Kitchen Remodeling
Jim Trombly Plumbing, Heating, & Cooling is a full service remodeling contractor who offers expert planning for your kitchen remodel from the beginning design all the way through final construction.
Our full service NH kitchen remodel services mean one-stop shopping with a single contractor for the entire project. And, because we know how much you depend on your kitchen, we’ll work to get the job finished on time and on budget with minimal interruption to your daily life.
Call today to get started on your kitchen remodel. We’ll meet with you to discuss your project and answer all your questions.
Kitchen Design Information
Get the most value from your remodeling investment with expert advice from a top remodeling contractor.
Faucets
Your faucet choices will be widely varied, with finishes such as brass, chrome, nickel, even copper! You’ll also find a vast assortment of styles. What you’ll pay for a faucet depends on two elements: how the faucet works on the inside, and the style and finish on the outside.
Most kitchen faucets feature a washerless design inside, which involves either plastic or ceramic discs moving against each other to control the flow of water. The discs may or may not be enclosed in a cartridge. Plastic discs have holes in them that control the flow of water by moving back and forth to let the water through the aligned holes when the handle is turned on.
You will want to make sure your sink has extra holes if you choose a side spray or soap dispenser. You will need to make sure your faucet spout can reach far enough within your sink bowl(s) — especially with double and triple sinks. Tall goose-neck spouts can make pot filling easier. Sprayers (either the kind that pulls out of the faucet, or the kind mounted on the back rim of the sink) can be a real helper with food prep and clean up.
Standard kitchen faucets have separate handles for hot and cold water. Single–lever faucets are easy to operate with one hand. The better lever faucets hold the flow rate constant without fine adjustment on your part. Cheaper ones tend to drift to higher or lower flows. The least expensive finish is polished chrome, also generally considered the most durable kitchen faucet finish. A new finishing technology called Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) now allows polished brass to be considered as a durable finish option for the kitchen. Specialty finishes such as nickel and copper are choices available for higher-priced faucet models.
Dishwashers
Dishwashers are typically installed as built-in appliances adjacent to the main sink. There are a tremendous number of features available in today’s dishwashers, from water-saving options to delayed start mechanisms.
Sound ratings vary, but today’s dishwashers are quieter than their ancestors. Typically, the European models are quietest, but they’re also the most costly. As with other appliances, you can get door panels to match your cabinets for a real hidden look. Even base-priced models have a reversible front panel that gives you the option of a black or white surface.
While you’re planning your kitchen, make sure the open door of your dishwasher won’t block nearby cabinet and appliance doors or bang into things opposite it. You can also try installing it 6 to 12 inches above the floor to make loading and unloading easier.
Garbage Disposals
Garbage disposals can provide a handy way to eliminate most food waste. But if you’re considering one, you should do two things. First, check your local codes to verify if you can use one. Second, if you have a septic system, consult with your plumber about the need for increased capacity or more frequent cleaning.
Trash Compactors
A trash compactor could reduce your kitchen garbage to about a quarter its uncompressed size and bring you back down to one garbage can. Compactors come in 12, 15, and 18 inches wide sizes. You can open most models with a toe latch even when your hands are full. The unit may have a charcoal filter system or use a deodorizer to minimize odor.
Extras
Instant Hot Water Dispenser
This convenience is essentially a dedicated water heater for one location — with a 1/3-1/2 gallon tank mounted inside the sink cabinet and a spigot mounted to one side of the kitchen faucet. Some models deliver up to 60 cups of hot water per hour, but all of them get the basic job done-a few cups at a time. The 190°F water it provides on demand is plenty hot enough to prepare an ever-widening selection of instant food and drink, like dried soup, hot cereal and hot drinks. At the touch of a lever, you get an instantaneous, though limited, supply of hot water.
Soap Dispenser
These handy pumps banish the dish soap bottle from your countertop and serve up the suds on demand. A refillable canister hides under the counter, holding several month’s supply of liquid soap. It’s a little luxury, but you’ll use it many times each day.
Water Filters
Whether you choose to filter your tap water to protect your health or simply to improve the color, taste and odor, you need to know what you’re trying to remove from the water before you choose a filter.
If you are trying to improve the taste of chlorinated water just about any activated charcoal system will do the trick — even the popular pour-through pitchers. If you have hard water in your area or significant sediment from well water, you may have to treat all the water to the house, not just kitchen tap water.
Sinks
Kitchen Sink Selection Tips
Choosing a sink can be complex. You’ll have to decide on materials, the sink’s size, its configuration (meaning the number and arrangement of bowls), how it will be mounted, and, of course, where to put it.
Sink Materials
- Stainless steel is the most popular kitchen sink due to its low price and easy care. On the downside, it can be noisy and there’s only the one color. The quality of stainless steel is measured in “gauge.” The higher the gauge, the thinner the steel. The most durable (and also most expensive) stainless steel sink uses 18-gauge steel with a brushed finish and high nickel content. It should also have an undercoating of noise-dampening insulation. 20-guage is a less expensive option, but if you can, avoid 22 gauge. Also, avoid mirror-finish stainless steel as it tends to show more water stains..
- Enameled steel is an inexpensive sink option. Because of its construction, enameled steel is highly prone to chipping, which is not easily repaired.
- Enameled cast-iron sinks are available in a wide range of colors and styles from traditional to contemporary. Cast-iron sinks are very heavy and help dampen noise. The finish can chip (though not as readily as enameled steel) and it’s expensive to repair.
- Solid-surface sinks offer nearly invisible mounting to solid-surface counters. Scratches can be buffed out, but these sinks can be marred by hot pots.
Mounting
- Self-rimming sinks drop into a counter top, and have a lip that extends over the counter. These sinks are generally easy to install.
- Flush mounted sink rims are mounted into the countertop substrate so they are even with the counter material. This method works well for ceramic tile counters.
- Rimmed sinks set nearly even with the counter height. Typically, a thin metal strip seals the joint.
- Under-mounted sinks are installed under the countertops, and work with all materials. Cleanup is a breeze since there is no barrier to the edge of the sink.
- Integral bowl sinks are those in which the bowl (or bowls) and counter are made of one piece. These can be done in stainless steel or solid surface materials. This installation allows for unique configurations and the ability to include an attached drain board.
Sink Configurations
- Single-bowl sink
If you choose to have one single-bowl sink in your kitchen, be sure it’s big enough. The minimum size should be 18-in. wide and 10-in deep, but try to get at least a 24-in. wide sink that is 18-in. deep. If you install two sinks in a kitchen, a smaller single-bowl sink works fine for food preparation. - Double-bowl sink
Probably the most popular configuration for larger kitchens, two bowls give you a sink for washing and a second for rinsing. Alternately, you’ve got a basin for clean-up, and one for other uses like food preparation. If that’s how you’ll use your sink, the best arrangement to maximize space is one large bowl and a second smaller bowl. - Triple-bowl sink
The stretch limo of kitchen sinks, triple-bowl sinks allow you to stretch out. You can soak dishes in one bowl, while draining vegetables in another and still have one bowl left to work with. These require larger than standard base cabinets. - L-shape or butterfly corner sink
These space savers feature either two or three bowls. Think carefully before you leap for this arrangement. It can be a great space saver — maximizing what can otherwise be wasted counter space. However, two cooks can’t easily squeeze into the corner at once to share the faucet or basins. - Bar/vegetable sink
There is a variety of very small sinks on the market in just about every material. The best way to ensure utility in a small sink is to include a gooseneck faucet that can accommodate taller items, like a pitcher or vase.
