The Hawaiian Home
Window Types
For those who speak Latin among us the manufacturing world sometimes refers to windows as fenestration. The home window has (3) duties it may perform at the same time.
For most people the first is to let in air but keep out weather. Starting sometime in the 1940’s the jalousie window began to replace the double hung sash windows and wood sliding windows that were installed in homes right up into the 1960’s. The jalousie windows advantage is full opening of the “fenestration” and some help in keeping light rain showers out. The majority of residential jalousie windows in Hawaii are of aluminum. Aluminum strip jalousies are inexpensive but the new and improved jalousie hardware is a combination of vinyl and stainless steel. They cost more but have eliminated aluminum greatest weakness, its malleability. Vinyl clips hold there shape which make’s it difficult to remove the glass vane, as well the close tighter and hold the weather out much better than aluminum.
Aside from jalousie there are awning windows which open like large jalousies though there size means they stick out beyond the house wall. Casement which open like doors will also protrude beyond the exterior wall. Sliding windows and single/double hung windows operate within the wall cavity. Awning and casement windows give you full opening while sliders and single/double hung windows open up half way. With larger sliding windows they are sometime available with (3) or more operable sliders though this makes the frame deeper, it achieve a two thirds opening ratio.
Windows are in vinyl, aluminum and wood ideally with vinyl or aluminum exterior cladding for durability and low maintenance. Vinyl is generally in white though other colors may be available depending on manufacturer. Aluminum is best chosen with high grade manufacturers finish electrolytically applied. Clear anodized aluminum reacts with moisture and forms aluminum salt which is the white substance so often seen around decay point on aluminum windows. Custom homeowners often want a wood interior look which can be painted or stained. The exterior cladding is available in a variety of colors to coordinate with exterior house colors.
February 16, 2009
February 2, 2009
The Hawaiian Home
Bathroom Showers
Shower Fabrication
Showers are custom made or from pre-fabricated components. The custom shower starts with a framed in shower area where necessary plumbing (shower manifold and floor drain) have been installed. The base of the shower is either a one piece vinyl liner or a fabricated to fit copper pan. The shower drain itself consist of a manufactured plumbing fitting that clamps down between the liner (copper or vinyl) and has a threaded connection for the actual drain which raises or lowers as needed.
I like using the copper pan though I know the vinyl liner is also a safe choice. Older shower often have a tar paper and hot-mop waterproofing base whose decay is the source of leakage and require replacing the whole shower. As previously written I have seen major termite infestation from such leaks going unrepaired where fixing the damage was more costly than replacing the shower.
Once the “pan” is in you install Hardibacker on the walls making sure you remember to frame in soap/shampoo niches if desired. (Another nice alternative to the shampoo niche is the corner shelf either in ceramic or a high quality manufactured chrome.) The screw heads and joints of the Hardibacker are covered with a waterproofing compound for redundancy in leak protection. The shower floor is built up with a bed of concrete mortar, this establishes the drainage for the shower.
Shower Tile and Grout
It’s a good idea to go with small tiles on the floor for traction, if using marble the 12x12 tiles can be cut into 4 sections to achieve the same result. The walls are tiled in the desired materials and grouted. Grout aside from the color choices comes in cement and epoxy. Cement grout needs to be “sealed” which has become an easy chore with new products on the market. Epoxy grout while more costly and labor intensive is known for its hardness and is purported ability to resist long term discoloring.
Pre-Fabricated Showers
Pre-fabricated showers can be fast and less costly than custom built showers. The pan is a one piece product available in cultured marble and an epoxy style material available from several manufacturers. The walls either in cultured marble or various wall systems are glued or attach to the walls around the shower and are sealed to the shower pan. Installation can be a one day affair with 1-3 days allowed for the glue/epoxy to properly set before using.
