The have a great Kitchen and Bath discussion and also one specifically on renovations. Great helpful people posting all sorts of info on vendors and also photos of their ongoing and completed projects.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/kitchbath/

I also researched all the appliances and cabinets that we put in. Lots of reviews on appliances at AJ Madison. I'll try and dig out some of my other links for you!

There is a local chef who consults on kitchen design. I hear good stuff about her. For a fee, she will come to your house talk about how you cook and help you design your kitchen.

There is a foot difference in height between my spouse and I and we both like to cook. I'm thinking a split level bar for prep.

It was started by someone who collected links of GardenWeb finished kitchens. The front page says it was hacked but the links still work to see the kitchens. I think now the categories and searches no longer work.

http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/

Very much in demand. Does your kitchen have any original details? Or was there a remodel in the 70s?

on social security income. I had window units and old carpeting covering hard wood floors. My kitchen had disgusting indoor outdoor carpeting covering the funky linoleum. They were also smokers.

You don't want to know how bad this house was when I got it. My 5 year old thought I had lost my mind moving from our nice previous house to my new project. LOL!

The cabinets are a medium stain plywood. The kind that went with those black wrought iron look door and draw pulls. Nothing fancy, except a cute built in corner hutch in the dining room. Red brick with small front porch on 9 tenth of an acre.

and there was disgusting carpet over hardwood. The carpet was made disgusting not only for the 15 years of hard wear, it was decorated by 3 dogs, 3 cats, and an incontinent bird. There were little piles of shit everywhere.

I just left it all there and painted the walls and ceilings, happy to drip on the filthy carpet. Then I took the carpet up and got rid of it and had the floors refinished as much as they could be, some areas were badly stained by animal piss. Good thing I'm a weaver, strategically placed rag rugs hide a multitude of other people's sins.

I just put down fresh tile in the kitchen, right over the avocado green that was there. There are mistakes but what the hell, it's better than it was.

Have you tried oxalic acid? After the last daughter leaves, I'm going to redo the floors and make some lightening efforts.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x9602

One of the spots was the hallway outside the bedroom where the whole crew would assemble and wait to be let out in the morning. It's coal black.

This was the last refinishing of these floors, anyway. Should I be crazy enough to stay here until I die, I'll probably end up putting laminate over them.

I will keep you posted if I see what happens.

It's also possible to patch these areas. I did that when I refinished the kitchen floors at the office which were hardwood under tiles. There were several black areas that I replaced. It was still cheaper than tiling even with cheap tile and I ended up with hardwood floors not linoleum.

I barely had enough time for the second coat of varnish to dry before the movers showed up.

and have, from the kitchen in a closet with the fridge in the living room to the Victorian kitchen with plenty of space and nothing but a stove and a frestanding double sink--no counter space, no storage, no nothing.

I do insist on two things: first, formal diners can't be allowed to see the havoc I create when I'm cooking, the mess in the sink and on the counters and the drips on the stove and floor. I don't want to see piled up dishes when I'm trying to enjoy dessert. I also don't want the whole house to reek of fish or cabbage. Open plans are OUT, I hate them. In the kitchen, itself, the one thing I desperately need is a place right next to the stove for a decent sized cutting board. The rest of it is negotiable.

open kitchens and my havoc. I am considering rethinking this since my kids will soon be gone and I may be able to think straight again. Not sure yet what I will do, but two folks have come by and pitched that opening up idea.

Regardless, of whether I decide to open the kitchen-dining areas or not, I'm still going to make sure the bedroom wings will be able to seal off from that living, dining and cooking area.

I agree about the cutting board area next to the stove. Sounds like we have lived in similar places!

make that bar a full foot higher than the counter behind it. That will allow people to rest their drinks and make small talk from the next room but won't give you a clear view of the detritus that a flat countertop would.

There is nothing that fouls up my appetite than looking at a messy kitchen and knowing I'm the one who will have to clean it up when everyone has gone home.

but then there is the fact that I am 4'11 inches and get frustrated with all the high counter tops to balance that thought. So you can see why I am so torn on the the whole concept.

for most things. If I had to knead dough, for instance, I'd put it in a shallow pottery bowl in a chair or on a low table if I had it so I didn't get that spasm between my shoulder blades.

