Common Sense . . . Priceless!

Frequently, readers call or email, and ask me if they can ask a stupid question. As I used to tell my students, when you’re learning about something new, there are no stupid questions, (other than asking if you can ask a stupid question). This especially holds true when it comes to remodeling. However, many a question can be answered by using “common sense”, and if you just think about it for a minute, sometimes the answer just pops into your head.

Defined in the dictionary, common sense is defined as sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. For example, you are about to cross the street and an 18-wheeler (big truck) is barreling down the street towards the intersection. Should you cross or wait for the truck to pass by? If you chose to cross the street you’re probably reading this column in your hospital bed, after being crushed by the truck, because you didn’t use your common sense.

Unfortunately, you can’t go to CVS to buy common sense. You get your allotment when you’re born and that’s it, but, most people have at least a modicum of this priceless attribute. The real trick is to use every bit of it that you were born with, and never ignore it just to save a buck or take the easy way out. You should know better!

So, you’re getting estimates for new semi-custom kitchen cabinets. Diligently, you get three estimates and two are about the same at $10,000 and one comes in at $5,000. What does your common sense tell you? There has to be a reason one estimate is considerably cheaper than the other two. Common sense dictates that you must evaluate what the cabinets are made of, where they are being manufactured, and most importantly, who you are buying them from. Most likely they are made from sub-standard materials, from a country that doesn’t pay its workers a living wage and the dealer has a less than stellar reputation and will probably be long gone before cabinets are delivered or your warranty expires.

Comparing appliance prices is not as complicated as the cost of cabinets, but even the appliance companies are making it more difficult to make “apple to apple” comparisons. If you choose a certain brand of dishwasher from a box store (big home center that’s shaped like box), often it is not the same model as one you find at your local appliance dealer. The model number may be KCMA1223QV34-W1543 for one and KCMA1223OV34-W1543 for the other. Deceptive, isn’t it? (Why can’t the appliance companies call it a model “5” instead of a hundred numbers and letters? But that’s a topic for another article). Check the model numbers carefully if you want an accurate comparison.

Common sense is not limited only to pricing, it has to deal with every aspect of a remodeling project. An equally exciting example is the location of a wine rack in the design of your new kitchen. I’ve had clients insist that it be positioned over the refrigerator (model #X123ABF25Q15a-2b) or next to the dishwasher. Although I’m not a wine connoisseur, my common sense tells me it gets hot over the fridge and next to the dishwasher. Find another place, so your wine won’t turn to vinegar.

One last example before I let you go. When you empty your dishwasher, you can stack several plates on the counter and then bring them all to the cupboard where they are stored. But, you can only carry two glasses at a time, unless you want to risk breaking them. So, which cabinet should the glasses be stored in and which should be used for dishes? Think real hard and let your common sense answer this question for you.

Most of the remodeling basics will be taken care of by your kitchen designer, because with training, experience, and common sense they know what to do. It’s your job to use your common sense when picking the right kitchen designer and contractor. If you choose strictly by price, you usually get what you pay for, and you may end up drinking vinegar.

Your Future . . . in the Stars

Throughout history there have been a group of people who believe that the stars and planets could predict their future, (although with Pluto gone I would question the accuracy). However, the stars that I’m referring to are not in the sky, even on a Starry Night. These are the stars presented to you on your internet search engines when you’re seeking feedback on stores, designers, contractors, or just about anything or anybody.

These new stars, albeit smaller, are almost as important as the older ones that you see up above, on a clear summer’s night. But unlike the astronomical bodies, the internet stars must be interpreted for their accuracy, because they are subject to manipulation by unscrupulous star gazers.

I’ve found that houzz and Angie’s List seem to have the most reliable feedback, and interestingly, for two completely different reasons. All comments submitted to houzz are carefully checked for accuracy by their Review Department, prior to publishing the remarks. They confirm that the submissions actually relate to real projects at the appropriate location, and that the IP address of the submitter (your location in the clouds) is accurate and authentic, as well.

