The top 10 mistakes you can make when designing a kitchen in 2024

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[00:00:22] Eric Goranson: You probably want to put an overlay over the top of that. In many cases, you've got to go moldings and there's so many gotchas in kitchen and bath design. When you're talking kitchen design, there's probably 500 easy mistakes that you can make designing that kitchen out from having appliance handles from a range and a tight kitchen from a range and a dishwasher bang up against each other, or not being able to open the drawer up when it comes to remodeling and renovating your home.

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[00:01:13] Eric Goranson: For over 75 years, Baldwin Hardware has been supplying luxury door and cabinetry hardware for that person that is looking for bold, handcrafted quality for their distinguished home. To find out more information, visit baldwinhardware. com. Welcome to the Around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.

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[00:01:49] Eric Goranson: You can catch on many streaming devices and of course you can catch on YouTube as well. And all that information is over there at around the house, online. com. And if you've got a home improvement question, if [00:02:00] you need help, give me a call at 8 That number again, 8 239 4144. Today in this episode, we're going to talk about the top 10 mistakes people make when designing their kitchen in 2024.

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[00:02:43] Eric Goranson: So the first one here on my list is one of my favorite ones. And if you take your old kitchen, let's say it's been 30 years since you did a remodel. That thing is 1990s, 1980s, whatever you're looking at. [00:03:00] One of the biggest mistakes you can make Is going in there and copying the old design of what you had.

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[00:03:38] Eric Goranson: Those didn't really exist as much back then. Of course, we had blenders and toasters, but it was really simple. We didn't have the Williams Sonoma's or the Surla tabs or those big companies that you walk into and go in and buy every kitchen accessory known to mankind. That didn't really exist back then it was maybe going into sears or jc penny or one of those companies like that [00:04:00] And you would buy stuff and it was just pretty simple so back then we didn't have the Thought process of how we cook where we cook in zones back then and i'm an nkba certified kitchen designer So this is stuff that happens but When it comes down to it, here's what it is.

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[00:04:39] Eric Goranson: And most of the time designing it after a 30 year old plan is a really bad idea. Now, if you pay to have a kitchen done 30, 40 years ago, and it was designed by a kitchen designer, maybe a certified kitchen designer, and it was really thought out, maybe they planned ahead and we're cutting edge and maybe you could [00:05:00] copy that.

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[00:05:20] Eric Goranson: And that kitchen triangle was the distance between the refrigerator, the cooktop or cooking surface. And the refrigerator. And so what we have there is we have that space. That was the kitchen triangle. Now, probably 10 years ago, I quit really using that and started cooking in zones. And here's what you want to think about when you're cooking in zones, you have your prep area, which is usually the place between the sink and the cooking surface.

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[00:06:11] Eric Goranson: I want the dishwasher to always be on the left and a trash can on the right of the sink. So that way, when you're prepping and you're cooking, You have a trash can right there, but if the dishwasher door is open and you're loading stuff up and you're throwing things away, that can now go into the trash can that would be on your right.

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[00:06:47] Eric Goranson: So there needs to be landing spaces and things like that. So this is that common design that you do of really making sure you've got the right design for your cooking style and really trying to figure out. I'm not a [00:07:00] fan of that over the range microwave because I think they're one they're dangerous to use because you now have to reach over the top of a cooking surface.

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[00:07:27] Eric Goranson: And I think this is a good rule of thumb. Now, if you're out shopping for appliances, I used to tell you, Hey, go get something that's style wise fits, but you can have. Two different appliances. You can get the best of this company and the best of this company. And I don't recommend that anymore because different brands of appliances now have different smart home apps to work with it.

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[00:08:14] Eric Goranson: I want them to be able to communicate because now you've got some appliance brands out there when you turn the cooktop on, it'll automatically turn on your vent hood or the dishwasher is now talking with the refrigerator. I want these things to work. You know, well together. So that way we don't have any issues.

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[00:08:48] Eric Goranson: That just ends up being a smarter way to go and the appliances will do better working together as one. I know it sounds crazy, but there's the things that having them all in one app is [00:09:00] much easier for your lifestyle. Especially when you're having a party and you're like, Oh man, we're going through a lot more ice.

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[00:09:27] Eric Goranson: Now, the next one here, we're going to talk about this before we go to break. But this is one of the biggest mistakes that I see people make. And it's made from builders all the way down to homeowners. And this is an important one that COD cost you thousands of dollars in mistakes. Around the house. We'll be right back after these important messages.