Bathroom Showers
Shower Fabrication
Showers are custom made or from pre-fabricated components. The custom shower starts with a framed in shower area where necessary plumbing (shower manifold and floor drain) have been installed. The base of the shower is either a one piece vinyl liner or a fabricated to fit copper pan. The shower drain itself consist of a manufactured plumbing fitting that clamps down between the liner (copper or vinyl) and has a threaded connection for the actual drain which raises or lowers as needed.
I like using the copper pan though I know the vinyl liner is also a safe choice. Older shower often have a tar paper and hot-mop waterproofing base whose decay is the source of leakage and require replacing the whole shower. As previously written I have seen major termite infestation from such leaks going unrepaired where fixing the damage was more costly than replacing the shower.
Once the “pan” is in you install Hardibacker on the walls making sure you remember to frame in soap/shampoo niches if desired. (Another nice alternative to the shampoo niche is the corner shelf either in ceramic or a high quality manufactured chrome.) The screw heads and joints of the Hardibacker are covered with a waterproofing compound for redundancy in leak protection. The shower floor is built up with a bed of concrete mortar, this establishes the drainage for the shower.
Shower Tile and Grout
It’s a good idea to go with small tiles on the floor for traction, if using marble the 12x12 tiles can be cut into 4 sections to achieve the same result. The walls are tiled in the desired materials and grouted. Grout aside from the color choices comes in cement and epoxy. Cement grout needs to be “sealed” which has become an easy chore with new products on the market. Epoxy grout while more costly and labor intensive is known for its hardness and is purported ability to resist long term discoloring.
Pre-Fabricated Showers
Pre-fabricated showers can be fast and less costly than custom built showers. The pan is a one piece product available in cultured marble and an epoxy style material available from several manufacturers. The walls either in cultured marble or various wall systems are glued or attach to the walls around the shower and are sealed to the shower pan. Installation can be a one day affair with 1-3 days allowed for the glue/epoxy to properly set before using.
The Hawaiian Home
Bathroom Remodel
Ready to Remodel
Bathrooms remodeling usually starts with an old and worn out bath and/or a desire to upgrade and expand the existing décor. One thing for certain is to not wait until the bath or kitchen for that matter have continuous wet spots and plumbing leakage. Nothing will attract Hawaii’s notorious ground termites faster then a predictable water source. Major damage can occur before anyone realizes there’s a problem. Seriously, if you think there is continuous leakage it can save lots of money if it’s taken care of it as soon as possible.
Type of Tubs
All this aside, the bath remodel is usually to replace and upgrade the existing bathroom fixtures. If there is a tub it can be replaced with a new one. Tubs are cast iron with a ceramic finish, acrylic or fiberglass compounds and steel with a ceramic finish. I generally use a Kohler cast iron tub though special sized tubs and spas are usually acrylic and are a bit more fragile but quite serviceable. If you’re not sure which your existing tub is give it a slight pound on its side if it has a hollow sort of ring its steel if it’s more of a muffled solid thump its cast iron.
Replacing a tub is not difficult during the usual bath installation as long as access is relatively easy. If your tub is in good shape and you feel confident its fir for another 20+ years of service you can keep it and replace the backer board and shower surround above it if not it’s obviously time to for a new one.
Making More Room
Sometime people have smaller bathroom as were built in the 1960’s and earlier and have small ofuro style tubs or shower stalls in rooms that are not sized with the normal 5’ tub width. Room for the tub can often be found in the closet space of an adjoining bedroom. Though this creates a bedroom closet problem, upgrading the bathroom in this way really opens things up and gives it a more modern feel.
Installation and Tub Walls
Everything above an existing tub or before a new tub goes in is removed down to the T&G wall or 2x4’s which ever may be the case, over this goes concrete board. I prefer Hardibacker, for its structural characteristics, installed a minimum of 3’ up from the tub if not higher. If any green drywall water board is to be under the finished wall I water proof it with the same waterproofing compound the joints and screw heads of the Hardibacker is is finished with.
