Remodeling

[Amethyst]

Did anyone get a dishwasher mounted at the height where it is actually convenient to reach in and load, rather than sitting on the floor where you have to bend down?

We almost bought a house that had one of those. The location wasn't quite right and neither was the timing. But we never found another house that did not have the dishwasher sitting on floor level.

 

[aja8888]

Did anyone get a dishwasher mounted at the height where it is actually convenient to reach in and load, rather than sitting on the floor where you have to bend down?

We almost bought a house that had one of those. The location wasn't quite right and neither was the timing. But we never found another house that did not have the dishwasher sitting on floor level.

In our house, a section of countertop is 6" or so higher than the rest of the counter. That raised area houses the dishwasher which is 6" or so off the floor.

 

[pb4uski]

Did anyone get a dishwasher mounted at the height where it is actually convenient to reach in and load, rather than sitting on the floor where you have to bend down? ...

I have seen dishwashers that are like a drawer where the top of the drawer is just below counter height.,, but they are small capacity. I can easily see having a diswasher mounted on a low profile drawer base cabinet so the top rack is arm-pit height and the bottom rack is waist height... probably in a floor to ceiling cabinet like is sometimes used for wall-mounted ovens.

 

[Amethyst]

If we ever subject ourselves to a kitchen remodel, that is what I would want. Full-sized dishwasher at waist height.

I'm just surprised it's not offered more often, given the popularity of pedestal-mounted washing machines and dryers. We've toured $2M new homes (just for fun) and there's the dishwasher, sitting on the floor under the regulation-height counter.

I I can easily see having a diswasher mounted on a low profile drawer base cabinet so the top rack is arm-pit height and the bottom rack is waist height... probably in a floor to ceiling cabinet like is sometimes used for wall-mounted ovens.

 

[NW-Bound]

Mounting a dishwasher higher means you lose that much counter space. This would not matter if you have a big kitchen.

And speaking of a big kitchen, I would not mind having room for two large kitchen sinks, because we do not use our dishwasher.

My wife loves our lowly class C motorhome, just because it has a double sink almost the same size as a residential one. It will be tough for her to downsize to a class B motorhome just because of that. Many motorhomes have a kitchen sink the size of the bathroom sink in airplanes.

We have more counter space in the motorhome than we have seen in some AirBnb apartments or studios.

 

[aja8888]

Mounting a dishwasher higher means you lose that much counter space. This would not matter if you have a big kitchen.

And speaking of a big kitchen, I would not mind having room for two large kitchen sinks, because we do not use our dishwasher.

My wife loves our lowly class C motorhome, just because it has a double sink almost the same size as a residential one. It will be tough for her to downsize to a class B motorhome just because of that. Many motorhomes have a kitchen sink the size of the bathroom sink in airplanes.

We have more counter space in the motorhome than we have seen in some AirBnb apartments or studios.

We just have a raised counter where our dishwasher is. It's not "lost".

 

[blueskyk]

We did the elevated dishwasher thing in one kitchen and absolutely loved it. Just raised the counter above and a drawer below it. Would love to do it again as at 6’2” and 5’10” it feels like its a long way down to load stuff.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I think as people get older, remodeling becomes "less needed/wanted." The TV (and internet) is covered up with shows/ads/pop-ups about things you NEED to keep up with the Jones' and people eat that up. Once you get to a certain age, you realize that it's foolish to spend money to "keep up with the times."

The house we bought last December was built in 2006 and was painted in a color that was not appealing to my DW, so we repainted. Our contractor said he was so excited to paint our house because we picked colors *other* than GRAY!!! We picked what *we* like...not what is trendy today.

You buy the stove first, then hire an architect to build a house around it.

My SIL did that exact thing. Purchased this fridge/freezer combo (for $16K'ish!!!) and designed/built the house around it.

 

[Amethyst]

Even at not quite 5 feet 8 it is a nuisance. Fortunately, we are mostly in the habit of doing dishes by hand, except for big dinners.

We did the elevated dishwasher thing in one kitchen and absolutely loved it. Just raised the counter above and a drawer below it. Would love to do it again as at 6’2” and 5’10” it feels like its a long way down to load stuff.

 

[NW-Bound]

My SIL did that exact thing. Purchased this fridge/freezer combo (for $16K'ish!!!) and designed/built the house around it.

Nice fridge. I like it, although we would have to learn to keep things tidy and pretty because of the glass door.

I once toured a home that had a large fridge like that built into the wall. We looked around for the fridge, and thought its doors were those of a large closet or pantry.

 

[Amethyst]

Yeah, we'd rather conceal the containers of leftovers, not to mention of vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, and eggshells being accumulated for the compost pile

Nice fridge. I like it, although we would have to learn to keep things tidy and pretty because of the glass door.

.

 

[denstl]

Not sure I call it a remodel. But after living in a condo we bought new about 6 years ago we are replacing the carpet in the 2 bedrooms with hardwood that matches the rest of the main floor. Carpets were builder quality with lots of stain after having our daughter and grandkids living with us for the past 2+ years. They just moved out. Instead of waiting until we want to sell (if ever) and never getting to enjoy the investment, we decided to do this now. Looking at the lower level now. Same builder quality carpeting in the family room, game room and bedroom. All with the same wear and stains. We don't go down there much and given the cost to replace with either new carpet or something like vinyl planks, might just get it cleaned and see how it looks.

