Question for my kitchen remodeling guysm?
While I have average level handy man skillz around the house, I don't know shit about pulling together a remodel. What's the best way to coordinate such a project? Are there kitchen remodel specialists who you can tell what you want an they GC the whole thing? Or does one have to hire out each part of the project separately?
I look forward to getting some great free advice from the bored.
Comments
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Sad... The shittiness of my counter tops have been well documented on this board.
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Always about replacing the blacks with you
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Shitty counter tops are one of the many benefits of being a free man. Enjoy it!PurpleBaze said:Sad... The shittiness of my counter tops have been well documented on this board.
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You could call us and get it all including new cabinets for 20 to 30 k. If we were in Oregon
Get a reputable kitchen remodeling company that acts as the GC. Don't do it yourself.
Get more than one price and check references. Trust no one. Don't pay over 30 percent up front. Balance when it passes your wife's punch list.
Put a timeline in the agreement
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This is what I was hoping to hear. I want to work with one person who can manage the whole project for me and make sure it's done right.RaceBannon said:You could call us and get it all including new cabinets for 20 to 30 k. If we were in Oregon
Get a reputable kitchen remodeling company that acts as the GC. Don't do it yourself.
Get more than one price and check references. Trust no one. Don't pay over 30 percent up front. Balance when it passes your wife's punch list.
Put a timeline in the agreement -
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So if all that you are doing is replacing the tile countertop and sink and backsplash then all you need to do is go to the local stone slab place and pick out the appropriate sized stone to replace the tile with. The recommendation i would make is to pick a synthetic stone because the repeating "texture and patterns" are compatible for the butt joints assuming that you will have that issue, and the water staining / heat sensitivity factors are favorable like they are for granite.
the first thing is the tile and sink will have to be removed... normally that is going to have been installed on top of a plywood slab which is screwed to the top of the cabinets so removing that from the cabinets will require some skill and patience to not make a mess out of the cabinets.
Are you sure that you do not want to replace the cabinets? My experience with kitchen remodels is that it is often like a pregnant cat ~ its the gift that keeps on giving. In other words, as you upgrade one surface, the other surfaces then look dated and the wife is back to being unsatisfied and we all know how you will feel about that.
So after you remove the old tile / plywood top a new plywood top needs to be crafted as the base for the new stone slab. No big deal, a modestly skilled remodelling carpenter can do all of the above. The cutout for the sink is created from the sink template and if you are switching to a larger sized sink then your base cabinets under the slab may no longer be the correct correct size. If you do have room for the larger sink without underlying cabinet adjustment then great.
Once the base and sink cutout are correctly positioned you then have the slab installer cut and attach the slab stone to the correct dimensions which they will have measured for. Make sure they do the measurement so that it is their problem if the dimensions turn out to be incorrect. The sink and new faucet arrangement will get installed by the plumber before or after the slab is installed [usually before if the lip is below the slab].
Today's cool as a cats ass backsplash concept is the glass tile sheets... can get them in all colors and are easy to install [for the tile guy that is] and do a good job of unifying a kitchen remodel. Good luck. A piece of advice... source and get all of the materials on hand before the installation and line up the sequencing of subcontractors that you will need to operate in the correctly timed sequence or you will be doing the dishes in the bathtub for an extended period of time which is a real buzz killer.
Here is an example of what we did for possible ideas ~ this turned out great. P.S. If you get out of this without replacing your appliances you are a master of the universe and I'm going to want to interview you for your mind control techniques for controlling your wife's thoughts and desires for obvious reasons.