Before the Hardibacker is installed on the shower/tub fixture side, new fixture manifolds are installed and pressure tested. If the existing fixture is fairly new it sometimes can be re-used and new “trim” installed after the finished wall are in.
The finish wall for tub surrounds can be tile, cultured marble and a number of new products that are on the market. Tile has its supporters for its innumerable variety of color and textures. Trim pieces of glass tile or various rope and mosaic tile designs can jazz up a tile installation and make it truly unique. Solid walls such as cultured marble are popular for there clean surface.
.
Bathroom Remodel
Ready to Remodel
Bathrooms remodeling usually starts with an old and worn out bath and/or a desire to upgrade and expand the existing décor. One thing for certain is to not wait until the bath or kitchen for that matter have continuous wet spots and plumbing leakage. Nothing will attract Hawaii’s notorious ground termites faster then a predictable water source. Major damage can occur before anyone realizes there’s a problem. Seriously, if you think there is continuous leakage it can save lots of money if it’s taken care of it as soon as possible.
Type of Tubs
All this aside, the bath remodel is usually to replace and upgrade the existing bathroom fixtures. If there is a tub it can be replaced with a new one. Tubs are cast iron with a ceramic finish, acrylic or fiberglass compounds and steel with a ceramic finish. I generally use a Kohler cast iron tub though special sized tubs and spas are usually acrylic and are a bit more fragile but quite serviceable. If you’re not sure which your existing tub is give it a slight pound on its side if it has a hollow sort of ring its steel if it’s more of a muffled solid thump its cast iron.
Replacing a tub is not difficult during the usual bath installation as long as access is relatively easy. If your tub is in good shape and you feel confident its fir for another 20+ years of service you can keep it and replace the backer board and shower surround above it if not it’s obviously time to for a new one.
Making More Room
Sometime people have smaller bathroom as were built in the 1960’s and earlier and have small ofuro style tubs or shower stalls in rooms that are not sized with the normal 5’ tub width. Room for the tub can often be found in the closet space of an adjoining bedroom. Though this creates a bedroom closet problem, upgrading the bathroom in this way really opens things up and gives it a more modern feel.
Installation and Tub Walls
Everything above an existing tub or before a new tub goes in is removed down to the T&G wall or 2x4’s which ever may be the case, over this goes concrete board. I prefer Hardibacker, for its structural characteristics, installed a minimum of 3’ up from the tub if not higher. If any green drywall water board is to be under the finished wall I water proof it with the same waterproofing compound the joints and screw heads of the Hardibacker is is finished with.
Before the Hardibacker is installed on the shower/tub fixture side, new fixture manifolds are installed and pressure tested. If the existing fixture is fairly new it sometimes can be re-used and new “trim” installed after the finished wall are in.
The finish wall for tub surrounds can be tile, cultured marble and a number of new products that are on the market. Tile has its supporters for its innumerable variety of color and textures. Trim pieces of glass tile or various rope and mosaic tile designs can jazz up a tile installation and make it truly unique. Solid walls such as cultured marble are popular for there clean surface.
.
January 30, 2009
The Hawaiian Home
Kitchen's During Construction
Ordering:
Once the final kitchen design has been accepted and the choice of cabinetry made the contractor or homeowner orders the cabinet. It’s always a good idea to check and double check the cabinets, spacing and needed fillers and panels that are being ordered. There’s often a period between placing an order and the start of cabinet construction when some minor detail can be changed or additional items purchased. This is where kitchen construction experience comes in handy. It helps to visualize the kitchen and its various systems to make sure doors and drawers can open all the way and there are not conflicts between components.
Getting Ready:
Murphy’s Law says you don’t start demolition till you know when your cabinets are going to be available for pick up. There’s nothing more embarrassing for a contractor or inconvenient for a home owner than to have a kitchen area gutted and no work taking place
Before all this demolition and hopefully speedy construction takes place the kitchen has to be emptied of its stored items. Box’s come in handy for the various items, drawers and there content can be removed from the old cabinets and put in your storage area.
