Comments on: A Kitchen Odyssey: Follow Along, If You Dare

By: Grout Mold Removed Delaware

Grout Mold Removed Delaware — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 09:55:09 +0000

Great post thanks a lot. Enjoyed reading it!

By: Janis Mara

Janis Mara — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:17:12 +0000

Susan, that’s why I reminded you to take “before” pics – I couldn’t believe the photo was of your current kitchen, because why would you want to redo a kitchen that lovely? Can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

By: David

David — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:02:41 +0000

Yeah, then you can do it for about $15K with no fancy finishes, custom cabs etc.

We spent $8,000 on our standard cabs & countertop etc.

Oh, and some money to re-do the drywall.

By: susan.brady

susan.brady — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:59:12 +0000

Thanks, Sal. But wait until you see the close-ups or what the cabinets are really made of, or the cracks in the tile. Not to mention what lurks under the FLOR carpet tiles.

David, I’m thinking $15k is about right. No electrical costs really, as my son is an electrician so all is free on that front. We already purchased dishwasher a year ago and a fridge this year. So that helps on costs. It’s not a big kitchen, but it will get completely torn out.

By: David

David — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:01:29 +0000

Just replacing cabinets & counters will set you back at least $8000 for a pretty normal sized kitchen. Standard cabinets, nothing fancy/custom, etc.

New floor: $2000, minimum

Upgrading electrical? lighting? plumbing? Figure at least another $5000.

Minimum cost to redo–$15,000, not counting appliances (appliances probably another $5,000 for stainless, etc), so $20,000. Max price? Unlimited.

By: Sal

Sal — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:10:19 +0000

You kitchen looks lovely! Seriously, you don’t need to change a thing. That kitchen could last another 10-20 years easily.

By: Susan Brady

Susan Brady — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:16:07 +0000

SFNewYorker: If I get too overwhelmed, I may resort to a kitchen designer. I’ll do the legwork first and see how it goes.

Janis: I did take some before pics. The first one is above. There will be more as the series goes along. Of course, I’m more excited about the “after” photos!

By: Janis Mara

Janis Mara — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:44:43 +0000

Oh, sounds exciting! I apologize for this seemingly obvious suggestion, but don’t forget to take “before” pictures. I had my house painted and it was quite the transformation; I was so chagrined that I neglected to photograph the house beforehand.

By: SFNewYorker

SFNewYorker — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:42:32 +0000

I did a small kitchen remodel and my advice is to talk to a kitchen designer. Your contractor will ask you to make a million decisions and you don’t really know what to say and won’t know if you made the right choices until you live in the kitchen for awhile. A good kitchen designer will resolve most of those questions in advance in collaboration with you. Your contractor will then be able to give you a more definite bid and there won’t be so many costly change orders. Our designer charged about $5000 for the kitchen and 2 bathrooms, but gave me a rebate because I bought the cabinets through her. I think the price was well worth it, because I probably would have paid much more than that in change orders. I used Kathy St.Clair at Ken Topping Home Improvements in the Sunset District and I was very pleased with her design and I love my kitchen. However, you may want talk to several designers before selecting one.

By: Susan Brady

Susan Brady — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:24:55 +0000

If we were going to stay in the house for longer than I anticipate, I would install those lovely Turbo Chef ovens. I spend so much time in the kitchen that they would be worth it to me. But I know what you mean about overall pricing. We’ve done some very preliminary searching (most recently when having to buy a new washer/dryer), and it is shocking. I’m sure it isn’t the only sticker shock I am in for.