How to Shop for Kitchen Appliances
Consumers think that the first thing they need to do when they want a new kitchen is to go shopping for cabinetry, and in many cases that can be true.
You folks with the great layouts and acres of counter space can just shop those cabinet and appliance stores 'till the cows come home. That's OK. You earned the easy way by buying (and probably paying more for) a home with a great kitchen to begin with.
For the rest of you, I think that the first thing should be to research and select a kitchen designer...But I'm prejudiced.;-D
The fact is, you need a plan to know what appliances you are shopping for.
There are four ways to get such a plan:
1. Yourself or a friend
2. An architect or building designer
3. A kitchen designer or interior designer
4. Some contractors (not all contractors draw plans).
Just remember, we kitchen designers do this for a living every day, so you just might get a BETTER plan by opting for one of us.
99.9% of the kitchen projects I do in the San Francisco Bay Area are remodeling projects, and most of them are what I call "difficult" kitchen spaces. After all, why hire a designer like me if your existing kitchen is laid out exactly the way you want your new kitchen to be?
People come to me BECAUSE they have difficult kitchens. Poor traffic flow, not enough counter space, not enough storage, no dishwasher, not enough light, not enough anything! It is up to me to present ideas and choices that wouldn't even occur to someone less experienced. And because their kitchens now are not anything like they could be, it is very difficult for them to imagine where their appliances are going to go or what size they need to be.
Yet, I can't tell you how many times I have been faced with a request for a 48" pro range in a 10x12 kitchen. Worse yet, it's stored in the garage because it was such a great deal! I am constantly faced with clients who have made their appliance choices, and even bought their appliances for their as yet unplanned kitchen, before contacting me.
Back to my point: If you have such a "difficult" kitchen it's best to plan the design before making appliance choices. Because each choice you make, and cast in stone, reduces the options your designer has to help you create a new kitchen that is the very best kitchen it can be; for you, the space, and your home.
Next: No kitchen design can, or should, be "finalized" without a complete, and finalized, appliance selection list. Most especially this applies to the ordering of cabinetry.
Appliances are not uniform in size, in spite of what most consumers think. They vary by fractions of inches to inches, in height, width, depth and installation foibles. Appliance manufacturers include many restrictions on how their products may be installed. And building inspectors always refer to the manufacturer's installation instructions whenever there is a question (which can hold up your project) about the installation of an appliance.
I'll guarantee you that virtually all kitchen designers with any experience whatsoever will agree that changes in appliance choices after a design is finalized cause their biggest headaches. Yet, in spite of written cautions on our design drawings and repeated verbal reminders that appliance changes are a no-no. Consumers continue to make changes and not tell anybody until something doesn't fit and we have a CRISIS.
So:
1. Get a plan you'll love (Detailed elevations and specifications later)
2. Shop for the appliances in your plan (this includes sinks, faucets, disposals, air gaps, etc.)
3. Order everything.
4. Don't change your mind without notifying your designer and cabinet person to ask what the impact will be. Then remember to notify your contractor about the change from the existing documents.
Peggy
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