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Appreciate the feedback. The challenge we have is that we have a more rustic, mountain decor and the wood of the kitchen cabinets matches perfectly with the trim, molding, and other cabinetry throughout the house.DawgsCanDance said:So if all that you are doing is replacing the tile countertop and sink and backsplash then all you need to do is go to the local stone slab place and pick out the appropriate sized stone to replace the tile with. The recommendation i would make is to pick a synthetic stone because the repeating "texture and patterns" are compatible for the butt joints assuming that you will have that issue, and the water staining / heat sensitivity factors are favorable like they are for granite.
the first thing is the tile and sink will have to be removed... normally that is going to have been installed on top of a plywood slab which is screwed to the top of the cabinets so removing that from the cabinets will require some skill and patience to not make a mess out of the cabinets.
Are you sure that you do not want to replace the cabinets? My experience with kitchen remodels is that it is often like a pregnant cat ~ its the gift that keeps on giving. In other words, as you upgrade one surface, the other surfaces then look dated and the wife is back to being unsatisfied and we all know how you will feel about that.
So after you remove the old tile / plywood top a new plywood top needs to be crafted as the base for the new stone slab. No big deal, a modestly skilled remodelling carpenter can do all of the above. The cutout for the sink is created from the sink template and if you are switching to a larger sized sink then your base cabinets under the slab may no longer be the correct correct size. If you do have room for the larger sink without underlying cabinet adjustment then great.
Once the base and sink cutout are correctly positioned you then have the slab installer cut and attach the slab stone to the correct dimensions which they will have measured for. Make sure they do the measurement so that it is their problem if the dimensions turn out to be incorrect. The sink and new faucet arrangement will get installed by the plumber before or after the slab is installed [usually before if the lip is below the slab].
Today's cool as a cats ass backsplash concept is the glass tile sheets... can get them in all colors and are easy to install [for the tile guy that is] and do a good job of unifying a kitchen remodel. Good luck. A piece of advice... source and get all of the materials on hand before the installation and line up the sequencing of subcontractors that you will need to operate in the correctly timed sequence or you will be doing the dishes in the bathtub for an extended period of time which is a real buzz killer.
Here is an example of what we did for possible ideas ~ this turned out great. P.S. If you get out of this without replacing your appliances you are a master of the universe and I'm going to want to interview you for your mind control techniques for controlling your wife's thoughts and desires for obvious reasons. -
Sounds like you might enjoy some rustic granite then, with a backsplash of subtle rustic rock of some type...
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I co-sign on everything Race just said. Kitchen remodeling can be stressful, and it’s one part of the house you don’t want to DIY unless you have a lot of experience. You can play Tool-Time Tim for other projects.RaceBannon said:You could call us and get it all including new cabinets for 20 to 30 k. If we were in Oregon
Get a reputable kitchen remodeling company that acts as the GC. Don't do it yourself.
Get more than one price and check references. Trust no one. Don't pay over 30 percent up front. Balance when it passes your wife's punch list.
Put a timeline in the agreement
And be mindful it will take longer than you planned, so have backup plans for where you’ll prepare your food, etc.
Oh, and I’m sure you know this... just smile and nod when Mrs. Yella shows you tile samples, etc. You’re saving up marital “political capital” for when you want something later...say, a new watch. 😉 -
Buy a dozen bags of countertop concrete mix, colored dye (powder you put in the mix) to taste, wire mesh, $50 in form lumber (only because materials are 400% above normal right now), and make badass countertops for next to nothing. Or just go to the local granite shop and order your countertops in granite or quartz or whatever you like--when we ordered our countertops, the granite supplier's own crew installed them. Installing sink plumbing is a one beer job. Hire out the backsplash. Done.
You already have to go to the countertop shop to choose what you want, so it's not like hiring a GC saves you time there. Hell, their installers might even prep your sink base cabinet for that farmhouse sink and install that for you, too. Really, the only sub you need is a tile gysm for the backsplash, so just hire one with good reviews.
I once hired a GC for a basement remodel after a flood wrecked everything (fixed the water problem first, of course). In the end, I, the plumbers, and the concrete cutters did pretty much all the work, so he just charged me $500 for his time because he felt like any more would be ripping me off. If you can find a GC like that, go for it. Otherwise, this just seems like too small and focused of a project to me to warrant another middle man.