The refrigerator stays in operation and the trusty microwave needs to find a place where it can be useful. The hardest thing is no sink. For those with laundry sinks it makes cleaning up less of a chore but for most it’s a mini kitchen set up in the bathroom and a lot of paper plates and eating take out.
The Clock is Ticking:
Once demolition begins on an average job it should be 1-2 weeks for the cabinets to be installed. After the base cabinets are in the counter tops can be measured and fabricated this is why you concentrate on putting base cabinets in first when your own a tight time frame. This will often allow a few days head start on your counter tops.
Counter tops can take days to 2 weeks + depending on your fabricator. During this time the installers can be finishing all items of cabinet installation. The new floors can go installed and if possible electrical work can be finished and painting done. The point being to keep the job going so when the counter tops are installed the sink and faucet can be hooked up as soon as possible. Though there may still be some items to work on and complete and the entire kitchen needs to be restocked with the items in storage.
Having a sink again represent an essentially operational kitchen and assurance that the kitchen will soon be up and running again.
Paul Mossman
http://pfcremodelinc.com/
Kitchen's During Construction
Ordering:
Once the final kitchen design has been accepted and the choice of cabinetry made the contractor or homeowner orders the cabinet. It’s always a good idea to check and double check the cabinets, spacing and needed fillers and panels that are being ordered. There’s often a period between placing an order and the start of cabinet construction when some minor detail can be changed or additional items purchased. This is where kitchen construction experience comes in handy. It helps to visualize the kitchen and its various systems to make sure doors and drawers can open all the way and there are not conflicts between components.
Getting Ready:
Murphy’s Law says you don’t start demolition till you know when your cabinets are going to be available for pick up. There’s nothing more embarrassing for a contractor or inconvenient for a home owner than to have a kitchen area gutted and no work taking place
Before all this demolition and hopefully speedy construction takes place the kitchen has to be emptied of its stored items. Box’s come in handy for the various items, drawers and there content can be removed from the old cabinets and put in your storage area.
The refrigerator stays in operation and the trusty microwave needs to find a place where it can be useful. The hardest thing is no sink. For those with laundry sinks it makes cleaning up less of a chore but for most it’s a mini kitchen set up in the bathroom and a lot of paper plates and eating take out.
The Clock is Ticking:
Once demolition begins on an average job it should be 1-2 weeks for the cabinets to be installed. After the base cabinets are in the counter tops can be measured and fabricated this is why you concentrate on putting base cabinets in first when your own a tight time frame. This will often allow a few days head start on your counter tops.
Counter tops can take days to 2 weeks + depending on your fabricator. During this time the installers can be finishing all items of cabinet installation. The new floors can go installed and if possible electrical work can be finished and painting done. The point being to keep the job going so when the counter tops are installed the sink and faucet can be hooked up as soon as possible. Though there may still be some items to work on and complete and the entire kitchen needs to be restocked with the items in storage.
Having a sink again represent an essentially operational kitchen and assurance that the kitchen will soon be up and running again.
Paul Mossman
http://pfcremodelinc.com/
The Hawaiian Home
Kitchen's/ Choosing Your Cabinets?
Cabinetry falls into three classifications:
Production Cabinets: This cabinetry build by major manufactures is what’s available in most large discount stores. They offer an affordable price within a set size and style range. Because of the nature of mass production variation of the preset size of shape is generally not available or very limited.
Custom Production Cabinetry: These represent many regional and large square footage cabinet shops. They offer a preset size and style of doors and cabinets but are small enough to be able to custom build cabinet variations. There price is generally a percentage higher than the production cabinet manufacturer but often offer a superior long term value.
Custom Cabinet Shops: Your local cabinet builder who are able to produce the most custom look in cabinetry. Often in tune with local market style they offer exotic woods and style variation which can produce striking results. They are often twice the cost of production cabinets but a well run shop with skilled craftsmen can bring a jewel box quality to a project.
