DIY kitchen remodel tips wanted

[clifish]

Looks great ! Where's your range or cook top ? I see the oven . Is it one of the newer setups that has the induction in the counter top ?

the second pic on the right, it was not pushed back in yet. Gas top and double oven underneath. The "oven" next to the french door wine/beer fridge is a drop in drawer microwave.

 

[Fueling Around]

Cliff you reminded me of another tip.
If your remodel requires new electric feed to the range / oven make sure the electrician uses 40 amp wiring from the load center even if you are using an all gas unit. In the future if you decide to revise from an all gas unit to a gas range and electric oven unit, the wiring is in place.
I hope this makes sense to you. I love gas range tops but despise gas ovens and prefer electric.

 

[clifish]

Cliff you reminded me of another tip.
If your remodel requires new electric feed to the range / oven make sure the electrician uses 40 amp wiring from the load center even if you are using an all gas unit. In the future if you decide to revise from an all gas unit to a gas range and electric oven unit, the wiring is in place.
I hope this makes sense to you. I love gas range tops but despise gas ovens and prefer electric.

The electrician ran all new wire to the panel, all old stuff was removed.

 

[Smokin Okie]

We just completed a full kitchen remodel that involved knocking down a wall. We had no water of any kind on the first floor for 6 weeks as the bathroom was torn to the studs. We had an electric griddle, air fryer, microwave, crock pot in our living room (that is now our new dinging room). I did nothing but write the $100K check

We went from this
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To this
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That looks great ! We've put that project off too long.

 

[chopsaw]

the second pic on the right,

OK , I see it now . Thanks . I'm in the market for a new range . Really want a slide in , but my countertops have a backsplash on them . Trying to decide if I want to build new tops .

 

[Winterrider]

Looks beautiful. . .

 

[clifish]

Cliff you reminded me of another tip.
If your remodel requires new electric feed to the range / oven make sure the electrician uses 40 amp wiring from the load center even if you are using an all gas unit. In the future if you decide to revise from an all gas unit to a gas range and electric oven unit, the wiring is in place.
I hope this makes sense to you. I love gas range tops but despise gas ovens and prefer electric.

yeah we won't be doing any more kitchen changes while we are in the house. The only reason we did this is a leak caused some mold on a lower cabinet and outside wall. Hopefully the next house will be newer when we bolt out of NY in a few years. I can get something nice, bigger, newer in SC that will have taxes and HOA fees a 1/3 of just what my taxes are now.

 

[912smoker]

That sure looks nice Cliff and certainly added to the value when you sell !
I know it was worth the wait and pains !

Keith

 

[clifish]

That sure looks nice Cliff and certainly added to the value when you sell !
I know it was worth the wait and pains !

Keith

It is sure nice to have more countertop space for prepping and cooking, best part is the beverage fridge, left side for beer and right side for wine.

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

We did ours about a year ago. Moved walls, plumbing, electric, lights, cabinets. It was a complete change from what was there before. We had two cabinets damaged and one that wasnt built right. Took 4 weeks to get the damaged cabinets replaced. It took 4 tries and 6 months to correctly build the double oven cabinet. We temporarily installed the oven cabinet so could get the counters installed and were able to install one of the ovens. We cooked on a coleman stove and the grill out on the covered patio. We have a full size sink in the laundry so doing dishes by hand wasnt a big deal. I did all the work myself except coutertops and tape and mud drywall. My biggest mistake was hiring a handyman to tape and mud because cabinets were coming in and i was out town for work and had no time. He charged a rediculous amount for what should have been a few days work and then it was crappy work and took him over two weeks and still had to fix it. Biggest suggestion is to have patience and a definite plan of the work. Things we did that really like are install a pot filler in a cubby above the gas cooktop, stand alone electric oven and a combo speed oven microwave, a full 9’ height x 2’ wide x 6” deep spice cabinet that is at the end of a cabinet row, mini beverage fridge, stand alone ice maker, large one level island with a cantilever so can put stools under it. Oh and under cabinet lighting. Crown moulding is a great Finishing touch but is hard to install. We also added a large walk in pantry where we keep our freezer

One thing different we did was have an open cabinet in the end of the island that tiled bottom of and installed a dog watering station with a pot filler inside.