ATBSJS, I'm a poor whose time is worth less than money, apparently. -
We've got a little money to throw around for the convenience factor. We'll see...1to392831weretaken said:Buy a dozen bags of countertop concrete mix, colored dye (powder you put in the mix) to taste, wire mesh, $50 in form lumber (only because materials are 400% above normal right now), and make badass countertops for next to nothing. Or just go to the local granite shop and order your countertops in granite or quartz or whatever you like--when we ordered our countertops, the granite supplier's own crew installed them. Installing sink plumbing is a one beer job. Hire out the backsplash. Done.
You already have to go to the countertop shop to choose what you want, so it's not like hiring a GC saves you time there. Hell, their installers might even prep your sink base cabinet for that farmhouse sink and install that for you, too. Really, the only sub you need is a tile gysm for the backsplash, so just hire one with good reviews.
I once hired a GC for a basement remodel after a flood wrecked everything (fixed the water problem first, of course). In the end, I, the plumbers, and the concrete cutters did pretty much all the work, so he just charged me $500 for his time because he felt like any more would be ripping me off. If you can find a GC like that, go for it. Otherwise, this just seems like too small and focused of a project to me to warrant another middle man.
ATBSJS, I'm a poor whose time is worth less than money, apparently.
I've had some frens pour their own and they came out not to bad. Better than I thought. -
You know what you're doing1to392831weretaken said:Buy a dozen bags of countertop concrete mix, colored dye (powder you put in the mix) to taste, wire mesh, $50 in form lumber (only because materials are 400% above normal right now), and make badass countertops for next to nothing. Or just go to the local granite shop and order your countertops in granite or quartz or whatever you like--when we ordered our countertops, the granite supplier's own crew installed them. Installing sink plumbing is a one beer job. Hire out the backsplash. Done.
You already have to go to the countertop shop to choose what you want, so it's not like hiring a GC saves you time there. Hell, their installers might even prep your sink base cabinet for that farmhouse sink and install that for you, too. Really, the only sub you need is a tile gysm for the backsplash, so just hire one with good reviews.
I once hired a GC for a basement remodel after a flood wrecked everything (fixed the water problem first, of course). In the end, I, the plumbers, and the concrete cutters did pretty much all the work, so he just charged me $500 for his time because he felt like any more would be ripping me off. If you can find a GC like that, go for it. Otherwise, this just seems like too small and focused of a project to me to warrant another middle man.
ATBSJS, I'm a poor whose time is worth less than money, apparently.
Thats important
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And I don't. This is important.RaceBannon said:
You know what you're doing1to392831weretaken said:Buy a dozen bags of countertop concrete mix, colored dye (powder you put in the mix) to taste, wire mesh, $50 in form lumber (only because materials are 400% above normal right now), and make badass countertops for next to nothing. Or just go to the local granite shop and order your countertops in granite or quartz or whatever you like--when we ordered our countertops, the granite supplier's own crew installed them. Installing sink plumbing is a one beer job. Hire out the backsplash. Done.
You already have to go to the countertop shop to choose what you want, so it's not like hiring a GC saves you time there. Hell, their installers might even prep your sink base cabinet for that farmhouse sink and install that for you, too. Really, the only sub you need is a tile gysm for the backsplash, so just hire one with good reviews.
I once hired a GC for a basement remodel after a flood wrecked everything (fixed the water problem first, of course). In the end, I, the plumbers, and the concrete cutters did pretty much all the work, so he just charged me $500 for his time because he felt like any more would be ripping me off. If you can find a GC like that, go for it. Otherwise, this just seems like too small and focused of a project to me to warrant another middle man.
ATBSJS, I'm a poor whose time is worth less than money, apparently.
