tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post6227274002743428584..comments2024-03-15T07:27:24.345-04:00Comments on Kitchen and Residential Design: Reader question: How do I know how much to spend on a renovation?Paul Anaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-45045073573732551042011-01-11T09:31:39.034-05:002011-01-11T09:31:39.034-05:00Yes Kelly, blackwood. Ooooh indeed.Blackwood floor...Yes Kelly, blackwood. Ooooh indeed.Blackwood floors make me swoon.<br /><br />Fleur: Thanks for spurring such a good conversation. I would love to come to Australia. I've never been and the place has haunted me for as long as I can remember. I correspond with more than a few of your countrymen and the more I learn the more I realize that I need to get there.Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-9429492172870303142011-01-11T03:30:18.072-05:002011-01-11T03:30:18.072-05:00Thank you very much for this response to my questi...Thank you very much for this response to my question. This has helped enormously and I have enjoyed the discussion comments too. It would be really great if you could squeeze an Australian visit into your schedule in the next year or so!Fleurnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-30866538739904523592011-01-11T02:16:33.666-05:002011-01-11T02:16:33.666-05:00Ooo, blackwood. I'd forgotten about that. Yum....Ooo, blackwood. I'd forgotten about that. Yum. Yes, the oak thing floored me (so to speak). Guess the grass is always greener...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-91126167976926838652011-01-10T23:13:31.560-05:002011-01-10T23:13:31.560-05:00Kelly: I've seen some of those Australian hard...Kelly: I've seen some of those Australian hardwoods and they're amazing. I can't imagine anyone coveting oak the way I covet blackwood, jarrah, kempas and yes, rosewood. Thanks for the compliments and yes, a Blogger19 inspection tour of Australia is definitely in order.<br /><br />Cheryl: I'd love to see you and Rufus duke this one out. We'll have to arrange some kind of a face-to-face meeting between the three of us during one of our trips to far off lands this year. Whattya say we all meet in New York the last weekend in April?Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-12779470049776645192011-01-10T20:12:55.889-05:002011-01-10T20:12:55.889-05:00I think you can soooo tell the diff between lowes ...I think you can soooo tell the diff between lowes stock cabs and custom. I have diff perpective because i only do custom with my local shop. But it is all me and what i spec. Basically he builds "cheryl" cabinetry. I like the freedom from a design standpoint and have not had a drawer fail in 14 yrs... Unless you count the pot holder that got stuck in the back and had to be rescued by my cabinet man. Geesh. Same day service also. And to Rufus, let me design your kitchen and i promise you will get every cent out of it and then some!! So, design and creativity also factor into the mix. But like i just said on my last blog post, i think cabinetry is important investment and not just quality but also the flexibility in achieving good design! Rufus is correct tho about not spending more than the neighborhood is worth. Cant overcome the slum with a great kitchen! I say throw the appliances under the bus!Details and Designhttp://www.kitchendetailsanddesign.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-90997226020987452152011-01-10T18:43:50.563-05:002011-01-10T18:43:50.563-05:00"...Whether or not a carcass is made from par..."...Whether or not a carcass is made from particle board, MDF or plywood isn't an automatic indicator of quality. There are plywood-sided cabinets I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy and there are particle board-sided cabinets I'd give a kidney for the privilege to own. What makes a quality carcass is the thickness of it and the manner in which it's joined."<br /><br />Probably the best description of what makes a cabinet I've read. Well done. <br /><br />In Australia, they have some fine joineries (at least where I visited and a few of them were NKBA members) and some of most beautiful woods I've ever seen. They were wistful about wanting to use oak, and I was trying to keep my hands off the rosewood! <br /><br />Hmm...we need a group trip down under, don't you think?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-10813535150240221442011-01-10T18:37:48.862-05:002011-01-10T18:37:48.862-05:00Thank you. I thought Kevin McCloud was on Channel ...Thank you. I thought Kevin McCloud was on Channel 4, it makes sense that he's not on BBCAmerica now. Thanks too for that link. I'm getting a real education today.Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-88786205848429604262011-01-10T18:33:23.845-05:002011-01-10T18:33:23.845-05:00He's on a rival channel to the BBC that's ...He's on a rival channel to the BBC that's why he doesn't show up there. Also induction, caesarstone, LED lighting-all big in EU and AUS long before US accepted them. Check out this too (Canada) http://carolreeddesign.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-i-love-ikea-kitchens.html#comment-form<br />But the answer to the post title is, with a kitchen reno you will probably only know one thing for certain: that you spent more than you intended!modernemamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00837091713842104507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-63812666226354925552011-01-10T16:55:35.186-05:002011-01-10T16:55:35.186-05:00Rufus: I much prefer that major decisions involvin...Rufus: I much prefer that major decisions involving thousands of dollars be made in haste and with as little research as possible. It's even better when there's a whole lot of strong emotion thrown into the mix. In spite of that, good points.