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Thread: I Hate My House (Long)

  1. #101
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Jeppy, there is such a range of kitchen cabinet prices that I don’t know anyone’s answers here will help you. If you walk in to a kitchen place they’re going to ask you what is your budget.

    You may remember my experience of last fall when I went into a big fancy show room because I thought at the time “money is no object. “

    When she quoted a possible $30,000-$40,000 for my 8 x 8 1/2 kitchen I thought that’s ridiculous. I’m not doing that.

    I don’t know what the final cost will be for me, but it will not be $40,000.

  2. #102
    Yppej
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    Catherine, all new doors on the cabinets is an interesting idea. That is my biggest problem with the cabinets. The doors won't stay on. They have been screwed in too many times in the same spot. Some were poorly designed - too big a door to hang on a couple of hinges - should have been double doors. There are also drawers that don't slide in and out anymore. The countertop is nicked/gashed in various places. I have been in the house 24 years and not liked the kitchen that entire time, but it wasn't so bad when I moved in. It just gets worse with time and wear and tear.

  3. #103
    Yppej
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    IL, I plan to ask them to show me their lower price offerings and to bring in measurements. I do not need granite or anything fancy. I would think they can give me a ballpark and if it is too high I will tell them and if they cannot do better then I will shop around. I will not go into debt for this.

  4. #104
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yppej View Post
    Catherine, all new doors on the cabinets is an interesting idea. That is my biggest problem with the cabinets. The doors won't stay on. They have been screwed in too many times in the same spot. Some were poorly designed - too big a door to hang on a couple of hinges - should have been double doors. There are also drawers that don't slide in and out anymore. The countertop is nicked/gashed in various places. I have been in the house 24 years and not liked the kitchen that entire time, but it wasn't so bad when I moved in. It just gets worse with time and wear and tear.
    I did it because I just have an aversion to sending perfectly good things to the landfill. My 1970 cabinet boxes were solid wood. So I tried to save what I could. I think you would need to get a consultation from a refacing company because the one I worked with did a lot of customization. They could probably give you new drawers. They could probably putty up the holes in the cabinet frame. I don't know, but you could ask. They were open to all my ideas and they did a pretty good job. The refacing company also coordinated the countertop and they installed it.

    I would not consider refacing if you are changing the footprint of the kitchen or if your cabinets are truly in bad shape, but otherwise, it might be worth talking to someone. OTOH, the price of $9000 was somewhat high considering that the actual labor is pretty minor--if you want to invest a few more thousand you have all new stuff. But that wasn't important to me.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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  5. #105
    Yppej
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    One of the cabinets has an uneven shelf inside, the others are fine except for the doors. Thank you for the suggestion. I will keep refacing in mind.

  6. #106
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Our Case 1: We refaced the cabinets in our kitchen. The layout was fine (except the kitchen could be bigger so we could have more cabinets; it's 10x15) and most of it was pretty functional; it was just dark mid-70s wood in a style that was very hard to clean. If I recall, aside from an hour or so measuring, the project took 2-1/2 days. The workers masked off the kitchen so dust didn't get all over. Doors and drawer fronts came off and were replaced (along with drawer boxes and all hardware) and the boxes were veneered. We took the opportunity to move a block of upper cabinets to another wall to open up the space. The cost was about $9,000. We've been happy with it.

    I had replaced the countertop several years earlier with laminate (I don't like stone in the kitchen); the guy we hired figured out a way to do the job with one sheet of laminate and no seams, so I was very happy with the outcome. I chose a high-resolution laminate and one of the standard edges and that came to around $1,800. That job took half a day. Flooring is luxury vinyl tile; they had to remove the old sheet vinyl and put down a leveler to cover the older embossed sheet vinyl (in part why the previous floor failed). I think that job took a day and around $2,000.

    Case #2: My mom's place (rental). Studs-level renovation. Old wood cabinets in crappy condition, there was no fridge and the stove was one of those 20" jobs that was one step up from using coal (but not much) (not a slam on 20" stoves btw but the nice ones cost money and this was not a nice one). Electrical and plumbing code issues that needed to be addressed. Floor was worn badly.

    We went to IKEA for the cabinets. For the price, they're pretty well made and they come with a decent warranty and they've worn well. We got to draw the galley layout we wanted. The floor (real linoleum tile) came from IKEA, too. The preformed laminate countertops were stock items at Lowe's. A stove and refrigerator (no dishwasher) came from one of my favorite scratch-n-dent/overstock stores. Electrical and plumbing were hired out. I hired a handyman to build and install the cabinets and the countertop (plus a barely-used porcelain sink I got on craigslist). I installed the floor and painted the backsplash and walls. Out and back in for about $6,500 (12 years ago).

    I really recommend IKEA. They sell appliances, too (mostly relabeled Whirlpool appliances) but I got better deals/different features at my store. And flooring. And sinks. imho it's all worth at least what you pay for it, though if you're not into DIY you have to add in the price of someone who will assemble for you. It can still work out cheaper than entry-level cabinets through a big-box store or kitchen shop.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

  7. #107
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    DH has installed a few Ikea kitchens and he thinks they are decent quality cabinets.

    I’ll never forget that in the days before we had an IKEA here in town, one of my friends took her compact car, or maybe it was a sub compact? To Chicago and purchased her entire IKEA kitchen and stuffed it into her car. Those cabinets are fold down of course

  8. #108
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Yeah, I haven't bought IKEA kitchen cabinets, but I'm a longtime fan of IKEA and have bought everything there from couches to to lamps to magnetic knife strips to curtains to dishtowels and more. If I had another kitchen to redo, I'd definitely look into IKEA.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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  9. #109
    Yppej
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    My cabinets were an unappealing darker than I cared for wood and hard to clean so years ago I painted them to match one of the colors in the floor. The top cabinets are structurally fine so I am wondering if I can get plain unstained wood cabinets made for the bottom and paint them myself. Then I could also redo the paint where needed on the top cabinets. As paint gets scraped off over the years I touch it up but the paint thickens sitting around even though I try to keep the lid on and it gets gloppy. It also starts to look grubby around the handles, probably because I used satin finish.

    The one issue I foresee is the hardware wouldn't match but I've replaced that myself in the past.

  10. #110
    Yppej
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    I am thinking refacing would not work for me because I have a big gap I want to fill in with a cabinet. When the dishwasher broke I removed it and never replaced it because I do not like dishwashers.

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