kitchen appliances

[bhnumbers]

Okay, someone tell me I'm not crazy, lol. DH and I are still trying to decide what we want to do about our kitchen. If (it's a big if) we were to redo the entire thing--new layout, cabinets, etc., it would make sense to replace our almost 13 year old appliances, right? I completely get that it seems wasteful to get rid of appliances that all function properly, but it also seems dumb to plan a brand new kitchen around appliances that are more than a decade old. Or maybe not? 

This is brought to you by the 15 minutes I just spent convincing DH that when we get estimates for the new kitchen, yes, they should include new appliances. 

[Susie]

If the appliances you have are the same size that you plan to use in the reno'ed kitchen, there's no reason you have to replace now.  You can swap a standard size fridge for a standard size fridge when the current one dies.  However, if you have a 30" range now and your desired layout includes 36" range, then yeah, you need to do that at the same time as the whole reno.

If you'd be re-buying the same size, my patience for letting the current appliances live out their useful lifespans before replacing would probably depend on finish.  I wouldn't replace a working 13 year old SS fridge with a new, same size SS fridge, but if your fridge is bisque, then yeah... I'd want a new one.  You can always sell the old ones used on CL or FB marketplace, give them away, or donate to Habitat to avoid them going to waste.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I agree, if there's nothing bothering you about the size/color/function of your current appliances and they are the standard size that you would replace with, I'd keep using them until they die. I know if I was doing a kitchen reno, I'd probably replace my oven with a convection double oven, but fridge, microwave, and dishwasher would all be fine to keep using until they needed replaced (but ours are all also 5 years old or less).

[libbygrl109]

We are in the same boat, but our appliances are 15 years old. We have black now, and they work fine, just some wear, like the broken LED screen on the dishwasher, and the finish on the edge of our stove wearing in spots. We are leaning towards stainless, and and a larger fridge, so we most likely will bite the bullet and buy new.

[nicolewi]

I would say YES, replace now!!! Unless you have something really special or high-end.

We just had to get a new fridge. Our old one only lasted 7.5 years. They say they only last 8 to 10 years now. Which is CRAZY!

I would definitely replace if they are a different color/finish/size from what you'd want.

Our house was about 6 years old or so when we bought and is now about 13 years old.
--we had to replace dishwasher right away
--we have had to replace the microwave
--we are on our second fridge

--we still have original gas cooktop and the oven and those are fine, but the appliance guy said that based on usual "lifetime", our oven may break soon.

I'm surprised your appliances are hanging in there as well as they are!

[mrsukyankee]

When we did our kitchen this summer, we kept our fridge because it was exactly the same as the one we'd replace it with (size wise), so as it was working, it didn't make sense. We wanted to change our kitchen enough that the older appliance that were there wouldn't have worked for the design. If your current appliances work in terms of shape and size and design, I'd keep them.

[bhnumbers]

I don't know why I had it in my head that it has to be all or nothing...also, I wasn't clear on whether or not fridge sizes are standard.

Our fridge is fine and I really like our hood. I would be fine keeping those. But if we redo the cabinets, I want a wall oven and microwave and then a gas cooktop to replace our range/stove. So we'd have to buy those. Our dishwasher is not fantastic. The woman who owned the house before us never used it and because of that, it developed really bad mold somewhere in the pipes or parts or something and even though we've lived here for almost 5 years and I've tried every cleaning technique I can find, it has never smelled right. It cleans the dishes fine, but whenever you open it, it smells gross--which is not something you want from a machine that's supposed to clean things, lol.

Thanks, all, I appreciate the advice!!