Hello everyone!
My husband and I are planning on making some major improvements to our house this year. Besides some painting projects that we have planned for our garage, and son's room, we are also replacing some worn out things in our house. One of those includes kitchen appliances. We've been in our house for 20 years and have only replaced the dishwasher so far. Although they are still functional, they are not in the best shape. Our microwave frame is cracking and the vent above it is taped in place to keep it from falling off. Our dishwasher is super loud and has a piece broken off on the top rack. Our range has a crack in the lower drawer handle, and some paint chipped off from something that fell on it along with permanent grease stains on the oven door from a self cleaning setting that allowed the inside grease to escape out onto the oven door and is now baked on and I can't remove it.
So.......................
We went shopping this weekend and looked at some new appliances. We want to replace everything with stainless steel. That will also increase the value of our house (for when we move in the future). Stainless steel (whether you like it or not) is what is going in all of the new houses in our area. When we eventually sell our house, we will be competing with many new homes in our area. So, everything we do to our house needs to be something that will add value to our house.
We looked at refrigerators and decided that we don't want the large freezer drawer on the bottom. We will most likely go with this one. The LG brand came highly recommended.
The main reason is that I have arthritic problems with my back and I found bending over and trying to reach for something near the floor would be difficult. Plus your food basically has to be stacked on top of each other so you have to dig for it.
The units without the drawer are also less expensive, which is a bonus.
We really liked this model. It's a side by side with a small outside door that opens up to more frequently used items.
I also like the ice maker/water dispenser in the door that has it's own lever rather than having to change the setting each time you want ice or water.
We looked at gas ranges and matching microwaves. We are not sold yet on the brand though. But this is the basic style that we will go with.
And finally, we looked at dishwashers. I'm pretty sure we will go with the Maytag version. It looks similar to this. The store didn't have one on the floor to show us but we read the specs and that brand came highly recommended.
It was fun getting to see all of the advancements made with kitchen appliances! I love so many of the features that I don't currently have.
We decided not to go with a "bundle package". We didn't find it saving us that much money and you had to buy the style that they included with each bundle package to get that price. Most of them had styles that we didn't want. So, we did look into that.
Some of these appliances are on sale too. So, we can basically replace all of our appliances for just over $3000. I think that's very affordable!
If any of you have recently replaced your appliances and love them or hate them, I would like to hear about it.
Thanks for stopping by!
~ Kelly ~
we just replaced our fridge, and we got a stainless steel as well. We did go with the bottom freezer and that works well for us. January is the best time to buy appliances, as you can find some pretty good deals. We got our Whirpool fridge for only $900. It was 45% off, brand new and it was not a display model, nor a scratch and dent fridge. We were happy with our purchase. We got it at Lowes
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend a counter depth fridge! It has given me a few inches of added space in my kitchen. You will love have new appliances.
ReplyDeleteWell, this makes me glad I rent! I'm not a stainless steel fan, but then if you own your home, I understand that you must do what the neighborhood is doing or you could lose out when selling. And about some day selling: I fear for you with your arthritis and those outside steps! I guess I wouldn't feel like this had I not had the ankle accident that literally changed my life and where I had to live. So that's where I'm coming from.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
I think we'll eventually replace our appliances with stainless too. It took me awhile to get used to the look of stainless, but now I like it. I read a Consumer Reports article once that said that Whirlpool and Kenmore (they're twin brands) consistently scored in the top ratings. I think you and I may have talked about this before as well. I get totally excited about things like new appliances. It's so much fun to update things, especially in a kitchen. :) We had to replace our dishwasher years ago because our old one was so loud. I did all kinds of research on decibel levels, etc. and we got one that is very quiet. The only problem is that now we don't realize it's running, because it's so quiet, and we open the door during the cycle all the time! Lol!
ReplyDeleteIf you have an open concept home and you want a really quiet dishwasher, Bosch is the way to go for sure.
ReplyDeleteOh, how fun getting new appliances. You will love having a quiet dishwasher. We have a Bosch and love it.
ReplyDeleteThe end of 2015 found us replacing w0 year old appliances. We researched and found that Whirlpool came up tops in dishwashers so we went with that, (it is so quiet) as well as the microwave. The stove is still in need of replacing as I can't settle in one... fridge , also side by side. However we went with white. I just can't warm up to stainless.
ReplyDeleteBut getting new in the kitchen is sooooo exciting!
I would love to get new appliances, but we already have stainless steel and everything is working. I'm not sure how old they are since they were already here when we bought our house. If I were shopping for new I would also go with stainless. If I happen to win the lottery(ha ha) I would get something from Big Chill and a house on the water. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have any recommendations for you....I can't wait to see them in your kitchen though!!! My stove did the same thing as yours when we used the self cleaning and now the door always looks dirty. My stove has been on it's last leg for two years but we just don't have the money to replace it right now. It has a mind of it's own and decides what temperature to cook things at! LOL
ReplyDelete~Des
New appliances really perk up a kitchen. Our kitchen was the one room in the house that we didn't update since buying our house 20 years ago. I was sure it would keep buyers away, but not one comment was ever made about it...even our dated counter tops! Maybe the other major improvements we made on the house compensated for our kitchen.
