Background - I live in a small house (a cape) in one of the nicest neighborhoods in town. I'm not sure how long I am going to stay here, and would pretty much move the minute I got a job offer somewhere else. I am actively looking but not desperate, but haven't had any luck so far. So I am really thinking about resale, but also don't know how long I'll be in the house. And in my neighborhood, non-updated kitchens are not the norm.
My kitchen is small and functional, but very dated. White non-wood cabinets with that ugly wooden trim that people thought looked good in the 80s. White appliances.
I hate my fridge - it's a regular freezer on top style and I swear, every piece of food I put it in disappears to rot in the back. I have wanted a new fridge for at least 5 years.
This year I finally motivated and got quotes for cabinet refacing, because despite the cheap fronts, the cabinet bases are actually fairly high end and in good shape. And then I was floored to get quotes all above 10k, just for new fronts and sides. Now I have a friend who is a kitchen designer giving me quotes because she swears she can give me a new kitchen for that price.
So...appliances are super cheap this weekend. And I'm seriously thinking about buying a set of 4 new appliances (fridge, range, microwave, dishwasher).
My questions: 1. Is this crazy to do if I haven't figured out what I'm going to do with my kitchen? There aren't really other ways to configure the space so I'm guessing the appliances will all stay where they are?
2. Does anyone know the approximate cost of converting to a gas stove if there is already gas in the house and pipes running directly below the kitchen in the basement?
3. I think my biggest fear is that I will put 10k or more into the kitchen and not get it back in resale. Thoughts? Especially if there is a good possibility a buyer would do serious renovations and knock out the back wall and expand, which is what most people in my neighborhood have done.
I wouldn't buy appliances unless I was certain that the footprint would remain identical. And I wouldn't buy a gas stove without some solid quotes on electric-gas conversion.
We put new cabinet fronts on our condo kitchen and bought new appliances there, and while we didn't get that money back we sold our condo in a down market in 15 days. And we did it for us to enjoy while we were there. If you have plans to move in the next 12 months, I wouldn't do a damn thing to your kitchen. If you think you'll be there 2+ years and enjoy it in the interim, then go for it. Even if you don't get the money back per se, you may increase your chances of quick resale which, if you're looking to leave the town/state, would be important.
Post by themoneytree on Nov 26, 2014 9:22:08 GMT -5
It will tremendously increase the desirability of your home. It may not be an immediately obvious $10k gain but could be the difference between a quick sale and months of misery waiting for an offer.
$10k for refacing a small kitchen with cabinets is crazy.
I always say this but check out the kitchen forum at Gardenweb for ideas. Someone might even be able to give you cabinet recs if your friend doesn't come through.
That's the problem. I could be in the house for 5 years, I could be in the house for 5 months. I've been ready to leave for a while now, but am not going anywhere without a job offer. Now I'm wishing I had just done done this years ago so I could have been enjoying it all this time!
Well, even if you do get the appliances and for some reason don't need them, you can always resell them on CL. You would most likely still need them though, so I don't think it would be a mistake to buy them this weekend.
If you do end up selling your house, and the kitchen is small, the buyer would most likely knock it out an expand it. However, if you are going to be there even for a few more years, I would think the cost of the remodel would be worth it for you.
I also live in a cape. The previous owner just renovated the kitchen and loved it. We were in a bidding war with another couple and the owner told us she would sell it to us if we promised not to redo the kitchen (my DH is a builder). So we said "of course," and then blew it apart 3 months after we moved in, lol. She did actually know about it because the neighbors told her. Oh well, it was our house.
If someone asked me this, I'd immediately call the police because I'd presume they had a body hidden behind the cabinets or something.
Hey, jackass, if you don't want anyone to remodel your kitchen, don't sell your house.
$10k for refacing a small kitchen with cabinets is crazy.
I know, right? I got 4 quotes too - in a LCOL area! And everyone was like, "it will take 3 days" and I'm sitting there thinking "you are just going to put new fronts on the cabinets and glue some sides on. It should take 2 guys like 3 hours."
That's the problem. I could be in the house for 5 years, I could be in the house for 5 months. I've been ready to leave for a while now, but am not going anywhere without a job offer. Now I'm wishing I had just done done this years ago so I could have been enjoying it all this time!
Then go for it. It will help resale, even if you don't get the $$ back.
We did our remodel and appliance purchase in the spring or something and we got a great deal on appliances. So don't think that you HAVE to buy them now while you're still ruminating. www.moneycrashers.com/best-time-of-year-buy-large-appliances/
Is it possible to sand and refinish/paint the cabinets yourself as opposed to refacing? It might at least buy you some time until you're certain whether you're going to stay or not.
The fronts of the cabinets aren't wood. Sigh. One idea is to paint the wood trim that runs along the top of the cabinets white in hopes that the differences between the wood and the cabinets wouldn't be that noticeable. I could then get a new countertop - there is that damn wood trim on the edge of the white laminate counter that can't be removed without a new counter. And new hardware.
She was just a strange bird. She built a new house and had the same exact kitchen put in her new house. She had the walls painted with a feather which made some crazy pattern. It was very strange.
I'd keep my eyes out for episodes of Dateline and Snapped and stuff. She'll be on there someday.
$10k to reface your cabinets is insane! I would get the new appliances. I bought all new appliances last year at this time..(all stainless steel) refrigerator, electric stove, dishwasher and microwave for $2500.
My uncle, who is a very experienced carpenter, did all of the work. He swears by Kraftmaid cabinets. I went to a bunch of different places and got a really great deal at Lowes. Also did the 12 month interest free financing. (I think the normal is 6 months, but they had some type of promotion going). Also got my granite countertop there, and total for cabinets and countertop was something like $7500. I did not get cheap quality stuff either. But that did not include putting them in - just for materials.
