I received the below question today by email:
Hi,
I have 40 year old “mod” house. I want to remodel the kitchen but here is the dilemma:
1. I have a cooktop on peninsula with overhead cabinets.
2. I want to take out overhead cabinets to open up area.
3. the kitchen has cathedral ceilings and I can’t see an overhead canopy type hood over the peninsula if I stayed with a cooktop. I wanted some pretty pendant lights over the peninsula. I also wanted to make the peninsula a breakfast bar.
4. I need ventilation – so I would put a range on counter directly opposite of cooktop with overhead micro with ventilation
5. putting range in this area would have the following effect: 9” of counter, range, 3”filler, dishwasher, sink.
My question is would #5 be feasible from a design outlook?
The peninsula would remain only counter space.
My husband has a problem with the range, dw, sink being all in a row.
Stephanie
Stephanie really needs to hire a designer to help her lay out her kitchen.
Her issues require fresh eyes to take her out of her assumptions about what can, and should be done, to bring her kitchen into the 21st Century. Her questions are really too specific to her own kitchen design issues to be of use to other readers.
I also received a call last week from a woman in Pennsylvania who wanted me to specify her lighting in her (being) remodeled kitchen. She kept me on the phone for at least a half an hour, pressing for further details on what sort of lighting to use in her kitchen.
I politely answered her questions feeling more and more used and abused by the imposition. I finally told her I usually charge $125 an hour for such consultations.
I'm sure she was miffed at my impertinence when she finally hung up.
Both of these readers, for some reason, seemed to think that I have offered to provide design services for FREE. Granted I offer to answer questions, both on my web site and here on my blogs, but the offer only extends so far as answering questions that will benefit the flow of information about professional kitchen design on the web.
I spend a lot of time on this endeavor. The idea is to show what goes into kitchen design to the layperson.
Not too long ago, before the web, and now blogs; kitchen design was a mysterious piece of work. We designers did some interviewing, took some measurements, and went away for a while. When we came back we presented the dream you were asked to finance.
We still do all those things, and some of us charge for our time to do those things, while others build the design costs into the sale of products.
Our industry was built on "FREE KITCHEN DESIGN". Many cabinet showrooms still advertise "free" design to this day (though fewer and fewer). Many others offer to do design work on retainer and then apply the dollars to your cabinet purchase.
Guess what folks? It ain't free. You are paying for kitchen design, whether you like it or not, whether you KNOW it or not.
You either pay it outright, or it is built into the price of your cabinetry, and/or other materials and services.
If you don't want to pay for design, then walk into a kitchen dealer's showroom with a LIST of the cabinets you want to buy, with all the details like finished sides and rollout shelves laid out on that list. No plan, no measurements, just the list.
Hand your list to the dealer and ask them to price it in the cabinet line, door style, and finish you want. Tell them you will take full responsibility for everything on your list fitting. They don't need to measure or concern themselves with delivery. You will pick the cabinets up and take full responsibility for checking for damage and transporting the cabinets to your home.
Take your credit card or checkbook out and lay in on the counter, and say you want their "best" price. On top of that, ask for a rebate if everything goes according to your promises. Then offer them a signed agreement stating same, and promising to pay 50% down and 50% on pickup, with the rebate (for unused design services) to be paid by check to you after the cabinets have been installed without complaint.
That's how to buy cabinets without paying for design services.
I'll be interested to hear how many of my readers take me up on this challenge.
In the meantime, there are no free design services here.
If you want to use my expertise to design your kitchen or lighting, please contact me to arrange payment for my services.
And Stephanie...Your husband is right.
Peggy
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Need Drawers?
I had the pleasure of replacing the drawers in our platform bed last year.
Well, the pleasure wasn't in the work of replacing the drawers; but instead in dealing with a Bay Area company called Western Dovetail.
As a former kitchen dealer I know that most companies that sell parts like drawers and doors don't want to deal with the public.
They prefer to deal only with cabinetmakers or dealers who will open accounts and order sizable amounts of product on a regular basis.
I lost all that when I closed my store.
So, when the drawers in our bed started to fail, I figured I was up a creek...
Still, I dutifully jumped on line to seek out a supplier when husband George sounded the alarm.
Much to my surprise I located Western Dovetail right here in Vallejo, in our own back yard! And I didn't even have to fib or open an account!
Even better, the drawers they made were absolutely superb! Beautiful solid cedar dovetailed boxes perfect for clothing and linen storage. And they were quite reasonable too!
Complete machining is available for Blum Tandem and other Under-Mount Hardware. We can also supply drawer slides with your drawers for your convenience.
