Kitchen Remodels?

[Anonymous]

We are looking to have our circa 1940s Arlington kitchen remodeled and have no idea of cost or options. Has anyone had a good kitchen remodeling experience and if so could you let me know who you used and if you have any suggestions/comments/pitfalls to avoid, etc.? Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

A couple of years ago we gutted a 1938 Arlington duplex. The cabinets were original, the walls a mess and the floors had about 10 layers of linoleum. We had already replaced the appliances so without appliances but with a ton of cabinets, walls reskimmed and a new ceiling with recessed lights we paid about $15K. We cut corners by a) going with laminate countertops, b) going with a laminate type floor vs. tile and c) purchasing door pulls on our own. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the company we used but I would highly recommend them. They are located on Lee Highway between the Harrison Shopping Center and the pool on Highland (I think that's the name of the pool). Same shopping center as the appliance store.

[Anonymous]

I have done two kitchens in the last couple of years with a good/bad experiences. The cost is really going to depend a lot on your choice of appliances, cabinets, countertops, flooring and cabinets. If you decide to move any of the appliances, want undermount lighting or want to convert to gas, then you will be paying for additional electrical and plumbing work as well. You will probably pay somewhere between $30,000 - $45,000 for something decent. For my latest kitchen I ordered fairly expensive cabinets but I had a relative install them for me which saved a lot of $$ and hassle. Installation can be very expensive so definitely get that cost up front. Also, depending on the cabinets that you order, they can take quite some time to come in. You'll want to order sooner rather than later. I'd also advise using a good kitchen planner to maximize your space and help choose size-appropriate appliances. Good luck!!!!

[Anonymous]

I recently read that a kitchen remodel usually costs a minimum of $50k and I paid that plus a bit more two and a half years ago - but I moved walls, re-routed the exhaust system, purchased all new appliances and have a kitchen that is double the size of most houses that I've been in. I initially went to Cabinet Discounters to talk about design. I found them to be very good. I also had Lowe's designe one for me as well. I ended up using the Lowes design. Both were free. However, I know that in some of the high end kitchen shops, the fee for the design is $500 or more.

I also ordered my cabinets and countertop (granite) at Lowes and purchased my tile flooring at Lowes. I purchased much of my decorative lighting at The Great Indoors. With respect to countertop, before ordering, I went to other stores where they had larger samples for me to look at so that I was sure I would be happy with the color I choose, but ordered through Lowe's because of the price.

I had my own contractor, so I can't help you out there.

Good luck and have fun!

[Anonymous]

We spent $40K on custom maple cabinets (plywood boxes, solid wood), Granite countertops, black Maytag appliances.

We didn't pay for installation or flooring because we re-did everything as a result of a house fire and that stuff was covered by the insurance.

The cabinets alone were $27K. You can get them for less, and if your kitchen is small they won't cost as much. I don't know where the PP was talking about in Arlington, but there is a place in North Arlington that has nice cabinets at a good price.....Kitchen and Bath Factory? I went in for a consultation and liked the quality and prices, but the design aspect was very standard. I wanted something a little more creative than they offered there, but I would recommend it if you pretty much have an idea of what you want.

We used Design Solutions in Annapolis and found it well worth the couple of drives out (they usually came to us). We also got a lighting design and a bath design from them, which is not standard for most places. Do not ignore the lighting....it's important for your kitchen. They also offered a discount on other materials....for example, we got a 25% discount on our tile for our bathrooms because we used their discount. I think the place in Arlington offered that also.

Anyway, if you are on a tight budget, take a look at some of the higher-end IKEA cabinets. Our old kitchen was IKEA and they were pretty tough cabinets with some nice features. We didn't get them again because they were very limiting at the time, but now they have a ton of design options. There you will spend more like $5 - $8K, you can get much higher quality cabinets (hardwoods) for starting more around $15K, but they go up in a hurry. I've had friends say that when you put all the options in, IKEA isn't much less unless you install them yourself. I wouldn't recommend installing custome cabinets yourself because many need to be put in correctly to hold up right.

If you want to keep costs down, go for a shaker style cabinet with a stain. Paint is more money because it takes more time. All "flair" is extra. Plywood boxes are sturdier, but particle board boxes are also "solid wood" cabinets and cost less. Kraftmaid makes a nice cabinet at Home Depot.

I'm not a fan of buying laminate because it's not that much less, in the scheme of kitchen costs, than Granite. I think when we looked laminate was $2K and our countertop was around $4K. Granite can be much less than composites....when you go to the yard, look for something "common" and it will be the same quality, but the cost is less (we went from the designer's suggested $9K to a similar one for $4K). Granite is priced by rarity....it's all the same quality. White/Cream granites are the most expensive.....there are some blacks and greys that are expensive too. If you go with an off-color, you will pay less.

If you have a small kitchen, call a granite fabricator and ask about buying slab reminants. Sometimes you can find an entire slab someone only needed a small part of and you don't pay for the material, just for the work. Our bathrooms were done that way and we paid $200/each sink cut out, $18/linear foot to polish and $18 for each cut around the edges. It's the least expensive countertop you can buy!