We are intending to remodel our kitchen in the fall. I would love to hear from folks who have done this type of project, especially those who were very happy or unhappy with particular businesses. We are hoping for a 'Chevrolet' kitchen -- serviceable, good value but not flashy. And we're not going to do major remodeling -- just reconfigure the existing space a bit.

I have a friend who is very particular and just used Normandy Builders. Her kitchen is nice but not over the top. They were happy with the results.

I can't say enough about Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn. Susan Klimala was excellent to work with and can work with any budget. She was a master at maximizing the space in our kitchen and making useless space useful.

Oh, GE Mom, I don't envy you. We've just gone though that and happy to say almost finished. Kitchens are expensive. And even when you go into it thinking your not going to spend a lot, you do.

We tried getting cabinet quotes from a variety of places. For our tiny 10x11 kitchen, uppers only on one wall, we kept getting quotes over $12k!! We weren't looking at fancy cabinets either. But I did want a full front cabinet(looks richer). When I tried negotiating the price, I was sent a revised plan with less cabinets and all the extras removed saving me $1k! LOL

After a ton of research, we decided to go Ikea. We had looked at them early on but couldn't find a cabinet front that fit the look we were going after. Again, after more research, we decided to use Ikea cabinets but chose custom cabinet fronts that will be hand painted using Farrow and Ball paint. When all done and said, the cabinets are costing us less than half of previous quotes.

Since you are looking for a "Chevrolet" remodel, take a look at Ikea. Just like high end european cabinets, they are frameless, giving you more interior space. They come standard with blum hardware, full extention, soft close drawers! Plus, the uppers are soft close too.

There is a fabulous website that was a great resource to us, ikeafans.com.

Good luck with your project!

I absolutely loathed my experience with Kitchens by Design in Lombard. And I have always disliked the $17K+ worth of cabinets they sold us. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go the route that Cannes described.

I've heard good things about Cabinets to go. They have a store in Elgin just off of 90 and 31.

Similar to IKEA, in that it is RTA (ready to assemble). Different than IKEA in that it is real wood, not press board with a laminate/cover.

Home Depot. Oh really? Yes. We are almost finished with a total studs to rafters kitchen overhaul. After getting quotes from almost everywhere, we looked at stock cabinets to keep the costs under control. We were almost ready to push the button on that and then turned our design thoughts towards some affordable made-to-order cabinets from American Woodmark (one of many companies the big boxes deal with).

These are "almost custom" made, and that decision opened up a thousand new design choices. The cost was actually under what stock would have been, and we got plenty more cabinet for the dollar that way. The secret is to wait for a sale or promotion (which they almost always have going on).

Flooropedics in GE for the flooring, which quoted out a little less than any other place, including the likes of Lowes, Home Depot, Manards and Hobo. Sometimes local and smaller is better. Their installer(s) knows way more about floors than most 3rd party installer too.

Not totally done yet with the job, but we're very close

A totally new kitchen is something you've got to do a few times every hundred years or so, and it can be mind numbing to go through. Just choosing a coutertop type and color/patern can take weeks alone. Still on that chore. Just learned one can now get a laminate countertop with an undermount sink. Something they weren't able to do a few months ago.

GEsince1958: that's nice about the laminate option, but think about granite. it was the best thing i put in my chevrolet kitchen; really made the room.

All of these conversations are making me want to replace the teal counter tops in our kitchen. Can you guys post pictures of your kitchens?

Hi Howdy,

We did consider a man made stone surface, but it blew the budget. The project house is a townhome in Wheaton we are either going to sell or rent out. If we did our own kitchen here in GE, it would be stone though.

I'd be happy to post pictures of my kitchen in progress. I'm not quite sure how to do that though. Can I post a link to my photo gallery?

yes. —Ted E.

Sorry it took me so long. I was hoping to post only my kitchen gallery. But, what the heck.

For anyone who is curious, you can view pictures of our house when we first purchased it... plus all our remodeling. Just click on each gallery.

gallery.me.com/cannes

Cannes, I am considering a Bertazzoni (the Masters series), and have read some things on the web about it not having a low enough oven temp to just keep things warm, that it gives off too much heat, and that installers may not have the skills to install it properly. Have you had any problems? Do you like it? Who did you purchase it from?

Do you have pics of your finished kitchen? Thanks!

Hi Nancelette-

You've read correctly about the oven temp not going low enough for certain things(meringue?). If I remember correctly, it's lowest temp setting is 225. I had read about this prior to purchasing but didn't think it was going to be an issue for me and it hasn't. I never used my warming drawer in my previous kitchen anyway.

Yes, it does let off heat. It's such a little devil In the winter, the additional heating is wonderful. Our house does not have air conditioning, which makes it worse in the summer. No chocolate chip cookies for me. Since it gives us an opportunity to eat seasonally and lighter in the summer, we haven't been too bothered by it. I remember as a child, my mom would do all her cooking outside during the summer because the kitchen would get too hot.