Angie’s List is different from most review sites in that you have to pay to be a member, which makes it an expensive proposition to post a multitude of fictitious reviews. The posted reviews are coming from people who are willing to pay to view legitimate evaluations posted by others who have made their own financial commitment. This gives them a high degree of authenticity.

Other sites will accept reviews from anyone with limited or no vetting. One site, (that rhymes with Help) claims that they have a computer algorithm that determines if a review is legitimate or fabricated. This site has been brought to court many times by companies claiming that when they refused to advertise on the site, their good reviews disappeared. The management claims that the algorithm made the decision to delete those reviews and they do not have the ability or inclination to question the decision. However, it seems, when money changes hands, reviews reappear.

Google Reviews can be very helpful but must be evaluated carefully. Anyone who creates a gmail account can post a review on Google. Although I’m sure that most of the evaluations on Google are legitimate, anyone who is determined, can create ten or twenty new gmail accounts at no cost and post to their hearts content. Who would do such a thing? Perhaps a devious, corrupt vendor, who has many low-star reviews to boost up.

And let’s not forget the good old Better Business Bureau. I always thought that they were above reproach, until I received a phone call and was told that they have only heard good things about my company and have decided to invite me to become part of their auspicious community. I was so moved, as I had always held them in high regard, that I said I’d be proud to be part of such an organization. Until I was informed that I had to pay them $600 a year, and in return they would indicate I met their “accreditation standards”. I said, “No thanks”.

So like everything else in this world, it’s best to use your common sense when evaluating the stars. Just as Nick Copernicus did when he mapped out the stars above, you need to evaluate the sources of your information when checking out the stars below. If your future has you Swinging on a Star* and making your choice by internet feedback, remember, the more legitimate stars, the merrier.

*Crosby, Bing. “Swinging on a Star”. Composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke. Best Original Song Oscar. Going My Way, 1944.

Even Lucy is Refacing!

To be more accurate, the statue of Lucy is going to be refaced. The likeness of Lucille Ball, in her hometown of Celoron, New York, is so bad looking that the town has decided to have her refaced. The newspaper headlines vary, but my favorite is “Upstate Town Terrorized by Demon Lucy Statue”.  Thank goodness refacing is now considered an acceptable method of rejuvenating a scary, sad looking statue or kitchen.

            The mayor of Celoron, Scott Schrecengost, has chosen to reface Lucy, rather than replace her, because it is considerably less expensive to put a new face on a 400lb bronze statue than to replace it completely. And, it can be done much faster that starting a new statue from scratch. Interestingly these are the same reasons most people chose to reface their cabinets rather than replace them. It comes down to convenience and cost. With our hectic schedules, many people don’t want to have their lifestyles disrupted any longer than necessary. It’s hard enough getting everything done that we’re supposed to each day without having construction going on for several weeks. Refacing takes much less time than replacing a kitchen and is much less stressful than a total renovation.

And in most cases it’s usually more economical than a new kitchen. I say “usually more economical” because there are factors that can increase the costs of refacing. When you select thermofoil replacement fronts the cost is about 50% less than buying and installing new, all-wood cabinets. However, if you choose special shapes or wood fronts the savings begins to diminish. Another factor that can add to the expense of refacing is changing the layout of your kitchen. You realize the greatest saving when no alterations are made to the floor plan. If you intend on changing more than 10% of the cabinets in the kitchen it makes more sense to think about replacing all of them.

            The selection of replacement fronts has recently expanded exponentially. Now, Lucy’s new face could be anyone; Ethel, Marge, Wilma, or best of all, a pretty image of Lucy, as was originally intended. In your home, you can reface with real wood, choosing from maple, cherry, alder, birch, pine or exotic woods. If you want to go with laminate fronts there are close to a hundred colors to chose from, and now the laminates can be textured or hand-crafted with a glazed finish or Italian high gloss lacquer, just like real wood. Add to this all the modern internal conveniences that you find in new kitchen cabinets and refacing becomes a viable alternative.

