buying a fixer upper - what order to do things in the kitchen?

[Anonymous]

We're buying a foreclosed home that was cosmetically destroyed by the prior owner. We'll need to redo 4 bedroom floors, paint entire house (3000 sf), replace light fixtures/fans and buy all new appliances - and this is all just to make it livable. We have a few other (not inexpensive) issues to deal with eventually. I'm a little overwhelmed trying to pick flooring, paint colors and redo the kitchen all at once, as ideally, I wish I could live there awhile and decide how I want everything to look. I'm making compromises, putting in a little less expensive carpet in the rooms I want to eventually tile or wood and I'm painting the walls all neutral even though sooner or later I'm going to want some color. My big issue is what to do in the kitchen.

The cabinets are in good shape, maybe a little dated. And the countertops (tile) have a few cracks, so I will want to redo some day, but it's not an emergency. It's an open floor plan, with tiled floor, that moves from kitchen to small eating nook to living area, and in my dreams I'd push out and turn the kitchen island, totaling eliminating the nook area. In the kitchen itself, there's space for a dishwasher, slide in range with above-range microwave and a refrigerator. Since I have to buy new appliances, I'd like the separate cook top double wall ovens and a counter height wine/beer fridge. If I go with anything different than what it's currently spaced for, I'm going to have to make big changes. But it seems so wasteful to go buy appliances I know I'll change in the next couple years. AND, if I do make any cabinet/big-kitchen changes now, it seems silly not to do my island changes as well.

To top it all off, I'm totally inexperienced in any of these processes. I just started typing a sentence that maybe I should just buy used appliances until I can afford to do everything at the same time, and I felt ill just thinking about dealing with used. What would you do?

[Anonymous]

Go to a kitchen design studio - they will help you through the process so that you spend your money only once.

[Anonymous]

Replacing a range with a cooktop and wall ovens requires cabinetry. If you can repurpose a cabinet that you rip out to put in your double wall ovens to be your cooktop, that is going to be the cheapest. You still have to trim out your wall ovens to match the cabinetry. You could also put your cooktop in your island (I personally dislike that) and then put your wall ovens in the range space. A cooktop on an island still needs proper venting.

[Anonymous]

your cheapest option for cabinets is a resurface and springing for new counter tops. however, as you realize it means keeping all appliances in their original dimensions. if you want to separate range you need to examine where in existing plan that range will go? I'd look at appliances with the existing dimensions and check if you can find appliances you like in these sizes.... appliances have gone high end and with that change, they are bigger.

check if island is at top of the tiling or if tiling was done after island was placed on subfloor. if island is atop (unlikely with tile, but well worth checking), you can eliminate island and deal with tile discoloration. I'd check this now, as it might affect cabinet planning.

if you move range, you will need to bring in an electrician. if you do this, you might as well look at where you might want more outlets and/or more lighting (like undercabinet lighting).

one more final point: you can get a really pretty fresh new kitchen for new surfaces and barebones appliances in the traditional sizes. if I were you (just me), I would wait on separating range for that next larger more expensive renovation and focus on the "easy" win here: standard appliances that all match, nice new surfacing in a color palette that feels attractive and contemporary. Just me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're buying a foreclosed home that was cosmetically destroyed by the prior owner. We'll need to redo 4 bedroom floors, paint entire house (3000 sf), replace light fixtures/fans and buy all new appliances - and this is all just to make it livable. We have a few other (not inexpensive) issues to deal with eventually. I'm a little overwhelmed trying to pick flooring, paint colors and redo the kitchen all at once, as ideally, I wish I could live there awhile and decide how I want everything to look. I'm making compromises, putting in a little less expensive carpet in the rooms I want to eventually tile or wood and I'm painting the walls all neutral even though sooner or later I'm going to want some color. My big issue is what to do in the kitchen.

The cabinets are in good shape, maybe a little dated. And the countertops (tile) have a few cracks, so I will want to redo some day, but it's not an emergency. It's an open floor plan, with tiled floor, that moves from kitchen to small eating nook to living area, and in my dreams I'd push out and turn the kitchen island, totaling eliminating the nook area. In the kitchen itself, there's space for a dishwasher, slide in range with above-range microwave and a refrigerator. Since I have to buy new appliances, I'd like the separate cook top double wall ovens and a counter height wine/beer fridge. If I go with anything different than what it's currently spaced for, I'm going to have to make big changes. But it seems so wasteful to go buy appliances I know I'll change in the next couple years. AND, if I do make any cabinet/big-kitchen changes now, it seems silly not to do my island changes as well.