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[00:10:09] Eric Goranson: back to the. next generation of home improvement. Thanks for joining me today. If you want to find out more about us, head over to aroundline. com. If you've got a home improvement question, give me a call at 8 9 That number again is 8 3 3 2 3 9 4 1 44. And if you're catching the TV show, we've got a great perform like a pro segment coming up this weekend.

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[00:10:50] Eric Goranson: So other than some stainless doors and the appliances, everything else is being made. By hand, showing you how to do it, how you can save some serious money versus going out and buying one of those pre made [00:11:00] packages. So you'll be able to find that over at around the house, online. com for more information and show you how I'm doing it.

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[00:11:25] Eric Goranson: Buying different brands of appliances that don't match. And the next one here. It's probably one of the biggest mistakes you can make. And that is not hiring a kitchen designer. Now, not hire a kitchen designer. People go, Oh, I know how to design it out. I can do it. I'm sorry. Unless you've been a previous kitchen designer out there, you really can't.

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[00:12:08] Eric Goranson: 5 kitchen remodels in their entire lifetime. And I even think it's a mistake when I see builders going to do this correctly as well, builders are not kitchen designers unless they are trained. So I want to find out what their background is. Contractors can learn, but it's just one of those things that takes a long time to do it and to properly lay it out.

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[00:12:46] Eric Goranson: But one of the things that I would always do is make sure that they go out into the field and learn how to install cabinetry because that way you understand how the trim moldings work, how the crown moldings and the fillers and the overlay fillers and all these things. That [00:13:00] really make a kitchen look like it's a really great project work and until you know how to do it That can be a problem.

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[00:13:29] Eric Goranson: You probably want to put an overlay over the top of that in many cases. You've got to go moldings. And there's so many gotchas in kitchen and bath design. When you're talking kitchen design, there's probably 500 easy mistakes that you can make designing that kitchen out from having appliance handles from a range and a tight kitchen from a range and a dishwasher bang up against each other, or not being able to open the drawer up without opening a door or Jewish dishwasher.

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[00:14:17] Eric Goranson: It's pretty common for cabins that are being built for your house. The last thing you want to do is make a bunch of mistakes and then wait, go to install them and go, Oh, now I got to wait nine or 10 weeks to get the cabin. So I can put countertops on. That's how projects go sideways now. And this is the other thing here too.

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[00:14:53] Eric Goranson: The problem that I worry about is that here's the thing. You could have somebody that was last week's garden [00:15:00] expert, and they're now designing your kitchen. So you better ask some questions if you're going in there. To make sure that you've got the right person, because that's how that happens. And it still happens today is that they'll train them and they'll kick them out the door and they'll figure it out.

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[00:15:34] Eric Goranson: So it's a problem. So just think about that a little bit to make sure that you're getting the right person. If you're going in there now, one of the other things that I don't like about many of the cabinets, not all of them, but many of the cabinets that are made there for the home centers. Now the quality of them can be pretty good, but there's been a switch over the last, Oh, 18 to 24 months.

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[00:16:17] Eric Goranson: They're sending them over there. They're cutting the parts out and shipping them back and then assembling in the United States where many other cabinet companies are just making stuff here. Those guys are letting the Sawyer work being done overseas. And I think it's a lower quality product that you get with that.

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[00:16:50] Eric Goranson: Or if they're just buying parts from overseas might make a difference on your next kitchen cabinet purchase. So that's what it is. Now let's get over here to a number four, [00:17:00] and this is a big one here. Kitchen refacing that is not a kitchen remodel in my book. That's a fluff and buff, but where people make the biggest mistakes are when they're sitting there.

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[00:17:31] Eric Goranson: They got to do all that. You're probably better going with a new design at that point. Refacing is, I think has its place. Now, if you've got beautiful granite countertops and the cabinets are outdated, they're good bones, they're 1980s. And you want to buy a little time before your next remodel. That's not a bad way to go.

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[00:18:08] Eric Goranson: If you're going to get numbers both ways, you might be better off just painting what's there and living with it and waiting to down the road to go in and actually do a real kitsch remodel. So it's something definitely to consider. And it's one of those things that can cost you a lot of money by doing it the wrong way.

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[00:18:41] Eric Goranson: Be right back with the rest of our top 10 mistakes people make when designing their kitchen in 2024, after these important messages, don't go anywhere. I'll show[00:19:00]

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[00:19:30] Eric Goranson: com. Take a look at our premium memberships as well is our number here into the studio at 8 3 3 2 3 9 41 44. That number again is 8 3 3 2 3 9 41 44. Now, before I get back to my top 10 mistakes people make when designing their kitchens in 2024, I got a little quick rant here and these guys are driving me nuts and I tell you what, I don't know if you guys have dealt with this.