ReplyDeleteMary Alice
How exciting! Can't wait to see everything once its all installed. Its going to look great!
ReplyDeleteJust bought a new counter depth LG from Sears and love it! They sell a stainless steel cleaner that works beautifully and looks great for days. Have a GE dual fuel stove with gas cook top and electric oven; have had it for 5 +years and LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteEverybody has their own likes and dislikes and opinions of appliances. Just buy the best you can honestly afford in the style that you know will be beneficial to your health and the eventual sell of your home. And most importantly, enjoy them! Blessings, Cindy
ReplyDeleteYou'll have fun getting new appliances! My favorite appliance is our dishwasher...we have a Bosch and love it...the third shelf is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWe replaced all of our appliances when we remodel the kitchen a few years ago...might be a little longer than that. We got on stainless Samsung appliances and just recently our ice maker broke, but we were able to order the part we needed. Have fun checking out different places...there sure is a lot to look at.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Cindy
Hi Kelly, I highly recommend the counter depth too. It makes a big difference in the look of the room. I sure enjoy your blog!
ReplyDeleteYou are fortunate, I've gone through 3 dishwashers in our over 20 years here. But I completely get the "stuff needs to get done" idea. I'm there too. Eventually this house will be too big for us so everything we do now will only help when we sell. I also agree about bending over to dig through a bottom freezer, no way!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see your updates. We replaced our microwave and dishwasher a couple years ago with stainless and a quieter dishwasher and I love it! I'd love to eventually replace our refrigerator and range. I love what you have picked out. I'd love to go with a counter depth refrigerator but they want so much more for less space. I love the look of being even with the counter. I always love all the changes you do. Your kitchen looks beautiful as is but I understand the need and wish for new applicances. The stove you like is similar to what I would want. My white enamel stove is so chipped up.
ReplyDeleteOne additional comment. I have a kenmore microwave and love it and our dishwasher is kenmore and I love it too. There is a little bit of noise but not much, it's pretty quiet.
ReplyDeleteOops, meant to say our dishwasher is a whirlpool and very quiet. I've heard Bosch is super quiet too.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe the cost of a kithen re-do. We did that 5 years ago and I'm glad we did because it added to the value of our home that would be sold, but it cost us over $10,000 from a Home Depot designer and appliances and backplash and installation. We wouldn't have spent so much if my husband were a handy-man which he isn't and if my daddy before he died said, "Spend this money on getting your house done." It took most of what he gave us. Please share when it is all done.
ReplyDeleteBefore you do it! We bought a new LG fridge over the Black Friday weekend from HD. We are ecstatic with it. The freezer is on the bottom, and it has a "kim chee" drawer. Obviously since this is a Korean thing, we don't do kim chee. What I did do was use those bins in our old fridge which is now in the garage. We use that drawer which can be set for a light freezing temp is where I keep bread products and baking products.
ReplyDeleteI think you would love this. Having that wider French door top means you can put big casseroles and all kinds of stuff up there. I like the drawers because there is a tray and a drawer as well as the big bins on the bottom.
My daughter got an LG refrigerator and she loves it. xo Laura
ReplyDeleteThe floor space in my kitchen after everything is in is about 3x4 so I have small appliances..especially the frig..not a lot of choice..My sister had an LG..Loved it..
ReplyDeleteThe counter depth helps me not lose food in the back and let it go to waste - a great thing for me!
ReplyDeleteWell...since you asked....I would recommend a Bosch dishwasher....very quiet. And, since you are planning on a regular stove/oven combo....consider one with a double oven. I can't tell you how often we have used two ovens at the same time. Have fun appliance shopping! ;)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting for you Kelly! Our fridge and stove are 20 years old. Still working... my stoves broiler hasn't worked for years and I've managed. We're on our 3rd dishwasher and 2nd microwave (which I hate) ... Stainless is popular, it'll be so pretty in your kitchen :) I know you'll enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteKelly, please make sure you check out everything with the LG products before purchasing. We purchased LG washer and dryer 4 yrs ago and I absolutely love them, but when I had an issue with the washing machine last year, we had a hard time getting it repaired. Come to find out, no one wants to work on the LG products.....parts are hard to get and hard to work on. I have all stainless appliances in my kitchen that we remodeled 6 yrs. ago and I do love my Bosch dishwasher (had owned them before and loved them). But, my daughter just had to replace her dishwasher and after googling products as well as checking out what Consumer Research had to say....she went with a Kitchenaide dishwasher with 36 decibals.....VERY QUIET...and she got a great deal on it at Lowe's Home Improvement store. The Kitchenaide dishwasher rated higher than the Bosche which surprised me.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, this was a absolutely superior post. In approach I'd like to address like this too - demography time and absolute accomplishment to accomplish a acceptable article... but what can I say... I adjourn alot and never assume to get something done.
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My wife and I are on the hunt for a new refrigerator. I did not think it could be so complicated. We unfortunately do not have a water connection so that eliminates a lot of options. My biggest concern is freezer versus fridge space. I do not need a big freezer but a refrigerator, which is not easy to find.
ReplyDeleteBradford Mckenzie @ Heber Appliance