Thats important
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Nobody's ever accused me of that before...RaceBannon said:
You know what you're doing1to392831weretaken said:Buy a dozen bags of countertop concrete mix, colored dye (powder you put in the mix) to taste, wire mesh, $50 in form lumber (only because materials are 400% above normal right now), and make badass countertops for next to nothing. Or just go to the local granite shop and order your countertops in granite or quartz or whatever you like--when we ordered our countertops, the granite supplier's own crew installed them. Installing sink plumbing is a one beer job. Hire out the backsplash. Done.
You already have to go to the countertop shop to choose what you want, so it's not like hiring a GC saves you time there. Hell, their installers might even prep your sink base cabinet for that farmhouse sink and install that for you, too. Really, the only sub you need is a tile gysm for the backsplash, so just hire one with good reviews.
I once hired a GC for a basement remodel after a flood wrecked everything (fixed the water problem first, of course). In the end, I, the plumbers, and the concrete cutters did pretty much all the work, so he just charged me $500 for his time because he felt like any more would be ripping me off. If you can find a GC like that, go for it. Otherwise, this just seems like too small and focused of a project to me to warrant another middle man.
ATBSJS, I'm a poor whose time is worth less than money, apparently.
Thats important -
Sorry man
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You really need to listen to Race's advice here. He told you to have someone else handle it. You're just not going to get better advice than that.
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You let the servants cook in your main living quarters?!?!
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Sad, I know. But you gotta remember my Mayberry dirt runs a fella a lot more than G n R compound dirt.PurpleThrobber said:You let the servants cook in your main living quarters?!?!
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Plan for the worst is essential. If you have an older house, something somewhere will be offed up. Taking an old counter top off will find moisture damage, moisture ant damage that was all covered up by the previous owner.
Our house was built in 1911 and damn it is amazing that it still stands with some of the damage from moisture we have discovered. I did the plans, and over saw a major remodel but I was home for the entire duration of the remodel. Mrs. Lebam was ready to kill at times. She actually got involved enough to fire one of the contractor's workers.
Always be ready to boot their asses out of there. Put that job on your wife - then you aren't to blame when the schedule goes to hell.
Good luck -
Love it, Lebam! Your house sounds like mine.
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Really wish you hadn't abandoned us. Rowboat wouldn't have had to come here among the proletariat for this info.RaceBannon said:You could call us and get it all including new cabinets for 20 to 30 k. If we were in Oregon
Get a reputable kitchen remodeling company that acts as the GC. Don't do it yourself.
Get more than one price and check references. Trust no one. Don't pay over 30 percent up front. Balance when it passes your wife's punch list.
Put a timeline in the agreement -
Or you could tell her to fuck off and go buy that Rolex. I hear divorce isn't so bad? Pro-tip: Never take relationship or financial advice from a degenerate like me.YellowSnow said:So my wife's probably gonna leave me if I don't get our fugly 16 year old black tile counter tops replaced. They are pretty bad and even @PurpleBaze has better counter tops than me. We would also need to get a new sink - farmhouse of course because every wife in America wants one - along with new back splash. The cabinets are fine and can stay and no electrical needs to be moved.
While I have average level handy man skillz around the house, I don't know shit about pulling together a remodel. What's the best way to coordinate such a project? Are there kitchen remodel specialists who you can tell what you want an they GC the whole thing? Or does one have to hire out each part of the project separately?
I look forward to getting some great free advice from the bored. -
Best kitchen remodel on HH poast evah!DawgsCanDance said:So if all that you are doing is replacing the tile countertop and sink and backsplash then all you need to do is go to the local stone slab place and pick out the appropriate sized stone to replace the tile with. The recommendation i would make is to pick a synthetic stone because the repeating "texture and patterns" are compatible for the butt joints assuming that you will have that issue, and the water staining / heat sensitivity factors are favorable like they are for granite.
the first thing is the tile and sink will have to be removed... normally that is going to have been installed on top of a plywood slab which is screwed to the top of the cabinets so removing that from the cabinets will require some skill and patience to not make a mess out of the cabinets.
