Chapter 6
The Crucial Kitchen

I don’t know about you, but if my kitchen were my entry hall, the house would certainly stop there! Forget my beautiful living room, cozy TV room, or the amazing picture of Slash playing guitar in my workout room. My kitchen is a great space that I took special pride in when I was building the house. With all of my houses (past and present), I have always focused on the kitchen first. The appliances, countertops, cabinets, doors, archways, and windows have combined to make it a comfortable place for family and friends to hang out, talk, and feel cozy in. My son, Zachary, his friends, and my own friends always go right for our kitchen.

I think it’s true for many people—the kitchen just ends up being the place where everyone congregates, even if you live on a steady diet of frozen and take-out food. I’m not a cook, but that did not stop me from building the best kitchen I could and making it look as if I can cook!

High functionality, visibility, and frequent use are what make a kitchen so valuable. It’s one of the best rooms to put money into because it realizes the greatest return on investment in terms of both your own use and future resale value. You can see an 85 to 150 percent return on your investment with minor remodeling and 80 to 95 percent with major gut renovation, especially if you plan on selling within 2 or 3 years of the project’s completion. In the meantime, you add so much to your life by having a modern, comfortable kitchen—no matter what its size and how humble your talents as a cook. It does not matter! A low-function kitchen drags a good house down in value, and a great kitchen can sell an otherwise modest house. Even a small condo benefits from a fantastic kitchen, especially at resale time. Up-to-date appliances and the latest fittings give your digs an edge over the competition.