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Remodeled Kitchens done right!
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The kitchen is the most difficult room in the house to remodel. Why, because there many systems that have to be incorporated to do it right. Creating the right design for your house and your needs is critical for a properly functioning kitchen. After it is all said and done, a successful kitchen remodel will enhance your family's ability prepare meals, entertain friends and eventually sell your home. The national adverage for a kitchen remodel (2008) is just over $50k. Minor remodels can costs less ($25k to $40k) and many can reach over $75k to $100k depending on your budget for cabinets, appliances, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures and all the associates costs with their installation.
It all starts with design. The working triangle, or square is very importand to making the kitchen work smoothly. To big of a triangle, and you spend to much time walking around. According to NKBA (National Kitchen & Bath Association), 70% of your time in the kitchen is spent at the sink. So weather you want to face a window to the outside or your family and guests is one of the first decisions of the design. Moving the plumbing is a very small expense in the overall costs of a project and should not be a deal breaker for this very important issue. The next issue in the design should be the cooking devices. It is critical for cooking that you have enough room on either side of the range or cooktop. If the kitchen is large enough to seperate the cooktop from the oven, then space for removing items from the oven and delivering them to a countertop needs to be close by. The third item in your triangle is the refrigerator and again a landing spot close by is a necessity. Once these locations and appliances are selected, then the cabinet design and layout become the fun part of figuring out how you will set up the preparation, cooking and cleaning areas of your new kitchen.
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Islands
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Islands are all the rage and everyone wants one in their kitchen. There are some very critical issues to consider and the most important one is space. If you do not have the proper space, please do not put one in. We have designed kitchens with islands of many shapes and sizes. According to NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association), the minimum space requirements between countertops is 3'6" and if there is an isle on one side the minimum should be 4'. The main reason for this is to have clearence for one person to walk past another another and is to make sure you can open the dishwasher, oven, or the refrigerator and have room to work. This is a must, otherwise you will regret having an island.
An island can be the focal point of many kitchens. Many clients like to use a different cabinet color and countertop from the rest of the kitchen. This creates a dramatic look and can enhance even the most modest kitchen. Some kitchens create a furniture look for the island by adding different design elements like turned legs, corbel brackes and special feet on the base of the cabinet.
Islands can add a fun element to a kitchen. Again, according to NKBA, 70% of the time spent in a kitchen is at the sink. Many of our clients relocate the sink or the cook top to an island so the can face their family and guests. If the sink and dishwasher is in the island it is critical to make sure that there is a least 2' of space on each side of the sink for proper use. The same rule applies to having the cooktop in the island; however, the minimum space requirement is 18" on each side.
Some kitchens are large enough to have 2 islands in them. Many kitchen designs can accomodate 2 cooks and have a 2nd sink in the island for convienance. This is a great feature, especially if the main sink is a long distance from the cooking device.
Remember, if you do not have the minimum space requirements, please do not force your designer to put an island into the design. You will regret the decision and your money will be better spent on other features of the kitchen.
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Appliances
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There are so many appliances on the market it is often one of the most difficult items to select with all the features available. Selecting your appliances is very critical for the design layout of the cabinets due to the different sizes of appliances. Depending on the cooks requirements, most standard appliances provide great service; however, if the cook creates many gourmet dishes, some appliances offer special simmer settings. Years ago, one of our clients installed a Five Star gas cook top that allowed a simmer setting to melt butter on a paper plate without burning the plate.
Industry standards on appliance sizes (widths) usually include creating at least 36" for a refrigerator, 30" for a range and or cooktop, 24" for dishwashers, 30" for wall ovens. Many cooktops and ranges can add a 5th and 6th burner increasing there size to 42" and 48" respectively. Refrigerators/ freezors come in all sizes all they way up to 48" and over. Some new dishwashers have increased their size to 30" for drawer models. Wall ovens, double ovens and microwave combinations can be 30" to 36".
Many new appliances have hit the market in recent years. There are built in coffee, expresso, latta and tea machines available especially one that a of our clients claims was the best investment she made in her kitchen.
Cooking devices have come a long way. There is the induction cooktops that only heat the pan and not the surface to eliminate the possibilities of getting a burn. One client recently put in a speed oven that she absolutley loves. Wall ovens with convection and microwave combinations have become popular. There are french pots available on some cook tops as well as grill and griddle options. Warming drawers have become popular and built steam units are now available. These are just a few of the mirade of appliances available. Some of the higher end professional appliances have proven to be more repair prone according to Consimer Reports magazine.