Are you sure that you do not want to replace the cabinets? My experience with kitchen remodels is that it is often like a pregnant cat ~ its the gift that keeps on giving. In other words, as you upgrade one surface, the other surfaces then look dated and the wife is back to being unsatisfied and we all know how you will feel about that.
So after you remove the old tile / plywood top a new plywood top needs to be crafted as the base for the new stone slab. No big deal, a modestly skilled remodelling carpenter can do all of the above. The cutout for the sink is created from the sink template and if you are switching to a larger sized sink then your base cabinets under the slab may no longer be the correct correct size. If you do have room for the larger sink without underlying cabinet adjustment then great.
Once the base and sink cutout are correctly positioned you then have the slab installer cut and attach the slab stone to the correct dimensions which they will have measured for. Make sure they do the measurement so that it is their problem if the dimensions turn out to be incorrect. The sink and new faucet arrangement will get installed by the plumber before or after the slab is installed [usually before if the lip is below the slab].
Today's cool as a cats ass backsplash concept is the glass tile sheets... can get them in all colors and are easy to install [for the tile guy that is] and do a good job of unifying a kitchen remodel. Good luck. A piece of advice... source and get all of the materials on hand before the installation and line up the sequencing of subcontractors that you will need to operate in the correctly timed sequence or you will be doing the dishes in the bathtub for an extended period of time which is a real buzz killer.
Here is an example of what we did for possible ideas ~ this turned out great. P.S. If you get out of this without replacing your appliances you are a master of the universe and I'm going to want to interview you for your mind control techniques for controlling your wife's thoughts and desires for obvious reasons. -
I went with a custom handcut from Italy or some other bullshit travertine backsplash because Mrs. Swaye thinks I'm made of money even though I come home in an Orkin van.
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This damnable war!!Swaye said:
Really wish you hadn't abandoned us. Rowboat wouldn't have had to come here among the proletariat for this info.RaceBannon said:You could call us and get it all including new cabinets for 20 to 30 k. If we were in Oregon
Get a reputable kitchen remodeling company that acts as the GC. Don't do it yourself.
Get more than one price and check references. Trust no one. Don't pay over 30 percent up front. Balance when it passes your wife's punch list.
Put a timeline in the agreement -
My kitchen remodel story--and proof in HAND that Rowboat should listen to smart people like Race and not broke people like me:Swaye said:I went with a custom handcut from Italy or some other bullshit travertine backsplash because Mrs. Swaye thinks I'm made of money even though I come home in an Orkin van.
Started with a $10K budget, figuring I could do a lot myself and save money. Things were going really well at first. Local hardware store (Hardware Sales in Bellingham is a mancation-worthy destination if you're an out-of-towner who likes man stuff, particularly during July tool fair) furniture division used to be a dealer for Canyon Creek cabinets, made locally in Monroe, and they also had hookups on granite. Price was spectacular. Saved a lot of money ordering sink and fixtures on eBay/Amazon, and was feeling REALLY good.
Then it came tile/backsplash time. Went to the flooring shop, brought home 5000 sample tiles, laid them out on the floor next to the newly installed (white) cabinets and next to the sample chunk of granite for the countertops. Wife selects the tile she likes for the floor, and we order something like $1500 worth after freight.
Countertops go in next, and we have a problem. Every slab of granite is different, so the countertops that went in were a lot more yellow than the sample we brought home. I don't see the problem, but the mursses is in tears (they do that). Now her carefully chosen floor tile won't match. Also, seeing the countertops all embiggened like that really drives home how busy they are, so the floor should probably be something either very plain or match some other feature in the room. I focused in on the red brick chimney that runs up through the kitchen. "Is brick floor a thing?"
