The Kitchen & Appliance Advice

Let me just start with, the kitchen is NOT the reason we bought this house.  It was a huge list of other things that out weighed the fact the kitchen is small and ugly.  I can honestly say I hate almost everything about the kitchen: flooring, lighting, countertops, cabinet color, yucky appliances, and layout.  The only thing in that list I can't change is the layout so as long as I could get over that, everything else had potential.   After letting some ideas simmer for a few days when we were house shopping, I was confident we could make the kitchen super cute and almost everything we want it to be.  Here are some before pictures.

Scary right?  I told my friend the first time she was seeing the pictures to be playing the "eek, eek, eek" music from the movie Phsyco in her head.  The cabinets are in amazing shape and are solid wood so no need to replace (huge cost savings) but definite need to paint.  Backsplash, new hardware, sink, faucet, and countertops are already in just waiting on the cabinets to be refinished so we can install everything.  The new flooring is already in and my new gorgeous appliances are in my dining area also waiting to be installed.  

My appliances were really important to me.  I cook a lot so a good gas cooktop with convection oven was a non negotiable on my list.  I used Consumer Reports and other sites to do research and read countless reviews.  Here is the plan I followed to choose which brand I wanted and try to get the best deal.

 Some advice on appliance shopping:  

• Research and read reviews.  Know what you are buying.  I read reviews on all the major retail websites as well as the companies website.  Appliances are one of the most expensive investments in your kitchen so be smart about it.  Be sure to do the research and a lot of it.

•  Have a realistic budget AND stick to it.  Know how much you can spend and if you are not in the Wolf/Thermador/Viking price bracket, then don't go look at them!  Be realistic.  Don't forget to add in installation and warranty costs into your budget.

• Make sure they deliver for free and shop prices on installation.   I found that installation prices varied from store to store and from appliance to appliance.  Example:  A refrigerator just needs to be plugged in and a water line attached.  No big deal usually was free.  An over the range microwave on the other hand is more involved and was over $100 to install at all the stores I shopped at.  Be sure to add that to your budget or know if you can DIY.

• Find someone that will match prices and use it to your advantage.  Lowes will price match any competitor and I am assuming some of the other stores will too. 

•  If you have moved recently you will get a Lowes 10% off coupon in your moving package from the USPS.  NOW is the time to use that.  

•  Don't be afraid to purchase from more than one store.  I bought from 2 different stores.

•  Shop around a holiday.  I held out and ordered my appliances close to July 4th.   I knew about what their prices would be by scoping out the memorial day sales and that is how I set my budget.  I checked the websites everyday leading up to the 4th and the day their sale started, I was at the store.

•  Don't trust the in-store prices.  Check online too.  My stove was posted $400 less online than it was in the store.

• If they don't carry the exact model you want, ask to be upgraded for the same price. I had this happen on 2 of my appliances.  

• Remember most appliances are not in stock and will take about a week to be delivered so plan ahead.

These are the steps I followed and after buying appliances and warranties I saved over 20% from the regular price and stayed under budget.

Here are my beauties:

And you have already seen my new washer & dryer in the For the Love of Laundry post.

Today I am finishing up painting the guest room (any guesses on what color I went with?)   Tomorrow I'll post some inspiration pictures for the kitchen and show you more of the products I went with. 

Have a great day!

Side note:  Thanks for reading everybody.  Hopefully I'll be back to furniture soon and my posts won't be just about the house anymore.  Yesterday was a record for most page views in a day!  I should talk about inappropriate stuff more often.  :)   

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