Just for fun: how often do you think a bathroom or kitchen should be remodeled?

[FINFAN]

I'll add.... if I wanted to do a major reno... I would be installing wider 40" doorways and lower light switches.

• I want to think ahead for the day I might be in a wheelchair. Care homes are not cheap.... add up the monthly charges in a year and I can afford to put in that elevator.
• It increases the resale value of a home that can made "accessible".
• Makes moving large appliances in and out of the easier if you have a wider doorway.

that's what we did when we built this place in '94. We were only 31 but we figured wider hallways and doorways were a benefit for any situation, not just if we needed accessibility. What I wish we had also done was have higher counter tops in at least the master bath and kitchen. We are tall and I always feel like I am hunching too much, but that would have meant lowering them in our elder years. That said, I really REALLY hope we are out of this house by 60 and in a ranch style.

 

[DennyCrane]

I think we'd rather sell it and buy another instead of going through the remodel process.

 

[FINFAN]

If everything is still functional I'd never remodel lol.

same, lol...once it gets to where I can't get it clean anymore? Time to replace but other than that, redecorating can do wonders lol

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

It definitely depends on the finishes. I've seen 15/20 year old custom/high-end kitchens that still look beautiful. But if it was built in 2005 and had builder's grade cabinets and laminate countertops, I would definitely consider that dated and in need of a renovation.

 

[lovin'fl]

Our house was built in 1973 and has had one kitchen remodel, around 1986, and is in need of another... needed it 10 years ago when we bought it. So I'd say 12-15 years is a good time to re-do a kitchen, 20 years is pushing it. Our three baths were original 1973 and we DID Reno them right away as things were falling apart and they wee not in good working order. We once bought a house that was 12 years old and not updated in those 12 years. It was due. But we sold it after 1.5 years in it... left it for the next guy. We are about to move again and I am putting 'built after 2010' in my search... no more older homes needing renovations.

 

[3boymthr]

This is exactly the type of thing I was referring to. Things like gold faucets, very dark stained oak cabinets, etc. definitely scream a certain era. My parents built a home in 1985, when I was 15. One of the things really in then was colored bathroom tubs, toilets and sinks. I am not talking white or almond, I am referring to mauve, black or grey colored porcelain. I remember going around with my mom to choose these things and her making a very conscientious choice to not go with these colors as she said a toilet, tub and sink are going to last a heck of a lot longer than the color fad is.

This is my house. Green bathroom sink, grey tub. Shiny gold accents on the faucets. Done in 1994. the kitchen was done in 1995. Prior owners did it all. Looked great then - so trendy. NOW not so much. And unless you spent a LOT of money on those shiny gold faucets and other fixtures then after 20 years they all look like crap now. My cabinets are falling apart, the tub is cracked and broken, the "gold" leaf is flaking off, the laminate on the counters is peeling. The kitchen flooring already had to be replaced as it completely disintegrated and the bathroom flooring is cracked and the tiles are coming up. Gold handles on the cabinet doors look like total crap as the colors were all patchy. I repleaced those with real brass 10 years ago. They also replaced the handles on the doors of the rooms with fake gold handles. Those look crappy too faded and patchy. The cabinet handle replacements still look great as do the hardwood floors that are original to the house and so do the original crystal nobs on the closets that for some reason they didn't replace.

 

[Turn the Page]

Our kitchen is 20 years old and I don't know that I would call it dated. The cabinets are white, gray solid surface counter tops, and hardwood floors. However, I don't think I would even call the finishes builder grade. I'm not sure I have ever seen anything so cheap looking. The counter tops are solid surface but it is basically solid surface veneer so it is just a thin layer on top of particle board, similar to laminate. The cabinets are cheap particle board with laminate surfaces that are now peeling in several places. No drawer pulls or anything like that. The appliances are horrible. The stove top is a head scratcher. The electric stove top is paired with an electric undersized wall oven that they built an island for and put together to make it look like it was a range but it really wasn't. The sink is some weird cheap almond colored plastic that stains so easily so it always looks horribly filthy.

We can't wait to remodel the kitchen in a few years but it is not going to be cheap as it needs a full gut with new everything. I'm not even sure we will be able to save the floor as it is not flooring, it is actually wall paneling that they slapped on the floor. I like the look but it is NOT durable like actual hardwood flooring is. I'm not sure it would even survive the kitchen being gutted. In that case we would go with slate tile on the floor and that would open up more options for cabinets. I'm not a huge fan of white cabinets but I think we need something similar in the kitchen. I love wood but pairing wood cabinets with a wood floor and wood paneling on the ceiling and the wood staircase is just too much wood in one space.