Turns out it is. There's a company that reclaims the bricks from demolished buildings in Chicago, slices them 3/8" thick, and sells them to dupes like me. It's super cool if you ask me, as many of the bricks have union stamps on them, and all of them have slightly different edges and textures and colors (we chose the end slices). And they're fantastically expensive! Going from large square tile to small tile in a herringbone pattern and with a border seemed like something that would take too long for me to fuck around with, so I also had to hire out the doin'.
Then came returning our first tile order, which turned out to be not so straightforward. In order to avoid losing half our money to return freight and restocking, we had to spend the same amount of money with them on a different product. Which is how we ended up with a backsplash that cost as much as our original tile budget.
All said and done, we managed to get a kitchen we really liked for only slightly more than double our original budget, what with the $10K floor and $1500 backsplash!... Bonus: My wife haaaaaaates the floor, as it's impossible to clean. I love it, as dirt and grime totally blends in, so cleaning (to me) is optional. I rent a floor buffer once a year and knock it all down. She wants to rip it out and replace it, this makes my butthole clench and respond with something about my dead body. Not my house, but the floor looks pretty much exactly like this only with a border around the outside:
The end. -
Reminds me of one of my favorite lines when people are picking REAL stones that come out of the earth1to392831weretaken said:
My kitchen remodel story--and proof in HAND that Rowboat should listen to smart people like Race and not broke people like me:Swaye said:I went with a custom handcut from Italy or some other bullshit travertine backsplash because Mrs. Swaye thinks I'm made of money even though I come home in an Orkin van.
Started with a $10K budget, figuring I could do a lot myself and save money. Things were going really well at first. Local hardware store (Hardware Sales in Bellingham is a mancation-worthy destination if you're an out-of-towner who likes man stuff, particularly during July tool fair) furniture division used to be a dealer for Canyon Creek cabinets, made locally in Monroe, and they also had hookups on granite. Price was spectacular. Saved a lot of money ordering sink and fixtures on eBay/Amazon, and was feeling REALLY good.
Then it came tile/backsplash time. Went to the flooring shop, brought home 5000 sample tiles, laid them out on the floor next to the newly installed (white) cabinets and next to the sample chunk of granite for the countertops. Wife selects the tile she likes for the floor, and we order something like $1500 worth after freight.
Countertops go in next, and we have a problem. Every slab of granite is different, so the countertops that went in were a lot more yellow than the sample we brought home. I don't see the problem, but the mursses is in tears (they do that). Now her carefully chosen floor tile won't match. Also, seeing the countertops all embiggened like that really drives home how busy they are, so the floor should probably be something either very plain or match some other feature in the room. I focused in on the red brick chimney that runs up through the kitchen. "Is brick floor a thing?"
Turns out it is. There's a company that reclaims the bricks from demolished buildings in Chicago, slices them 3/8" thick, and sells them to dupes like me. It's super cool if you ask me, as many of the bricks have union stamps on them, and all of them have slightly different edges and textures and colors (we chose the end slices). And they're fantastically expensive! Going from large square tile to small tile in a herringbone pattern and with a border seemed like something that would take too long for me to fuck around with, so I also had to hire out the doin'.
Then came returning our first tile order, which turned out to be not so straightforward. In order to avoid losing half our money to return freight and restocking, we had to spend the same amount of money with them on a different product. Which is how we ended up with a backsplash that cost as much as our original tile budget.
All said and done, we managed to get a kitchen we really liked for only slightly more than double our original budget, what with the $10K floor and $1500 backsplash!... Bonus: My wife haaaaaaates the floor, as it's impossible to clean. I love it, as dirt and grime totally blends in, so cleaning (to me) is optional. I rent a floor buffer once a year and knock it all down. She wants to rip it out and replace it, this makes my butthole clench and respond with something about my dead body. Not my house, but the floor looks pretty much exactly like this only with a border around the outside:
The end.
It doesn't match the sample!!!
Take it up with God
The truly rich get flown to Italy to pick the slabs from the earth. We actually did that for some of the early Seattle tech barons