To top it all off, I'm totally inexperienced in any of these processes. I just started typing a sentence that maybe I should just buy used appliances until I can afford to do everything at the same time, and I felt ill just thinking about dealing with used. What would you do?

Here is the kitchen. (sorry, I couldn't figure out how to load it)

[Anonymous]

I would live with that kitchen considering all the other stuff that you need to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:your cheapest option for cabinets is a resurface and springing for new counter tops. however, as you realize it means keeping all appliances in their original dimensions. if you want to separate range you need to examine where in existing plan that range will go? I'd look at appliances with the existing dimensions and check if you can find appliances you like in these sizes.... appliances have gone high end and with that change, they are bigger.

check if island is at top of the tiling or if tiling was done after island was placed on subfloor. if island is atop (unlikely with tile, but well worth checking), you can eliminate island and deal with tile discoloration. I'd check this now, as it might affect cabinet planning.

if you move range, you will need to bring in an electrician. if you do this, you might as well look at where you might want more outlets and/or more lighting (like undercabinet lighting).

one more final point: you can get a really pretty fresh new kitchen for new surfaces and barebones appliances in the traditional sizes. if I were you (just me), I would wait on separating range for that next larger more expensive renovation and focus on the "easy" win here: standard appliances that all match, nice new surfacing in a color palette that feels attractive and contemporary. Just me.

We've lived in military housing for so long, I don't know what's the "in" thing with kitchens or how to design. I also am not a fan of the cooktop in the island. I was hoping to make the island more of an entertaining spot, to take the place of the nook. But now that I think about it, I guess I need the island for chopping/prepping/etc. too, and where I was wanting it might be too far to be used that way. I wish I could do as the pp suggested and go to a design center and maybe in a couple years I will take that step. Maybe the best thing is to just go with barebone appliances that don't cost a fortune. There should be some type of resale market for fairly decent appliances. And actually, the range may work - we're just assuming the worst right now. We'll have the gas on next week to find out.

Thank you to all who've responded so far!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would live with that kitchen considering all the other stuff that you need to do.

Do you mean you'd live with it forever, and just get good appliances that fit the way it is? Or buy cheap appliances now, and live with it until we can do everything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:your cheapest option for cabinets is a resurface and springing for new counter tops. however, as you realize it means keeping all appliances in their original dimensions. if you want to separate range you need to examine where in existing plan that range will go? I'd look at appliances with the existing dimensions and check if you can find appliances you like in these sizes.... appliances have gone high end and with that change, they are bigger.

check if island is at top of the tiling or if tiling was done after island was placed on subfloor. if island is atop (unlikely with tile, but well worth checking), you can eliminate island and deal with tile discoloration. I'd check this now, as it might affect cabinet planning.

if you move range, you will need to bring in an electrician. if you do this, you might as well look at where you might want more outlets and/or more lighting (like undercabinet lighting).

one more final point: you can get a really pretty fresh new kitchen for new surfaces and barebones appliances in the traditional sizes. if I were you (just me), I would wait on separating range for that next larger more expensive renovation and focus on the "easy" win here: standard appliances that all match, nice new surfacing in a color palette that feels attractive and contemporary. Just me.

I'm the 2nd poster to respond about needing cabinetry to make appliance changes. I agree 100% with the above. I would get some basic but nice stainless appliances to go in the places you have. Maybe spring a bit more for the range/microwave combo since you want a good vent and you will be using these a lot. Not having a wall oven (right away ) isn't the end of the world. Then I would patch and paint in a neutral and put in some really nice countertops. That is a perfectly good kitchen to me. Considering everything else you have to do...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would live with that kitchen considering all the other stuff that you need to do.

Do you mean you'd live with it forever, and just get good appliances that fit the way it is? Or buy cheap appliances now, and live with it until we can do everything?

The latter. You can sell them on craigslist when you're ready to actually gut the whole thing.

[Anonymous]

Ok - I'm convinced!

I hate to be wasteful - which I still do feel I'm being wasteful by having to buy some appliances a couple times - but it eases my mind thinking I can get a feel for everything and hopefully do more research on design before committing to huge costs.

Thanks!!

[Anonymous]

I'm 18:32 and have now seen the photo and see that OP is convinced to resurface and buy matching appliances in standard sizes. I really think you could be delighted at how far your money can go.

Go to Houzz.com and pick out some color schemes that you like. For instance, you could get a really sleek white cabinet (picture white enamel, no paneling) and all stainless steel appliances and have a really fresh sleek kitchen, especially if you found a granite that picked up the terracotta notes in the tiles, but was mostly whitish....