Help me think through this kitchen dilemma

[WatchingThemGrow]

We are putting in an offer on a house that is being completely renovated. The kitchen is framed, but they are letting me fix up the kitchen like I want. I'm also trying to shave $10K off the price of the house, so I need some ideas.

The kitchen is pretty important to me, so I'm trying to get the most efficient kitchen setup for our family's needs long-term while also making it affordable now. I caught the IKEA kitchen sale and secured cabinets at 20% off. They haven't called me to finalize the payment, so I may be able to change a cabinet or two when they call.

Here is my dilemma: I love my GE speedcooker/advantium technology. Our current over the range advantium unit is 30" I really want a 36" induction cooktop to have more stovetop space. We're going to get the biggest dining table we can find, maybe seating 12 people. We do invite others to dinner quite frequently - maybe 2x a week we'll feed 9 people. I feel like double ovens are best for our needs, so I'm leaning toward the speedcooker/microwave wall oven with an additional oven. Problem is...we can't really afford the upgraded/upsized appliance configuration right now if we're asking the builder to drop his price so much.

My thought is that you can't really piecemeal the kitchen configuration over time because we need to order the right cabinets today. What do you think is reasonable here?? Can you think of any way I could get the kitchen appliances now and DIY something else later? DH is not a DIYer and I don't feel like I've got enough time right now.

[pinkmomagain]

Is there a way that you can do the appliances and layout that you want longterm, but go with a less expensive countertop material for now?

[nfowife]

What is the set up of your appliances? My appliances are piecemeal and we built our house and put them in at the same time. My fridge is jenn-air, microwave is GE, Cooktop and double ovens are Kitchenaid, and dishwasher is Whirlpool. They are all stainless but not right next to each other so you don't see any (slight if any) variations in the differences in metal tone. I swear you can't tell a bit of difference. Can you go a bit lower on the cooktop (we still have a 5 burner gas cooktop- 36") to get the nicer oven/micro that you want? Or lower on the fridge or dishwasher?
Also how about going with laminate countertops vs. granite at this point and replacing the countertops later? Seems like something you can always and fairly easily change at a later date without having to change configuration of the kitchen or cabinets.

[KrisM]

Cabinets are easy to install/uninstall. Could you get a cheaper counter top and a small "filler" cabinet with the filler cabinet next to the range. When you are ready to upgrade the range, do the counter top too. Just take out the small filler cabinet to have the space for the larger range.

[khm]

Cabinets are easy to install/uninstall. Could you get a cheaper counter top and a small "filler" cabinet with the filler cabinet next to the range. When you are ready to upgrade the range, do the counter top too. Just take out the small filler cabinet to have the space for the larger range.

This is what I would do. I am assuming you already are going with non-$$ counters?

I'd put in the filler cab. It could be a tall skinny opening for cutting boards or small square cubbies for decorative stuff. When you are ready to move on to the big range, just remove it.

[marymoo86]

I'm not sure what you could DIY in the kitchen - or are you talking about elsewhere to save 10k? Counters/floors/cabinets/appliances are the biggest expense. Unless you are wanting a higher end granite/stone there isn't a lot of difference between a lower grade solid surface and the newer laminate. I would just get the solid surface for the price difference and not hassle with changing that out.

Is flooring an option to upgrade later? You could add in mouldings yourself.
What about purchasing cheaper lighting/faucet? That's an easy upgrade.

Sounds like you might be able to put in a dummy cabinet under the cooktop and add an oven there later.

[hellokitty]

If they are in the process of gutting and redoing it now. I would prefer that they give me credit toward a kitchen that I want, rather than let them do it. It would be a big rush for them to get it done and I would rather manage the installations myself than to trust someone else who doesn't have a vested interest in the project.

[AnnieW625]

If you most important want is your Advantium convection microwave/double oven unit then you need to make that your first priority. If you can save a lot of money I would get a smaller induction cooktop surface. I would also hold off on your dining table. If you are putting in an island then you can always get bar stools. Also not having an island will save money, but if they are common then you should do it.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Thanks for the good ideas! I'm really torn because I want what I want and I want it now.

The countertops were an amazing buy from IKEA - $35/sf for granite. It seemed like a steal. Using a 30" now would mean switching out not just the bottom 2 but also the top 3 cabinets, plus the cooktop, so I feel like getting the bigger one now only makes sense. Plus, I'm pretty certain Ikea doesn't have any filler-type cabinets less than 12". The kitchen is open to the whole house so having a lesser/non-matching fridge will make me crazy. They have to put in the cooktop wiring now, so I guess I could tell them to just start us off with electric, but wire it for induction. Then it'll be something like "mom gets a new cooktop for her birthday."

Flooring is hardwood throughout the first floor, so no finishing that out later... and I feel like getting them to finish off stuff like the mudroom built-ins, laundry room built-ins would make living there SO much easier.

I did find an Advantium oven on CL, so I *could* do that for now, but it would mean that it wouldn't be included in the mortgage and we wouldn't be able to easily host people since we only have one "heating" unit besides the stovetop. Hmmm..... maybe I'll go talk to the people at a kitchen store..

[clb]

I would hold off on the backsplash purchase and installation. It can always be done later. Another thing is the cabinets pulls. Huge price range there. Did you choose your sink yet? Those have a range of a few hundred dollars too.

Who is putting the IKEA cabinets together?

Does your contractor have source referrals for you? The ones I've spoken to get you their discounted price at set suppliers/subs for cabinets, tile, appliances, etc. The 10K, are they giving you a credit to choose the kitchen and you are trying to cut from there?