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Building a Home

Initial Design of LONG house plan

13 years ago

Hey all...

I'm brand new here, but I'm hoping for a little help. My wife and I are looking to purchase a piece of property in our downtown area. Needless to say, it is currently absolutely nothing. It's a 25' x 90' building on a 25' x 176' lot. So, needless to say, it's a very interesting thing to design.

As a baseline of what we're thinking, it's going to have a home office/business space up front for my wife -- this will consist of a gallery space, dressing room, powder room, desk area and storage.

The home will be a great room and master bedroom connected to 3 other bedrooms, 2 baths, study, and garage via a conservatory still hallway.

Hopefully the image will help you understand a bit. It's a rough sketch from the architect with some modifications made by us.

The main room I need suggestions on is the kitchen. I feel that just about everything else meets or exceeds what we were hoping for, but the kitchen just leaves a bit, I think. The last picture is what I drew up for a kitchen. I would love to have a 48" range or even a 36" range top with two wall ovens, but I'm not sure how I could squeeze that in. I can only figure settling for a 36" range. As well, my wife doesn't like the idea of having any major appliance on the island/jut out. Maybe I could shove a small electric wall oven into the island? Eh, help!

Also, I hope I'm posting this in the right section. If I should put it in the kitchen forum or somewhere else, please let me know!

Pictures! (They open in a new tab, and they're probably pretty big as well.)

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Comments (13)

bigkahuna
13 years ago
I dont see a reason you could not ad a free standing island in there. It seems you could add one that is 8 feet long with 42"-48" on each end. Put the sink on the island facing out to the dining /living area and that frees up the back wall for you to center the range/hood. Or center cooktop and move the oven/ mw/w stack to the wall next to half bath. You could also soften the entry hall from the office area by angling the wall at a 45 degrees as you enter the kitchen/living area. The island could be straight, angled, have a curve etc. It could haave a raised bar for separation or all at 36" counter height. Forget the peninsula idea. It is too tight.
addfamily
Original Author
13 years ago
Yeah, I like the island idea. And, I forgot that we are able to set the kitchen back into the existing walls (built out a couple of feet to support the roof), so that gives me more depth to have a walkway+island.

So, something more like this?
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With your eat-in kitchen and the window ledge seat (for when you have company) I would reconfigure the island without seating. Make it double deep for storage/oven/prepsink and maybe make it 4' x 5 1/2' size. Get some cardboard and mock up different sizes and locations and see what works for you. Keep aisle widths in mind at all times. The fridge - I have a 36" counter depth fridge which I really like but my kids are almost gone. With a young and maybe growing family I would be tempted to use a normal depth fridge (with french doors - saves on crowding the aisles) and use the place where fridge drawers would have gone as storage for kitchen stuff. That's just my opinion on that. You and your wife know the look you want and how full your fridge is now etc. The counter depth fridges definitely hold less. Are you going to extend your counter run and upper cabinets to be closer to the larger window? If you downsized your sink to a 33" single bowl (with a prep sink in the island) and then extended your cabinet run by 9" you would gain 12" of counter and cabinets. If you think about extending that cabinet run don't go out too far towards the window because you don;t want to create a pinch point between corner of the counter and your table. Your point #6 - I think it would depend on whether or not that corner is going to be become a focal point. I would, aesthetically, like to see the cabinets squared off because I think it would feel more spacious, and if you do a tile backsplash you could run the tile right up to the top. Hopefully this gives you something to start with. Happy planning!
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homeagain
13 years ago
I like the version you just drew, which would have been what I would have suggested. I prefer a sink in the island to a range.

Definitely post this on the kitchen forum. Those folks are amazing. Make sure your header says you need help with planning your kitchen and you'll get tons of responses.

Good luck.
dekeoboe
13 years ago
The island version will only work if the kitchen gets deeper. You originally had the refrigerator wall shown as 7 ft. 7 ft is not enough space for an island, walking space and then the range. The island would have to jut out into the living/dining space. Try drawing your kitchen space on some graph paper and then posting it.
bigkahuna
13 years ago
Thats the ticket...However be sure the island is deep enough. I would suggest 42"-48" you need a minimum of 48" between island and range more if available. angling the wall at door from office area on the office side will open the path into the space a bit. You could do the same to laundry room door, but not needed. I would also make the pantry into the oven stack. This keeps traffic to them from in front of cooktop if two cooks. Put the pantry to the left of the Ref. this will push it closer to the aisle and reduce traffic clutter in fron of the Ref door. I believe you should be able to make the island about 8 ft long minimum.
bigkahuna
13 years ago
Upon looking at what you posted again....your island will be shortened by pantry /oven on the end wall. I would consider leaving it on the back wall. You lose alot in tight corners anyway. That wall could be used for artwork, bulletin board etc or a shallower 12" cabinet recessed into the wall thickness for a compromise.
addfamily
Original Author
13 years ago
bigkahuna: Could explain a bit more what you're trying to describe? For reference, the last picture I posted and the design is in standard compass arrangement. North is up. Also, I think we can get a total depth from wall to doorway of about 8.5 feet, North to South.

Thanks again, everyone, for your assistance!
bigkahuna
13 years ago
I am just saying the pantry as shown( on the east wall) sticks out into the walkway and shortens the island. By putting the oven stack( or pantry) on the north wall to the extreme right end ...the same wall as the cooktop you can lengthen the island by 2 ft. As shown , the pantry /oven gets close to the corner and makes that corner a bit closed in and not the most useable. A longer island gives you easily accessible space and a longer, grander island.
addfamily
Original Author
13 years ago
So, here's some grid drawings of the kitchen, I think.

They should be at 1/4" = 1' (and I believe one square in the grid is 1/4"

The first picture has the range centered in the total kitchen width, from West to East wall.

The second picture has the range centered with the sink on the island.

Thoughts?
bigkahuna
13 years ago
Better. However the door to the kitchen worked better when it washed ushed farther into the work space. It imfringes less on the kitchen area and when the island gets deeper for the overhang /sitting space it will open it up a bit whne walking through. The ref. should move into the corner on left or move to the right to allow a 12-18" wide pantry cabinet. You may consider replacing the ref. with the oven stack ( narrower at 30") and moving ref. to next to laundry for more open space behind the ref when door is open. This may be a personal choice for you but at least look at it.
bigkahuna
13 years ago
Sorry was distracted and cant seem to type

Better. However the door to the kitchen worked better when it was pushed farther into the work space. It infringes less on the kitchen area and when the island gets deeper for the overhang /sitting space it will open it up a bit when walking through. The ref. should move into the corner on left or move to the right to allow a 12-18" wide pantry cabinet. You may consider replacing the ref. with the oven stack ( narrower at 30") and moving ref. to next to laundry for more open space behind the ref when door is open. This may be a personal choice for you but at least look at it.
lyfia
13 years ago
One problem I see with having the sink and stove top/range across from each other is space for more than one person. Say you have one person that needs to use the sink and one standing at the stove. There is no space. I would have the stove top shifted so the dishwasher/sink space don't interfere with the stove so you can have a more than 1 person kitchen.
addfamily
Original Author
13 years ago
lyfia: That's exactly what my wife stated when I showed her the post. I'm going to have to look at the budget to see if we can handle a range and electric oven as well.

I'll have to go post these ideas in the Kitchen forum to see what they say. Any other recommendations for the house in general?

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