Kitchens at PointClickHome

I just heard from my blogging counterpart, Timothy, at Charles and Hudson that he's a part of the hot new site PointClickHome, the new shelter hub that brings together ElleDecor, Metropolitan Home, and HOME magazines.  From what I see, there are lots of lifestyle  areas to check out, such as food, decorating, remodeling,  gardening, and more good stuff. It's laid out well and logically, with lots of great images, informative, and down-to-earth chat across the site. The two words that come to my mind are "fresh" and "smart!" Good work, Timothy!

 

The Kitchen Electric Estimate

Geez, I spent a long time trying to spice up the title to this little piece, (I can't always just stick to pretty kitchen pictures!) and I just couldn't find anything clever to describe an electrical estimate. Give me some ideas, please! Maybe something about sparks flying? No, bad idea.

It's a GOOD idea, when getting multiple bids for your kitchen renovation, to be organized so that your bids from contractors will use the same set of specifications. It sounds like a no brainer, and it should be, but the only way to make sure the estimates are comparable is to have one set of specs to give out to your electrical contractors to bid from.

Here's what you may want to include, or make sure your designer includes, on a floorplan and/or separate sheet of specifications:

Appliances - Brands and model numbers if possible. List all appliances, including:

Refrigerator

 
Freezer

Refrigerator Drawers

Wine Refrigerator

Under Counter Beverage Refrigerator 

Stand Alone Icemaker 

Cooktop - gas or electric

Ovens, Single or Double - gas or electric

Microwave

Other Ovens (steam, etc.) - gas or electric

Pizza Oven 

Deep Fryer

Grill, gas or electric - separate from cooktop/range

Built In Wall Rotisserie - separate from oven 

Built In Wok

Built In Mixer 

Range - gas or electric

Warming Drawer 

Built-in Coffee Station

Instant Hot Water

Garbage Disposal

Trash Compactor

Dishwasher(s) 

Hood/Blower or Downdraft

 

Receptacles - Will you use Plugmold or standard receptacles? Note GFI protection. Note location and number if possible.

Special circuits - Do you need multiple separate circuits for special needs in any one area? A monster toaster that takes 17 amps? Paired with another appliance on the same circuit, it will trip. Be aware of potential lifestyle electrical needs.

Circuits - A good guideline is a separate circuit for appliances (not countertop appliances) over 10 amps, but the electrical codes takes precedence

Accent lighting - Note if you'd like accent lighting in cabinetry or pointing toward certain cabinetry. How will it be switched? What about accent lighting above cabinetry or as part of a tray ceiling or other ceiling effect? What about sconces? A little used by lovely style of lighting, yes, for the kitchen.

Task lighting - Under cabinet lighting, what type? Halogen, flourescent, xenon, etc. Can you specify the brand? Try to specify the locations and switching if possible.

General lighting - Are you using recessed lights? Pendants? Ceiling Fixtures? Note what you are using, how many, and how they will be switched, whether in multiple locations or a single location. Also specify if dimmers are desired. And, make sure that the wattage in your lights is adequate, which could effect your estimate. Very generally speaking, I specify/prefer as many lights of the same type, say, recessed, switched together, as possible on the electrical plans that I do. I'm not a fan of 3 lights here, 3 lights there on different switches. I feel general lighting is just that, general lighting and is meant to be turned on all, or mostly all, at once. The other reason is that too many switches cause confusion and forgetfulness.

Fancy switches - Oh, there are so many touch-type fancy wall switches out now. Start by checking out these switches at Lutron.

TV/Phone/Computer - Don't forget wiring for media. This type of wiring may be done by audio/video/computer technicians. Check with your electrican.

Speakers - Most likely wired by your audio technician, but not necessarily. Check that out.  

Heat - Any specialty heating solutions such as toekick heaters? 

Last but not least - Check the service panel! 

Home Automation 

Will the kitchen be part of a home lighting control system? Check out Lutron for basic information. For further information on home automation, check out CABA

If you want to see a digital kitchen in action, check out this video, but keep the tissues handy, the emotional guitar music may make a tear fall.

Here are a few more articles with insight from Builder Online,  CABA's page on the digital kitchen and don't miss this humorous look at all the automated frenzy, from Network World.

Apologies for potentially overwhelming you, what can I say? Yes, the world of kitchen remodeling has many devils lurking in the details!

In a future post, I will talk about and show, an electrical plan. (Don't flood me with emails asking, When!! When!!) 

;-) 

Beautiful Kitchens

Want to see some beautiful kitchens? Look through Coastal Living's kitchen section and get inspired! I love lots of things about this kitchen and have a couple of quibbles.

LOVE the same paint on the walls as on the hood

LOVE the dark brown accents

LOVE the contrast of the white floor and dark island/table

LOVE the use of white

DON'T LOVE the refrigerator enclosure

WOULD BETTER LOVE an integral open shelf toward the top of the island for useful storage

WOULD BETTER LOVE the ceiling fixture over the island hanging lower

WOULD BETTER LOVE a piece of artwork hanging over the recessed wall cabinet next to the blinds 

Overall, a winner for me. How about you?? Enjoy these inspiring kitchens.

Designing Your Kitchen - All in Due Time

I cancelled two appointments this week, one for Monday and one for tomorrow. I really don't like to, and therefore, rarely cancel appointments I think it sends a message that somehow I wasn't ready/organized/prepared, and so on. It gives me anxiety, like, oh, so many other little guilt-ridden things like this! (That's why I grow roses, to get outside and take a sniff of a fragrant rose.) OK, I take more than a sniff...I walk around the garden and take photographs when the mood strikes.

Last week, it seems I was out of the office more than I was in, and I had appointments with these same people also last week, at which time we scheduled for this week as well.  Oftentimes I have the weekend to catch up on my work. I'm an early riser 7 days a week, usually well before 5 am or sometimes (on a weekend!) shortly after, so I do have real good quality time to get things done.

This past weekend, with my kids coming in from the city for the Father's Day weekend, there really wasn't time, as I knew I needed to put in blocks of time for these clients. Long story short, I couldn't get my work done for either appointment, so I cancelled. I wrote to my clients that I didn't want to rush for our meeting, time went away from me, so could we reschedule. Of course, no problem.

Yes, there's a point here somewhere! I'm thrilled at the moment, and in fact, stopped my work to write this, (I promise I'll get back to it) because in delaying one appointment, I came up with a great solution to a problem kitchen that far surpassed my expectations. The kitchen is very small, the client specifically asked for a good corner solution (pressure!) with a much smaller than normal corner, making it nearly impossible, along with a list of other challenging items.

I LOVE when all the stars line up and I think of a solution that is different than normal, that pushes the construction and function of cabinetry so that it is customized for a specific need AND goes against conventional wisdom, that's the best. Love that feeling! I'm going to my meeting tomorrow with great excitement, with a solution I thought was not possible, is out of the box, and will enhance these clients' lives in the kitchen for many years, allowing them to not only have more room for precious storage, but they will be able to access their items in an effortless way. I'm really on a high! I didn't think it was possible, after going through all the "typical" solutions. Quality time absolutely permits one to venture beyond the "typical."

So, here's an analogy. Design work, like gardening, is about patience. Patience is important. You cannot rush a garden and you should not rush design work. If any of you out there has a designer who is cancelling an appointment, remember your design may be much better for it in the long run. All in due time...

And, here is one of my favorite roses that smells like ripe peaches, truly. I need to be patient, as I cannot see or smell this rose at all from November to June. But, eventually, good things will come. Here is the rose, "Abraham Darby." This image was taken in my garden this morning. Enjoy!