Shopping for Kitchen Cabinets

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Angela

Below is our latest post for BrickUnderground.com containing our advice on buying kitchen cabinets.

But first, here is a bit more detail on our shopping experience at Home Depot and IKEA for those trying to decide where to purchase cabinets.

We started out first looking at IKEA cabinets and for the rental unit and although the price was right there was little design assistance, their computer software (which you can download on ikea.com) is rudimentary at best (but good for planning) and there was a limited selection in cabinet sizes. With our irregularly high ceilings we couldn’t design them to fit. And don’t forget, the cabinets do not arrive assembled.

That being said, we have friends who installed IKEA high gloss cabinets in a very modern newly constructed kitchen and ten years and two children later they’ve stood the test of time with only minor replacements, so whether IKEA is right for you is relative.

When we renovated the kitchen in our previous apartment we went to the 23rd Street Home Depot in Manhattan to check out several kitchen designs and materials in person We dealt with a different person at each process. Someone who is not the designer came to our home to measure the space and later when we needed a cabinet door replaced because it was warped we dealt with someone completely different in customer service.

Also they subcontract installation to a third party, which lead to a problem when we installed our cabinets because our kitchen was measured with the old cabinets and drywall in place. We handled demolition and had the room re-drywalled. During this process one of the dimensions of the room increased by two inches. As a result our cabinets did not fit the space as designed. Thankfully, the installer was able to add filler pieces to solve the problem but it did not look exactly as we designed.

We purchased full-overlay cabinet doors but see the gaps between the cabinets on the right and left below.

Cabinets from Home Depot

While we were satisfied with the cabinet quality and service overall, we chose to go the small shop route this time because we wanted to work with one person for the entire process. For both our kitchens, the designer at Park Slope Kitchen Gallery came by and measured our space twice to make sure it was accurate before finalizing the order.

For more information about what style and type of cabinet to buy see our post below.

BUYING NEW KITCHEN CABINETS? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

by Angela Tiffin and Andrew Nichols | 1/16/15 – 9:59 AM

Our kitchen cabinet odyssey involved a lot more decision-making than you might imagine.

Longtime New Yorkers Angela Tiffin and Andrew Nichols bought their first brownstone in South Park Slope in May 2012, and have spent two years renovating—first, their own duplex apartment and in recent months, a third-floor rental unit—much of it with their own hands. You can read more about the project at their blog,Brownstone Cyclone.

We recently purchased new kitchen cabinets for the rental unit in our brownstone, after buying them last year for our duplex, which may seem like an easy decision. In truth, however, there are a dizzying array of choices when it comes to picking the style, the substance and the construction methods, not to mention where to shop in the first place. Below, what we learned in the process:

Dreaming of spring: flowers, fences and fun

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Angela

Today seemed like the perfect day to write a blog post about plans for the backyard. After living in a condo for many years our new home brought with it dreams of summer barbecues, lilac bushes, shading trees, tall glasses of lemonade and cool green grass. Our reality is that there is still a lot of work to do to finish the house and get our new certificate of occupancy. Still, a family can dream…

Our backyard today.

Although we moved into our house months ago, we are still working on the punch list with the contractor. Unfortunately, the GC put us on the back burner, then the weather turned cold and what with the constant rain and freezing temperatures, we could not finish the back deck. Thankfully, the railings and stairs were completed and only the stone deck surface needs to be installed.

In the fall we met with landscape designer, Dan Silverstein, whose services we “won” at our daughter’s school auction last winter. He came out to see our yard and we discussed ideas for the space. He took some measurements and we showed him some photos of backyards we liked. Below is the yard before construction on the house. We hacked down that tree closest to the building but need to remove the stump in the spring.

Back Yard Shot From Roof

When looking at outdoor areas we tended to like clean modern spaces but we (I) definitely want an area with some wild flowers and an English garden feel. We already know the design of fence we want but are worried about how much sun it will block out.

The inspiration photos:

The narrow slats and wider spacing at the top allow for more light to get through.

We are going to have to use plantings that work well in shade and half sun, especially if we put wooden fence up.

And this one is a little on the dreaming side but not impossible (no TV just pool or hot/cold tub).

Our designer came back with a plan that we liked. We were open to completely re-arranging the space but decided that our budget was not so we are planning to keep the basic bones but clean it up.

As weary urban dwellers, we definitely wanted to keep some grass. In the long area with the plantings, we hope we have enough sunlight to have a small kitchen garden and some flowers. In the back, we will probably go with bushes for privacy and to greenify things back there. These plans are a good start and we liked the way Dan blended modern with natural elements like gravel around the tree and green plantings in the brick walkway. When spring finally starts to bloom we will fine tune the plans and hopefully, if the rest of the house is done (remember we still have that rental unit to fix up), we will get to start on it.

Patio Dig

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Angela

Midway (of which I have no recollection) through our project we were told that we would need to have our back patio area dug down to meet the new back foundation of the house. Why this wasn’t discovered before we sent our project out to bid and before our budget was determined is one of the many mysteries of the renovation bidding process. At a time when you are overwhelmed with details someone might say, ”hey, you will probably need to dig down here” but it gets lost in all the other minutiae that you are trying to decide. So thousands of dollars that we don’t really have later, we hired Design Tech (who did our front windows) since we did not feel inclined to use our contractor.

Preparation

In order to lay the concrete slightly sloping away from our building they needed to dig down about 4-6 inches. You don’t want your patio to be level or slope towards the building because in heavy rain or snow moisture will get in. Since there is no access to our backyard it meant having to remove bags of dirt by going through the house. Sigh. We felt a little better when we saw that they covered the floors and walls in plastic. We had to vacate our bedroom and move our bed, clothing and toiletries that we would need into the living room. The projected duration was estimated at two weeks. Our original contractor informed us they would not be back until it was done (mainly because I think they were ticked off that we did not hire them for it). We didn’t need any more commotion in the house anyway.

Considerations

One of the problems with pouring concrete is getting the color even throughout the entire slab. We couldn’t get a mixer through the house or a pump truck so we chose blue stone tiles set in concrete, and anyway the tiles looked nicer. This stone is fairly expensive but it is good quality and we wanted to do the patio once and not have to worry about it.

Before doing this type of work you may want consider your plan for the backyard and any potential fencing. Now is the time to put in fence posts because you can set them permanently in the concrete making your life easier later when you install a new fence. We knew that ultimately we wanted a wooden fence so we chose to install 6 basic 10′ long pressure treated posts and then later we could decide what style and height we wanted it to be.

You will also need to consider drainage. We selected a trench drain which runs nearly the length of our patio and ties into our building’s waste line.

Process

There were four stages to the project: digging out and removing the dirt, tying in the drain, pouring the concrete and then laying the blue stone tiles and grouting. Here is the pictorial progression:

Before

before

removing existing slab

mid-dig

trench drain installation

laying down blue stone

Finished!

Afterwards

The project ended up taking almost three weeks to complete because of some minor issues but we are happy with the results. Because we had to dig down, the rest of the yard is now 6 inches higher than the patio so my wonderful husband started work on a timber retaining wall so the dirt wouldn’t seep onto the patio and clog the drain.

Brownstone Cyclone

The Ups and Downs of Home Renovation

Tag Archives: contractors

Shopping for Kitchen Cabinets

BUYING NEW KITCHEN CABINETS? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Dreaming of spring: flowers, fences and fun

Patio Dig