kitchen remodel

I can't help with a contractor, but there is a company on St Croix that makes custom cabinets.
http://armrey.com/

Hope it helps.
Jay

We have been shopping new kitchen cabinets as well as other large materials/appliances that need to be replaced or repaired in our home. So, we are purchasing all our things in Florida and shipping a 20 ft container. That said, I will say that we've run the marathon on selecting materials for the cabinetry. While we do have a budget and are concerned about price, our main concern has to do with what's happened to our existing cabinets and something we would like to avoid if at all possible.

First, cabinetry material should be as least tasty food for termites as possible. Cabinetry should not be made out of a material that absorbs moisture (humidity or rain coming in from the left-open-during-a-flash-rain-soaking kitchen window and/or naturally occuring in our tropical environment). Basically, our existing cabinetry is made of particle board. The cabinetry is a sponge and when that sponge drys out, it doesn't go back to it's normal shape/thickness. Instead, it disintegrates into millions of particles of sawdust that gets into everything all over the house. Drawers should have the "extended" hinges so that you can pull the drawer all the way out and actually see what lurks in the back 4 inches of the drawer. Cabinetry should be hung on "fir strips" on the wall so that the Terminator would be able to treat behind the cabinets from time to time so as to dissuade hungry termintes from sneaking in that way. Cabinetry should have "pulls" or handles so that a girl doesn't rip off her finger nails when opening the dang cabinet door or drawer.
The daggum hardware (handles) must be stainless steel/brushed nickel......I couldn't believe how pricey the hardware could be whether it's stainless steel or not. Though not totally rust "proof", SS or BN (which is stainless steel anyway evidently) will look nicer longer.

The cabinetry we have ordered is all plywood. We had to really pay attention to the guy when he wrote up the order to make sure he understood what is meant by ALL PLYWOOD. Front, back, inside, outside, drawers, shelves......EVERYTHING. What is it that they don't understand when I say "I do NOT want ANYTHING with particle board!". All are coated (? is that the proper term?) or maybe better to say "laminated" (?) with formica except the back side that faces the wall and no one will see. And, the hardware is brushed nickel.

Finally, the countertop. Formica was the least expensive. Around $400. We looked at granite but ......without getting into the pros/cons or myths versus facts regarding how bulletproof granite is, we went with Silestone which is a granite-like countertop.

Regarding appliances, I don't remember who it was on this board talking about stainless steel appliances and wondering aloud if the "premium" cost of SS appliances was in the long run worth it.....considering the lifespan of appliances in the VI is shortened by power fluctuations, salt/sea environment, and other factors. We were already committed to white appliances because when we unexpectedly had to replace our refrigerator the only color Home Depot allegedly had in stock was white. Though, it took over 6 weeks and calling every single day to get the "Oh yes 'mam, we have dat one on de boat. It gon t' be here any day". So, we're going with white stove and chest freezer to go with our white refrigerator.

any recommendations for granite countertops anyone?

I talked to someone in kitchen sales at STX HD who said they can install granite but they are really just working with other fabricators on island who do it. So you could also work with a local fabricator directly. Granite is a reasonable option, there is some inventory in STX and more in PR. She said synthetic quartz would be the most expensive because there is pretty much no stock in STX or PR so anything would need to be special ordered from the mainland. Granite has to be sealed every so often, quartz doesn't. Other than that they will hold up about the same. If you spend more money on granite level you will have more of a one of a kind look. Basic granite would do nicely if you don't need anything fancy and don't have deep pockets. If you are thinking of renting the place then laminate is probably not the way to go due to durability as well as marketability.

I purchased new kitchen cabinets from East End Lumber & Hardware a few years ago when I redid the apt. rental kitchen. They are solid wood and they have held up very well. I had gone to Home Depot to check on my options and when I mentioned to my tenant who worked at HD, what my plans were, she told me that if I had any type of timeline, I should consider purchasing elsewhere as HD was notoriously slow with their orders and it could take quite awhile for an order to be delivered.

My tenants were going back to the states and I wanted to get the apt. remodel done in the least amount of time after they left so that I could get it back on the rental market in the shortest time possible. Waiting 60 days or more was not an option.

I actually prefer the white appliances. When the refrigerator starts looking a bit rusty, you can sand, clean and repaint them (using an appliance paint and foam rollers - don't spray with the spray paint) and they come out looking as good as new.

Sent you a PM on contractors and Cabinet fabricators. Just finishing building our house here on STJ....

To answer some questions here:

- it is best to order cabinets from US or PR not STT - Sears and Home Depot have been suggested.
No, not true. We priced out both stateside and locally made on STT. We actually got a better deal on fully custom mahogany cabinets installed then buying quality cabinets from the states, shipping, and then install on top of that.

- Stainless steel appliances rust - any thoughts other than to wax them?
Stainless will be fine if you use that oil base stainless cleaner on them weekly. You're right on the water so your wear and tear on any appliance will be greater regardless if it's white/black/or stainless. Black will hide rust spots better when they come in, but with stainless you can rub the rust spots out (always brush with the grain of the steel).

there was a guy in town by the post office who says they do granite but years ago when we called he never came out to even give an estimate

I can't help with a contractor, but there is a company on St Croix that makes custom cabinets.
http://armrey.com/

Hope it helps.
Jay

we had armrey [jack bishop] on stx,do the remodel on our condo's kitchen about 9years ago.we are currently using him now to remodel our kitchen in our home,both relatively small sized.obviously we have been pleased.he also has a very wide variety of granite and other counter tops,and we know he has done jobs in stt and tortola so st. john shouldn't be a problem. feel free to pm me if you have any questions.