Kitchen Sync Everyone Who Tackles A Dated Kitchen Must Decide: Minor Update Or Major Remodel?

Home & Garden

Brad and Mary Kay Williams’ Comstock rancher contained a typical 1970s cave of a kitchen: dark cabinets, vinyl flooring and harvest-gold countertops.

For the Williamses, the solution seemed simple at first: They’d bring their kitchen into the ‘90s by replacing cabinets, countertops and flooring.

But a thought kept nagging at Mary Kay Williams. “I knew I could do that and still not be happy with it,” she says.

So the plans enlarged. Soon walls tumbled down, the kitchen moved into the old dining area, and an open design linking the kitchen, dining space and living room emerged. The result: a contemporary kitchen that links its earthy elements - granite counters and hickory cabinets - to a casual living room filled with warm brown sofas.

“I love the openness,” Williams says. “It just makes entertaining so much more fun.”

The process she and her husband went through confronts everyone who tackles a dated kitchen. The main question is this: Which will it be, an economical minor kitchen update or a major kitchen remodel?

Nancy Clark Brown, an architect and an assistant professor of interior design at Washington State University, says the decision depends on several factors. The primary one is budget.

A simpler project, which will primarily replace all kitchen surfaces - countertops, floors and cabinets doors - runs $6,000 to $9,000. It’s the perfect solution for homeowners who either like their existing design or plan to sell their home within a few years, or both.

A major kitchen remodel includes pricier projects such as moving walls, wiring and plumbing, replacing cabinets and appliances and installing new lighting. The average cost, according to the National Association of Home Builders, is $15,000 to $22,000.

Kitchen projects can be among the most economically advantageous changes a homeowner can make - with an important caution, says Brown.

According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, homeowners usually recoup 95 percent of the costs of a kitchen remodel when they sell their house.

The warning: “You can definitely overspend in the kitchen,” says Brown.

Expensive custom cabinets, solid surface countertops and other expensive features can shoot the budget sky-high. A prospective buyer may admire the results, but not be willing to pay an extra $100,000.

“If you keep the appliances and the finishes simple but new, you’re going to get more of your money out of it,” Brown says.

Here are Brown’s step-by-step suggestions for planning a minor kitchen remodel:

Limit new appliances. Add a gas range or cooktop, in big demand lately. Or plan the project in two phases: Buy new appliances one year, and spring for the remodel the next.

Stick to the basics: A new white no-frills refrigerator will probably cost $500 compared to a Sub-Zero for $2,500 to $4,000.

If the old cabinets still work just fine, simply have them resurfaced or the doors replaced. This will cost $3,000 to $4,000, compared to $6,000 to $10,000 for new cabinets. Upgrade the hardware while you’re at it.

Skip the endless custom goodies: Special bread drawers, pan and flour drawers and cookie sheet holders will add price, but not resale value.

Avoid skimping on the flooring. Vinyl floors can be difficult to clean and maintain. Instead, choose moderately priced materials such as ceramic tile, cork or linoleum.

Don’t settle for cheaply made cabinet doors. If they don’t hang right or quickly fall off their hinges, they’ll drive you nuts.

Don’t let a wariness for vinyl floors dissuade you from considering simple laminate countertops. Solid-surfacing products such as Corian can cost $100 a lineal foot, compared to $8 to $20 per foot for laminate. Remember, this is not your mother’s Formica. This material now comes in hundreds of patterns and colors and remains easy to install and maintain. Brown even recommends covering cabinet doors with it.

Go for inexpensive lighting fixes. Install fluorescents, which now come in a warmer range of colors, under the counter, and update existing fixtures.

But what if you aren’t happy with the configuration of your current kitchen or the condition of your cabinets?

Then, like Mary Kay and Brad Williams, you step into the realm of a major kitchen remodel.

They set a budget, hired Brown to design the space, and made a few trade-offs along the way. By scaling back from top-of-the-line cabinets, they were able to funnel the savings into distinctive granite countertops.

They added recessed lighting, skylights and halogen fixtures under the countertops, all of which adds to the lightness and airiness during the day, and the ambience at night.

With the help of contractor Scott Gutman and interior designer Jenny Kubiak, they managed to pay attention to both beauty and the bottom line.

Mary Kay Williams’ favorite feature: that richly grained granite. “To me, it looks like art, like different colors of sand that has been swished around,” she says.

The new look: Clean lines, high quality materials and a smashing new vista where an old dark cave once stood.

This sidebar appeared with the story: ON THE WEB Remodeling help Thinking of remodeling your kitchen? Need an online place to start? The National Kitchen and Bath Association’s Web site will guide you through several questionnaires. The results can help you determine the price and scope of your final project. Visit www.nkba.org.