How Much Did You Spend On Home Remodeling?

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I really want a nice 36 inch gas stove. I want a professional model as they burn at much higher BTUs than I can get at a basic appliance store. .

cschin4, why do you want a high energy use stove? What do you cook that needs extremely high temps? I thought the electric self cleaning ovens go to 900* F. I don't know if you can get a gas stove to reach higher temps than the temp at which natural gases burn. Maybe if there are some internal passive storage & release materials like ceramic rods and walls?

My little bottom of the line apartment size gas stove reaches 550*F according to the control knob. What would you flame at a higher temp than that? The only time I've turned my oven up all the way is when I attempted to burn off a spill, as you would in a self-cleaner. Bummer--it did not work.

[cschin4]

Gas stoves have various outputs on the burners. Actually, I have found some 30 inch stoves that I really like. I want a high output burner to boil water. On a small gas burner, it takes quite a while to get to a rolling boil.

[jannereeves]

We did a DIY kitchen remodeling, we bought ready to assemble kitchen cabinets, granite countertop and installed them our-self. You don't need to be handy to this kind of installations, the cabinets come with a manual which helps us thoroughly to install the cabinets. We got a free kitchen from the supplier so there was no need of any pro.

[wjcalderon]

I just had my kitchen remodeled - I spent $28,000. I completely changed the layout.

Moved drain and water supply lines in concrete slab.
Ran gas line to kitchen for cooktop.
Re-routed most of the electric.
Sheetrock work and paint.
Custom built cabinets with new hardware.
Wilsonart counter tops.
New vinyl flooring (looks just like ceramic tile)
Glass tile backsplash.
Under cabinet lighting.
Can lights in ceiling.
New sink and faucet.
New stainless appliances (gas cooktop, electric wall oven, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator)

I didn't actually do this myself - I hired a contractor. It took about a month.
I went with the Wilsonart counter tops instead of granite so I could afford the new appliances. Wilsonart (and Formica) have a new rounded edge that makes the counter tops look
more like granite or stone.

[ua_guy]

Mater bath remodel - $3500.

From the dirt up. We put in a new subfloor and supporting structure, new insulation, drywall, tile flooring, window, ceiling fan, shower basin, tiled shower walls, toilet, vanity/sink and mirror, plus new lighting, and replaced the door separating it from the bedroom. We did all the work ourselves, including extending the shower stand upward, so that tall people can actually shower UNDER the stream of water. The space was approximately 8x7.

Kitchen remodel and whole interior facelift - $21,000

New plank flooring, new carpet, new tile in the entry. New baseboard trim, reface existing fireplace, new stone hearth, and replace mantle with salvaged beam, and and also tiled shower walls in main bathroom. New kitchen cabinets- plywood construction, decent quality, 3cm granite countertops cut from a single slab, new stainless sink of good quality, and new micro-hood and gas range. Fridge and dishwasher stayed, because those are newer. The kitchen was roughly 12x18, and the flooring was a total of 1440sqft, half plank and half carpet. $1500 of that was appliances, about $275 for the microwave, and $1100 for the range, plus tax.

The master bath we did ourselves, as we've done a couple of them before. Turned out nice, very good quality and craftsmanship. The kitchen we hired a contractor to do. The deep savings were in the materials...having friends on the supply side made all the materials ridiculously cheap. The contractor was also a family friend. It was all done correctly, all looks great. I don't yet know about ROI, I think it's greater than what we put in, but at the very least, it will allow us to ask full market price based on comparable homes for when we go to sell in the near future.

[ua_guy]

Gas stoves have various outputs on the burners. Actually, I have found some 30 inch stoves that I really like. I want a high output burner to boil water. On a small gas burner, it takes quite a while to get to a rolling boil.

Here's a bit about gas stoves and also your other question - 30" vs 36", slide-in versus freestanding.

You are correct, the BTU rating doesn't necessarily mean high cook temps, but rather faster heating for things like boiling water. (It also means you can burn and set fire to things, easily). The cheapest gas ranges come with 5000-9500 BTU burners, usually all the same output.

A nicer gas stove is going to have variable burner outputs. The highest, and sometimes advertised as a "searing" burner, will usually have greater BTU ratings around 14,000-18,000BTU. The rest will be around that 9500 mark, sometimes with a small simmer burner in the 5,000 range. Beyond that 18,000 BTU range, you really start to climb in price and I'm not sure it's worth it unless you are a culinary pro.

That's where a 36" range comes in...they can pack in more burners that way, and larger oven spaces. There are plenty of cheap 36" gas stoves...most of them are aimed at having a "professional" look versus decent cooking ability. When you get into a nice 36" range, prices seem to climb upwards of $3,000. Dacor is a high-end marque. They offer a 30" and also 36" freestanding ranges starting in that same price range.

Slide in versus freestanding... The only real advantage to slide-in ranges is a more integrated look and function with your countertop. Whereas a 30" freestanding will meet almost evenly with the countertop, there may still be an 1/8" gap on either side. A slide-in actually rides up over the counter edge so there is no gap. The controls are usually on the front of the stove, versus on a high back panel. There are significantly fewer models in the slide-in variety, and cost is slightly more for essentially the same functions as a freestanding 30" range.

With slide-in or freestanding ranges, the bigger question is...do you want double ovens? If yes, you've just narrowed your selection significantly. This is definitely an upsell. As an alternative, if you are also planning on, or already have an OTR (over the range microwave, or "micro-hood"), you could go with a convection microwave model and a single oven range at significant cost savings, effectively having "double ovens." Convection ranges are also an upsell...convection offers better heat distribution/more even cooking.

Good luck... if there's a Sears near you, check out searsoutlet.com. There are some smoking deals on closeout, refurbished, discontinued models that are essentially new.

LOL at some of the previous responses. Shockingly, physics are an integral ingredient of cooking good food.

[jannereeves]

I just had my kitchen remodeled - I spent $28,000. I completely changed the layout.

Moved drain and water supply lines in concrete slab.
Ran gas line to kitchen for cooktop.
Re-routed most of the electric.
Sheetrock work and paint.
Custom built cabinets with new hardware.
Wilsonart counter tops.
New vinyl flooring (looks just like ceramic tile)
Glass tile backsplash.
Under cabinet lighting.
Can lights in ceiling.
New sink and faucet.
New stainless appliances (gas cooktop, electric wall oven, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator)

I didn't actually do this myself - I hired a contractor. It took about a month.
I went with the Wilsonart counter tops instead of granite so I could afford the new appliances. Wilsonart (and Formica) have a new rounded edge that makes the counter tops look
more like granite or stone.

$28,000 is an big amount, would love to see your kitchen,
We did our kitchen remodeling for less than $15k

_________________
For RTA cabinets Visit the RTA store..

[wjcalderon]

$28,000 is an big amount, would love to see your kitchen,
We did our kitchen remodeling for less than $15k

I wish I could have had mine done for that!
Based on 3 estimates, $28,000 was right in line.

Understand, I gutted the kitchen, moved utilities and started pretty much from scratch.
That's because I "flipped" the eating and cooking areas from one end to the other.
The only thing I didn't replace was the ceiling!!

I wish I could post pictures, but it's not working for me.