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Newly Renovated Kitchen - Beyond Happy

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JWL wrote: It is unfortunate how the more enthusiastic the poster, the more negative the responses.
fdl wrote: Everyone posting negative reviews should also post photos of their own kitchen.
Hm... I see a lot of comments that begs to differ. A lot of comments concerning costs. I don't see any negative responses at all. I see a lot of personal opinions, that said, the OP is basically looking for feedback and getting it. How about everyone post their kitchens if they want it criticized by different opinions on a public forum.
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eonibm wrote: Last I checked, 40K is between 22K & 5 K, lol. But I should've added that my estimate is that that kichen is top-quality with all the bells and whistles. I can make the kitchen look the same for a little more than half that price but it won't be the same quality or have the same bells and whistles.
Actually your original estimate on the previous page was 45K and knowing the true cost of the kitchen without appliances it's no where near that price. I also agree that any kitchen can be made to look the same on the exterior (appearance wise) yet range in price to more then double the cost to install which reinforces my original statement that it's difficult to estimate the cost of a kitchen based on a couple photos since the true cost is based on material and construction methods which are unknown in a photo.

I believe we're beating a dead horse so there really isn't any more than I can add.

cobs00, Thanks for starting this thread and I'm glad you got the kitchen of your dreams at the price point you were happy with. What works for some may not work for others but it's what makes your family happy that counts the most and props for a great looking kitchen.
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Kitchen looks nice OP. Not my style and wouldn't fit my needs but it still looks well done.

I personally don't understand the new trend of hardwood in the kitchen. It seems to just be asking for problems. Or am I missingsomething?
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tyrrell wrote: Kitchen looks nice OP. Not my style and wouldn't fit my needs but it still looks well done.

I personally don't understand the new trend of hardwood in the kitchen. It seems to just be asking for problems. Or am I missingsomething?
Hardwood kitchen floors look very good, but they aren't so practical, unless you're very careful with them. (My sister's hardwood kitchen floor was damaged by water for example.) It's like bamboo countertops in bathrooms.

As mentioned, my basement kitchen has hardwood, engineered maple hardwood. Whenever I know that it's been used by relatives, I try to go down to make sure any water has been wiped up. Several times I've found water sitting on top of the hardwood. (eg. from dishes or wet hands dripping on the floor) On tile I just wouldn't care.

However, in my basement the kitchen isn't used often, and the space would look terrible with tile, as it is sort of a galley-like kitchen, continuous with a hallway, and open to the living room down there, both of which have the same hardwood. Throwing in tile would have really broken up the flow.

When I re-do my upstairs kitchen after my mortgage is paid off, I will put in tile again for the floor. BTW, I guarantee you that my kitchen reno will be well above $50000. Although some of that cost will probably be due to higher end appliances, it seems to me that a few people in this thread don't necessarily have a realistic idea of how much nice kitchens can cost.
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Dec 31, 2011
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koffey wrote: Hm... I see a lot of comments that begs to differ. A lot of comments concerning costs. I don't see any negative responses at all. I see a lot of personal opinions, that said, the OP is basically looking for feedback and getting it. How about everyone post their kitchens if they want it criticized by different opinions on a public forum.
I'm actually not looking for feedback at all. With all due respect to the RFD community, if I wanted to get my kitchen reviewed or get feedback I would have done that at a web site like Houzz, where you have kitchen experts, designers, community users, etc. This is why I NEVER mentioned any measurements, specs, price, the material used, etc.

As mentioned 3 times in this thread, the purpose was to make others aware on this forum of how happy I was using Classic Kitchens, and should anyone want a kitchen renovation or facelift, this thread would help in making an informed decision. Thats it!
tyrrell wrote: Kitchen looks nice OP. Not my style and wouldn't fit my needs but it still looks well done.

I personally don't understand the new trend of hardwood in the kitchen. It seems to just be asking for problems. Or am I missingsomething?
I actually am NOT a fan of the hardwood in the kitchen. The day after we installed it, I forgot to plug in a bar fridge we were temporarily using while waiting for the main fridge and the darn thing defrosted overnight over the brand new wood floors. Unfortunately due to this, there is an area in the kitchen where 2 of the wood planks are warped.

