ADA

DIY Kitchen RemodelingBeen There - Done ThatHaving remodeled two kitchens in the last 5 years, here's some advice for Do-It-Yourself kitchen remodels. Don't.Seriously, unless you're an electrician, a plumber, a painter, and a carpenter, who can lay tile, and install cabinets, and granite countertops you're going to need help. In my case, I wasn't any of these. For my first kitchen remodel I hooked up with a designer. She saved me a lot of money with some great ideas and connected me with a general contractor. He took care of the trades while I took care of the materials with an assist or two from the designer.I later sold that house, and moved into a small older home that was perfect for us, but needed a complete update. In this case, I didn't use a designer. We did a complete gut job, but there was not much design work - just remove and replace. New floors, new paint, etc. In the kitchen we replaced everything, but kept the basic layout. If you choose to go this way, get ready for a very long process. In hindsight, I would have done everything the same, except I'd have hired a project manager to inspect the work in process and keep the job moving forward in a more timely fashion. If you decide to manage your own remodel, I'd recommend at a minimum that you stick with professionals for the work you can't handle yourself. I had a handyman scrape the popcorn ceilings,

Find the right place for your microwave Creative Design in the Kitchen One of a design professional's enduring issues with microwave ovens is where to locate them. Many designers fight the idea of locating the microwave over a range or in an upper cabinet. They argue (correctly in my mind), that it is not ergonomically sound for most homemakers because it is too high, and it's certainly not ADA compliant in an over the range location. One solution is an oven microwave combination. It's certainly doable, but it does require a 24" deep cabinet top to bottom instead of the more common 12" upper cabinet over the counter. However, a microwave above the oven is also likely to put the microwave controls a bit too high, and certainly not ADA compliant or universal design. An option we've discussed before is an under counter installation. The main disadvantage of installing a microwave under the counter is that the microwave oven is too low. Manufacturers have worked to overcome this with a slide out drawer and/or controls that are rotated upward. That's a great solution. Here is another possibility that builders or designers could work into their plan. I really like this one. Nearly any brand or model of countertop or even drawer microwave oven will fit in this location. This particular Jenn-Air is designed as a built-in microwave, and is available in either a 30" or 27" width. The raised granite breakfast bar is also super convenient. Of course this design