Cabinet Construction:
This is where I prefer the last two of the above mentioned cabinetry. The cabinet box built by custom or custom production shop is most likely ¾” hardwood plywood or melamine/ plastic laminate over preferable AB* or better plywood. Production cabinet tends to use melamine over ½’ plywood or particle board. You can tell which by looking inside the cabinet if it looks artificial it’s a paper thin heat adhered melamine style product. It tends not hold up well through the years and will bubble up if subject to moisture for even a short period of time.
Cabinets do not do well with any access moisture for any period of time. Hardwood plywood cabinets need to have a clear sealer coat applied inside and outside preferable.
Keep an eye on the sink areas because leaks can occur at anytime and will ruin an otherwise functional cabinet
Doors:
When it comes to cabinet doors its basically hardwood or foil wrapped over medium density fiberboard or MDF. There are painted cabinet doors available which I consider a specialty designer choice being they require more careful long term handling.
First hardwood (sometimes softwood such as vertical grain Douglas Fir). Doors are either in slab form or some variation of the raised panel. A slab doors is precut pieces of hardwood laid out with the grain in reverse direction to counteract warping. The wood is glued and often doweled or splined together under pressure and then cut and worked when ready. I consider these 100+ year doors being they have pretty substantial heft to them and don’t have a lot of ways they could fall apart.
Raise panel doors consist of rail which is the top bottom and center piece if any and stiles which are the side pieces. In the center is a panel laid up in the style of a slab door and then routed into shape. The panel “float” within a groove cut in the rail and stile with foam or rubber “bumpers” holding it tight in the groove but allowing the panel to flex within the rail and stile.
The rail and stile are jointed glued together with the panel all at the same time. The door is finished sanded and stained and coated as needed. The trick with the raised panel door is how sound and tight the connection is between the rail and stile and the center panel having sufficient room to expand and contract with seasonal moisture changes.
If you see display cabinets with the joint between the rail and stile starting to chip at the stain of even gaps created by a center panel swelling it is not a well built product.
Foil wrapped doors start with a piece of pre-routed MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) often in the shape of a raised panel. Because it is all one piece and MDF is highly stable there is none of the joint concern as with a true raised panel door. Foil which is available in various colors and artificial wood grains is heat wrapped around the MDF core producing the finished door. This produces a solid door at an affordable price. It does not have the decades of longevity an all wood product may have but is the best way to a solid color kitchen. It is the only way to go when a high gloss look is desired.
* Plywood designation A,B,C, etc, designate the quality of the finish veneer. "A" or best quality on one side and "B" second best quality on the other, hence AB plywood.
Paul Mossman
http://pfcremodelinc.com/
Kitchen's/ Choosing Your Cabinets?
Cabinetry falls into three classifications:
Production Cabinets: This cabinetry build by major manufactures is what’s available in most large discount stores. They offer an affordable price within a set size and style range. Because of the nature of mass production variation of the preset size of shape is generally not available or very limited.
Custom Production Cabinetry: These represent many regional and large square footage cabinet shops. They offer a preset size and style of doors and cabinets but are small enough to be able to custom build cabinet variations. There price is generally a percentage higher than the production cabinet manufacturer but often offer a superior long term value.
Custom Cabinet Shops: Your local cabinet builder who are able to produce the most custom look in cabinetry. Often in tune with local market style they offer exotic woods and style variation which can produce striking results. They are often twice the cost of production cabinets but a well run shop with skilled craftsmen can bring a jewel box quality to a project.
Cabinet Construction:
This is where I prefer the last two of the above mentioned cabinetry. The cabinet box built by custom or custom production shop is most likely ¾” hardwood plywood or melamine/ plastic laminate over preferable AB* or better plywood. Production cabinet tends to use melamine over ½’ plywood or particle board. You can tell which by looking inside the cabinet if it looks artificial it’s a paper thin heat adhered melamine style product. It tends not hold up well through the years and will bubble up if subject to moisture for even a short period of time.
