Kitchen Appliance Question

Sorry it's kind of long! We are redoing our kitchen this fall (very excited and will definitely post pics when it starts!) and I have a question involving appliances.

Here is the background: it's a galley kitchen in a 2 bedroom co-op in Forest Hills (full service building). I know I want my kitchen to be "comparable" with others in my building. We are putting in stock Maple cabinets (middle of the line), granite countertops, ceramic tile floor and backsplash. I have seen other kitchens in my building and I know this is on par - plus this is what I want and it's in the budget!

We plan on moving or renting our co-op in about 3-5 years.

Now, my issue involves appliances. When we first moved in, our fridge needed to be replaced right away so we purchased a Kenmore stainless steel fridge - which we are very happy with. We are replacing the rest of the appliances with new stainless steel ones.

What brands do you recommend? I know Kenmore is cheap, do I need to put in a better brand appliances? How important are appliance brands, given our situation?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

Re: Kitchen Appliance Question

I would find out what others have in the complex.

How high-end is the building?

Can you find out from those who renovated in the last few years what they put in?

You always want to make sure your unit is comparable for the building. Not cheaper, but not over the top or you won't get the money back.

Re: Kitchen Appliance Question

I agree, how high end is your building?

Re: Kitchen Appliance Question

Also take a look at consumer reports. Different models for different brands rate better than others.

We are replacing the appliances in our kitchen with all Maytag appliances. If you buy now, Home Depot is having a sale where all Maytag appliances are 10% off. Plus, with certain models, you get a rebate. (2 out of 4 appliances were bought were part of the rebate, so we are getting $100 back from Maytag. If they were all part of it, we'd have gotten $300, I think!) On top of that, we opened the Home Depot card to get the discount - an additional 10% off. (Normally, I wouldn't do that, but appliances are so expensive, it was worth it!) You will also get no interest no payments for 12 months with the HD card on appliance purchases over $299 (if that's something you'd be interested in). I think we're also getting several Home Depot gift cards in the mail from another rebate program, too...

There was also a rebate on the delivery fee of $55, so that's free.

Maytag is a good, recognized brand, and we saved over $700 total on our purchases -- almost like getting an appliance free.

If you look for good deals, you might be able to get better appliances than you think -- not that I'm trying to say we got the best appliances. (We did not go overboard at all - we bought a townhouse and didn't want to go above what the market in the area can afford when we eventually sell.)

I would think if you plan to rent, name recognition wouldn't be too important unless you are in a super-high end buidling and it would be an expensive rental. What I would be concerned about, as landlords, is how often you need to service / repair the appliances. This is where consumer reports comes in handy. I'd take a look at the magazine and also possibly consider paying to join the web site as well. (Actually, I think I still have the magazine. If I do, I can send it to you!)

Message edited 9/26/2007 12:39:32 PM.

Re: Kitchen Appliance Question

Thanks for all of your responses. Do answer some of the questsions, the building is towards the higher end for the neighborhood - we have full time doormen and maintenance staff, laundry on premises, staffed garage, and a pool. But I would not classify it as a "luxury" building.

When we bought our co-op last year, we did look at other units. From what I remember, none of them had custom cabinets and the countertops were generally Corian or granite. I was not paying attention to the appliances (probably because I thought I would never be cooking!) - but I don't remember any Viking ranges or anything like that.

Maybe I can try to get a look at some of the other units for sale.

Another question - how are Whirlpool appliances (we may be able to get them at a discount)?

Thanks again for all of your help!

Re: Kitchen Appliance Question

I will check on Whirlpool in the Consumer Reports mag -- *if* I still have it. DH is a "tosser" so I fear he threw it out after we purchased our appliances.

I will look tonight to see if we still have it!

Re: Kitchen Appliance Question

Whirlpool has good appliances. We threw out the consumer reports information we had but, you can find it at your local library.

Whirlpool, Maytag and Amana is all the same company (Maytag bought Amana in 2001 and Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2006.

ETA: We bought a Maytag dishwasher I believe - it had a good rating from Consumer reports and it was the only one the store had in stock in the color we wanted (white) in our price range (low).

ETA: Whirlpool Corp also manufactures Kitchen Aid and Jenn Air.

Message edited 9/26/2007 2:46:11 PM.