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Toby Keil

Executive Chef
Joined
Jan 15, 2008
Messages
2,669
Location
Thousand Oaks, CA
My wife and I are just getting ready to start the process of a kitchen remodel and will be knocking down a few walls, moving the sliding glass door, raising part of the ceiling, new cabinets, new appliances and sink, etc. I would appreciate any advice or things to look out for as I’ve heard and read numerous horror stories. Also, suggestions on appliances? I probably wont go the Wolf and Viking route as I think it’s over kill and we spend most of or time grilling anyway. Thanks in advance.
 
Good luck. :D All I can say is that I just couldn't live with out a convection oven. I have a Kitchen Aid, (10 years old) GE has some mighty fine stuff out there. I also love my Amana bottom mount refer. (made by GE) My GE Profile dish washer will wash a WSM. :LOL: :D Have fun and plan on spending twice the dough you had in mind. :roll: Been there. :LOL:
 
Ha HA HA HA! You just think it is a kitchen remodel. You will be finished when there is no other room in the house untouched.

I like convection ovens, glass cook tops, and quiet dishwashers. My cabinets are finished wood that need minimal maintenance and the floors are tile. The less I have to do to keep them clean the better. COUNTER space is a must, even if you grill outdoors most of the time. There is never enough space to set things on.

Good luck on your remodel and most of all, have fun!
 
Toby how about some before pics of the kitchen and the said walls you want to knock out? ;)
 
Puff said:
Toby how about some before pics of the kitchen and the said walls you want to knock out? ;)


I'll take a bunch of before pics soon. At this point we are just now starting our research so actual construction may be awhile.

Scotty, no budget yet but the less I can spend the better, especially with the economy the way it is.

Helen, I'll do the demo but I'm going to hire a contractor and get some help with the design. I have a buddy that is really anal and he just finished a huge remodel and I may hire him to keep an eye on things while I'm at work. This way I can make sure no corners are cut and things get done right.
 
Toby keil said:
Puff said:
Toby how about some before pics of the kitchen and the said walls you want to knock out? ;)


I'll take a bunch of before pics soon. At this point we are just now starting our research so actual construction may be awhile.

Scotty, no budget yet but the less I can spend the better, especially with the economy the way it is.

Helen, I'll do the demo but I'm going to hire a contractor and get some help with the design. I have a buddy that is really anal and he just finished a huge remodel and I may hire him to keep an eye on things while I'm at work. This way I can make sure no corners are cut and things get done right.
Pics would be helpful. When you're ready to take the plunge post them up. It might help as you go along. ;)
 
Toby,
If you're a geek, you may like this free 3D modeling app from Google.
http://sketchup.google.com/

Here's a design your kitchen using sketchup vid (there's 5 parts, so check the "related" links).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKaD4vq_PZo

I've used it for other projects. If you haven't used a 3D program before, there may be a learning curve. Maybe you know someone local that's a nerd that can help with the computer stuff if you don't want to do it... it's free, and it's awesome.
 
ScottyDaQ said:
Toby,
If you're a geek, you may like this free 3D modeling app from Google.
http://sketchup.google.com/

Here's a design your kitchen using sketchup vid (there's 5 parts, so check the "related" links).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKaD4vq_PZo

I've used it for other projects. If you haven't used a 3D program before, there may be a learning curve. Maybe you know someone local that's a nerd that can help with the computer stuff if you don't want to do it... it's free, and it's awesome.

Thanks Scotty, I'm downloading the program now and will check out the tutorials tomorrow.
 
Yeah The best advice I can give is move to an apartment while the work is going on :shock: I was without a kitchen for over a month & the project was well planed out.

Remodling sucks :evil:
 
Puff said:
Toby keil said:
Puff said:
Toby how about some before pics of the kitchen and the said walls you want to knock out? ;)


I'll take a bunch of before pics soon. At this point we are just now starting our research so actual construction may be awhile.

Scotty, no budget yet but the less I can spend the better, especially with the economy the way it is.

Helen, I'll do the demo but I'm going to hire a contractor and get some help with the design. I have a buddy that is really anal and he just finished a huge remodel and I may hire him to keep an eye on things while I'm at work. This way I can make sure no corners are cut and things get done right.
Pics would be helpful. When you're ready to take the plunge post them up. It might help as you go along. ;)

So Puff, here’s some pics of the kitchen and as you can see from the photos, it needs to be updated and expanded. Here’s what your looking at and kind of what we are thinking.