Cabinets do not do well with any access moisture for any period of time. Hardwood plywood cabinets need to have a clear sealer coat applied inside and outside preferable.
Keep an eye on the sink areas because leaks can occur at anytime and will ruin an otherwise functional cabinet
Doors:
When it comes to cabinet doors its basically hardwood or foil wrapped over medium density fiberboard or MDF. There are painted cabinet doors available which I consider a specialty designer choice being they require more careful long term handling.
First hardwood (sometimes softwood such as vertical grain Douglas Fir). Doors are either in slab form or some variation of the raised panel. A slab doors is precut pieces of hardwood laid out with the grain in reverse direction to counteract warping. The wood is glued and often doweled or splined together under pressure and then cut and worked when ready. I consider these 100+ year doors being they have pretty substantial heft to them and don’t have a lot of ways they could fall apart.
Raise panel doors consist of rail which is the top bottom and center piece if any and stiles which are the side pieces. In the center is a panel laid up in the style of a slab door and then routed into shape. The panel “float” within a groove cut in the rail and stile with foam or rubber “bumpers” holding it tight in the groove but allowing the panel to flex within the rail and stile.
The rail and stile are jointed glued together with the panel all at the same time. The door is finished sanded and stained and coated as needed. The trick with the raised panel door is how sound and tight the connection is between the rail and stile and the center panel having sufficient room to expand and contract with seasonal moisture changes.
If you see display cabinets with the joint between the rail and stile starting to chip at the stain of even gaps created by a center panel swelling it is not a well built product.
Foil wrapped doors start with a piece of pre-routed MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) often in the shape of a raised panel. Because it is all one piece and MDF is highly stable there is none of the joint concern as with a true raised panel door. Foil which is available in various colors and artificial wood grains is heat wrapped around the MDF core producing the finished door. This produces a solid door at an affordable price. It does not have the decades of longevity an all wood product may have but is the best way to a solid color kitchen. It is the only way to go when a high gloss look is desired.
* Plywood designation A,B,C, etc, designate the quality of the finish veneer. "A" or best quality on one side and "B" second best quality on the other, hence AB plywood.
Paul Mossman
http://pfcremodelinc.com/
January 29, 2009
The Hawaiian Home
Kitchen's Made Brand New Again!
Kitchens Take A Beating!
Most people start looking hard at remodeling their kitchen when it gets in the 25 to 35 year range. For people that’s a good age range but for kitchens that’s represents a lot of use.
Older kitchen often have laminate counter tops glued down over particle board that is decaying away. The cabinets used in many tract homes built in the 70’s and 80’s or high-rise condominium built in the 60’s forward are of the budget variety. In house’s built in the 1960’s and earlier cabinets were built by carpenters on the job site often by the same tongue in groove siding or plywood that the home is built from.
What Can be Done?
It’s surprising to find in other wise well designed homes and apartment building that kitchen layout seemed to have been barely an afterthought. To be fair professional kitchen design work is of relatively recent origin and a separate discipline of interior design.
The interesting thing about the kitchen is there is often a lot more ability to modify its design to compliment the way people live than is often thought. With the kitchen area gutted down to bare walls serious modification and upgrade is obtainable and affordable considering the use and aesthetics of the finished product
There is often some unique desire in a new kitchen project like more light or a casual bar top for kids to eat lunch. Yet the one rule I find most useful in applying to any kitchen design is creating maximum use of storage space and more open counter top area.
Some variation of a U shaped kitchen tends to give the most working counter space and naturally creates the triangular work area between sink, stove and refrigerator. It’s surprising how many kitchens have two or more entry points which block areas where additional cabinet and counter top could be to obtain better use of the available space.
I prefer tall cabinetry often to a soffit which is a short drop down ceiling which helps gives the kitchen more character and is an excellent place to install recessed task lighting. The base of the wall cabinets should be 18” or so off the finished counter top which in an 8’ ceiling house will mean wall cabinets 36”to 42” tall.