Although, in the past, refacing used to conjure up a less-than-beautiful solution, where the material used to cover the cabinets and doors didn’t look real and would peel off in a few years. While this may have been true years ago, the materials and adhesives used for refacing today have improved dramatically. Most contractors who offer this service now replace the door and drawer fronts and cover the cabinet with the same material the new fronts are made of. Today, a custom refacing job, if done properly, looks just like a new kitchen and lasts just as long.

            If you’re terrorized because you’re living with a scary looking kitchen, like the folks in Celoron are of their statue, it might be time to consider this wonderful solution. Granted, it’s not for everyone, so it’s in your best interest to speak with a professional designer for their input, however, most kitchens will benefit from refacing. And considering Lucy was one of the most talented, beautiful and funny women in TV’s history, it is only right that her statue get a face-lift. If you find yourself upstate, stop by the Lucille Ball Memorial Park to visit with Lucy (after the work has been completed) and see what a difference a new face can make.

Remodeling Fever Delayed by Snow!

     Just when you thought the winter was over, we got another six inches of snow on the first day of spring! I think we all had enough because this unusual weather is delaying our seasonal compulsion of remodeling something in the spring. It could be a kitchen, a bath, even a closet or garage, it really doesn’t matter. Our species is predisposed to do something to our home when the weather starts to warm. Like the swallows returning from wherever they went, this need is not something to be ashamed of. We have very little control over it.

     If you are facing this uncontrollable remodeling urge, you will probably need some help. But don’t despair; you don’t have to do it alone. There are many qualified designers available to create a functional, as well as aesthetically pleasing, kitchen or bath to satisfy your desires. Look for a firm that is associated with the National Kitchen and Bath Association. This is the largest organization in the industry and it sets the standards for modern interior design. But don’t expect to get something for nothing, because you get what you pay for.

     Most trained and qualified designers charge for their initial work, however their charges and pricing structures vary greatly. I know of companies that charge anywhere from $100 to $1,000 or more, for this service. Usually, this sum can be applied towards the purchase of designs or cabinets, and I wouldn’t recommend contracting with a firm that did not adhere to that policy. After all, a good design takes a great deal of time, effort and creativity, so why should they give this away for free? However, if they’re willing to credit these charges towards a purchase, you’re not taking too big a risk.

     An argument could be made that if you don’t like the design and/or estimate you’ve wasted your money. I don’t entirely disagree with this, and that’s why I recommend finding a firm with a minimum initial design fee. This smaller expense certainly does not compensate the designer for all the time he must spend creating your dream kitchen, but it shows a commitment on your part, indicating that you are serious about the project.

Some firms have a staged design fee, which includes a minimum initial design charge. If after reviewing the design, you wish to pursue the project, they have a secondary fee (sometimes called a retainer) for additional work on the design or releasing the drawings to you. This seems to be an equitable compromise. The designer charges a minimal fee, confident that they will create an exciting design, within the budget that you specify. You get a chance to review the design and see how much the renovation will cost, before laying out a lot of money.

     At that point, assuming the design fits your budget, you have to ask yourself three questions. The first is, do you like the design? It doesn’t have to be perfect yet, but it must show promise, and you have to be convinced that it can be modified to your satisfaction. The second question is, do you like the company’s products? This includes the cabinets, countertops and other accessories. The final question is, do you trust the designer and his support staff? If the design or designer is not to your liking, or the cost is out of line, you have the option of ending the relationship without incurring additional costs.

     If you answer, “yes” to the three questions, you’re ready to move to the next step in a “staged design fee” program. If any of your answers were “no”, look for another firm that you are more comfortable with.

Once you find the right company to work with, a design you love, and a price that’s compatible with your budget, you can succumb to your impulses. Don’t feel guilty. Just as the swallows fly home, spring home improvement has been ingrained into our genes for a thousand years and it will remain that way for a long time to come.

Couple Mysteriously Disappears in the Kitchen Triangle

     Thankfully, the Kitchen Triangle is not the hazard that the Bermuda Triangle is thought to be, and headlines like this one are few and far between. However, a movement has arisen to make the kitchen triangle itself disappear, doing away with this traditional design tool that has guided us for so many years. In my profession, I find myself torn as my hero, Raymond Lowey (greatest industrial designer ever)*, said “never leave well enough alone”. So which is it? Is the kitchen triangle dead like these upstarts are claiming or has it moved to a new plane?