Yes it looks nice, but IMO, its not practical for the day to day activity for a kitchen.
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cobs00 wrote:

I actually am NOT a fan of the hardwood in the kitchen. The day after we installed it, I forgot to plug in a bar fridge we were temporarily using while waiting for the main fridge and the darn thing defrosted overnight over the brand new wood floors. Unfortunately due to this, there is an area in the kitchen where 2 of the wood planks are warped.

Yes it looks nice, but IMO, its not practical for the day to day activity for a kitchen.
Ouch. I'm sorry to hear that so soon after finishing your reno. So I guess you either redo those planks or just leave it as is?

Are contractors actually recommending this? In spite of how terribly impractical it is? I would think they would say that they don't recommend iy
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cobs00 wrote: I know this modern kitchen design is not everyones cup of tea. And I'm sure all the designer kitchen experts on this thread could have done it a better way for under $5K, at the end of the day, the purpose is to say we were happy with Classic Kitchens.
It's interesting you should say that. While I do agree it looks well done and decent, one of the reasons I say it's not quite my cup of tea (besides the hardwood and white marble) is because I prefer more modern designs. To me the cabinets and the hood look more classic (which may make sense given the name of the company). That's fine and is popular (and will be a plus for resale), but I usually prefer a sleeker more modern look.
tyrrell wrote: Are contractors actually recommending this? In spite of how terribly impractical it is? I would think they would say that they don't recommend iy
My contractor for example said he'll do whatever you want (within reason) but of course he doesn't recommend it either.
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cobs00 wrote: I'm actually not looking for feedback at all. With all due respect to the RFD community, if I wanted to get my kitchen reviewed or get feedback I would have done that at a web site like Houzz, where you have kitchen experts, designers, community users, etc. This is why I NEVER mentioned any measurements, specs, price, the material used, etc.

As mentioned 3 times in this thread, the purpose was to make others aware on this forum of how happy I was using Classic Kitchens, and should anyone want a kitchen renovation or facelift, this thread would help in making an informed decision. Thats it!



I actually am NOT a fan of the hardwood in the kitchen. The day after we installed it, I forgot to plug in a bar fridge we were temporarily using while waiting for the main fridge and the darn thing defrosted overnight over the brand new wood floors. Unfortunately due to this, there is an area in the kitchen where 2 of the wood planks are warped.

Yes it looks nice, but IMO, its not practical for the day to day activity for a kitchen.
But you inadvertently are asking. You posted a link to the before and after. If you didn't want the opinions, leave the link and photos out and just post your glorious review. Just a shot in the dark, I bet you there are RFD members that know all too well and are experts in design whether it be kitchen, bath, etc...
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cobs00 wrote: I know this modern kitchen design is not everyones cup of tea. And I'm sure all the designer kitchen experts on this thread could have done it a better way for under $5K, at the end of the day, the purpose is to say we were happy with Classic Kitchens.
Modern??? How is that kitchen modern? I could maybe stretch to contemporary, but modern? No way.

This is modern (not my kitchen):

[IMG]http://balkadan.com/wp-content/uploads/ ... you-50.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.fullhouse.com.kh/images/slid ... 65x369.jpg[/IMG]

And, btw, when you post anything on a public forum (RFD above all!) you lay yourself open to comments - negative and positive. Pretty naive to expect otherwise. This isn't an advertising forum, so if you only wanted to give props to a company that came up with a very average design you came to the wrong place.
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cobs00 wrote:
As mentioned 3 times in this thread, the purpose was to make others aware on this forum of how happy I was using Classic Kitchens, and should anyone want a kitchen renovation or facelift, this thread would help in making an informed decision. Thats it!
But keeping the $$ you spent a secret doesn't help ANYONE though. It's almost like wanting to "help" people by posting a deal on the Hot Deals forum, without any mention of the price :)
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I agree with other posters, you posted your new kitchen (before and after) in a public discussion forum. You should know that you're going to get feedback, negative and positive.
I would think that you would know this as its the same reasoning as to why you won't publicly post the cost.

