Q.
We bought a cottage type place that has no kitchen in it at all and a bath with just a toilet and shower, we are having trouble figuring out what to do that would look good.
Is there a virtual site that we can go to or someone that can design something that won't cost a fortune for them to plan something?
A.
You need a kitchen and bath designer with demonstrated talent and experience in space-planning.
The fact that there is no kitchen at all, also means that you will have to bring electrical and possibly gas to the area. That means services that are (likely) not in the house will need to be brought there.
Depending upon where you are located, there may also be requirements and codes that need to be met to install a kitchen.
The fact is: In some locales, you may even need an architect to plan your new kitchen.
I suggest the first thing to do is to go to your local building department with jurisdiction, explain your situation, and ask them what they require (They won't follow you home. Don't worry).
I'm afraid we designers don't come cheap, let alone free. But you will find that the right designer will save you far more than you spend on the design portion of your project. There are scores of products that go into every kitchen and bath. Saving money on each of them saves a lot. Designers know what works and what doesn't, what's a waste of money and a bargain.
There is nothing more costly than doing a project and finding that you hate it so much that you have to do it again.
Cost from my office: = Around $1000-1800 for a bare bones concept to take to IKEA, if you wish; up to $3-5000 for complete documents to submit for building permits.
Some charge more or less. I can only say what my fees usually are, and these are generalities since I charge by the hour.
A designer never knows how decisive a given client is going to be going in. A client who is very clear about what they like and don't like, and very decisive, is very likely to spend less on design services that a client who waffles and wavers about every decision and has to feel their way or see something before they know what they like.
The latter client will be just as happy with the results, but take a lot longer getting there and thus spend more money.
Peggy
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Payatham Paruppu Payasam(Moong Dal Kheer)
Easy, healthy and delicious!
Serves-2
Ingredients:
Moong Dal(Payatham Paruppu)-1/3 cup
Jaggery-1/4 cup or more(if you want more sweetness)
Milk-1 cup
Cardamom-1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut(Optional)-1 tsp
Roasted broken cashews-1 tsp(optional)
Method:
Pressure cook moong dal with enough water for 3 whistles.
Add jaggery, coconut and cardamom to the mashed dal and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
After 2-3 minutes, add milk and roasted cashews and serve warm.
If the consistency of kheer is thick, you can add some more milk.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Great New Kitchen Design Blog - Useful Spaces
I just discovered a great new blog (new to me) by Canadian kitchen designer Arne Salvesen, CKD.
He joins just a very few male kitchen and bath design bloggers. Most of us are of the female persuasion.
Arne has a lot of good posts already up since his launch in March 2009. I especially love his spelling of "colourful" and "centre".
Check him out at Useful Spaces. Welcome Arne!
I was especially taken by his post The "B" Word, about budgeting for your kitchen remodel.
This is a sore subject among kitchen and bath dealers and their clients - The dealers need to have a budget figure to design an appropriately priced project and the clients often like to keep the information close to the vest to avoid spending more than they want.
As an independent designer who represents and works only in the client's interest, I have found it quite remarkable how differently my clients react when I ask the "B" question. They are almost always very forthcoming about their budgets. It is one aspect of the transition I made in 1996, when I closed my showroom, that has made my task as a designer soooo much easier.
The remarkable thing is: I don't do anything any differently than I did before. I just stopped selling product to my clients. The difference is that they no longer SEE me as a salesperson.
Peggy
He joins just a very few male kitchen and bath design bloggers. Most of us are of the female persuasion.
Arne has a lot of good posts already up since his launch in March 2009. I especially love his spelling of "colourful" and "centre".
Check him out at Useful Spaces. Welcome Arne!
I was especially taken by his post The "B" Word, about budgeting for your kitchen remodel.
This is a sore subject among kitchen and bath dealers and their clients - The dealers need to have a budget figure to design an appropriately priced project and the clients often like to keep the information close to the vest to avoid spending more than they want.
As an independent designer who represents and works only in the client's interest, I have found it quite remarkable how differently my clients react when I ask the "B" question. They are almost always very forthcoming about their budgets. It is one aspect of the transition I made in 1996, when I closed my showroom, that has made my task as a designer soooo much easier.
The remarkable thing is: I don't do anything any differently than I did before. I just stopped selling product to my clients. The difference is that they no longer SEE me as a salesperson.
Peggy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