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[00:20:16] Eric Goranson: I could be traveling. I could be busy. I've tried to get off the list and I do not want to sit down and have my entire family every six months go through their half hour interview to do this thing. And yeah, I know it's my duty to do the census every 10 years. I get it. But man, these guys are knocking on my door.

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[00:20:55] Eric Goranson: They're going to be tracking you down, trying to get you to do this survey at the most inopportune [00:21:00] time. So I tell you what, that's my rant of today's show. Let's get back to the list here. So we're talking about some of this other stuff here where the 10 mistakes people make when designing their kitchens in 2024, one of the biggest ones here.

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[00:21:40] Eric Goranson: Those filters are completely worthless. They might take a little smell out of the air. But they're about as smart as a recycling toilet that's just putting the water back in. It's not gonna work, guys. It's just not. So here's the thing that I want you to do. As part of that kitchen plan, if you don't have a [00:22:00] quality vent hood, make sure you're putting the right one that's gonna exhaust the air coming off of that cooking surface that you got.

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[00:22:28] Eric Goranson: That thin hood takes all the chemicals. From either combustion of the gas or the cooking itself, all those carcinogens, all the moisture, all of that stuff should be on. Anytime you turn that cooktop on your cooking, you should have that vent hood on and it should be ducting it outside. Now, if you've got a big like 48 inch range, You probably need a thousand or 1, 200 cubic feet per minute.

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[00:23:13] Eric Goranson: They measured at the hood, not at actually how much air is moving. So your duct work is going to slow that down a little bit. But what happens is if you've got 200 CFM, let's say it's really inefficient with the ducting. Let's say you've got 800 CFM, it's taken a third or so out of that. Here's what you're worried about is now you have 800, basically basketballs of air that are coming out of your house.

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[00:23:55] Eric Goranson: Now it's building code in most areas, but there are still some places that are still [00:24:00] 1950s as far as technology goes in their building code. And they still have not adopted that code that has been around in many places for 20 or 30 years. So make sure and take some time, get that vent hood done correctly.

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[00:24:34] Eric Goranson: You want that to go outside and that's how you'll have a healthy home. So something to think about that. That is one of my biggest ones right there. Make sure you've got that dialed in and the right size for the cooking surface. Now here's another one here. That's funny. And this, the rules on this have changed for a while, and I want to make sure you use the right countertop surface in your kitchen.

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[00:25:16] Eric Goranson: Or a sink that water's going to destroy those countertops. You need to use more of a mineral oil or wax based material. You don't want to put any kind of a polyurethane or something over it, because unless it's NSF food safe rated, you don't want that in your food. But the other problem you have is like your dishwasher.

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[00:25:52] Eric Goranson: What has gotten so darn expensive as far as butcher blocks. Great example. If you go down to your big box store and you order some maple [00:26:00] countertops, eight foot length can be four or 500 bucks from your big box store for that. I can run down to floor decor and more for 150, 175. Box and get a slab of granite.

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[00:26:32] Eric Goranson: That are better suited for countertop materials. Wood's not my favorite. I think laminate holds up better. Quartz is good, but there's always this push on quartz now where they're trying to, I think they're going to try to ban that in the United States coming up because of the, of the bad installers out there that are putting their people at risk.

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[00:27:09] Eric Goranson: And so it's something we're gonna have to watch and see what they say with that, because that can be pretty tough. That can be pretty tough to manage. And I think the first thing is we'll see it get banned in California, or what they need to do is to be honest, it's not really the products so much as if you actually had people following the installation rules and the best practices of good quality installers, I've been in installation places where they're fabricating those countertops.

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[00:27:54] Eric Goranson: Got the wrong people on the job because there's no reason for that. There's way too many safer ways to do it with [00:28:00] vacuum systems and of course Wet saws too. So make sure you got the right people doing that so you don't put yourself Or those other workers at risk. That is a huge deal number seven on my list right here We're going to talk about and we'll talk about it here for a second and then we're going to go out to break because we're due for that but using inexpensive cabinet hardware Now there's a way you can get away with inexpensive hardware is if you want to change it out a lot That's one thing Then I would go for a cabinet knob versus a handle.

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[00:28:47] Eric Goranson: We'll be right back.[00:29:00]

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[00:29:26] Eric Goranson: com Send me a message over there. That's a quick and easy way to do it I'll get back to every single one of you and be able to help you with that and maybe we'll put it in an upcoming episode of the show and if you do have questions if you've got that DIY project you're stuck on you're trying to figure out the Best way to do it you want my opinion give it to you for free eight three three two three nine forty one forty four you That number again, 8 3 3 2 3 9 41 44.

