Plumbing | Kitchen Cabinet Guide

Kohler – A Great American Brand

I had the distinct pleasure and privilege of visiting Kohler at their campus in none other than: Kohler, Wisconsin at their invitation. To see and feel the heartbeat of this great American brand was a professional goal fulfilled.

I visited Kohler’s headquarters at the end of October during a perfect fall weekend. It also happened to be the weekend of Kohler’s Food and Wine Experience, a weekend filled with food and wine related events, seminars and workshops. I’m not overstating that this was such a great series of events that I’d love to go annually!

There are clearly several posts which I would like to share surrounding this weekend. First, you’ll see some interesting pieces of Kohler’s history. Second, I’ll give you a look at the weekend’s events which I know you’ll also love. Third and probably fourth as well, you’ve just GOT TO SEE Kohler’s fabulous Design Center! It will be worth the wait, I promise!

John Michael Kohler was 10 years old when his family came to the US from Austria and settled on a farm near St. Paul, Minnesota. At age 18, he moved to Chicago and became a traveling salesman [...]

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Appliance Myths – Dishwashers

Although we use our dishwashers often, sometimes daily, their inner workings remain a mystery to many of us. Here are some common myths busted for you.

Myth – My dishwasher is broken because there is some water in the bottom after the cycle is finished. Truth – There should usually be some water left in the bottom sump of the dishwasher at the end of a wash. This water keeps the seals moist to avoid them drying out and leaking. When the dishwasher starts, it will first drain for several seconds to remove standing water, then it will fill with fresh water and begin the wash cycle.

Myth – A dishwasher pumps in water to fill it up. Truth – When needed, a water fill valve simply opens to allow the household water pressure fill the machine. The pump is only involved in draining the appliance and washing.

Myth – A dishwasher stops filling when the float inside the tub rises high enough to represent a proper fill level. Truth – Most modern dishwashers fill using a timing method, filling for a set amount of time. The float is usually for over-fill protection only, stopping a fill before it gets [...]

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Kitchen Design – Advice From Allied Professionals

Someone sent me an email and asked if I thought there was a design flaw in a section of her cabinet design. I had to write back that, yes, I agreed with her that part of the design was flawed. Unfortunately, it was a finished picture of the kitchen that they had sent me, which made it even more uncomfortable for me to give my opinion. The kitchen was installed, and it looked like it cost a pretty penny. Here are words of wisdom:

“Lesson Learned

I learned a big lesson the hard way and wish I had gone with my instinct to hire a kitchen designer during my kitchen design process.

My contractor convinced me that it would make more sense for him to design the kitchen layout because he was also working on the electrical, plumbing etc. so there would be a cost savings to me if he designed it and worked with his preferred cabinet company.

We decided to go ahead and in the end I thought the kitchen looked great until I noticed some design elements that look flawed to me.

I believe that a [...]

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Weekend Project: Install a new showerhead

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to decrease bathing-related water use, and its WaterSense standards for showerheads will call for flow rates below the current federal limit of 2.5 gallons per minute. The challenge for manufacturers is to meet that standard without affecting shower feel, since an anemic flow can result in longer shower times and greater water use.

If your showerhead isn’t looking its best or is delivering less than a satisfying flow, read our latest report on showerheads (full story and ratings available to subscribers), which covers single- and multisetting models as well as shower towers.

Installing a regular showerhead is a fairly easy job. You unscrew and remove your existing head and the plumbing tape in place, apply fresh tape (usually Teflon tape) for a tight seal, and screw the new head in place.

But when you’re installing a rain-shower model, installation might not be as straightforward. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

Angle the showerhead properly. Because water literally falls from [...]

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Ranges and Cooktops

One question that often comes up is, should you buy a range or a cooktop?

In short, it is really a personal choice, based on your budget, space limitations, looks, and needs.

Budget

Prices for cooktops, ovens and ranges vary a lot because the prices are changing constantly due to special offers and sales, brands are priced differently to start with, and they also depend on which of many different features they offer.

However, a separate cooktop and wall oven will always cost more than a range, and will also require electrical or gas plumbing to each unit.

Space Issues

With a cooktop and separate oven you are installing two appliances, therefore they will take up twice the space of a range. Building codes may also require you to install a vent over the cooktop. Also, you may lose some cupboard space to allow for the built-in oven.

Gas or Electric?

However, the first thing you should consider when buying a range or cooktop is whether you want the gas or the electric type. With the drastic increase in natural gas prices recently, many people are changing to electric appliances.

If you are simply replacing [...]

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Kitchen Costs

Your budget will normally dictate your choice of products but there are other considerations you need to take into account when working out how much your new kitchen is going to cost.

Prices vary quite a lot, so the figures given below are just a guideline and, as always, shopping around is the best bet.

But work out roughly how much money you want to spend and use this figure when talking to designers and contractors.

Below are some guidelines for establishing a realistic budget.

Budget Guidelines

First of all, if you limit your spending to 15% of your home’s value you should recoup 90% of the costs when you sell. Try to keep your investment relative to your homes worth, but at the same time make it worth your while by spending on the items that you really want.

Second, figure your product costs to be 1/2 to 2/3 of the total remodel. Choose your appliances, cabinets, countertops, flooring and all other fixtures first. The remaining money will go towards installation and design.

Third, if you become overwhelmed with selection choices hire a design consultant to help you. A designer can save you money [...]

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Kitchen Layout

Think about what happens to your food and you will get a good idea how an efficient kitchen works. The steps are usually:

Purchase Storage Pre-preparation Preparation Service Dish Washing

Bear all these in mind when planning and you won’t go far wrong. For example, put the fridge near the door where you bring in the shopping (to save you walking acros the kitchen each time), put the baking supplies in a cupboard near the oven, the clean-up materials under the sink and snack items near the microwave, and so on.

The Work Triangle

For maximum efficiency, the kitchen’s three primary appliances, the sink, the refrigerator and the cooktop or range should be located in a triangle and as close to each other as possible. The triangle is measured from the center of the sink to the center of the refrigerator to the center of the cooktop.

Although not a hard and fast rule, the perimeter of the work triangle should measure at least 12 feet but not more than 26 feet. Each side should measure at least 4 feet but no longer than 9 feet.

Most kitchens will have service points for [...]

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Kitchen Design Basics

With so many choices in materials, appliances and accessories, sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start when choosing the components that make up your new kitchen.

A good designer should be able to point you in the right direction and sites such as this can give you some good hints, tips and ideas, but ultimately the choice of kitchen style is entirely up to you.

If you have any questions about kitchen design that are not covered in these pages then visit our Kitchen Design Guide site here.

Planning

Obviously, planning is the first and most important part of buying a new kitchen.

The main steps involved are usually the following:

List the reasons you want to remodel, or the problems with your current kitchen. These can be such things as: old cabinets limited storage old style too cramped Measure it fully and accurately. Remember to include the following: the width of all windows and doors the position of the window or door from the corners of the room the height of the bottom of the windows above the floor the height of the ceiling the height, width and depth of [...]

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Kitchen Cabinet Guide

You May Also Be Interested In:

Kohler – A Great American Brand

Appliance Myths – Dishwashers

Kitchen Design – Advice From Allied Professionals

Weekend Project: Install a new showerhead