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Cabinets
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Cabinets are the single most expensive part of the budget. From custom made to modular sizes there is a hugh variety of choices available. Most manfactureres of modular cabinets offen them from 6" widths up to 48" using 3" increments. This help us create a plan that fits almost any kitchen without having to create a custom size, although, some manfacturerers do offer some customization. One of the most important considerations is to make sure there are tolerances allowed for against walls and around appliances to make sure doors and drawers function properly and appliances open up enough to use properly. A well designed cabinet layout makes sure the cooking, preparation and clean up requirements are all considered to make the best use of the space.
Traditional cabinets have had a face frame with an overlay, semi-overlay or inset doors. Some styles have a european box (without face frame) that the doors and drawers cover the entire box. There are many choices available in door and drawer styles from simple flat surfaces to raised panels and applied moldings creating a very rich and textured effects. Generally the more detail the more costly the cabinets.
Finishes included painted, stained, glazed, and many levels of distressed details that can satisfy most any budget. The most popular wood species seems to be cherry; however, pine, hickory, oak, maple, alder and many others are available depending on each company. There are also many laminated choices available to make cabinets very monochrome or in a very rich color and textures of exotic woods without the costs.
Internal cabinet features are great additions to any kitchen. Simple items like lazy susans can be installed in both upper and base cabinets, preferably in the corners. Blum has the latest drawer glides (soft close) that are the greatest invention since sliced bread. No matter how hard you try to slam a drawer closed, these devices slow down the closing action and then pulls in the final inch of travel very slowly. Another company has recently introduced mechanisms that open and close all doors and drawers by a simple touch, requiring no knobs or pulls to be installed. There are devices for Universally designed kitchens that raises and lowers the countertop at the sink and cook top to accomodate someone in a wheel chair or children by the simple push of a button. There are devices that can be installed inside of wall cabinets that lowers the shelves down to countertop level including the entire cabinet for easy reach, making these hard to reach cabinets more accessible. Cookie sheet and tray dividers, pull out drawers, pantry organizers, cutlery dividers, spice drawers, built in cutting boards, lift mechanizisms for mixers and a host of other specialized products make the modern kitchen more user friendly and organized.
Some of the better cabinet lines use real wood veneered plywood cases and dovetail drawers; however, for the budget conscienous consumer, many cabinet cases are made of a press board or particle board covered with a vinyl covering called melamine. There are many colors of melamine and wood textures are available eliminating the need to add shelf paper. Most cabinet interiors have adjustable shelves.
Cabinet doors are generally solid wood with 5 pieces, top and bottom rails, side pieces and a floating panel. There are MDF (medium density fiberboard) doors, which are one piece of material and a CNC router creates many different profiles. These MDF doors and drawers are usually painted and will give many years of good service; however, they are prone to water damage.
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Countertops
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Countertops are available in many material choices. There are the natural products like granite, marble and wood. Man made products like quartz, solid surfaces like Corian, glass, concrete, plastic laminate, and ceramic tile to name a few.
Granite is the most popular choice today with its natural beauty that cannot be duplicated. No two pieces of granite are alike and this product requires the homewoner to physically pick our their slabs. The slabs are shipped to a fabricator whom takes precise measurements of your installed cabinets and then cuts the slabs to fit exactly. Slabs come in different sizes and your kitchen may require more than 1 slab. This usually means that there will be a few seams that are glued together, and visible. This process usually takes a couple of weeks for the cutting and polishing of the edges. Granite is extremely durable and can take heat from pots and pans but is not indestructible, they can get scratched or crack in certain places if not properly supported. Marble has the same characteristics; however, it is more pourous and can easily be stained or the surface etched by acids in citrus juices. Both products need maintenance by coating with a silicon sealer on occassion but they are excellent choices and will last forever, even left unsealed. Prices vary tremendously depending on availability and rarity, like Blue Bahia was one of the most expensive granites we have ever installed.
Man made slabs using quartz stone have become very popular over the past couple of years and generally has the same properties as granite and marble. While the manfactureres have added different colors of quartz particulates in different sizes, they have a more uniform look and consistancy that helps to hide seams. Quartz countertops are non-pourous therefore they cannot be stained and do not require any maintenance or sealer. They are generally a little more expensive than some granites; but very sustainable and considered a good "Green" product since they are made of natural stone and manfactured within the US.