Also, I'm not sure why you haven't contributed to the few other threads regarding contactor's.

Also I don't think anyone can make an informed decision based on one review which sounds an awful lot like a discount shill
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tyrrell wrote: I personally don't understand the new trend of hardwood in the kitchen. It seems to just be asking for problems. Or am I missingsomething?
Like most trends and fashions you don't need to understand, you just need to follow the flock

....Bahhhhh! :D
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I think it's a nice tasteful upgrade. For something that you are going to see and use everyday I can see the rationale for the upgrade.

After dealing with builders garbage in my new house within a year I renovated the master shower which was a tiny garbage shower enclosure plus linen closet into an updated tiled 4' by 5' shower. Many might say it's just a shower and it's new...but hitting your elbow on the wall everytime you move isn't exactly a great way to start the day. The new shower makes the house work for us.

I think you did a good deluxe Reno...the modern kitchen as posted above...well...let's just say that's an acquired taste. Whereas the updated look you went for is something I think more people would enjoy and potentially not get dated as quick. It would be hard to look at that builders bargain kitchen everyday in a new house when it looked like something that was slapped together with HD $99 cabinets. The amount builders try to extract out of you..does make it reasonable to let them put the standard in and rip it out. They know many people will simply pay it to have done when they move in...so slap a crazy price and if the buyer goes for it = massive profit.

Enjoy the kitchen!
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cartfan123 wrote: I think it's a nice tasteful upgrade. For something that you are going to see and use everyday I can see the rationale for the upgrade.

After dealing with builders garbage in my new house within a year I renovated the master shower which was a tiny garbage shower enclosure plus linen closet into an updated tiled 4' by 5' shower. Many might say it's just a shower and it's new...but hitting your elbow on the wall everytime you move isn't exactly a great way to start the day. The new shower makes the house work for us.
I had a shower in the basement that was well under 30" wide. I hated it. Even for me, a slim guy, I kept on hitting my elbows when I tried to use that shower. For my guests, they wouldn't even get into it, because they were considerably wider than me.

However, increasing the shower size ended up being a major endeavor. The reason the shower was so small was because one wall was a support wall made of cinderblock. To increase the size of the shower just 14" (over 40" total width) we had to knock out that support wall and add a huge support beam, since that support wall held up the main floor above.

I'm afraid of running into similar issues when I do my kitchen reno. I already know that part of one wall I'd prefer to move / get rid of is staying put, because it houses a pole that extends past the 2nd floor to hold up my roof, and also contains some of my HVAC ducting.
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Why do builders in ontario put in 1990s style garbage kitchens and why do people buy them?
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dealguy2 wrote: Why do builders in ontario put in 1990s style garbage kitchens and why do people buy them?
Because they can, because, as you say, people will buy them.

There's a lot about new build houses that leave much to be desired. Much desirable about them, but, wow, budget an extra $120G to make it a "home" you want to live in.
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hoob wrote: Because they can, because, as you say, people will buy them.

There's a lot about new build houses that leave much to be desired. Much desirable about them, but, wow, budget an extra $120G to make it a "home" you want to live in.
Wow.......just...........Wow!!!!!!!!!
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You can build a custom home, but then you pay for a custom home. As the OP said, you can also upgrade from the base setups, but they charge an arm and a leg for the upgrades.

When I bought my townhouse, I had them put in the hardwood floors and upgraded appliances simply because I didn't want to deal with the hassle. I could have gotten better quality hardwood and the same appliances for close to the same price (and sold off the old appliances), but just the fact it was already move-in ready and no hassle was worth the cost IMO.

In the OP's situation, perhaps the cost was even higher so they decided to get the bottom of the barrel stuff, to upgrade later. My upgrade pricing was bad, but not completely outrageous. But then again, that was from the late 1990s. Maybe it's much worse these days.
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dealguy2 wrote: Why do builders in ontario put in 1990s style garbage kitchens and why do people buy them?
Not sure exactly what a 1990s style kitchen is but generally the builders use very low end materials and finishes. Don't like it? You pay more for the upgrades or Reno it later.

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