The only issues I've read about with installation is with the propane version. We didn't have any issues. We purchased ours from The Great Indoors but they didn't install it.

So, having said all that... We don't like our Bertazzoni, we LOVE it! We are thrilled and have never second guessed our decision. The oven is quick to warm and incredibly even. The burner power is perfect for how I cook. Boils a pot of water for pasta in minutes. At the same time, I can get burners low enough to melt chocolate or make a french omelette.

I did a ton of research before purchasing it and had read about all it's quirks. I'm sure you've read about needing the oven door open to light it... people really love to complain about this. But, between it's incredible looks and performance, it is the crown jewel in our kitchen.

Our kitchen is a work in progress. It's been too hot to work in the house (no a/c) so we are taking the summer off. Trim work, back splash, shelving, etc... will resume in the fall. I try and keep up to date photos in my posted gallery.

Are there any other ranges you are considering? Is this an entire kitchen redo? or just an appliance swap?

~Christina

Thanks for the quick response Christina! Did you get a duel fuel or all gas? I am planning on all gas since I don't have a 220 line. (At least I have A/C!)

I am looking at the Bertazzoni because it is the only range that I can find of it's type that is shallow enough to fit in the space where it has to go. (Close to the corner, drawers won't open etc.) That being said, I have read lots of great things about it, people seem to love it, and it certainly is pretty. I like that it is Italian (like me!) and that it is not the most popular game in town.

That GardenWeb appliance forum is the place where I have read the negative stuff, and I can't decide if I should take their comments seriously. I am sure you have seen it.

I saw it at the Great Indoors, and was very excited when I saw the Master's Series, a bit more affordable and more the styling I was hoping for.

I guess the only thing that I can think of to keep warm at a low temp would be, maybe, pizza? I just hate to think of investing in something like this and then later being disappointed.

One more question. What kind of hood are you going to be using with it. Same brand or something different?

Thanks! Nancy

Nancy-

I'm happy to help. I know what the research stage is like. I, too, read all the posts on the GardenWeb appliance forum. It's great to read everything but at the same time, take it with a grain of salt. People are always more likely to take the time to complain than to praise something. I have since posted my review on that forum(chicagochristina).

It was a lot of money to spend on a single appliance... especially, when we have an entire house that needs help. But I had a crappy GE range at my last house that would take me 30 min just to boil a pot of water. It would burn half my cookies while that other half were raw. One way or another, I was going to splurge on my range.
Besides, how could I pass on it's european looks. I'm Greek

Anyway, you almost have to narrow the choice down to 2(or 3) that you really love and can picture in your kitchen... Then, close your eyes and pick. It's sort of what we did. And as long as you know all the good and bad going into it, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I have the all gas version. The oven retains heat well and heats up quickly. So, if your pizza gets cold, just light the oven and it'll be warm a couple min later.

I didn't match appliances in my kitchen. I tried to choose the best I could afford in each category. Besides my bertazzoni range, we have a Miele dishwasher(we love) and a Fisher and Paykel fridge(we hate).
We are having a difficult time choosing a hood. I love the style of the miele hoods, not the price. And I love the price of the Futuro Futuro hoods (italian) but I hate buying things I haven't seen in person. Not sure which way we will go in the end. I just want something simply styled.

If you'd like to see the Bert in action, let me know. I was nervous about my decision until it was finally installed and I lit it for the first time. Sometimes that's all it takes to calm the nerves.

So I see you chose the Professional series. Did you look at the Master's series? Was your choice based on features or styling? It seems like the burner output is the same on both.

And I saw your post on Gardenweb. I was wondering if those were Ikea cabinets in you photo, and you have confirmed my suspicions! We too are talking about Ikea, but your custom door idea is very interesting. Not sure if Ikea will work because they don't have all the sizes I need, but I am still working on it. Maybe we could meet and talk. You seem to be going through alot of the same thoughts as me. I want the style that I want, but without breaking the bank. My tiny little Glen Ellyn cottage can't ever begin to keep up with a $50,000 kitchen!

Home Depot, Lowes, Mennards and Hobo pretty much all use the same couter top contractor, AFAIK. If these guys show up and take measurements you had better watch them do it and ask questions.

This Old House and Hometime have been showing us the standard for contractor quality for decades, the counter top people have been placing white dots along critical edges and taking 3-D pictures or laser measurements to aid in computer fabrication back at the shop since the late 90's.

Well, these guys did none of that high-techy stuff and merely used a tape measure and wrote down where the curved parts were. Didn't work. Received a "finished" counter top this morning that had an overhang of 3" on one end, 1½" in another and 2" at a third spot. It went back. Trying to work a re-do. Will report back.

The masters series wasn't available when I purchased mine 1 1/2 years ago. I may have considered it if it was.

I didn't think an Ikea kitchen would work for us at first either. It took a few $13k+ cabinet quotes to get me to reconsider. After doing more research, I learned you can modify pieces to fit. Plus, with the custom fronts, it'll fit the style of our home perfectly.

BTW, Nancy- I sent you a private message.