I have been looking at houses and the dated granite countertops are a dead giveaway the place was last renovated in the early 2000s. It looks so ugly now but did it actually look good at the time or was it just used because that was the best material available?
I think a couple of things. The phrase āgranite countersā became a huge deal somewhere in the early 2000s, give or take. I suspect the rich people had them, and then builders figured out how to get cheap enough granite that they could be installed in less expensive homes. So a lot of what you see on houses from that era are the cheapest granite the builder could buy, see pic below. So there was a boom with builders being able to add āgranite countersā to the listing, and for many people, any granite is better than no granite.
Why do they look dated? Same reason a lot of things seem dated, they were really popular and the trends moved on. Happened to Corian before granite, and I suspect quartz is next to become dated.
Related, Iām looking at counters now for the master bath. Iām currently really obsessed with doing soapstone but am also considering a marble thatās on the whiter end. Trying to find something thatās reasonably appropriate for a 1912 craftsman house and that will age well. Limestone is also of interest but not as readily available.
Granite seems wasteful to me. Like, itāll be used for 20 years, then live in a landfill for eternity. They should recycle it somehow.
We do laminate because I get wholesale pricing, my SO has some weird aversion to etching work surfaces. And laminate is an easy change and update every half dozen years. Paint and new counter tops, about 750 for me.
How often should a house be renovated? I think Iām still ok with the early 2000s look. Probably cheaper for me to buy a dated house and upgrade it to current standards and be happy with it for the next 20 years than pay a lot more money for a house that was renovated 10 years ago that will look dated sooner.
But Iām also not looking to move out of this house ever again and my standards are likely lower than most on here. My carpet has needed replaced since I moved in and I keep putting it off because who really cares?
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I have grown to really, really hate house trends. Iām supposed to spend however many tens of thousands of dollars updating the kitchen, and then do it again in 20 years???
Donāt even think about doing gray-on-gray right now, that will be super dated in a decade. Or modern farmhouse, or whatever the Joanna Gaines look is called. Future you will thank you for not having a barn door on the bathroom.
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I bought a house in the late 90s. All the pricier, newly renovated places I looked at had granite countertops, most of those looked nice at the time. I bought a home with white Formica countertops, and Iāve been happy with that. But I liked the granite enough that I bought a 2āx2ā slab for the bit next to the stove. Itās nice to be able to take a hot item off the stove or out of the oven and plop it down there. Also, itās fairly easy to chill it and use it to make pastry. I bought a tight-grained granite and never bothered to seal it, so it has gradually darkened with age. Iām sure it look ādatedā, but I donāt care. Itās extremely functional.
(I use other parts of the kitchen to process raw meat, as I worry about bacteria lurking in the granite pores. But I have plenty of non-granite countertop, and plenty of cutting boards. So I donāt worry much.)
I would recommend a sturdier surface, or one that is cheaper to replace. They used to use those stones because they were easy to cut, but better cutting tools are available now.
Itās not as problematic to have a softer surface in the bathroom as it would be in the kitchenā¦ but old marble fittings donāt just look āoutdatedā, they look worn and stained.
Also, limestone is porous. Like, a lot more porous than granite or marble. It can be pretty on ā¦ the interior wall of a bank or something, but I wouldnāt want it in my bathroom.
They kinda dig it out of ālandfillā in the first place. I donāt see any problem with removing a chunk of stone from the ground using it for some length of time, and then putting it back into the ground. I really donāt think Canada is going to run out of space where they can put landfills.
When stuff stops working, or when the appearance or functionality bug you. If you own it, and you like it, who cares whether it looks ādatedā.
My house was built in the 50s and the kitchen has all original cabinetry. I LOVE it. Itās so much more practical than modern trends. Yes, itās a little hard to pull the pie plates out from the corner, but it seems better than just throwing away that space, which would be the other option.
I admit my concern is irrational.
Ontario sends a whole bunch of itās garbage to michigan. Weāre all full up here.
It may be cheaper to ship it to Michigan than to build a new sanitary landfill, but you have PLENTY of space for new landfills.