Kitchens Last A Long Time...
In cabinetry I find it best not to go cheap. A lot of mass produced cabinets are good for 25 to 35 years depending on the quality of construction. Truly well built cabinetry will last a century or more if properly taken care of. Now it’s a given a well built cabinet with a slab of 10,000 year granite on top will out last all of us. The point being the well built cabinet like a high quality roof will hold up better inside and out decades after its installation compared to the lower cost alternative.
One last housekeeping point is before the cabinets go back is to clean and seal up all opening in the walls and floors. Replace damaged or rotted drywall, close off the areas the previous builders were careless about sealing. This step helps everyone have a much cleaner finished product and helps protect the whole kitchen.
What About Cabinet Refacing?
When it comes to installing new doors over existing cabinets I recommend if the inside of the cabinet is old and falling apart it’s not a good use of their remodeling funds. Better to wait and go with new cabinetry. If they happen to have cabinet that are under 15 years old and in good shape (usually not the case) I see no problem with ordering new doors.
Paul Mossman
http://pfcremodelinc.com/
Kitchen's Made Brand New Again!
Kitchens Take A Beating!
Most people start looking hard at remodeling their kitchen when it gets in the 25 to 35 year range. For people that’s a good age range but for kitchens that’s represents a lot of use.
Older kitchen often have laminate counter tops glued down over particle board that is decaying away. The cabinets used in many tract homes built in the 70’s and 80’s or high-rise condominium built in the 60’s forward are of the budget variety. In house’s built in the 1960’s and earlier cabinets were built by carpenters on the job site often by the same tongue in groove siding or plywood that the home is built from.
What Can be Done?
It’s surprising to find in other wise well designed homes and apartment building that kitchen layout seemed to have been barely an afterthought. To be fair professional kitchen design work is of relatively recent origin and a separate discipline of interior design.
The interesting thing about the kitchen is there is often a lot more ability to modify its design to compliment the way people live than is often thought. With the kitchen area gutted down to bare walls serious modification and upgrade is obtainable and affordable considering the use and aesthetics of the finished product
There is often some unique desire in a new kitchen project like more light or a casual bar top for kids to eat lunch. Yet the one rule I find most useful in applying to any kitchen design is creating maximum use of storage space and more open counter top area.
Some variation of a U shaped kitchen tends to give the most working counter space and naturally creates the triangular work area between sink, stove and refrigerator. It’s surprising how many kitchens have two or more entry points which block areas where additional cabinet and counter top could be to obtain better use of the available space.
I prefer tall cabinetry often to a soffit which is a short drop down ceiling which helps gives the kitchen more character and is an excellent place to install recessed task lighting. The base of the wall cabinets should be 18” or so off the finished counter top which in an 8’ ceiling house will mean wall cabinets 36”to 42” tall.
Kitchens Last A Long Time...
In cabinetry I find it best not to go cheap. A lot of mass produced cabinets are good for 25 to 35 years depending on the quality of construction. Truly well built cabinetry will last a century or more if properly taken care of. Now it’s a given a well built cabinet with a slab of 10,000 year granite on top will out last all of us. The point being the well built cabinet like a high quality roof will hold up better inside and out decades after its installation compared to the lower cost alternative.
One last housekeeping point is before the cabinets go back is to clean and seal up all opening in the walls and floors. Replace damaged or rotted drywall, close off the areas the previous builders were careless about sealing. This step helps everyone have a much cleaner finished product and helps protect the whole kitchen.
What About Cabinet Refacing?
When it comes to installing new doors over existing cabinets I recommend if the inside of the cabinet is old and falling apart it’s not a good use of their remodeling funds. Better to wait and go with new cabinetry. If they happen to have cabinet that are under 15 years old and in good shape (usually not the case) I see no problem with ordering new doors.
Paul Mossman
http://pfcremodelinc.com/
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