Also, my stove broke a few years ago so I bought a new stove then, and it was no big deal at all for the reno. My footprint did change slightly (the stove was moved down a bit and the plumber did have to move the gas line), but it was not at all expensive to work around.
$10k to reface your cabinets is insane! I would get the new appliances. I bought all new appliances last year at this time..(all stainless steel) refrigerator, electric stove, dishwasher and microwave for $2500.
I can get 4 nice Whirlpool stainless steel appliances for under $2000. It's crazy. The fridge alone is usually $1700.
Have you gotten any estimates on the gas conversion? I asked my dad (he owns a plumbing and heating company) he said that it should cost under $500 if the pipes are already there.
Have you gotten any estimates on the gas conversion? I asked my dad (he owns a plumbing and heating company) he said that it should cost under $500 if the pipes are already there.
I'm going to call my plumber today to see if he can give me an idea. I was thinking about $500.
I think $500 sounds about right for the conversion. I would get the new appliances. Kitchen and bath reno's usually help sell the house. $10k for refacing is ridiculous. Have you tried contacting individual carpenters? Depending on how large your kitchen is, you could almost have completely new cabinetry for $10k. And I would also replace your counter top. I think it would be worth the expense and help resale value tremendously. Last thing you want is to have to lower your price b/c someone can't see past a dated kitchen.
Post by aprilsails on Nov 26, 2014 10:02:41 GMT -5
BIL, DH and I did a complete gut job this past winter on our small kitchen. We didn't reuse anything, but that was largely due to modifying the layout pretty significantly. We bought our cabinets through the IKEA kitchen sale and they were a small portion of the overall budget. Maybe $5000. We got the painted white wooden cabinet doors which look much better than the existing junky laminate that we had. We were able to put in new granite countertops for $3500.
Now we spent a total of $25,000 but that included all new tile through the front entrance, powder room and kitchen. New hardwood in the living room and dining room. New trim work throughout the entire first floor. Paint through the entire first floor. New lighting through the entire first floor. Ceiling repairs due to knocking out walls and adding pot lights. We had some pretty significant electrical and plumbing modifications to accommodate the new layout and lighting.
We moved in three years ago and knew we wanted to gut and redo every part of the house though. We'll be staying another 5 - 10 years in all likelihood.
Tators, you did an amazing job! I love that light fixture. It's amazing what a difference a light fixture can make. I'm not in love with most of the stuff in my kitchen (each element is nice, but a bit off from what I'd pick), but when we got rid of the gross white, stained, dusty ceiling fan with light fixture and replaced it with a great light, it was exponentially improved.
BIL, DH and I did a complete gut job this past winter on our small kitchen. We didn't reuse anything, but that was largely due to modifying the layout pretty significantly. We bought our cabinets through the IKEA kitchen sale and they were a small portion of the overall budget. Maybe $5000. We got the painted white wooden cabinet doors which look much better than the existing junky laminate that we had. We were able to put in new granite countertops for $3500.
Now we spent a total of $25,000 but that included all new tile through the front entrance, powder room and kitchen. New hardwood in the living room and dining room. New trim work throughout the entire first floor. Paint through the entire first floor. New lighting through the entire first floor. Ceiling repairs due to knocking out walls and adding pot lights. We had some pretty significant electrical and plumbing modifications to accommodate the new layout and lighting.
We moved in three years ago and knew we wanted to gut and redo every part of the house though. We'll be staying another 5 - 10 years in all likelihood.
This sounds similar to what I need to have done, except I have a large kitchen.
BIL, DH and I did a complete gut job this past winter on our small kitchen. We didn't reuse anything, but that was largely due to modifying the layout pretty significantly. We bought our cabinets through the IKEA kitchen sale and they were a small portion of the overall budget. Maybe $5000. We got the painted white wooden cabinet doors which look much better than the existing junky laminate that we had. We were able to put in new granite countertops for $3500.
Now we spent a total of $25,000 but that included all new tile through the front entrance, powder room and kitchen. New hardwood in the living room and dining room. New trim work throughout the entire first floor. Paint through the entire first floor. New lighting through the entire first floor. Ceiling repairs due to knocking out walls and adding pot lights. We had some pretty significant electrical and plumbing modifications to accommodate the new layout and lighting.
We moved in three years ago and knew we wanted to gut and redo every part of the house though. We'll be staying another 5 - 10 years in all likelihood.
This sounds similar to what I need to have done, except I have a large kitchen.
We effectively redid the entire first floor of the house, with only minor modifications to the walls around the kitchen to open up the space a bit.
We still have a few lagging items to take care of (there is no mantle on the fireplace - ugh) but otherwise we had it all wrapped up working nights and weekends between February 1 - April 30th. So three months. It was horrible.
Appliances are SO cheap this week. I just got a new fridge delivered yesterday. I think it makes sense to get them since you know they won't be moving. Although it will depend on the market, I would bet you get a good return on the appliances alone.
We converted to a gas stove last winter. They didn't have to run the pipes very far and we were still quoted around 1k. We actually had my fil do it because he's a gas/pipe fitter, so we only had to pay a few hundred for inspection and then a few hundred for materials. I think it came to less than $500, or right around there.
My plumber (when you live in an older house you have a plumber on call) might be able to come out this afternoon or Friday at the latest. So there's progress! I'm going to go talk to the folks at Lowe's today.
Ummm...with discounts it looks like I can get all 4 appliances for under $1500.
But what kind of quality are they? I don't think it makes a lot of sense to buy low end appliances. I might get a fridge, since you hate the one you have and it doesn't sound functional. But I would definitely get one with water and ice through the door and it sounds like you'd need to get a water line installed.