Maybe finding a contractor who does kitchens for the handicapped might be an idea, have him build those counters at least 6" shorter. I'm thinking out loud here because my kitchen also needs redoing. The strategies to avoid the stove sticking up would be to have either a cooktop or use a drop in range without a kick space.

It's crazy to stick to standard heights that don't work just because some man decided they were comfortable for him.

to a budget. He would leave it pretty much as is and just replace our rotting out sink area.

I'm going to at least explore some slightly more ambitious options and run some numbers.

I'll probably do a couple or three scenarios before coming to a conclusion.
We plan on dying after a long life n this house.

I think planning is fun and I like Ikea for ideas, but I am not a fan of the quality of their cabinets.

It's a group of IKEA nuts who customize the cabinets. As Tesha says, IKEA will sell you the parts - essentially, the cabinets, fronts and interior bits are all interchangeable components. IKEAfans has loads of modifications and help on planning. They also have price sheets so you can do your own rough estimates as to costs without having to put together a complete order or go to an IKEA store.

IKEA drawers and hinges are made by Blum and are actually high end. How good the various cabinet fronts are depends on the particular style. Mine are oak - solid frames with excellent plywood panels. The boxes are low VOC laminate-clad MDF. If you want mid-century style fronts, IKEA is really good for that.

We've been our house nearly four years and the only problems we have are the drawer glides that got construction debris in them. I need to replace those, but just haven't yet.

Even if you decide against IKEA cabinets, you can use the ideas at IKEAfans for getting cabinets elsewhere. http://ikeafans.com/

I did my last kitchen when my almost 19 year old was being born. She was early and kitchen cabinets were going in as I came back from the hospital.

The ground outside the kitchen was a bit higher than the house and we had some flooding problems after a heavy rain. VOC laminate-clad MDF is I think what Home Depot uses and that was what my cabinets were. Swore that off after I saw what it does when hit by water.

I look forward to checking out the IKEA group. I am thinking about mid century fronts. Thanks for the link!

Than they were 20 years ago. So MDF and other engineered wood products are much less likely to disintegrate than they used to be.

The IKEAfans site has a lot of information about the manufacture and construction of the cabinets. If you can't find what you need, ask. They are great people and eager to share what they know about their passion. And over the years, plenty of questions about the quality and manufacture of IKEA products have been asked there so you can see if they fit your needs.

Last edited Mon Jan 16, 2012, 01:46 PM - Edit history (1)

Been looking and drooling. Have a feeling I'll spend some time there as we are in the same boat as you. 1954 ranch that needs a redo.

I have a small galley kitchen and very little space to sit down and eat before you hit the wall separating the kitchen and living room. Traditionally there was a medium-sized dinette there, and a cherry oval dining table but neither ever really worked. Too cramped. And for two people who both love to cook, there is just not enough counter prep space or storage. The SO came with two sets of stainless cookware.

I want to open up the space and have one great room with an open kitchen and living area. We will be adding on to the front of the house so that the kitchen/living area will double in size. Plus we want to add a guest powder room there. We are toying with the idea of having a very contemporary space decked out with mid-century modern vintage pieces. He loves vintage audio equipment and the overall look of that era. I'm more inclined toward the modern: simple design, clean lines....

edit: Re: countertop height, I'm 5' even. Most countertops are too high for me to work comfortably. Rather than lower the countertop, I've considered the idea of using a riser along the bottom. SO is 5' 9" so it's not an issue for him.

...is too low. If I just had one largish counter area for prepping veggies, combining ingredients, rolling crusts, etc. that is the ideal height for me, then the other areas could be standard to fit dish washer, sinks, etc.. The design height standard for counter work should be below your elbow, so that you don't strain your upper back while working. Also that counter area I would like to be open underneath so I could pull up a stool to work sitting down.

In general, is pre-manufactured cabinetry or custom cabinetry the most expensive?

I definitely want all drawers for all equipment. Has anyone compared the drawers you can set into standard door cabinets, and the actual separate drawers for price difference? I need to start research now.

That is why it's premanufactured, to keep the price low.

How much below your elbow is ideal?

Thanks! Did you do a 50's kitchen? Love to see pics, if so.

remodeling their second ranch house kitchen. http://www.younghouselove.com/

Info on their first house/kitchen re-do can be found in their archives.