor they'd recommend.  While my current kitchen (we moved into our new Great Falls home in June) is fine and a big step up from what I've had previously - I'm in the very early (i.e. planning) stages of scoping out a project that largely entails ripping off the current deck, replacing it with a "3 seasons room", adding an outdoor kitchen and redoing the exterior patio.  The first contractor I'm meeting with is Case Design but I'm struggling to dig up reliable recommendations on others to engage.  As the outdoor kitchen is a substantial component of it - I think I can fit it into the kitchen remodel page :)

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3 hours ago, Rovers2000 said:

As I perused the above - I wanted to see if anyone had a specific contractor they'd recommend.  While my current kitchen (we moved into our new Great Falls home in June) is fine and a big step up from what I've had previously - I'm in the very early (i.e. planning) stages of scoping out a project that largely entails ripping off the current deck, replacing it with a "3 seasons room", adding an outdoor kitchen and redoing the exterior patio.  The first contractor I'm meeting with is Case Design but I'm struggling to dig up reliable recommendations on others to engage.  As the outdoor kitchen is a substantial component of it - I think I can fit it into the kitchen remodel page :)

I've used Case before and the results were fine, though I think a lot depends on your project manager. I have been far more pleased with Distinctive Building Group and BOWA Builders, though I used them all for different projects on different homes. Distinctive did our kitchen over, which is in a quirky former general store and they did a flat out fantastic job from start to finish - on time and on budget.

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9 minutes ago, Keithstg said:

I've used Case before and the results were fine, though I think a lot depends on your project manager. I have been far more pleased with Distinctive Building Group and BOWA Builders, though I used them all for different projects on different homes. Distinctive did our kitchen over, which is in a quirky former general store and they did a flat out fantastic job from start to finish - on time and on budget.

Super helpful - thank you

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On 12/8/2020 at 2:30 PM, Keithstg said:

I've used Case before and the results were fine, though I think a lot depends on your project manager. I have been far more pleased with Distinctive Building Group and BOWA Builders, though I used them all for different projects on different homes. Distinctive did our kitchen over, which is in a quirky former general store and they did a flat out fantastic job from start to finish - on time and on budget.

Appreciate the advice.  I interviewed a number of folks, including Case and BOWA and ended up going with BOWA for a number of reasons.  Signed the contract yesterday so I'm looking forward to the design process.

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4 hours ago, Rovers2000 said:

Appreciate the advice.  I interviewed a number of folks, including Case and BOWA and ended up going with BOWA for a number of reasons.  Signed the contract yesterday so I'm looking forward to the design process.

Awesome - good luck! If you end up working with Tim Burch, he is a great guy.

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On 1/14/2021 at 12:27 PM, Rovers2000 said:

Appreciate the advice.  I interviewed a number of folks, including Case and BOWA and ended up going with BOWA for a number of reasons.  Signed the contract yesterday so I'm looking forward to the design process.

Let me know how this goes.  We want an outdoor kitchen and believe we have selected the cabinets and appliances.  We are hiring a designer to create specs and then will need a firm to install, build and manage.  Though we are leaning towards stainless cabinets there is work as we want a dummy wall built behind them to create a counter top lip and run electric.

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What started as a project to put in an outdoor kitchen turned into an outdoor kitchen, new patio, replacing the deck with a three season room, and installing an outdoor fire pit area.  
 

As I said above we used BOWA and if I had to start over again, I’d make the exact same choice.   Jim Harris, Mick Spring and Ethan Boudreau were a tremendous team to work with and it felt like a true partnership.  Did it take longer than I’d anticipated from start to finish?  Yes.  But given the world we live in right now I think that’s going to be the norm for any of these types of projects.  You do pay a premium for BOWA, however their work (and that of their subs - particularly the guys from Prestige on the carpentry and paint side) was impeccable and in my mind it was a premium worth paying.  
 

In the outdoor kitchen I ended up prioritizing lots of counter space and forgoing a traditional gas grill in favor of the Big Green Egg and a Gozney Dome Pizza Oven.  We built in storage for pizza peels etc as well as an open space to stack wood for both ovens (as well as wood for the wood burning fireplace in the 3 seasons room).  

6132E261-B76D-4668-B930-793235B6733A.jpeg

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