Drawers can be ordered completely assembled or RTA (ready to assemble), with or without finish. These drawers are suitable for the finest kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, closets, entertainment centers, dressers, desks, home offices or any other furniture or woodworking projects that require drawers.
They have a wonderful online catalog that shows their full line of offerings.
They are even making BAMBOO drawer boxes for you greenies out there! Not to mention all the usual woods.
So, if you readers need to replace a drawer, or add rollout shelves to a pantry or base cabinet; give Max an email (max[AT]drawer.com) and tell him Peggy sent you.
Peggy
Well, the pleasure wasn't in the work of replacing the drawers; but instead in dealing with a Bay Area company called Western Dovetail.
As a former kitchen dealer I know that most companies that sell parts like drawers and doors don't want to deal with the public.
They prefer to deal only with cabinetmakers or dealers who will open accounts and order sizable amounts of product on a regular basis.
I lost all that when I closed my store.
So, when the drawers in our bed started to fail, I figured I was up a creek...
Still, I dutifully jumped on line to seek out a supplier when husband George sounded the alarm.
Much to my surprise I located Western Dovetail right here in Vallejo, in our own back yard! And I didn't even have to fib or open an account!
Even better, the drawers they made were absolutely superb! Beautiful solid cedar dovetailed boxes perfect for clothing and linen storage. And they were quite reasonable too!
Complete machining is available for Blum Tandem and other Under-Mount Hardware. We can also supply drawer slides with your drawers for your convenience.
Drawers can be ordered completely assembled or RTA (ready to assemble), with or without finish. These drawers are suitable for the finest kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, closets, entertainment centers, dressers, desks, home offices or any other furniture or woodworking projects that require drawers.
They have a wonderful online catalog that shows their full line of offerings.
They are even making BAMBOO drawer boxes for you greenies out there! Not to mention all the usual woods.
So, if you readers need to replace a drawer, or add rollout shelves to a pantry or base cabinet; give Max an email (max[AT]drawer.com) and tell him Peggy sent you.
Peggy
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
1000 Kitchens to Recycle!
The Re-Use People sent an appeal today in their newsletter.
They have 1000 condo kitchens coming into their Oakland California warehouse shortly that they need to find homes for.
They look pretty nice if you need a small kitchen for an in-law unit, apartment or condo.
Below is the scoop:
Peggy
One Thousand Kitchens!
Logistics Moves to the Front Burner
By Ted Reiff
A couple of weeks ago one of our Northern California TRP-certified deconstruction contractors handed us a real test of our logistical capabilities: a contract to partially deconstruct two separate apartment complexes, one in Sunnyvale and the other a few miles away in Santa Clara. Each complex contains approximately 500 units, and the contractor's job is to remove all interior doors, kitchen cabinets and appliances, bathroom vanities, and some light fixtures, including fan lights.
The kitchens are typical apartment size, consisting of three base cabinets, three wall cabinets, floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinet, sink, countertops, stove, refrigerator and dishwasher. Some units also have washers and dryers.
TRP has known since its inception that salvaging building materials is only half the challenge in this business, and frequently not the most formidable half. The most difficult task can be finding a satisfactory way to dispose of the materials — to get them into the hands of people who can use them. This conundrum includes handling at the point of salvage, shipping to markets, interim storage or warehousing, consolidation, breaking bulk, trans-loading, and final delivery to the customer.
Our projected solution is to open a network of reuse facilities throughout the U.S. If we can easily ship materials from one location to another as supply and demand dictate, we can push the envelope regarding the size and scope of the projects we undertake. Only in this way will we become more effective at what we do and achieve our mission on a grand scale. The long-term goal is to have 20 to 25 regions in major metropolitan areas of the country. If we had these now, this project would be a slam dunk. But we don't.
So, how do we plan to manage the challenge at hand? With trailers — relays of them. At each site, over a period of about five weeks, the contractor will fill a 48-foot trailer with all the materials from approximately 20 to 25 units. TRP will take delivery of two semi-trailers every five weeks, at the same time returning two empty trailers to the sites. TRP is arranging for the rental of the trailers and the contractor is reimbursing us for the local drayage.
We estimate that our Oakland store can sell two of these kitchens per week. (They will have to compete for customer dollars with the kitchens and other materials we receive on a day-to-day basis.) Our Los Angeles outlet might be able to duplicate this volume, and our Colorado location can probably sell one per week. Consequently, at the end of one year, these two projects will add 150 to 250 unsold kitchens (and other items) to our inventory, and by the conclusion of the projects the number will be 300 to 500.
