Kitchen Remodeling Ideas...help

Are you in USA or India. I dont know much about the models available in India. My input is based on my experience in USA

If you can, go to google image and type kitchen or remodel or even parts , you get lot of images on remodeling.

1) I dont like microwave above range hood. Most of the vent and hood associated with microwave has only fans and it is not powerful. If you do lot of cooking the smell wont go away. Also the oil will stick around. So you need a powerful hood with vent that sucks air to outside of the house. The exhaust can take away everything to outside. It is expensive (but you get good ones like Broan in >~ $1000 (Broan Elite E60000 36 in. Range Hood in Stainless Steel-E6036SS - The Home Depot). A good contractor is a must to install all these.
I have a Broan hood. One advantage it has steel filter [the top inside -see the link above)part is dishwasher safe and easy to maintain. It look like a professional one in looks and performance and provide a smell free home

Maximum Air Flow Capacity (CFM) should be above 300 for our Indian cooking and a smell free home

Bath and Ventilation Fans Range Hoods Fresh Air Systems - Broan (example below)





2) I see you have tiles.Is it preferred more than hardwood?
Tiles are easy to clean. Hardwood also look good. But it should be maintained properly. Any spills of water can spoil the look of hardwood floor. Its a personal choice. Now a days , tiles that look like hardwood is also available. But it should match the over all flow and pattern of the home.

3) granite countertop better than quadz?
Good quality and good looking quartz counter top is expensive than granite. It has more heat tolerance, and stain tolerance and has life time guaranty I think. Visit a granite shop for selecting one instead of shops. You get better deal. Granite needs maintenance in terms of stain. Every year it should be coated with granite sealer to maintain looks. But it has many patterns and looks.

4) are double sinks outdated?
In my home I have a long deep sink (10 inch deep) , under mount , but low divide. It looks like a single sink from outside. One has waste dispenser and other has normal drainers. So we have the flexibility to keep dirty plates on one side while prepare food items on the other

example picture.



another one with farmhouse style




Google more image

My suggestions.

Explore. contact many contractors. Buy your own stuff (range, fridge , counter tops, etc all major items) and ask them to install . Get multiple quotes for granite and kitchen remodeling (get a better deal if you explore all the local granite quartz large scale shops than stores. home depot or lows. Visit many website for price match . Go to store and see the model. Same with cabinets and other stuff. Visit a home store. They will have many model kitchen. That will give you much idea about storage and the flexible options.

Do the home work well before finalizing the project. That can save you money. We ordered many online (sink, range, hood etc.. ) give the specifications and then asked them to install.

Anyway it is a personal choice. Select what is best for you and your budget. I tried to share the practical aspects .Good luck

 

@Rihana

One can never fix an upper limit in remodeling kitchen. Whatever you fix, it is going to exceed that due to design changes or some last minute ideas. Moreover, they are investments for a longer period of time a)one to modernize the kitchen and use it wisely and b) increase the sale value of the property.

Please tell your husband he is not only in-charge of cleaning the dust but also need to be completely involved to complete this project. Only one spouse can't pull it through without both spouses involvement.

Viswa

 

@anika987

Even though you have not requested for planning and execution clues for kitchen remodeling, I thought other ILites may benefit out of it and hence I am sharing it here. I might miss something here and please feel free to ask if I missed anything.

1) Come up with a detailed design for the kitchen and the budget associated with it.

2) 15% to 20% to be estimated as overrun in cost of remodeling kitchen. Therefore, when you plan the remodeling, you should assume this.

3) Decide on the contractor who is going to execute the kitchen remodeling by getting multiple quotes. Make sure they are licensed contractors to do such work. Not only you need to check their license but also make sure they have enough worker's compensation coverage while people are working in your house. You have to make sure they need to clean the work place everyday and throw the debris out everyday.

4) Execute a contract with them for executing the project. Make sure every additional work needs your prior approval. Also negotiate elapsed time, daily working hours, how many people at work, etc. upfront. They have a tendency to stay at home longer everyday and expand the work seeking more money.

5) Plan for living at the home without your kitchen for at least 2-3 weeks. If you change the flooring, provide for an additional week. This means moving your things away from the kitchen properly packed to bring back after the work is completed, planning to order food every day or have a table microwave elsewhere making some breakfast, coffee, etc. Figure out how to wash your utensils in another sink and use as many throw away items as possible. If you have children and elderly people, they need to be housed away from the work. The noise levels will be very high. Some people prefer to stay elsewhere during the execution. But staying at home put pressure on the contractors.

6) If there are electrical and plumbing rework, invariably such work may need approval from the city. The contractor needs to file the design and get approval from the city. City will review the work from time to time to ensure there are no risks.

7) Finalize the design and order kitchen cabinets Including Laze-Susan cabinet for the corner cabinet as they need a longer lead time. Now most cabinets come with automatic closing. Ordering under cabinet lighting from these OEMs are prohibitively expensive. It is better to shop them privately. Before the arrival of these kitchen cabinets, you need to provide space in your garage to store them when they arrive. They all need to be unpacked and installed quickly.

8) Also finalize granite color as soon as possible and provide 2-3 weeks lead time for measuring your kitchen, cutting the granite, transporting and installing it. This will be done by the granite deliverer only after kitchen cabinets are installed. This is one of the last work to be carried out. The contractors won't take responsibility for this.

9) If you are planning to buy new kitchen appliances, order them at the right time and have the supplier or contractor install them properly.

10) Most of the time coordination between the plumber, electrical workers and installers are complicated. We have to keep an eye on whether the contractor is keeping track of sequential execution properly. They have a tendency to hide their mistakes which we may find out later. For example, we found out later that our dishwasher was connected to cold water pipeline instead of hot water pipeline.

11) Make sure the payment terms are negotiated properly. The contractors tend to collect more money before the work is completed. The milestone payment should be coordinated correctly.

12) Please make sure every wall tiles are properly placed and fixed properly. The pattern should visible be good. It is better to touch every nook and corner to make sure the contractor made no compromises. Check every cabinet installations are based on design, every appliance is installed correctly, etc.

Viswa