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Electrical
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This budget item is perhaps the most under estimated part of a modern kitchen. A kitchen is the largest user of electricity in the home and modern building codes must be adheard to. This sometimes means upgrading the electrical panel to accomodate all the new circuits required, even in houses just 10 years old. The new codes require an outlet within 2' on each side of the sink and apporximately one outlet every 2' running around all the countertops. Even a single base cabinet of 1' or less is required to have an outlet. All these outlets must be covered by 2- 20 amp circuts and not be shared by any other appliances. As an alternative to seperate outlets, our company has been installing plug mold under the upper cabinets. This feature leaves a clean look of the backsplash areas (no interuption in the tile), meets code and provides more than enough outlets. It does add additional costs to a project, but the benefits out weigh the costs.
Each appliance must have its' own circuit and breaker in the electrical panel. The major appliances like a ranges, ovens and double ovens are required to meet the manfacturers' specifications for amperages, wire size and circuit breakers or you will void any warranty. Refrigerators, disposals, dishwashers, exhaust hoods and any other appliance must have its' own circuit and breaker in the electric panel as well as the lighting must be seperated. Islands are required to have outlets on them also.
Lighting is a very critical issue in the kitchen, the more the better and divided into three categories; general lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. This is where you can be very creative with all the choices available. We recommend LED (Task Co.) undercabinet lighting for their sustainability and some are available with dimmers. They are available in warm and cool tones, run on low voltage and provide great task lighting. Our clients' whom have installed these lights love them and they never have to worry about replacing any bulbs.
The electrical budget is often under estimated and could impact the overall costs of a kitchen remodel ranging from 7% and up. Please make sure you allow enough money in your budget for this very important item.
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Plumbing
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Sinks have come a long way. There are many styles and finishes to choose from. Cast iron, stainless steel, Corian, granite, and copper are just a few of the availibilities. Every client has different tastes. A standard sink is usually 33" x 22" and fits into a 36" cabinet. Many of our clients have chosen a single bowl style instead of the double or triple bowl types. There are larger sinks; however, you must allow for this with a bigger cabinet. Farm sinks have become very popular and come in many finishes and materials but you must make sure that the sink base cabinet is ordered to accomodate its installation. The standard sink base cabinet will not support a farm sink unless modifications are made. Undermounted sinks provide ease of cleaning the countertops and you do not have that nasty edge to maintain and clean.
The faucet and sink have become a focal point of any kitchen. Again, there is a hugh selection of faucets available with prices all over the board, depending on the finish selected. Chrome, brushed nickel, copper, and oil rubbed bronze seem to be the most popular lately as polished brass' popularity has wained. Single lever has out paced the seperate hot and cold handles and most every faucet comes with a sprayer, either seperate or part of the main spout. Delta has come out with a resonably priced hands free faucet, the Pilar with Touch2 O technology.(www.deltafaucet.com/touch) One of our client recently had us install one and it is really great. All you have to do is put your hands under the spout and it will come on and stay on until you remove you hands. Or you can touch any part of the faucet spout with you finger, hand, wrist or arm to turn it on and off, no more messy hands on the handle. It does have a manual control also. The future is here!
Some clients are also installing a filler spout near the cook top for convienance, therefore, eliminating carring a large pot of water across the kitchen. This is especially handy for chefs' that cook large quantities of pastas, etc..
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HVAC and Venting
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This is often an overlooked part of a kitchen remodel. Making sure the space is properly heated and cooled is very important to making a new kitchen be confortable to work in. If the registers are in the ceiling there is generally no problem. If the duct work is in the floor, and there is no room left for registers, then we recommend having toe kick registers installed. They work well and you do not have to worry about having food or trash falling down into the ducts.
Another very critical issue is venting the cook top or range. The building code requires venting all gas appliances to the outside. If you are installing a professional gas cook top, then you have to match the total Btu's of all the burners together with the correct CFM (cubic foot/ minute) blower of the exhaust hood. This is also important for any gas cook top. Not having enough CFM's could mean endangering you and your family with posionous exhaust gases. Setting the exhaust hood at the correct height above the range is also critical. The building inspector will check the installation instructions of the exhaust hood for proper positioning. Anything above or below the recommendations will result in a failed inspection.
Due to the large amount of air removed by some exhaust hoods, we recommend installing a fresh air intake vent to avoid sucking out all the conditioned air the house, making the HVAC system work overtime and wasting energy dollars.
We recommend installing a Vent-A-Hood product (www.ventahood.com). This company has been around for 75 years and they make the best hoods on the market. They come in many shapes, sizes, materials, textures and have heat lamp and lighting options. Another recommendation is to purchase a hood that is 6" wider that the cook top or range; therefore, eliminating any possibility of heat and or gas flames that could cause a fire when a large pot or pan is used.
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