Assuming our warehouse sales estimates are correct, we will require space to store 10 to 15 trailers until the last of the materials have been moved to the floor of the warehouse.
TRP will be contacting nonprofit organizations throughout the Bay Area to offer these materials free of charge, as donations. However, we will be asking interested organizations to accept a minimum of one complete trailer load and to pay the transportation expenses to their location.
Can you help us find homes for these materials? If you have any solid suggestions, please phone Joe Feller, Operations Manager, The ReUse People of America: 510.383.1983 or 888.588.9490.
Special of the Month
At the Oakland warehouse this month we are featuring – you guessed it – kitchen cabinets. Receive 50% off on any complete kitchen (without appliances) until November 15. Normally a complete kitchen sells for $280 – we are offering them at $140.
Location and Contact Information
TRP ReUse Bazaar
9235 San Leandro Street
Oakland, CA 94603
(510) 383-1983; toll-free 888-588-9490
Hours: Mon through Fri 10:00 to 6:00; Sat and Sun 10:00 to 4:00
They have 1000 condo kitchens coming into their Oakland California warehouse shortly that they need to find homes for.
They look pretty nice if you need a small kitchen for an in-law unit, apartment or condo.
Below is the scoop:
Peggy
One Thousand Kitchens!
Logistics Moves to the Front Burner
By Ted Reiff
A couple of weeks ago one of our Northern California TRP-certified deconstruction contractors handed us a real test of our logistical capabilities: a contract to partially deconstruct two separate apartment complexes, one in Sunnyvale and the other a few miles away in Santa Clara. Each complex contains approximately 500 units, and the contractor's job is to remove all interior doors, kitchen cabinets and appliances, bathroom vanities, and some light fixtures, including fan lights.
The kitchens are typical apartment size, consisting of three base cabinets, three wall cabinets, floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinet, sink, countertops, stove, refrigerator and dishwasher. Some units also have washers and dryers.
TRP has known since its inception that salvaging building materials is only half the challenge in this business, and frequently not the most formidable half. The most difficult task can be finding a satisfactory way to dispose of the materials — to get them into the hands of people who can use them. This conundrum includes handling at the point of salvage, shipping to markets, interim storage or warehousing, consolidation, breaking bulk, trans-loading, and final delivery to the customer.
Our projected solution is to open a network of reuse facilities throughout the U.S. If we can easily ship materials from one location to another as supply and demand dictate, we can push the envelope regarding the size and scope of the projects we undertake. Only in this way will we become more effective at what we do and achieve our mission on a grand scale. The long-term goal is to have 20 to 25 regions in major metropolitan areas of the country. If we had these now, this project would be a slam dunk. But we don't.
So, how do we plan to manage the challenge at hand? With trailers — relays of them. At each site, over a period of about five weeks, the contractor will fill a 48-foot trailer with all the materials from approximately 20 to 25 units. TRP will take delivery of two semi-trailers every five weeks, at the same time returning two empty trailers to the sites. TRP is arranging for the rental of the trailers and the contractor is reimbursing us for the local drayage.
We estimate that our Oakland store can sell two of these kitchens per week. (They will have to compete for customer dollars with the kitchens and other materials we receive on a day-to-day basis.) Our Los Angeles outlet might be able to duplicate this volume, and our Colorado location can probably sell one per week. Consequently, at the end of one year, these two projects will add 150 to 250 unsold kitchens (and other items) to our inventory, and by the conclusion of the projects the number will be 300 to 500.
Assuming our warehouse sales estimates are correct, we will require space to store 10 to 15 trailers until the last of the materials have been moved to the floor of the warehouse.
TRP will be contacting nonprofit organizations throughout the Bay Area to offer these materials free of charge, as donations. However, we will be asking interested organizations to accept a minimum of one complete trailer load and to pay the transportation expenses to their location.
Can you help us find homes for these materials? If you have any solid suggestions, please phone Joe Feller, Operations Manager, The ReUse People of America: 510.383.1983 or 888.588.9490.
Special of the Month
At the Oakland warehouse this month we are featuring – you guessed it – kitchen cabinets. Receive 50% off on any complete kitchen (without appliances) until November 15. Normally a complete kitchen sells for $280 – we are offering them at $140.
Location and Contact Information
TRP ReUse Bazaar
9235 San Leandro Street
Oakland, CA 94603
(510) 383-1983; toll-free 888-588-9490
Hours: Mon through Fri 10:00 to 6:00; Sat and Sun 10:00 to 4:00
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