| Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms Designing, Planning, Building, Additions and Remodeling Questions Only. |  07-31-09, 07:41 PM | | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 104 | |  Kitchen spruce-up questions for experts & kibitzers
I am involved in what seems to be an endless project to update my kitchen without spending a fortune. I'm slowly refacing my cabinets, and they look quite nice. But I'm stymied by a few things: 1) I want to take out my wall oven cabinet and get a range instead. My husband is concerned that the cabinet is somehow bearing load from the upstairs. Can this be possible? 2) I want to replace my cooktop and the wall oven with a range. The countertop in which the cooktop now sits abuts two walls -- an interior wall separating the kitchen from the bathroom, and an exterior wall. The side of the range would either be next to this exterior wall, or what I was thinking was to take out the entire cabinet (not easy to do, it is a 1950's builders unit), buy a 9" wide base cabinet and pop in a 30" range. This 9" base cabinet would be a buffer between the side of the range and the exterior wall. The back of the range would still butt up against the interior wall to the bathroom. Is such an arrangement safe, given the heat an electric range and oven will generate? 3) Given that I am only refacing my cabinets, putting granite or other expensive countertops on these seems kind of silly. Would I be better off with a high-end laminate or butcher block? Or something else? Thanks!  | 07-31-09, 07:50 PM |  | Member | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Moore, Oklahoma Posts: 7,599 | | Quote: | 1) I want to take out my wall oven cabinet and get a range instead. My husband is concerned that the cabinet is somehow bearing load from the upstairs. Can this be possible? | Cabinets are never load bearing. Your walls are load bearing. Quote: | Is such an arrangement safe, given the heat an electric range and oven will generate? | It will be fine. The oven is well insulated. Quote: | 3) Given that I am only refacing my cabinets, putting granite or other expensive countertops on these seems kind of silly. Would I be better off with a high-end laminate or butcher block? Or something else? Thanks! | This is up to you. There are pro's and cons with all types. They do make some good looking laminate these days and not those typical vanilla color of the 70-80's. You also can tile the countertop. Butcherblock is alright too, but it does require some maintance. | 07-31-09, 10:10 PM |  | Topic Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: CA Posts: 2,158 | | Hi hackwriter, A cabinet, for sure, doesn't load structural weight, however make sure that the lower cabinet is ot receiveing weight from other cabinets, or supporting an upper cabinet Oven insulation: be sure about the wall materials / insulation, the bathroom tiles and the type of oven. I saw some new models with a back + up fan exhaust --> this can be an issue. I'd suggest to check this on site with a specialist If you use a laminate you will be OK, however, I'd recommend to avoid any solution changing the height of the cabinets, like adding tiles, for example You can check this post Best stone tile for kitchen countertop? and this article Kitchen Countertops | DoItYourself.com __________________ Good luck with your project!  Patricia | 08-01-09, 07:22 AM | | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 104 | | | The cabinet seems to be a single unit that goes from the floor almost to the ceiling. There is a soffit above the cabinet. The problem is that it is plunked down right in the middle of the room, between the door and the window, and is opposite the fridge so that it narrows the passage to the cooking area.
To make matters worse, the door opens towards the cabinet with the cooktop. If I take it out I can rearrange the door (which I want to replace with a double french door to a deck anyway) to open the other way.
On the other side of the wall where I want to put the range is the plumbing for the bathtub and toilet in the bathroom. Don't know if that's an issue or not. | 08-01-09, 07:59 AM | | Member | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Moore, Oklahoma Posts: 7,599 | | | Hi!
Can you take some pictures of all this and post them here? Upload them to a sharing site, like photobucket.com, then post the IMG url back here. | 08-01-09, 08:54 AM | | Topic Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: CA Posts: 2,158 | | | Hi hackwriter,
It can be an issue, and I am under the impression that can be beyond a DIY work, in special, if you are not experienced
In addition, what about the floor? tiles? __________________ Good luck with your project! Patricia | 08-01-09, 12:29 PM | | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 104 | | | Oh, it's definitely beyond DIY...I'm just trying to figure out just how much can be DIY. I know I have to get an upgraded 50 amp circuit for the range...but I'll take some photos and link 'em up. Stay tuned... | 08-01-09, 04:10 PM | | Topic Moderator | | Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: CA Posts: 2,158 | | | If there is a problem in conjunction with an electrical problem, I'd suggest to post it in tyhe electrical forums __________________ Good luck with your project! Patricia | 08-01-09, 05:11 PM | | Member | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Wilmington Posts: 3,566 | | | Actually, you will likely have to downgrade the circuit for the new cooktop. Newer electric apliances are much more energy efficient. I would guess you only need a 30A circuit(check installation manual), but.........you will need a 4 wire circuit, so you will need to replace the cable, and the breaker. Electrical can be a DIY job, if it is allowed in your area. Live-in homeowners are generally allowed to do their own electrical work. You still need permits and it must pass local code.
To repeat.........cabinets are NEVER load bearing. | 08-02-09, 06:31 PM | | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 104 | | OK, all you kind people, here is a URL for the photos, with explantations. As you can see, this kitchen is a work in progress and it needs this work badly. Hard to imagine anyone ever thought harvest gold was a nice color, let alone the horrific flooring and cheap plastic laminate refacing. MY reface job is wood veneer and I wrap the veneer around the face frames. Pictures by brilliantatbreakfastblog - Photobucket | 08-02-09, 07:35 PM |  | Member | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: California Posts: 5 | | | pics
I looked at your pictures. Is the house on a slab floor or wood? The fact that the wall behind the stove has plumbing in it is not a real concern. Most new stoves are zero clearence. Is there gas anywhere in the house? If you had that as an option the wet wall might make it easier. None of your cabinets are bearing, the fir-down above is just for looks. You could do this yourself, just keep asking questions and it really isn't complicated.  | 08-02-09, 08:06 PM | | Member | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 104 | | | I am assuming it is wood subfloor, as the house has a basement. The house is on property that slopes toward the back, so this level is ground level in front and one level up in back. I had an appliance store come out earlier this year and take a look, but what they want to do is make a cutout in this cabinet for the range. The problem is that the finishing is going to look crappy then...and I'd rather at least have a narrow cabinet for cookie sheets. My understanding is that putting the range right next to that outside wall could be a problem; that's why I thought having the narrow cabinet there would be a better solution. These cabinets are 1950's builders units, but I believe this one is by itself, as there is a seam between it and the cabinet next to it and it has a wall, unlike some of the other base cabinets. | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode |  Posting Rules | You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
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