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MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3767
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 8:26 pm: | 
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Is this a good price? I haven't shopped extensively, but it seems like a good deal to me. I thought I'd be spending at least $70 sq. foot. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 7722
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 8:29 pm: |
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Yes. Ours was $70-$75 almost two years ago. |
MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3770
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 8:34 pm: |
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Evening greenetree. I thought so. They're also running a special right now for 20% off that price, but I have to order by next Saturday and install by August 15. Not sure we'll make that as we haven't even broken ground! Even so, the $60 regular price is still a good deal. |
petite_mom
Citizen
Username: Petite_mom
Post Number: 34
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 9:16 pm: |
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Granite price depends a lot on the color/pattern. I purchased mine almost 2 years ago at Elegant Counter Top (on Rt 1 South right off GSP exit 130). I had a really good experience with them. The only thing is, their warehouse is in Monroe, so it's quite far. If you want to pick out your own slab, you need to go to the warehouse. We weren't available to go any other time except on Sunday, and they opened up the warehouse for us on a Sunday. Not sure, but I recall it coming to about $49 per sq ft (the pattern was Dakota Mahogany or Indian Dakota). The cheapest granite at Home Depot/Expo at the time $59 per sq ft (Uba Tuba or Baltic Brown).
Hope this helps. |
Kitchenguru
Citizen
Username: Kitchenguru
Post Number: 93
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 9:26 pm: |
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Be careful about buying low-priced granite if you are concerned about keeping your kitchen classic vs. dated. These sales are usually for the granite no one
wants anymore. Uba Tuba and Baltic Brown are the ones being ripped out of newly remodeled kitchens to be replaced by lighter more neutral colors. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 11563
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 5:00 am: |
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I am amongst the small minority who feels granite is a fad that will die out in the next ten years so take this with a grain of salt. We recently bought a new house and a lot of the kitchens had the inexpensive granite tops. Nothing says Home Depot kitchen more than Uba Tuba and Baltic Brown granite.
Even if you have twenty linear feet (forty square feet) of granite counters paying an additional ten bucks per square foot is only $400, miniscule in a kitchen remodeling. |
MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3772
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 6:21 am: |
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77 square feet, by my estimate.
Ooops, Uba Tuba is actually the color I liked, as I'm looking for a green. |
Sherri De Rose
Citizen
Username: Honeydo
Post Number: 211
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 8:26 am: |
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There is a product I saw on TV that I just loved. It's a quartz product that is just as impervious as granite but has a much wider range of choices. One of the brands is called Caesar Stone.It can look like stone, concrete etc. The dealers shown online close by are Sawhorse Designs on Millburn Ave in Millburn and D-A-D Kitchens in Garwood. Their site is www.caesarstoneus.com. They had a beautiful green composite that I am actually thinking of changing my common granite (probably one of those stated above) to this. Rich will kill me... |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 11568
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 8:28 am: |
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Me, big kitchen. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 7726
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 8:43 am: |
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Sherri- can you do it while he's not home and then later claim that it's been there forever and he just never noticed?
When we remodeled, I just kept thinking that I didn't want to use materials that would end up being this generation's "harvest gold" or "avocado green". We stuck with basic white appliances & classic cupboards. But, we do have marble, granite and butcher block. I'm hoping that the granite won't look dated as quickly because used an unusual pattern - it has veins and swirls rather than speckles.
One thing I don't like about the granite is that, if you hit it just right, a heavy pot will crack it. Which I unfortunately know first hand. |
Kitchenguru
Citizen
Username: Kitchenguru
Post Number: 94
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 9:34 am: |
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caesarstone costs more than granite. |
melicious
Citizen
Username: Melicious
Post Number: 445
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 9:47 am: |
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Uba Tuba owners, stand proud!!!
All granite and marble (or marble and granite - whatever) had it for $49 a square foot uninstalled (apparently because everyone hates it now) and I found a piece that has more brown than green because I have a mahogany vanity. I had them cut it and picked it up myself (with the help of 3 sturdy men).
