« Stories That Didn't Quite Make It - Part Deux | Main | From Countertop Woes to Countertop Solutions »
January 13, 2008
Adventures in Moving Part I: Countertop Hell
The beginning of the new year means that I have to get serious about selling my house. it's not that I've been not-serious about it. I just haven't done much (but worry). Now, I'll convert the worry to action. Of course, action brings other worries. So writing about my adventures will allow a bit of catharsis for that. I'd be very interested to hear of readers' perspectives or experiences that might help in my decision-making.
The first step in selling the house is deciding what to repair, re-do, remodel, fix, upgrade, etc. The first realtor who saw the house last fall said I definitely had to replace the kitchen countertops. OK - snap the fingers and voila, end up with something like this picture? Not quite.
Where does one even start? I started with Home Depot last Sunday. I made it clear that I was moving and wanted to put as little as possible into this, because I was sure I would not get the money back in the sale -- but I did want it to look good and improve the sale-ability. One thing that countertop salespersons are really good at is making you feel cheap about such perspectives and that you really NEED granite, corion, and the fanciest possible surfaces.
From my drawing of the kitchen, we estimated that I'd need 54 square feet of countertop. Seems like a lot for such a small kitchen, but.... Home Depot didn't even want to talk about the possiblity of laminate. (yucky plastic) Granite would run about $4000, but that would involve removing and replacing the sink. Quite honestly, I hadn't realized that they have to completely tear out the old countertops before installing the new ones.
I did find a company that installs over existing countertops (Granite Transformations). Their bid was $3300, which still sounded like a lot, but which is sounding better and better! What I realized, of course, is that the existing sink would not work with the new countertops --- which means a new sink and possibly modifications to plumbing. We have a great backsplash, but maybe the countertop wouldn't go with the backsplash, so we'd have to replace it too. And of course there are the edges to think about (per linear foot). So we are talking a major kitchen remodel. I've lived through that before and have no desire to do it again.
Another factor is time. The Home Depot solution involved a series of subcontractors (tear out and remove countertops, remove sink, put in new countertops, replace sink, etc.) and could extend over the period of a month. The Granite Transformation solution would only have the kitchen out of commission for 2 days max. (sounding better and better as I write...)
The realtor I interviewed last week said I should go for Cambria -- reasonably priced and better than granite. Well, yesterday, I went to another place that had Cambria and was immediately steered to Meganite (what focus group came up with these names???) Cambria would be $77 per square foot, and Meganite would be $64. I am now waiting for a formal bid, but by the time you add all the labor, sink, and add-ons, this will probably be a $5000 job. Ouch! (Susan has wanted new countertops for years; the thought that we'd have to install them as we move is one of life's unhappy ironies.)
Along the way, I learned about another factor that hadn't occurred to me: weight. Granite is heavy -- very heavy. One person said I might have to reinforce the floor. Yesterday's salesperson said that the countertop overhang on the peninsula (where we have slide-under chairs) would require struts for support. Of course, that's not included in the per-square-foot cost.
Boy, I've learned a lot in the past week! Not what I had planned on learning, however. Anyway, I'm sure there will be a growing number of adventures to report on. Alternative solutions welcome! I meet with another realtor this week and get the bid from the other countertop store this week -- then I'll have to decide and move on to the next job.
Posted by hgroteva at January 13, 2008 10:37 AM | Moving