 

[jevs]

Ours were light blue!! Light blue tub and toilet and then for who knows what reason the sink was replaced with a pale yellow one!! It was HIDEOUS!! We went with just beige with the "newer" one so we can paint any color and hang any color curtains.

We still have a light blue tub, bath, and shower basin. It's in the kids bathroom though so I don't have to look at it too often and don't care. I did rip the blue cistern off the wall and the blue seat off the dunny though, that's taking it too far.

I remodel as in ripping things off walls and stuff either when I have to or I can't look at it anymore without frothing at the mouth.

 

[jevs]

I think we'd rather sell it and buy another instead of going through the remodel process.

My thoughts when I have to clean the oven.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I do have to wonder when.......or if.....stainless steel appliances will go out of style. We we remodeled 3 years ago, we ordered our Sharp Drawer microwave too late, they offered Bisque, White and Stainless Steel, but had discontinued the Bisque and White literally weeks before we ordered so we have a Bisque stove, dishwasher and fridge, and a stainless steel drawer microwave.

Know someone who redid the kitchen and bought the stainless steal refrigerator and then the magnets would not go on the frig. She would not do that again.

 

[xlxo]

My thoughts when I have to clean the oven.

I just push the self clean feature. A few hours later.... all I need to do is wipe the ash.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

This is exactly the type of thing I was referring to. Things like gold faucets, very dark stained oak cabinets, etc. definitely scream a certain era. My parents built a home in 1985, when I was 15. One of the things really in then was colored bathroom tubs, toilets and sinks. I am not talking white or almond, I am referring to mauve, black or grey colored porcelain. I remember going around with my mom to choose these things and her making a very conscientious choice to not go with these colors as she said a toilet, tub and sink are going to last a heck of a lot longer than the color fad is.

My house was built in 1970 and I bought it in 1989. The hall bathroom had a light blue toilet, tub, sink, and tile. The master bath fixtures were sea foam green and it had about a dozen accent tiles of sea horses. Besides looking dated, they weren't in the best of shape. About a year after moving in, we replaced the toilets and sinks and had those bath fitter things put over the tubs. In 2005, everything in both baths was gutted to the stubs and redone.

The previous owner had recently updated the kitchen before we bought the house, so that was fine. We did do cabinet refacing about 2001 and a new floor was installed somewhere along the line. In 2013 we had the wall between the kitchen and dining room torn down, and gutted and redid everything.

On the other hand, my family room still has the wood paneling on the walls as when we bought the place, and, horror of horrors, we still have popcorn ceilings there and in the bedrooms.

 

[aprilgail]

Our kitchen is 20 years old and I don't know that I would call it dated. The cabinets are white, gray solid surface counter tops, and hardwood floors. However, I don't think I would even call the finishes builder grade. I'm not sure I have ever seen anything so cheap looking. The counter tops are solid surface but it is basically solid surface veneer so it is just a thin layer on top of particle board, similar to laminate. The cabinets are cheap particle board with laminate surfaces that are now peeling in several places. No drawer pulls or anything like that. The appliances are horrible. The stove top is a head scratcher. The electric stove top is paired with an electric undersized wall oven that they built an island for and put together to make it look like it was a range but it really wasn't. The sink is some weird cheap almond colored plastic that stains so easily so it always looks horribly filthy.

.

Sounds more like Ikea items than builders grade! Kitchens are expensive to remodel- I have a very small kitchen and it was 30,000 to take it down to the studs and redo everything in there including appliances- we used granite counters, porcelain floors and ceramic backsplash- nothing to trendy but we did get stainless appliances and I love those. I remember as a kid having avocado green appliances and my neighbors had harvest gold on one side and the neighbors on the other side had dark brown appliances- and of course we all had that lovely orange/gold shag carpeting! ekkkkkk

 

[Vijoge]

I don't think there's any specific time frame that calls for a remodeling. If the layout is good and everything is functional a remodel isn't usually necessary. Now redecorating-that's another story and probably needs to be done more often to keep things from looking dated.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sounds more like Ikea items than builders grade!

Hardly. I know you're not a fan of IKEA, but I love my IKEA kitchen:



The cabinets look as good today as the day ithey went in six or seven years ago.

 

[Vijoge]

Hardly. I know you're not a fan of IKEA, but I love my IKEA kitchen:
The cabinets look as good today as the day ithey went in six or seven years ago.

Looks great!