Your Guide to Appliance Shopping: What to Expect, How to Prepare & What’s Trending
When clients choose their appliances, it tells us so much about their budget, because it’s the first selection they make. It tells us the quality of things they’re going to choose and what compromises they’re going to make. That being said, architects aren’t appliance experts. That’s why we always send our clients off to choose their appliances with someone who does know all of those answers—someone who does this for a living (trust me, they study appliances eight hours a day, 52 weeks a year).
Although you’ll be in great hands, it’s good to know what you’re getting into. With the help of Chuck Hiatt from Appliance Gallery, we put together a list of common questions we often receive about appliances and the process, in general!
What should I expect when appliance shopping?
First, you’ll be given a budget allowance, which is typically set by a builder. After looking back on budget estimates from past projects, I found that no matter the scope, the appliance budget sits at 2 – 3.5% of your entire project budget, which is interesting!
Armed with your allowance, you’ll be sent to the store with your appliance guru where you make your selections. When walking around the showroom, the expert will help you make a list of everything you like, then they’ll email it to you. Don’t be afraid to select a lot of them—you don't have to narrow it down that day. This way, you can sit down at night to look through the specs, prices and discounts.
How should I prepare?
First, make an accurate list of what you really want. Decide if you want a range, or a cooktop and wall ovens. Decide if you want freestanding refrigeration and counter depth or full depth. Once you know that, it's a very simple process to narrow things down and arrive at a brand.
If you’re doing a custom build, your builder might be buying the appliances for you. If that’s the case, are the appliances you want within your construction budget and your draw system from the bank? Are you paying cash for it? Is it a part of your construction loan? Who is paying for it? Are you buying an appliance off the floor? Are you getting some kind of deal that requires you to buy the appliance before it’s ready? Who’s storing this for you? (Keep in mind, builders don’t always have storage areas.) Also, who is installing it? Sometimes the appliance store wants to install it, but sometimes builders do it. Sometimes, nobody wants to take responsibility for installing it! Make sure these questions are answered before going shopping, so the store knows who to contact and where to send their estimates.
Lastly, you’ll want to ask your builder who is going to communicate the appliance specs with your cabinet designers. This is why appliances are the first selection you’ll make, because you have to know every single appliance you want built into your kitchen before you meet with the cabinet company. It really helps the process tremendously.
What's trending right now?
Some people are getting away from big 48 to 60-inch ranges and going more towards range tops with wall ovens. With range tops, you can get that 48 to 60-inch wide cooking surface, but your ovens go from being under that to on the wall, for convenience. They don't really feel they need to have that big focal point. Another trend is steam cooking. Almost all luxury brands make convection steam ovens, which are really unique pieces. Those are built into a wall.
Colored appliances are also trending at the moment. In the mid-range brands, like GE, they came out with their new cafe line last year, which offers a limited number of colors with the appropriate trim, like brass or copper. To get real custom color, you move into luxury, like Viking or BlueStar. Miele actually has colors for their wall ovens, but they're all gray glass or black glass or white glass, which is very trendy. Typically, it's going to be an upcharge for custom color.
Should I get a double oven?
Everyone used to love double ovens, because they had the extra capacity when they needed it at Christmas. But most people find that they only use it once or twice—maybe three times a year. That's why combination units have come into style, like a full-size convection oven. Above that, you can either put in a microwave, a speed microwave or steam oven. With a speed microwave, you can microwave, broil, or bake in it. So, if you're cooking a turkey in your main oven and you need to cook a casserole, you can use that microwave above as your oven. But it also functions primarily as a microwave, so you don't have to have one sitting on your counter somewhere.
Where should I put my microwave?
Drawer microwaves are very expensive. The only company that makes microwave drawers is Sharp—every other brand just puts their own face on it. So it doesn't matter which one you buy, it's the exact same drawer, which can range anywhere from $1,200 to $1,600 or more. That being said, you should purchase a Sharp microwave drawer at the lowest price, because it's going to be the exact same thing.
If you don't want a microwave drawer, you can make an opening in your cabinetry under the counter and put a standard countertop microwave there on a riser, then finish it off with a trim kit. It'll still look built in, but it’ll be a push button microwave like you have on your countertop. This would be your lowest priced option.
Over-the-range microwaves are going out of style, but they still have their place. They function as lighting and ventilation—but they don't really do effective ventilation since they're so shallow. You don't capture anything from the front burners of your range or your cooktop. So, they're minimally efficient at best.
What should I know about ventilation?
Too little thought goes into ventilation. If you're going to have a big range, like a 36, 48, or 60-inch range, it's always better if it's on an outside wall so it can vent straight out or straight up. If you have bedrooms above and you're on an inside wall, it can be a problem trying to get effective ventilation, because you're going to go up and try to run it through the floor joist to the outside wall. Every 90-degree turn you put in, you're going to lose about 18 to 20% of your airflow. So in the design process, if you’re putting in massive appliances, put it on an outside wall. If you're generating that much heat, you need to have really good ventilation. Otherwise, every six months, you're going to be wiping down your cabinets from the grease.
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