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[00:30:13] Eric Goranson: That's a big one. One of my top ones. Not hiring a kitchen designer to do the design work. That's a huge mistake. And then changing out countertops and refacing them at the same time. Many times you can put a new kitchen in for the same price or even a little bit less, and then installing the wrong or too small of a vent hood.

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[00:30:55] Eric Goranson: Yes. I'm having custom cabinetry made first off guys, [00:31:00] custom cabinetry. The word custom has no association with the word quality. You could have some guy who's never ran a table saw before, never run a tops chop saw, never run a router, never finished cabinets. And he's out there trying to build you your first kitchen.

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[00:31:51] Eric Goranson: And if you think about a lacquer finish, that was something that you saw in your fifties and sixties cars, right? That was what was on there. And. You go back into the way back [00:32:00] machine and you people out there, they're older than me that remember it. Cause I remember it. What was people, what were the dads doing on Saturday mornings?

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[00:32:27] Eric Goranson: Now we've got into. Situations where you've got flatline finishing systems and a robotic that put an even mill thickness of paint across the entire piece. There's no thin spots on edges. It's super sealed up. So you don't have the dirt in there and you don't have the mistakes of a human eye. Now that's one of the problems is that when you get it with smaller custom shops, they're not going to go out and spend a million dollars on a flat line finishing system.

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[00:33:12] Eric Goranson: Something you're not going to find something better than these flatline finishes that are baked on finishes. They're tough, they're durable, and now you're starting to see waterborne urethanes out there which are even more durable. And a lot of these small cabinet shops just can't keep up. Do that. And that's a problem for them, of course.

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[00:33:52] Eric Goranson: And there are so many new pieces of technology in these cabinet manufacturing facilities. [00:34:00] There's no way for small cabinet shops to compete with that. There's some good ones out there. I have no problem with all the little different ones out there that are custom. But most of them are not high end. Most of them are mid to entry med and they're trying to go for the local builders, that kind of thing.

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[00:34:34] Eric Goranson: Then you can pretty much order it and be pretty confident. It's going to show up as what's going to be there with a little co custom shop. You're going to probably have to take that door to them and they're going to have to sit there and try to recreate that look and back engineer it. So that's the difference.

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[00:35:06] Eric Goranson: If you've got particle board going in there or they call furniture board versus a import cabinet coming out of China, Vietnam that has, you know, plywood, which I don't know what clues are in it. I'd much rather have the particle board that was made in the U S. So at least I know what chemicals are in it.

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[00:35:44] Eric Goranson: So what's going on, because otherwise there's no way to compare apples to apples. You want to be able to say, okay, this is my cabin designer. I know this set of cabins is going to cost me 10, 000. Let's say small kitchen, 10 grand. That's the cabinets. Then you can go [00:36:00] out and say, wow, this person was going to charge me eight to install it.

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[00:36:27] Eric Goranson: Everybody does it a little bit different. So I want an installer that's familiar or has installed these cabinets before. For somebody else, and that's a key right there, making sure they have that familiarity. So your contractor needs to be confident enough with that brand to make sure it works. And then here's the other thing with that too, when it comes to lowest bidder, when you're dealing with installation, things happen.

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[00:37:08] Eric Goranson: The only other way around that is to literally sit there and go through and paint and finish that on site. Which I don't recommend because you won't have as good a finish as what's coming in. From a national retailer. So otherwise you're just going in there and spraying it. I'd much rather see it put together as best you can.

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[00:37:42] Eric Goranson: Now you could have had somebody that had a good bed. I mean, that does happen, but the lowest bidder is the one that always makes me nervous. They're the ones that probably didn't understand the job or it's not experienced enough to know how to price the job. And I see this a lot because I'll be on social media pages.

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[00:38:17] Eric Goranson: Maybe open concept isn't the right style for you, but if you've got, and this is my house, exact exactly this. So my wife, Julie, she loves to cook. She loves to have the TV out when she's cooking, watching her British baking shows or whatever she's checking out. If I'm relaxing in the other room and taking a chill from a hard day, relaxing for a minute, and she's loving cooking dinner, she doesn't want to hear my stuff.

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[00:39:03] Eric Goranson: Now, if you have any questions, that's my top 10 mistakes people make when designing a kitchen 2024. If you have any questions about this list or any other, Send me a line over it's around the house online. com and I'll get back to you as soon as I can Thanks for tuning into around the house. I appreciate you guys.

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