Island instead of cabinets

Ned Bulken

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Lakeport NY and/or the nearest hotel
The LOML and I had a long heart to heart last night about the kitchen cabinets. While she agrees about the need to replace the existing cabinets, she actually didn't want me to put all of that effort in, only to have them left behind when/if we move later this year. (as several of you have also said.) SO we're going to order some stock units from our local hardware store. His price delivered is just about matching what I was going to spend on materials

Instead of that run of cabinets, I'm going to rework my plans a bit, and use the face frames on a mobile island instead. That along with my pantry cupboard will go with us when/if we move later this year. I'm going to go with a pretty large island, replacing the kitchen table (which we sit down to eat at 3x a year tops) with more storage and a bit more counter space including a nice butcher block section. Off to work on some sketches. Wish me luck!
 
Al,
honestly, I was mostly building them for the fun of it, but in the end, we may relocate, I'd hate to put all those hours in and then drive away from them.

The Island will be mobile, so it won't be sold with the house (or probably won't, they offer enough money Anything not nailed down is for sale ultimately).
 
Ned.

Have you figured out how much VALUE those new cabinets will add to your selling price down the road? Before you totally nix the home built cabinets?

Would your CUSTOM cabs have more value than store bought?

Something else to chew on.:huh:
 
good point steve,
In this area, with this age and level of house... (3 bedroom starter home) I'm not sure how much the Custom cabinets will add over and above simply putting new stock units in. We're fairly rural, and the neighborhood is mostly smaller houses where the 'gee whiz' factor isn't going to be a huge selling point. THey might even be 'gilding the Lily'. Simply putting in the stock units will be a huge improvement in and of themselves.
 
consulting with a local realestate agent for an opinion might be in order before making any decisions.......
 
Tod's got a good suggestion.
Got any real estate buddies?
 
Tod, Steve,
we're in no hurry on this, so yes I will see if we can find a real estate type who might offer some advice on the matter. We do live near a lake, but not 'on' the lake. This area used to be 'camps' for nearby Syracuse, but is mostly a bedroom community these days. Modest houses with a little elbow room.
THanks guys!
 
No problem.
Hope I didn't drag something up that was not really necessary:eek: :D
 
Steve,
you pointed out a very important factor. I'm certain that we'll 'win' either way, which would be More beneficial however? Over on another forum I frequent, the collective wisdom has been 'stock' and do the Next kitchen in the 'new' house for us.
I didn't think I could afford that option, but the local guy has a very competitive rate. I'm not a 'pro' by any means, especially regarding finishing. I think in the end that may wind up tipping the balance. Even with being my own worst critic, objectively I doubt I'll be able to match a 'factory' finish on the doors and face frames.
 
Over on another forum I frequent, the collective wisdom has been 'stock' and do the Next kitchen in the 'new' house for us.

(not trying to convince Ned, just commenting...)

There's custom, and then there is custom.

Fellow I know built very nice custom cabinets for his parents kitchen. (Dave Eisen on SMC, see his long photo tutorials there)
For his own kitchen, since he was planning on selling, just like Ned, he still is going custom since he believes it will add significant value, as well as make the kitchn more pleasent for the 12-18 months that they still have in it.

However, there is custom, and then there is custom. For his parents, as I said, he did nice custom maple cabinets. Maple doors, maple frames, 3/4" prefinished maple plywood carcasses, solid wood for the drawers, etc.
For his own, he went with far cheaper materials: 5/8" melamine particle board for the cabinet boxes - NON-adjustable shelves (far easier to install), poplar face frames with MDF panels on the doors, which will be painted.

This is far, FAR, cheaper than his parents kitchen. But it is also (for him) cheaper than buying stock units, and he still gets some custom touches in the kitchen, and he gets a new kitchen to up the value of his condo.

...art
 
Ned, I am a Real Estate Appraiser but of course I have never has seen you house and don't know your market. But kitchens are always a big deal to buyers in any market. Money spent wisely on kitchens typical is good money spent. Of course that depends on a lot of things. And as I said, I have not seen your house. From what I have seen the best investment is on two fairly simple upgrades.

  • Installing new doors on old frames.
  • Or painting old looking cabinets and maybe adding some moldings to the doors.

I have seen some amazing improvements with just one or the other of these two and the cost is no where near new cabinets either. Buyers have no imagination and they want things that look nice. If you can spruce up your old cabinets you will probably make more money than buying and installing new ones.

Second, in my part of the world, I can get a cabinet maker to make cabinets for less than I can buy them at the Borgs. And they are better built and have no particle board in them either. That may be because of our lower cost of living and you may have checked on this all ready. But I am always surprised at that fact. And I have checked on this three different times over the years and it has always held true.

Just some food for thought.
Jeff
 
Art,
funny you should mention pre-finished maple ply and solid wood doors,That is what I was going to put in here. I hadn't considered melamine cabinets, I got so focused on building 'better' cabinets that I pretty much ignored cheaper materials. I was going to 'do it right', and what is in there now is a very inexpensive, and poorly installed set of particle board cabinets. I suppose I crossed those materials off, because I didn't see an advantage to replacing like with like.

Jeff,
The sprucing up idea sounds appealing, but honestly... these cabinets are failing after 15 years of use. The LOML's ex went cheap way back when and they simply have not held up.
We're looking at the cabinets as a modest investment. Nothing too snazzy, just enough to be 'nice', as you say the buyer wants to see it looking good. Having lived with shoddy handoffs for several years, I'm against just 'slapping something on the wall' which is how my wife describes her ex's construction methods.

At this point the stock units are matching what I was going to build price wise , are 'ready to install' sooner and honestly will look 'better' than my meager finishing skills can supply. I'm leaning heavily towards the stock units, and saving my nice milled maple for another project, such as the island unit...
 
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