NBR: kitchen remodel in Bflo

orangeluck

Anyone have any recommendations on where to start or who to avoid?  We're going to keep the existing cabinets and same layout but we'll need to run gas and do countertops, tile etc.

Oh and if you have a convection microwave would it replace a countertop toaster oven? 

ArcticFox

I'm from Albany so I don't have any recommendations..

 

However - we have a convection microwave - and the only thing we have ever used it for is microwaving.  Same with everyone else I know who has a convection microwave.  The thing is, it is like a regular oven, you have to preheat, and you can obviously only put in the metal shelf when you use it as a convection oven - not worth the hassle for me.  I thought we'd use it for all the toast, bagels, english muffins, waffles, etc our family eats, but we never have - we use a regular toaster.  I don't have a countertop toaster though because I don't want to use up the space, I use a small toaster that I can put in a cupboard.  Just a thought.

BethPSU

We just did a similar remodel.  We used Sortie Countertops.  They are in East Aurora and Williamsville, but service all of WNY.  They were great to deal with.  It was a bit of a process since choosing granite was harder than I expected and we also got a custom butcher block.  They were the only place willing to order us a custom butcher block (we have a big island so it was bigger than standard ones that other kitchen places offered).  Most other places were either interested in bigger jobs (i.e. Kaz brothers and Kitchen World) or just not willing to put in the extra work to find a cherry butcher block for us.  I knew they existed since I see them on HGTV all the time, but it was so hard to find a countertop place that seemed competent.  Sortie knew what they were doing!

We also had a great experience with Distinctive Tile.  The tile place that we got the tiles with accidentally ordered a linen instead of white tile.  We were doing a white subway tile.  I got home from work and they had completed more than half of the tile backsplash, but it was the wrong color (not their fault as it was the correct order based on the number the lady at the wholesale tile place wrote down).  They were great about going to the tile place and making sure we could get the tiles replaced for free and then they ripped out the work they had done and came back a few weeks later and re-did the whole thing.   

orangeluck

ArcticFox:

I'm from Albany so I don't have any recommendations..

 

However - we have a convection microwave - and the only thing we have ever used it for is microwaving.  Same with everyone else I know who has a convection microwave.  The thing is, it is like a regular oven, you have to preheat, and you can obviously only put in the metal shelf when you use it as a convection oven - not worth the hassle for me.  I thought we'd use it for all the toast, bagels, english muffins, waffles, etc our family eats, but we never have - we use a regular toaster.  I don't have a countertop toaster though because I don't want to use up the space, I use a small toaster that I can put in a cupboard.  Just a thought.

 

ok thanks, that's helpful but of course not the answer I wanted to hear!  we could definitley live without a microwave but DH loves the toaster over for pizza and reheating stuff quicker than an oven would do it as well as for bagels.  I was hoping the convection microwave over the stove would free up some counterspace for us.  

ArcticFox

Sorry!  I personally wouldn't use it for toasting - breads etc.. but maybe if he's doing other stuff like small pizzas or something it would be worth it.  We are big on our breakfasty carb stuff though.  I find it so quick to just use the pop-up toaster.. honestly I don't know how long it takes the convection microwave to work but havnig to put the shelf in alone is kind of a hassle :P