Buying New Kitchen Appliances

Everyone may want a built-in Sub-Zero refrigerator, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good fit for every kitchen.

If you haven’t had your kitchen remodeled since the days when you thought the “World Wide Web” was a trap for giant spiders, you probably swoon when you walk into an appliance showroom. There, among those solid Sub-Zeros and brawny Viking stoves you can catch yourself thinking that seductive phrase, “I’d love this in my kitchen.”

However, before you start buying those fancy new appliances, it’s a good idea to consider if your house is ready for them. “There are situations where people find a refrigerator or stove they’ve always wanted, then they find out that their older home needs some upgrades to handle the newer, bigger appliances,” says Fred Mueller, owner of Masterpiece Kitchens in Chicago. “Getting their electrical system up to code can cost quite a bit more than they figured.”

Large, professional-style gas ranges and ovens by companies like Viking and Wolf have become the industry standard for the upscale home with stainless steel finishes, dual ovens and lengthy warranties. Of course, these big beauties have prices to match their looks, costing from $3,000 and up for a standard, 30-inch wide model.

In refrigerators, the Sub-Zero built-in has long been a symbol of kitchen chic. Other appliance manufacturers such as Jenn-Air, GE and KitchenAid also sell their own styles of built-ins, which can be designed with door panels that match kitchen cabinets. Expect to pay around $4,500 for a “small” 21 cubic-foot model.

If your heart is set on one of these biggies, you may have to figure on some remodeling work in your older kitchen, or maybe not. “Manufacturers have gotten the message and they make some of their popular products so they’ll fit in smaller spaces,” says Theron Gunter of Guy T. Gunter Appliances in Atlanta. “You can find a 27-inch wide Sub-Zero or a 30-inch wide dual-fuel range.”

This is due, in part, to the slow economy of the past few years. “Lots of people can’t do a complete remodel, so they figure they can live with their ancient kitchen cabinets for now if they can get the appliances they’ve always wanted,” says Mueller.

Even so, if you’re adding some high-performance appliances to an older home it pays to check out if you’ll need some additional work to make them work correctly.

“It’s pretty standard to find a ¾-inch gas line running through your house,” says Jason Smith, a plumber and appliance installer in Los Angeles. “However, you can find some old houses that still have a ½-inch line. Your new stove hooked up to a ½-line might work, but it may not work as it should because there’s not as much gas flowing into it.”

A bigger stove can also require a bigger vent to draw heated air and exhaust outside. “A 60-year-old vent may be designed for 250 to 300 cubic feet per minute [CFM],” says Smith. “Your new big range could require an exhaust system with a more powerful 600 to 1,200 cfm fan with a 10-inch wide duct.”

The most common need when adding big appliances to an old home is an electrical upgrade. Most building codes specify that each kitchen appliance needs its own dedicated circuit and it you don’t have room on your electrical panel, you’ll need a replacement. Homes built in the 1940s to the 1960s commonly had panels that accommodated up to 100 amps, which at the time was thought to be more than enough to operate a “modern” household. Of course, as time went on and homeowners added spas, pools and air conditioning, there was a need for more amps.

“A 200-amp panel is usually the standard nowadays,” says Smith. “Rather than replace an entire panel though, you could add a sub-panel with a sub-breaker for the bigger appliance. But if you’re thinking that the kitchen is just a start of the remodeling you’ll want to do in the next few years, it may be better to just invest in a whole new panel.”

“It’s important not to take it to the ‘max’ with the amps,” says Gunter. “If you’ve got a 200 amp panel, you want to max out with your house taking up no more than 180 amps.”

Older homes may also be lacking those little things we usually take for granted, such as a water line in the refrigerator bay that allows for an icemaker. “That’s one of those items people often don’t realize,” says Mueller. “To make it work you usually have to run a line along the bottom of the cabinets from the sink to the refrigerator space.”

Overall, when shopping for super appliances try to think creatively. “Many of my customers want the smaller, narrower look,” says Mueller. “They want more counter space, so while you might want those big wide appliances, the smaller, old fashioned ones may be coming back in style.”