     Developed in the 1940’s the kitchen work triangle addressed the efficiency of the relationship of three areas of your kitchen; the cooking area, the preparation area and the food storage area. The cooking area refers to the cooktop, oven and/or range; the preparation area included the sink, and the storage area, where the refrigerator and dry storage are located. The plan was based on a single person (one person, not someone who is single) cooking in a 1940’s sized kitchen. Since then the size of kitchens has increased dramatically and, today, more people are helping prepare meals, whether they are single or married.

     If you struggled with 10^th grade geometry, this magical shape is the line connecting the stove, (cooking area), fridge (storage area), and sink (prep area), with each of these areas creating one of the points of the triangle. The basic rules were no leg of the triangle should be less than four feet or greater than nine feet and the sum of all three sides should be between 13 and 26 feet.

I recently attended a conference where they discussed the new “Kitchen Work Zone” theory, but when I realized that the work zones were the “cooking zone”, the “preparation zone”, and the “storage zone”, I began to zone out. It sounded suspiciously like new packaging for the old triangle - that they said was kaput!  Nevertheless, they did have a valid point regarding the size of new kitchens, which have grown over the years.

     In bigger kitchens (which will probably be outlawed by the current NYC mayor) you frequently are blessed with multiple cooking areas, additional preparation areas and a several areas of storage space. Does this mean we should abandon the triangle? Not at all. We just use multiples of them, keeping in mind that you want to avoid crossing the kitchen with hot pots and pans, making sure that the sink isn’t too far from the cooktop and that you have decent storage near (each of) your refrigerators.

     If more than one chef will be involved in the preparation of meals, then we need to utilize one triangle for each person. If they overlap, the two triangles will create a STAR! (You can try this at home with pen or pencil). In fact, I think I will give a lecture and call this concept the STAR kitchen design zones, just to confuse everyone.

      As usual, most design comes down to common sense. Once your designer has created a plan, review it carefully and make sure that the basics of the original triangle have been adhered to where possible and that nothing seems “out of whack!” If the fridge is 25 feet away from the sink, you’re going to be miserable, no matter how pretty the kitchen looks.

* Among a million other things, Raymond Lowey designed my favorite car, the Studebaker Avanti; my favorite locomotive, the GG-1; the interior of Skylab (back when we had a space program); the interior of the Concorde supersonic jet; the Coke bottle and their vending machines; the Shell and Exxon logos, etc. etc.

Counter(top) Intelligence

            Archeologists have found, even before recorded history, that people have had an area in their home devoted to food preparation. Traditionally referred to as “THE KITCHEN”, over the millennium this specialized subdivision of the household has developed from a simple work surface to the exciting kitchens of today. And, one of the most exciting parts of a new kitchen is the countertop.

The countertop, and its vertical counterpart, the backsplash, can add to your kitchen’s distinctive style, but choosing a material for the surface is not as easy as it was a thousand years ago. There are so many types of countertops available today that it can be very confusing when you decide to get a new one.

            Although certainly a factor, your kitchen’s work surface should not be chosen solely for its aesthetic value. When you’re ready for a new counter, find a contractor who will take the time to review your specific needs. What types of foods do you prepare? How much do you cook? Do you have kids? The answers to these questions will help determine the appropriate counter material for you.

The laminate counter, referred to by many as “Formica,” is the most economical of all the choices and, with proper care, can last twenty years. Easy to clean with good stain resistance, it does have limitations: you can’t cut on it and it will scorch if you place anything hot on the surface. Once a laminate top is damaged it is difficult or impossible to repair.

The most popular countertops today are those made out of stone, which, by the way, is just what the archeologists found in the kitchens of yesteryear. The most popular stone materials are granite, marble and the new tops made up of crushed quartz. Granite, the traditional standby, is considered by many as the most beautiful surface available because granite has movement! Movement is the suggestion of motion in the elements making up the finished surface. The swirls and patterns created by nature cannot be fully duplicated in a stone that is fabricated. If you exercise a little care with granite, you can avoid stains and scratches, and have a work surface that will last until the next batch of archeologists digs up your home. Granite should be sealed when it is installed and at least once a year afterwards to avoid staining.

