Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2016 - 64

Balanced Budget

Bang for Their Buck

D e s i g n e r 's e x p e r t i s e h e l p s h e r c l i e n t s s t a y
on track during a kitchen renovation

ABOVE A new cabinet houses

the double ovens, and two
work triangles separate the
cooktop and ovens.

TOP CENTER Two goals with
the kitchen design included
revamping the desk area into
a bar/serving center that can
also be used for storage and
prep space and incorporating a
large island.
TOP RIGHT To save countertop
space and avoid having to
put the microwave over the
cooktop, Kurtz and her team
made a custom space for the
unit in the island.

O STAY WITHIN A $50,000

BUDGET f o r t h e i r
kitchen renovation,
the clients hired a professional to complete
the measurements
and floor plan for the
design before they actually closed on their new home.
"We started the renovation right away," said
Katie Kurtz, a designer with Adorned Homes in
Ham Lake, Minn. "Since we did so much of the
planning ahead of time, they were able to choose
a house that allowed them to leave the walls and
mechanicals in place, which saved mega bucks."
She also helped her clients select a tile installer,
plumber and carpenter instead of hiring one contractor to do everything, which she said is a more
expensive option. They then hired those professionals directly so Kurtz did not require an up
charge and instead charged a flat fee.

TIPS FOR CUTTING COSTS

BY CHELSIE BUTLER

As resale was important to the homeowners,
Kurtz was hired for her ability to determine which
items were most important to consider.

Cabinetry. Originally, the clients wanted to include extra detail on all of the cabinet doors,
which was going to be an additional $3,000, so
Kurtz opted to do just a portion of those as a
highlight feature. The cabinets are from KraftMaid, which offers a variety of quality lines at
different price points.


Countertops. Because of the homeowners' affinity for the white countertop

look, their first choice was marble. Instead, the designer had them look at
different granite options with the white look they coveted. Because granite
is more durable and does not have to be replaced or repaired as often, it is a
less-expensive choice than marble up front and into the future.

Appliances. According to Kurtz, the clients would not budge on a largerthan-life stovetop, which would have looked out of place in the smaller
kitchen. She was able to talk them into scaling back to fit the space by allowing them to have double ovens to make up for the standard-size stovetop.

Backsplash. This was one area in which they
splurged."I brought marble in here on a smaller
scale so we could include it in some fashion,"said
Kurtz."Because we chose a smaller stovetop, the
backsplash detail was scaled down as well."
BAR STOOLS: Bellacor;

Lighting. The clients' original lighting choices
CABINETS: KraftMaid;
were expensive, so rather than choosing exDISHWASHER: Bosch;
travagant, they went with simple instead. "We
LIGHTING: Kichler;
wanted to let the cabinets and island stand out
MICROWAVE: Sharp;
and not overpower them with ornate lighting," OVENS: Bosch; PLUMBING
FIXTURES: Kohler;
said the designer."The simple, seeded-glass penREFRIGERATOR: Samsung;
dants we chose will appeal to more people when
WINE REFRIGERATOR:
considering a resale."
Danby

Island. The homeowners wanted cabinets on
both sides of the large island, so to save costs
Kurtz went with working cabinets on the side
facing the sink, and the other side features decorative panels just for show. This eliminates the
need for interior hardware, and construction is
easier with the empty space. She removed the
cabinet detail on the island as well.

Bar. This area is sink-less because to install one
would have meant replacing flooring and adding
new plumbing lines, so they opted for a wine refrigerator instead. "With the addition of a sink,
we would have had to take up the floor or cut
into the ceiling in the basement and then have
those areas repaired," explained Kurtz.
Agreeing to some smart suggestions from
a design professional resulted in an updated,
bright kitchen with double ovens and a large
island for congregating.


Kitchen & Bath Business / OCTOBER 2016 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official sponsor of KBIS (KBIS.com)

SOURCES

http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.KBIS.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2016