My feeling is this: no matter what you get, everything will look dated in time. I am avoiding beadboard, because I think that will be "so 2000." But, I am redoing my bathroom to period.
However, it may be that this movement to make things "to period" ends up being dated, too, in favor of contemporary stuff. Who knows? Remember the big craze for cement countertops?
Get what you like within your budget, I say.
I stand, hands on hips, proud of my (cheap?) granite.
Good luck!
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MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3776
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 9:54 am: |
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Bob K, the new space is 16.5 x 18 (not including the new powder room and laundry area). Considering I have about 8 or 10 square feet of counter space in my kitchen right now, it's possible I've gone completely overboard in the other direction! But, as we all know, the kitchen is the heart of the house these days.
The biggest surface will by my island at 8 x 4! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.
I like the Uba Tuba because it's dark enough to almost be black, but still has the green I want. Is it really so bad?
Sherri, thanks for the info on Ceasarstone. Will check that out. But if, in fact, it is more expensive, it's definately not for me! |
MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3777
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 9:56 am: |
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Melicious, I think I agree with you. Thanks. You were posting while I was composing! |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 11574
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 10:03 am: |
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Me, I forgot islands when I did my earlier post, the coffee kicking in thing again. 
Get what you like. I was just posting my observation after looking at over 50 houses in the last few months and, as I said, I am not a big granite fan, partially because of my highly developed artistic sense, not, and partially for the reasons Greenone posted above.
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greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 7732
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 10:11 am: |
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Me& - you can't have too much counter space. We have a 7'7" island, a 5' marble counter (baking height) and the counter where the sink & cooktop are has about 3-4 additional space. We tend to use it up during holidays and parties.
The one battle that I fought (and lost) was the island/breakfast bar. I think that in 10-20 years, people might be ripping those out. But, who knows? |
Wendyn
Supporter
Username: Wendyn
Post Number: 3105
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 10:14 am: |
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My dad just put in Uba Tuba. Looks nice, very consistant grain. I'm a swirly crazy gal myself, but for him it is great. |
KRNL
Citizen
Username: Krnl
Post Number: 59
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 4:33 pm: |
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We choose Uba Tuba because we liked it. Later we were told that it is stronger than some of the other granites that have a "looser" grain. Everytime we looked at alternative solid surfaces the only ones we could stand were the most expensive, so our Uba Tuba is doubly delightful. Granite certainly beats the laminate that was there when we moved in.
What really matters if that you like the final effect. When buying our homes we've all looked at kitchens we don't like...but, for most of us it is only part of the decision on which one to buy. You cannot forecast what your potential buyers might prefer...even if you plan on selling in a couple of years. I found I prefer light colored kitchens, have come to hate oak, etc. That said, if the rest of the house "sang" and met my needs, I'd be interested. |
Kitchenguru
Citizen
Username: Kitchenguru
Post Number: 96
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 5:05 pm: |
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Seaweed is a gorgeous green granite, same price as UBA TUBA, even darker with
a more elegant look. I made the comment above about being careful about things being dated because no one ones to feel like the kitchen they have spent tens of thousands on is over before it started. I'm surprised you are not getting more guidance from your designer. Of course everyone has different goals for their home.
Here's a great article on current trends:
http://homechannel.aol.com/aolhome/decorating/0,22091,8325060515,00.html
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Virtual It Girl
Citizen
Username: Shh
Post Number: 4476
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 7:48 pm: |
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Interesting reading...I so badly wanted to do my cabinets in red (painted maple) with the soapstone counter but that got vetoed really quick. I guess the cream was a good alternative!
I'm with KRNL...though I had to curb my enthusiasm for red & black and went with safer (read, neutral) I still went with what I wanted. When househunting, I personally have rarely, if ever, found a redone kitchen I liked top to bottom. |
MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3782
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 8:20 pm: |
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I'm doing this kitchen for ME. We've looked around in hopes of finding something a bit bigger, but ultimately decided (after several years of looking) that staying where we are and expanding is the best idea for us, financially and for many other reasons. As a result, we anticipate being in this house for the rest of our natural lives, or at least until our kids are through college and out of the house.