Quartz, sold under the trade names of Cambria, Caesarstone, Silestone, etc. is the second most abundant mineral on earth, and is a basic component of granite. In a typical quartz countertop, the raw quartz is crushed and combined with pigments to give it color, and resins (sticky stuff) to hold it together. The resulting process creates one of the most durable countertop surfaces on the market today. It is harder than granite, more scratch and stain resistant, and non-porous. For the geologists who follow the K&B Insider, quartz ranks #7 on the Mohs hardness scale! Only diamonds, sapphires and topaz are harder. The cost of quartz and the average granite slab is comparable.

The newest offerings in countertops are the eco-friendly products such as PaperStone and Richlite. They are made from recycled paper and/or cardboard and come in several colors. IceStone is made from recycled glass (supposedly beer bottles), and Portland cement. These products are great for the environment, however, as with most “green” products, they are usually more expensive than their traditional counterpart.

            As with all decisions in upgrading your home, don’t rush in making your selection for the countertop.  Thoroughly investigate all the possibilities with your contractor and select a surface that is suited to your needs, as well as visually pleasing.

Professionals Admit Refacing Finally Acceptable!

It took over twenty-years, but finally refacing is being recognized by the kitchen and bath industry as a legitimate remodeling solution for the consumer. In the January issue of Professional Remodeler magazine, for the first time ever, refacing is not only mentioned, but included as the fourth item in their list of “Kitchen and Bath Design Trends for 2014”.

So what made the kitchen industry leaders finally accept this alternative remodeling technique? Apparently, so many people are choosing to reface, rather than replace their cabinets, they didn’t have much choice. Especially since the results are not only beautiful, but with additional accessories, rival the functionality of an all new kitchen. The process couldn’t just be ignored any more.

            Granted, in the past, refacing, (or resurfacing as it is also called), used to conjure up a less-than-beautiful kitchen, where the material covering the cabinets and doors didn’t look real and would peel off in a few years. While this may have been true 20 years ago the materials and adhesives used for refacing have improved dramatically. Most contractors who offer this service now replace the door and drawer fronts and cover the cabinet with the same material the new fronts are made of. Today, a custom refacing job, if done properly, looks just like a new kitchen and lasts just as long.

            The selection of replacement fronts has expanded exponentially over the past few years. You can now get real wood, and select from maple, cherry, alder, birch, pine and exotic woods. If you want to go with laminate fronts there are close to a hundred colors to chose from, and now the laminates can be hand-crafted with a glazed finish or Italian high gloss lacquer, just like real wood. Add to this all the modern internal conveniences that you find in new kitchen cabinets and refacing becomes a viable alternative.

            Over the past twenty-years, I’ve found that the two most popular reasons for refacing cabinets, rather than replacing them, are convenience and cost. With our hectic schedules, many people don’t want to have their lifestyles disrupted any longer than necessary. It’s hard enough getting everything done that we’re supposed to each day without having construction going on for several weeks. Refacing takes much less time than replacing a kitchen and is much less stressful than a total renovation.

And in most cases it’s usually much more economical than a new kitchen. I say “usually much more economical” because there are factors that can increase the costs of refacing. When you select thermofoil replacement fronts the cost is about 50% less than buying and installing new, all-wood cabinets. However, if you choose special shapes or wood fronts the savings begins to diminish. Another factor that can add to the expense of refacing is changing the layout of your kitchen. You realize the greatest saving when no alterations are made to the floor plan. If you intend on changing more than 10% of the cabinets in the kitchen it makes more sense to think about replacing all of them.

            If you are thinking about renovating your kitchen, bath or wall unit, it certainly would be worthwhile to investigate all the possibilities. Especially now that the taboo associated with refacing has been lifted, it’s a good idea to visit showrooms that offer both new cabinets and refacing. And, with the wide range of replacement fronts available you may be pleasantly surprised.