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Several years ago we redid our kitchen: new cabinets, granite countertops, hardwood flooring, new appliances, the works. We chose a glass electric range top and I have regretted it ever since. I would never have another one. The surface is higher than the countertop, which means that small crumbs get under the edge and have to be vacuumed out. The surface itself requires an inordinate amount of cleaning above and beyond just a wipe-down and still gets pitted. Arrrgggh! Wish I had gone with a ceramic top instead.
I offer this for those of you who are in the midst or contemplating a kitchen redo.
My b-in-l is a Gen Contractor. Over the years he has remodeled many kitchens. The price he charges are normal but when he's done ... the totals would make the average person gasp. He confides that he's surprised people justify the remodels when 90% of the work could be done by anyone.
My DH and I just remodeled our kitchen. We repainted the cabinets ourselves and put the tile backsplash on. We also put canned lights in to replace the old ceiling fixture. The only thing we paid to have done was the granite countertops. We are very pleased with the results.
When this picturewa taken we hadn't replaced the doors on the top cabinets yet.
Great job, Bobyrd! We are still redoing the kitchen at our house in Asheville, in fact, just got back to Kannapolis about 2 hours ago after spending 4 days during which we tiled the backsplash, too! Looks great, even if I do say so. Didn't take the camera with me this time, but we're going back in a few weeks and I'll take some pics then.
Kelly---having been a contractor ourselves we know how much overhead people are charging and it's ridiculous. Sure everyone's got to eat that's why we got out of hard dollar and when it comes to home improvements we're DIYers because we can cover more areas with the same cash as hiring it out for one area.
But on topic----I totally agree the flat top stoves are junk. We bought a house that had one. Though had it not that was still on my priority list of must-haves. I'll keep it til we remodel but I've the same issues with it as you.
The scubbing they require even when water has boiled over onto it is insane. Crumbs in the crevice between the stove TOP meeting the sides of it.
After using it DH says we're having a gas stove top next time lol.
Yes, what's with these rip off prices for remodeling. This kitchen we built the cabinets & charged the people just over $8000.00. What do you think ?
Bernie
Bernie for THOSE prices I'd pay your plane ticket and hotel for you to do my kitchen! :)
Its often in who you know. When we moved in here we had only ONE neighbor come say hello and low and behold he's an AC man with his own biz. Well isn't that handy since our neighborhood is 30 years old and all the original ac's are on the brink of caputz! HAHA!
So ours go out. Both units--one up one down---in the first year we are here. We expected they would but HOPED not BOTH and so soon. :(
We got bids from Home Depot. AFTER we'd gone to the neighbor first.
He bid us the most energy efficient our house could support with the venting we had----a 16 seer TRANE (no crummy brands like York which are known in the business to be disposable---they only last a few years so yes they are much cheaper)----but when I do something I plan like I'll be the owner for life. And with crews here to replace units for a whole day and the housecleaning afterwards well I don't want to be replacing another AC in 4+ years. So trane it was----with a manufacturer warrenty on ALL PARTS for 10 years and labor for I think 1 year.
So (2) 16.5 seer Tranes. Beautiful I tell ya! (I can say that because it cost an arm and a leg haha).
Home Depot said they couldn't believe the bid we got from our neighbor---that they couldn't even sell us the UNITS for that---and so they'd have to give us a lower seer for 16 grand EACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree with Tir_Na_Nog. Bernie, I'd fly you to Vermont. & put you up in my guest house to help with my future kitchen remodel. You do beautiful work and I've admired it over the past year. I've been lurking on this forum for a long while. So, you have to know how impressed I am to come out of "lurk" mode.
I forgot to mention that I also hate the glass range top. I installed one in our previous home with the mistaken notion that it would be easier to clean.
Well, now we're into a den remodel and you can't believe what a mess it's turning into. Not only did the original owners put in a humongous fireplace, which we're redoing, but there is also a wall-long bookshelf which we're also redoing. In tearing it out today, we got down to the base and, lo and behold, it's mounted on wooden blocks which are themselves sitting on what looks like concrete blocks. We knew the base or subfloor in there was concrete with little ceramic tiles over it (which are themselves covered with horrid carpet), but we didn't expect this. Now we have to figure out a way to bring that part of the floor level with the rest of the floor before we can go on! I can't understand the rationale behind this, but the house was built in 1953, so who knows?
Well, I want to chime in too! We started our kitchen remodel last spring. DH said it would take a few weeks...and here we are still not finished. Got a bid yesterday for painting 10 cabinet doors (that I'd already primed)...just the doors, not the cabinets...$350. I decided I'd paint them myself, as I'd already done all the bottom ones. Our neighbors had a guy in to replace and paint all their interior doors. He needed work, so we figured we'd let him finish the cabinet doors. I no longer feel guilty for all the tropical plants I bought thru the latest co-op. I think I "earned" them!
Beautiful job, Bernie. Wish you were closer to us.
I agree about the glass range top...never had one, but I can imagine. I also HATE the glass in our refrigerator. I'd buy old-fashioned fridge shelves any day, but I haven't seen any.