Picture #01 Rip out all of the cabinets, take the ceiling up to match the rest, remove the island (saving the cutting board to make three or four out of it) add lights above the sink.
img_150558_0_07ed5e08eda387b88d7cf5300901f4f8.jpg


Picture #02 & #07 Try and push this area back to give us more room, new oven with microwave and warming drawer. New fridge, lots of wasted space next to the fridge as the cabinet goes all the way back and is basically inaccessible. The problem here is that the closet behind the stove is under the staircase so it’s angled as you will see in picture #07. Not sure what to do here.
img_150558_1_645f603081c43607533dd97e591b2fc8.jpg

img_150558_2_1c26dc3bf875d3879f0cf33b18c594fa.jpg


Picture #03 & 09 Just another shot leading to the dinning room and a shot of the wall from the family room. We would like to make the wall a half wall so when your in the kitchen you can socialize with people in the family room and see the TV. This will require some sort of post and relocate the heater/ac intake and vent but that’s no biggy.
img_150558_3_067af5cc30bbbf54c3593c3b430a4378.jpg

img_150558_4_aa20e22fa4ba407d7da89bda31641653.jpg



Picture #04 This is the stove area. We would like to get a new stove with an oven on the bottom and a hood up top. Maybe add some directional lights so we can se what we’re cooking. We will also replace the dishwasher.
img_150558_5_57c43a83458166045cc37b58b74f95e7.jpg


Picture #05 & #06 This where it gets interesting. We would like to move the sink slightly left so it lines up with the center of the garden window. The thought is to move the sliding glass door down to the left and extend the counter and add a bar area with stools where we could eat casual meals and get rid of the kitchen table.
img_150558_6_446e680eac1c996bf6a7f69613a5423b.jpg

img_150558_7_590897ba430fbd230c4ca71e98f63e41.jpg


Picture #08 This is the outside where the slider would go, we would remove the garden, add a new or extend the current the patio cover. If we can, we would like to redo the deck and add some proper drainage. The people who had the house before us didn’t think about that, so when the kids are in the pool all of the water runs towards the house.
img_150558_8_f6fa4111ad0c67e32757b70707bee3cf.jpg


Of course all this comes down to money and I don’t even have a budget range yet, but after talking to people I should basically double what I plan on spending. We are not going to go with tile but granite for the counter tops and back splash.
 
Wow! That is going to be one big project!
The first thing I would do before ripping any walls out is to make sure they are not load bearing.
Keep us posted on the progress. There is quite a few tradesman on the forum that I'm sure would be glad to answer any questions you have.
Great view out the kitchen window. 8)
 
Puff said:
Wow! That is going to be one big project!
The first thing I would do before ripping any walls out is to make sure they are not load bearing.
Keep us posted on the progress. There is quite a few tradesman on the forum that I'm sure would be glad to answer any questions you have.
Great view out the kitchen window. 8)

Thanks Puff, I'll definitely keep you posted as we move forward. Now I've got to find the money to get it all done. Not an easy task with my daughter going away to school in a year and my boy heading into high school.
 
007bond-jb said:
Yeah The best advice I can give is move to an apartment while the work is going on :shock: I was without a kitchen for over a month & the project was well planed out.

Remodling sucks :evil:

Unfortunately I don't have the cash to rent anything so I'm sure we will be grilling a ton outside and using the kitchen in the motorhome. Everyone I talked with said a kitchen remodel is a pain in the butt. JB, what kind if any issues came up while you were in the middle of the remodel?
 
Not sure how tall you are but one thing I did that I am extremely happy with was I raised my countertops about 1 1/2" and boy does that make a difference when prepping food. Much easier on the back. I'm 6'3" and my wife is 5'10". You cannot believe how much difference this makes. Just get a 2x4, or 2x2 and place cabinets right on top. You'll lose a little countertop to bottom of wall cabinet space but it's worth it. Also, i went with cabinets that went all the way to the ceiling...more use of space...buy a step ladder.
 
While I am not sure if they do residential or not... the company I work for has had work performed by Santillo Acoustics (in TO) and TEMCO (HVAC- in NP) at various federal/state locations in CA. I think Santillo might also do drywall and insulation. Maybe you'll need a number from them if the time comes.
 
Helen_Paradise said:
While I am not sure if they do residential or not... the company I work for has had work performed by Santillo Acoustics (in TO) and TEMCO (HVAC- in NP) at various federal/state locations in CA. I think Santillo might also do drywall and insulation. Maybe you'll need a number from them if the time comes.

Thanks Helen. I'll do a google search and locate them for a little research.
 
Toby keil said:
[quote="007bond-jb":18ig4o5t]Yeah The best advice I can give is move to an apartment while the work is going on :shock: I was without a kitchen for over a month & the project was well planed out.

Remodling sucks :evil:

Unfortunately I don't have the cash to rent anything so I'm sure we will be grilling a ton outside and using the kitchen in the motorhome. Everyone I talked with said a kitchen remodel is a pain in the butt. JB, what kind if any issues came up while you were in the middle of the remodel?[/quote:18ig4o5t]

I had planed well as possible, made a bunch of meals & froze em, reheating with a toaster oven nuke o wave & hot plate. Used the grill too.
The bigest pain is NO DAMM SINK for the utinsles pots ect, Yeah you can use paper plates & plastic forks but you gotta clean the pots & pans in the bathroom LAVATORY :shock: That sucked. Then the mess from the construction sawdust sheetrock dust paint fumes ect.... NEVER AGAIN for me. The wife agrees too!
 
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