<br /><br />Sarah: I had no idea that there was a cottage industry in the US that involves making doors and drawer heads for IKEA carcasses. You've given me a whole new thing to research, thanks.<br /><br />I saw the Amazon UK link when I was Google around so I know I can get it but it seems odd that someone who's such a star in the rest of the world is an unknown in the US. Especially on this topic. He doesn't even show up on BBCAmerica. Odd.<br /><br />I'll probably be able to get it in Germany next week so I'm heading across the Atlantic on a quest.Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-66856023727759698012011-01-10T16:49:51.755-05:002011-01-10T16:49:51.755-05:00Hey Paul, there's always amazon.co.uk - but mo...Hey Paul, there's always amazon.co.uk - but more fun to shop when you're actually there.<br /><br />There is a whole little sub-industry here in the US making wood doors and drawers for Ikea carcases. It's a VERY inexpensive way for people get a kitchen with the BLUM hardware, etc. and how long it will last depends as much on how and where it is installed and what type of use it gets (careful couple or horde of teenage football players)as on what it cost in the first place.<br /><br />If everybody could afford Clive Christian, or whatever they perceive to be the absolute tip top of the quality ladder, then somebody would have to invent another step up the ladder to satisfy our competetive natures, right?Sarah (ClarityK)http://www.kitchenclarity.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-85652134850659342472011-01-10T12:30:59.124-05:002011-01-10T12:30:59.124-05:00I have an ENTIRELY different opinion on kitchen &q...I have an ENTIRELY different opinion on kitchen "furniture." <br />http://www.dogwalkblog.com/home-kitchens-are-not-functional.html<br /><br />I'd start out by determining property value and then not having a renovation that causes the cost of the home to exceed 90% of what you think your home will be worth in 5 years. What you think is quality, the new owners will think is crap. <br /><br />I redid my kitchen about five years ago and had this logic with cabinets: I bought stock stuff from Lowes all around, but reinforced the joints on the high-traffic drawers/doors such as the silverware, dishes, knife and junk drawers. Midrange countertops and high quality sinks and faucets (cause I HATE plumbing twice.) Appliances will fail at the same rate now-a-days, so don't buy cheap, but don't invest the farm. Mid-range. The features you like today will be a maintenance nightmare in five years.<br /><br />My two-cents.DogWalkBloghttp://www.dogwalkblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-51976976648745386272011-01-10T12:02:22.028-05:002011-01-10T12:02:22.028-05:00Thanks Lauren, I wish the same thing. Unfortunatel...Thanks Lauren, I wish the same thing. Unfortunately, what ends up being featured on that network come from the supplier who's the highest bidder and it's impossible to be objective when product placement is such an important part of your revenue stream.Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-88973967038782924702011-01-10T11:55:00.683-05:002011-01-10T11:55:00.683-05:00This is such an awesome educational post! I wish t...This is such an awesome educational post! I wish this was the sort of stuff HGTV would espouse to the public instead of the kitchen fluff that makes up their programming, setting unreal expectations for homeowners who want to redo their kitchen.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17336783637792925807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-70771407816587777322011-01-10T10:39:55.841-05:002011-01-10T10:39:55.841-05:00My stock response to this question is to spend the...My stock response to this question is to spend the most you can afford but that wasn't where this was headed. Fleur is also in Australia, where things like Peacock Cabinetry aren't available. The world of semi-custom and custom cabinetry are pretty much unique to North America and had this question come from someone in the US or Canada, my answer would have been much closer to what I usually tell people.Paul Anaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05777487147630173644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143843667296816868.post-86462313504820395462011-01-10T10:33:09.772-05:002011-01-10T10:33:09.772-05:00Paul, I know you’re not as big on Peacock Cabinetr...Paul, I know you’re not as big on Peacock Cabinetry as I am, but a few months ago when my business partner on my blog site (we’re both cabinetmakers) visited them in Los Angeles, we were immediately impressed with the quality of their work. I won’t argue with those who say that line may be overpriced, but the quality is manifest, and especially so to people like my partner and I. The moment I walked into their showroom, without opening a single door, I was blown away by the quality of those cabinets. <br /><br />Other people do similar work, and there are a fair number of independent cabinetmakers who make absolutely superb kitchen cabinets. I absolutely would not install typical Melamine European-style cabinetry into any kitchen I might make for myself. They are nothing but garbage, and that sort of thing will come back to haunt you.<br /><br />The other thing, to me at least, is just the fact that you are in kitchens and bathroom every day of your life. You touch those cabinets every day. Why not enjoy the best?Josephhttp://www.cft411.comnoreply@blogger.com