Reading suggestions before kitchen remodel?
April 20, 2017 2:21 PM Subscribe
What should I be reading now to educate myself in advance of a kitchen remodel? I'm open to book recommendations, magazines, blogs, etc...
My husband and I would like to remodel our kitchen in the next few months. We are fairly new homeowners, and have a couple projects under our belt (both DIY and contracted) but this will be our first project of this size. I've spent some time on Apartment Therapy and Pinterest, and contacted one remodeling company so far. And I feel totally overwhelmed! We aren't sure exactly what we want, or how/whether we should DIY any parts of it. I could use both design ideas and basic information about how kitchens and remodels work (e.g., what's involved in maintaining various countertop materials? in what order to install floors, cabinets, and appliances?).
My thought is that if I spent 50 bucks on books and 50 hours reading about kitchen remodels, I'd feel a lot more comfortable and confident talking to designers or contractors or the guy at the tile store. And I'd feel more confident making decisions to DIY, contract out to specialists, or go whole-hog and pay for an expert to coordinate everything.
So, folks who have been down this road before: What should I read now? Either physical and electronic media welcome.
Bonus problem: Our house was built in 1926, and is sort of charming (not the kitchen though--that's all Home Depot 1995). We're hoping to make the kitchen a little more consistent with the rest of the house, so resources that deal with this specifically would be awesome.
My husband and I would like to remodel our kitchen in the next few months. We are fairly new homeowners, and have a couple projects under our belt (both DIY and contracted) but this will be our first project of this size. I've spent some time on Apartment Therapy and Pinterest, and contacted one remodeling company so far. And I feel totally overwhelmed! We aren't sure exactly what we want, or how/whether we should DIY any parts of it. I could use both design ideas and basic information about how kitchens and remodels work (e.g., what's involved in maintaining various countertop materials? in what order to install floors, cabinets, and appliances?).
My thought is that if I spent 50 bucks on books and 50 hours reading about kitchen remodels, I'd feel a lot more comfortable and confident talking to designers or contractors or the guy at the tile store. And I'd feel more confident making decisions to DIY, contract out to specialists, or go whole-hog and pay for an expert to coordinate everything.
So, folks who have been down this road before: What should I read now? Either physical and electronic media welcome.
Bonus problem: Our house was built in 1926, and is sort of charming (not the kitchen though--that's all Home Depot 1995). We're hoping to make the kitchen a little more consistent with the rest of the house, so resources that deal with this specifically would be awesome.
Sweeten is a service in New York that matches homeowners with contractors. They have a good blog that I found useful during our recent renovation. Some of it is apartment specific, but most of the kitchen stuff is universal.
posted by minervous at 5:00 PM on April 20, 2017
posted by minervous at 5:00 PM on April 20, 2017
Best answer: I own a pile of Taunton Press books and magazines (mostly woodworking), and would trust their Fine Homebuilding blog and selections.
posted by notyou at 5:21 PM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 5:21 PM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The forums from Gardenweb are now hosted by Houzz. Their Kitchens Forum is an absolute treasure trove of helpful information and moral support.
posted by dustkee at 8:05 PM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by dustkee at 8:05 PM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
This should help you figure out what you don't want.
posted by Don Pepino at 8:34 PM on April 20, 2017
posted by Don Pepino at 8:34 PM on April 20, 2017
Best answer: Young House Love did really thorough blogging of several kitchen renovations. This post is a pretty good example of the level of detail.
Emily Henderson also does a lot of blog posts about kitchen renovations, but they're a little more aspirational/design inspiration but still make you think of a few things you might otherwise not think about.
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 11:02 PM on April 20, 2017
Emily Henderson also does a lot of blog posts about kitchen renovations, but they're a little more aspirational/design inspiration but still make you think of a few things you might otherwise not think about.
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 11:02 PM on April 20, 2017
Read the meta talk thread wrongness in my kitchen... not only is it funny but really instructive on all potential pitfalls. On phone so can't link
posted by 15L06 at 12:09 PM on April 21, 2017
posted by 15L06 at 12:09 PM on April 21, 2017
Response by poster: We ended up getting the New Kitchen Idea Book from Taunton Press, which seems pretty much perfect in terms of covering most of the elements we'll need to think about, and presenting it in a way that's not too overwhelming.
I appreciated the blog recommendations also...especially the Young House Love series on their most recent remodel. The Houzz Forums look great too, and they inspired me to create a Houzz account, which has been a little less chaotic than Pinterest. Thanks, y'all.
posted by figgy_finicky at 10:50 AM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I appreciated the blog recommendations also...especially the Young House Love series on their most recent remodel. The Houzz Forums look great too, and they inspired me to create a Houzz account, which has been a little less chaotic than Pinterest. Thanks, y'all.
posted by figgy_finicky at 10:50 AM on April 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by childofTethys at 2:29 PM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]