 

[Fraser]

Sorry I’m late to the party.
Best advice I have is: PMA. In survival school we taught Positive Mental Attitude. With it, survival is almost guaranteed.
One day DW came home and went to set her purse on the end of the kitchen counter as was her wont. Except there was no counter. No kitchen. Nothing but wall studs and slab foundation! Ok, communication might not be my strong point. I think aforementioned DW couldn’t decide murder first, then divorce or the other way round. During that fleeting indecision I was able to point out it’d be just like camping! Except running water is closer! I set up the 2-burner camp stove under the open window (portable fan blowing) And got to work.
We’d been looking at reno ideas for a while; the final puzzle piece finally dropped. I had a plan for relocating things, accurate measurements, etc. Had the demo & removal done on day 1. I started the cabinet carcasses while Hickory face lumber was collected, fixtures and appliances ordered, etc. I’d ordered sink/granite countertops to be installed pending inspection of my cabinet carcasses. Once the countertops were in, water turned on and cooktop in, we ‘moved in’ while I got busy building cabinet faces, doors and drawers. At this point, DW even pitched in for the floor tiling!
Point is, PMA got us the kitchen of our dreams. Believe in the result, focus on the journey, remember the past. “This too shall pass”.
Hope this helps!

 

[paulgeorge]

We did ours about a year ago. Moved walls, plumbing, electric, lights, cabinets. It was a complete change from what was there before. We had two cabinets damaged and one that wasnt built right. Took 4 weeks to get the damaged cabinets replaced. It took 4 tries and 6 months to correctly build the double oven cabinet. We temporarily installed the oven cabinet so could get the counters installed and were able to install one of the ovens. We cooked on a coleman stove and the grill out on the covered patio. We have a full size sink in the laundry so doing dishes by hand wasnt a big deal. I did all the work myself except coutertops and tape and mud drywall. My biggest mistake was hiring a handyman to tape and mud because cabinets were coming in and i was out town for work and had no time. He charged a rediculous amount for what should have been a few days work and then it was crappy work and took him over two weeks and still had to fix it. Biggest suggestion is to have patience and a definite plan of the work. Things we did that really like are install a pot filler in a cubby above the gas cooktop, stand alone electric oven and a combo speed oven microwave, a full 9’ height x 2’ wide x 6” deep spice cabinet that is at the end of a cabinet row, mini beverage fridge, stand alone ice maker, large one level island with a cantilever so can put stools under it. Oh and under cabinet lighting kitchen and bathroom remodeler. Crown moulding is a great Finishing touch but is hard to install. We also added a large walk in pantry where we keep our freezer

One thing different we did was have an open cabinet in the end of the island that tiled bottom of and installed a dog watering station with a pot filler inside.

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thank you so much for your suggestion

 

[bill1]

Advice is >1 yr late, but you can never have too much lighting or electrical outlets. Also, budget more counter space than you think to a sink, and avoid any sink with a divider to it. (Having the disposal outlet off-center can be nice however.)
As far as surviving, we ate out a lot. Sure it's expensive, but if you haven't noticed, so is a new kitchen.

 

[lihat]

Sorry I’m late to the party.
Best advice I have is: PMA. In survival school we taught Positive Mental Attitude. With it, survival is almost guaranteed.
One day DW came home and went to set her purse on the end of the kitchen counter as was her wont. Except there was no counter. No kitchen. Nothing but wall studs and slab foundation! Ok, communication might not be my strong point. I think aforementioned DW couldn’t decide murder first, then divorce or the other way round. During that fleeting indecision I was able to point out it’d be just like camping! Except running water is closer! I set up the 2-burner camp stove under the open window (portable fan blowing) And got to work.
We’d been looking at reno ideas for a while; the final puzzle piece finally dropped. I had a plan for relocating things, accurate measurements, etc. Had the demo & removal done on day 1. I started the cabinet carcasses while Hickory face lumber was collected, fixtures and appliances ordered, etc. I’d ordered sink/granite countertops to be installed pending inspection of my cabinet carcasses. Once the countertops were in, the water turned on, and the cooktop was ready, we basically ‘moved in’ while I worked on building cabinet faces, doors, and drawers. This part of our home renovation Toronto project was intense, but DW even pitched in to help with the floor tiling!
Point is, PMA got us the kitchen of our dreams. Believe in the result, focus on the journey, remember the past. “This too shall pass”.
Hope this helps!

Here is some practical advice for surviving your kitchen remodel. Set up a temporary kitchen zone with your convection ovens, microwave, toaster oven, and essential utensils so you can still cook easily. Prep meals ahead by batch-cooking proteins or chopping vegetables to make quick assembly meals. Keep plates, cutlery, and cookware accessible to avoid digging through boxes. Label and organize boxes by type, such as utensils, spices, and dry goods, to stay organized. Expect delays and have extra snacks and easy-to-eat foods on hand. Protect your house with drop cloths for dust and keep a cleaning kit nearby for quick wipe-downs. This prep will make the sinkless phase much more manageable.