 

[kcowan]

She (my personal chef) is in her early 70's and very reliable . She even clips coupons .She does favor the crock pot and the air fryer a little too much but she has had no complaints from the people she serves .If she did she might go on strike .

Me too. I am happy to take whatever is going and occasionally do the cooking but she reserves the right to make it taste just right. She does not clip coupons but I overlook that shortcoming. She even buys from Whole Foods once in a while!

 

[segfault]

As a buyer, for my personal residence, I look for a kitchen and bathroom that are close to what I want, because if those need to be redone, they’re big ticket items. I count on having to paint the inside and maybe replace floor coverings. The rest can upgraded a little at a time.

 

[msanniee]

How often do you remodel your home ? I was talking to a realtor and they said you should remodel every 8 years .Is this excessive or am I a slacker ?

When I had my house built, I did a lot of upgrades that will look good for 25 years. After that, I’ll be too old to care or dead. Yes, I plan on never moving again so I may croak in my bed.

 

[Jamie1101]

Stay away from trends

Trying to keep up with the latest trends only ends up with dated rooms. The narrow multiglass kitchen tiles so popular a few years back are really "blah" today. Develop your personal style and then own it. I can show comapre and contrast shots of my kitchen in my old house in 1990 to my kitchen today and you would almost swear nothing has changed:
Kitchen in 1990:

Same stove and accessories in a different house 2018:"

That stove is 90+ years old. Would not ever trade it for a modern one.

Granted this is not for the "average person" but it makes more of an impression on friends and guests over any cookie cutter MacMansion open plan kitchen nobody ever cooks in....

 

[Moemg]

That stove is great !

 

[pb4uski]

.... Instead of waiting until we want to sell (if ever) and never getting to enjoy the investment, we decided to do this now. Looking at the lower level now. Same builder quality carpeting in the family room, game room and bedroom. All with the same wear and stains. We don't go down there much and given the cost to replace with either new carpet or something like vinyl planks, might just get it cleaned and see how it looks.

I think it is smart to do it now... you can enjoy it and it will add value when you sell. We are similar, rarely go downstairs other than to do laundry (1,000 sf.... two bedrooms, family room, bathroom and utility/laundry room).

We were running out of steam when we were building and decided to go with high quality sheet vinyl downstairs and have been happy with that decision... another factor was that the downstairs is radiant heat so vinyl is good compared to carpeting. In fact the vinyl in the bedrooms is a faux wood floor and when the builder returned to theroject after the floors were installed he initially thought that we had gone with laminate floors until he reached down and touched them... the family room and hallway are a faux ceramic tile and looks good.

 

[aja8888]

Trying to keep up with the latest trends only ends up with dated rooms. The narrow multiglass kitchen tiles so popular a few years back are really "blah" today. Develop your personal style and then own it. I can show comapre and contrast shots of my kitchen in my old house in 1990 to my kitchen today and you would almost swear nothing has changed:
Kitchen in 1990:

Same stove and accessories in a different house 2018:"

That stove is 90+ years old. Would not ever trade it for a modern one.

Granted this is not for the "average person" but it makes more of an impression on friends and guests over any cookie cutter MacMansion open plan kitchen nobody ever cooks in....

Beautiful!!

 

[pb4uski]

... Same stove and accessories in a different house 2018:"

That stove is 90+ years old. Would not ever trade it for a modern one.

Granted this is not for the "average person" but it makes more of an impression on friends and guests over any cookie cutter MacMansion open plan kitchen nobody ever cooks in....

We know some people who had an old stove like that retrofitted with propane burners and operable ovens... have no idea what it cost them but it is quite impressive.

 

[DeborahB]

Love that vintage stove!

I remodel when something doesn’t work for me. My current home was remodeled in 2014 by the previous owner - overly expensive kitchen appliances IMO, but okay... everything works. Thermidor fridge, Jenn-Air stove and dishwasher. And they did a good job.

I’m about to lose a stall shower and put in a laundry center (one piece stacked washer and dryer) on the first floor where I sleep. I have 2 other full baths so this is superfluous. And I’m looking forward to having the laundry on the main floor, not in the basement. But remodeling just to keep stuff current? No way. I remodel for convenience, to suit myself. I don’t aspire to a house so updated that it uses up my savings!

 

[Bongleur]

Not even close.

$100K USD. Molteni from Electrolux

It costs a lot to dig the channels for the molten lava.

 

[Bamaman]

I do . She is in her early 70's and very reliable . She even clips coupons .She does favor the crock pot and the air fryer a little too much but she has had no complaints from the people she serves .If she did she might go on strike .

My personal chef is the exact same way. My problem is that I cannot get her to wake up early enough in the morning to cook my breakfast. The grandkids complain about her cooking too many veggies, however.

 

[ncbill]

Reading threads like this makes me glad I bought in a townhouse development...same floor plan...all sell for roughly the same price, so 'upgrading' won't get you more money when selling, just decorate how you want.

 

[scaubie]

After eleven years in our dream home, we downsized recently and it took two years to sell the house. We’ve always maintained the house well, but the honey oak hardwoods, stained cabinets in kitchen, den, master bath and tan walls are not in style anymore. We spent $20k to have all the walls painted Agreeable Gray, hardwoods sanded and stained Dark Walnut and painted our beautiful cabinets Antique White. We had two offer the first weekend we put it back in the market. Wish I had listened to the realtor two years ago when she suggested we update.