By then, I expect everything to have gone out of style and come back in again. I really wanted the soapstone, but ultimately decided it wouldn't stand up to the abuse my kids will dish out over the next few years.
Kitchenguru, it's not a matter of not getting guidence from my designer, so much as it is a matter of us not even being remotely close to the point where making a decision on the exact color of the countertop is pertinent. My architect has had so many great, practical, no nonsense, real life ideas about my kitchen. Without them, I would have been lost! |
Kitchenguru
Citizen
Username: Kitchenguru
Post Number: 97
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 9:37 am: |
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Maandtheboys
Sounds like you are in a good situation. Hope it all goes well. Lots of people seem to call an architect to do their kitchen around here, I guess they are doing additions etc. Is that why you called an architect instead of a kitchen designer? |
MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3783
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 1:11 pm: |
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Yup. My original idea was to bump out my existing kitchen. Called friends who are architects for a consult because I wanted to be sure the addition would be aesthetically pleasing and not just a box on the back of my house. Their idea was to add a gigantic, entirely new space in a basically unused portion of our back yard, and re-arrange the entire floor plan of the first floor. Something I never would have thought of in a million years, and a much better use of our existing space! When we're all done, we'll have a floor plan very similar to what you find in new construction, where the "formal" space, i.e. the living room, is a small parlor type room, and the "family/entertaining" space will be a gigantic kitchen open to a big family room. The room that is our living room now, which is the biggest, least used room on the first floor, will become our family room. We're adding something like 365 sq. feet, which includes the kitchen and a first floor powder room (which we currently do not have), and we're moving the laundry up from the basement.
If I had the bugdet, I probably would have worked with a kitchen designer as well. Luckily, my architect (who is also a mom of 3) has really great practical ideas. |
Kitchenguru
Citizen
Username: Kitchenguru
Post Number: 98
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 2:16 pm: |
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Sounds great. Kitchen designers don't charge fees though the way architects do. They just charge a markup for the materials they provide for you which you have to buy somewhere anyway. You cannot do a kitchen wihout buying cabinets, generally speaking. I've worked with many architects over the years who call me in to design the kitchen once they have dinlineated the space in a general way,proposing the addition size,specifying windows,doors placements,fireplaces
etc. I have also hired them when necessary for the client. I feel its best when we all work together from the beginning. Sometimes the kitchen works better when you design the addition around the kitchen instead of trying to fit it in afterwords. We have a unique skill set in the design/build industry which it takes hundreds of kitchens over many years to acquire.
Are you purchasing your kitchen through your architect?
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MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3785
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 3:02 pm: |
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Yes, they have someone they work with who sells Kemper and the price is just above wholesale, or some such deal. I couldn't believe the price for the amount of cabinetry we have. Seemed very inexpensive. Saw the cabinets in a kitchen addition my architects did in Millburn and they are very nice (or at least nice enough for me, as I don't really care about "high-end" or "custom"). |
Kitchenguru
Citizen
Username: Kitchenguru
Post Number: 99
Registered: 9-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 3:27 pm: |
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The person you bought the cabinetry from is a kitchen designer. I'm familiar with Kemper, good reliable product. |
Travis
Citizen
Username: Travis
Post Number: 428
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 4:00 pm: |
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Quote:I am redoing my bathroom to period.
Subway tile?
I lost that battle. |
Lydia
Supporter
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 1868
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 9:15 pm: |
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I'm with Bob - if you have granite that's fine, but it's on the way out.
Soapstone is the new granite - this I heard from both an architect and a realtor, so it must be true. |
Aok
Citizen
Username: Aok
Post Number: 241
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, May 21, 2006 - 8:32 pm: |
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Meandtheboys -- ENJOY YOUR new space -- it sounds fabulous!! Remember,whenever you decide to sell -- counters are easy to replace -- so go ahead and get what works for you and don't worry about the fads. Zen modern is coming on strong but that stream lined simplicity (and zero clutter) is impossible to manage with young boys!! A home is to live in. |
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