We looked at granite, I thought I could find a black granite and have it honed rather than polished to get a soapstone look with granite durability, but I couldnāt find one I loved.
Our house is 110 years old, and the lighting fixtures going in the room are about as old, we are putting in a piece of ~120 year old stained glass and an old transom window. So a little wear and tear around here is just character.
And yes, my wife is 108% tired of the word āappropriate,ā as it pertains to what materials we use for this remodel.
OT: I have two windows high up (20 feet or so) in my foyer that donāt open. They are original panes, and Iād like to replace them with electric opening ātransomā windows (not over a doorway, but they are transom-sized), so that I can open them from the ground floor. The reason I want these is for airflow, to cool the house later in the day (or all night). Or, warm it up during the day (rare).
Do these exist? Seems like it might be a custom job.
Like this, only way higher:
Back to your topic: unless you are looking to place your home in some magazine, or win some best antique home in the city, or it was designed by a famous architect, Iām not sure why youāre bothering. Most kitchens of that day didnāt have nice refrigerators, so youāre already blowing it. You can get stuff that looks like it was built yesteryear when it was actually built yesterday.
My house will be undergoing major upgrading (no major remodeling as itās pretty much open plan) within the year, as most everything is 40 years old original. Have already upgraded fridge a few times, oven/stove (to gas from electric) and dishwasher twice, so those arenāt leaving, but wife wants new everything else, plus knock down an overhanging storage area, put more storage in the dinette area, replace all of the flooring (carpeting and ceramic tile) with wood-looking floor that wonāt break glass dropped from one inch off the floor. Wants to convert living room into a workout room.
All this written because she is going to want some new countertops (currently again tiles that break every glass dropped). So, what should we get?
Itās custom, but most windows are because there are a million sizes. And you can get motors to tilt them for a few hundred bucks. Install could get expensive, you have some fabrication to hook it all up, and electrical work.
Check this out:
Iād say it is more an awning than a transom, in a literal sense.
I have Pella windows (so theyāll match), but they donāt seem to carry motors. And thereās no way Iām climbing up a 20 foot ladder to open a window every day. Well, unless I build in one of those library ladders on a track at the top and wheels on the bottom. Hmmmā¦
Anywho, granite countertops? Whatevās, man. They do last a long time, so one less thing to remodel frequently. You just have to like them forever.
And when youāre looking at houses, it should not be a deal breaker, just that youāll have to spend a month or so without a kitchen while it gets remodeled.
Bucket list item. Do it.
Itās Done!
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On the Bucket list!
If the goal is ādoesnāt break stuffā, you want laminate, or corian, or off-brand corian, or wood. Wooden counters are a bitch to maintain, so you donāt want wood. Stuff breaks on granite and quartz and tile, and to a lesser extent on marble. I guess you could go stainless steel, but thatās pretty ugly and industrial for home use, and itās hard to keep it looking good.
My kitchen came with a tile floor, and EVERYTHING that falls to the floor breaks. But we never bothered to replace it, and it does hold up well. We lost a lot of plates and bowls when the kids were small, though.
The first condo I bought had granite and I thought it was the sign of luxury.
Now I think it looks ugly af.
I prefer marble/stone with large patterns.
Our house has granite, but the people we bought it from got the fancy kind with big huge sweeping patterns. I personally love it. The previous owners of our home did a full remodel so we havenāt done anything except by some furniture to fill space.
They did a couple of things that I really love. They didnāt use white paint anywhere. I hate the white and grey everything trend. We have far too many beautiful colors in this world to live in an all white space. They also installed luxurious curtains in the whole house. Every window grouping has different curtains. I first thought it was a bit much but they are really functional and make the house look dignified and timeless. Our foyer is 2 stories high and has a window on the door and 2 long windows on each side of the door. They hung a 10ā curtain above the door frame that goes all the way to the floor which I had never seen. That curtain has become a daily ritual for me as I open it in the morning and close it when we start settling in for the night. Keeps us from ever answering the door after dark if we donāt want to.