I would put one in even if you had a double basin. If it were me and I didn't, I would either try to prep in the space between the range and sink which is a waste of the island, and/or get really sick of dripping all over the floor while transporting washed veggies.

We don't have a prep sink and have the same setup as theanimala has as far as sink/cooktop/DW. I haven't wanted another sink in the kitchen and don't see any need for it. The prep sinks that you see in most kitchens on here are really really small and the expense for the plumbing just didn't seem worth it to me for the size/usefulness. We are a 2-4 person cook kitchen with 2 pro chefs in the family. I haven't ever had a time when it was a necessity to have 2 sinks. I think it is what you are used to more than anything else. I will look forward to seeing your finished kitchen. Good Luck to you ! c

pic of 3 cooks/no island:

same space w/ island:

My concern about a setup like theanimala's is that you can see her prep sink is in the prime prepping spot on the island facing the stove. This moves the better/bigger prep spot to between the main sink and the stove...which makes the main sink more convenient for the cook to use...???

Thanks for sharing your experiences, trailrunner! That's exactly the kind of feedback I need to help me think this through and make up my mind. It's good to know that if you can manage just fine without one - and with professional cooks at that.

rhome, theanimala's set-up isn't quite like mine. Her fridge is kitty corner from the main sink with the prep sink in between. My fridge, DW, sink and cooktop set-up is very similar to elizpiz'. However, if I set my sink in the island as she has, that takes up prime potluck staging space. 'Course, I could do as my neighbors do for parties - fill it with ice and drinks. btw, they put in a prep sink when they built 15 years ago, way ahead of the trend. Smart cookies!

tracie.erin, thanks for your advice.

Hoping to hear from more single sink owners about your experiences of life with or without a prep sink.

In the meantime, I need to go find that thread about minimal prep sink sizes (thanks for reminding me of this, trailrunner). I'd rather do without than have a too-small sink and less island space.

lisa I really don't see the need for a 2nd sink since the most important real estate is counter space. When you think about how you prep food that is when you will decide what to spend the $$$ on. I wash vegs like everyone else....about 5 minutes....but I use the countertop/island for hours....chopping/kneading/prepping of plates /potluck/rolling etc. As you pointed out you can ice drinks but I would rather have a cool copper basin or a washtub for drinks in a separate area and have all that countertop for the food and lounging with drinks and whatever else you and your guests decide to do. Anyway...no more from me....I hope you get lots of pics and ideas...that is the most helpful. Then sit down and think what you really do /not what you might like to do, maybe....Good Luck ! c

lisa I really don't see the need for a 2nd sink since the most important real estate is counter space. When you think about how you prep food that is when you will decide what to spend the $$$ on. I wash vegs like everyone else....about 5 minutes....but I use the countertop/island for hours....chopping/kneading/prepping of plates /potluck/rolling etc. As you pointed out you can ice drinks but I would rather have a cool copper basin or a washtub for drinks in a separate area and have all that countertop for the food and lounging with drinks and whatever else you and your guests decide to do. Anyway...no more from me....I hope you get lots of pics and ideas...that is the most helpful. Then sit down and think what you really do /not what you might like to do, maybe....Good Luck ! c

Lisa_a, I'm flattered that you used our pic. Regarding the prep sink, I think it really all comes down to what you are used to. We did not have a prep sink before the remodel but we knew we wanted one. I can understand what rhome410 says about the island being the main workspace of the cooktop, but for us we are used to working right next to the cooktop since our cooktop was on our island previous to the renovation. Preparing meats next to the cooktop is standard fare to us, just as washing veggies on the island prep sink is. Our island is large enough that we don't mind the lost space to the prep sink, but then again we don't have any seating at our island.

One thing I do agree on is if you are going to get a prep sink, make sure it is big enough. When ours first arrived it looked GIGANTIC, but once it was installed I would say it's the minimum I would consider. Ours is 16" x 18" FYI.

I just meant that if you placed the sink on the stove end of the island, it would be in your prime prep space when working from the stove side. Did you say how you'd place it?

I think that if it were my kitchen and I was considering a secondary sink, I'd put it on the corner closest to the fridge, for use on those 2 sides of the island (keeping it away from being back to back with the dw and main sink area). This would still makes the main sink the easiest for the cook to use for draining, etc...so does that defeat the purpose?

My kitchen isn't finished, but I did decide on a large single basin main sink and a secondary sink in my smallish island. But that's because I was coming from a 48" triple bowl sink, which is the only thing in the old kitchen that I truly loved. Loved loved loved! I decided I had to have a shallow basin for my colander, and it put a rinse yucky hands place near the far counter where I'm putting my baking things, which is a trek to the big sink.

Your kitchen is much more compact than mine, and I don't think it calls for a secondary sink. Unless... and this is a big unless, there's no other sink nearby. If there's a laundry sink or powder room where family messy hands coming in from the garden, garage or glue/paint mess can wash off while you're cooking, then I think one goodly sink is plenty.

Oh, good points, plllog! And yes, we have nearby sinks to wash messy hands. A utility sink in the laundry room and a powder room, both just around the corner.

rhome, it does seem like it'd be more logical to put the prep sink at the oven end of the island and not the cooktop end. Only problem is that this whole process started because I realized that that end of the island, what is currently only 16" of counter next to our island cooktop, is one of the hardest working sections of counter in our kitchen. It's where we plop groceries when we come in. It's where we place hot items from the oven and also where we stage items destined for the oven. It's also the handiest bit of counter for items coming from the fridge and pantry. To put a prep sink there would defeat the whole purpose of moving our cooktop off the island.

So if it comes down to a prep sink in that location because it makes the most sense for our kitchen or ... what was it trailrunner called it ... keeping prime real estate, counter space will win, hands down and prep sink will be outtathere. Especially if we go with one sized like theanimala's. 16 x 18 (thanks for sharing its size and your experience) would eat up a good portion of my island. If only I could magically stretch my kitchen....

Share all you want, trailrunner, you're bringing up good food for thought (appropriately). And I'm loving the idea of the copper basin, but that's because I'm in serious drool mode over circuspeanut's copper counters.

Speaking of prime real estate, I just remembered that the NKBA has guidelines for determining whether a kitchen had enough counter space to accommodate a cooktop and a wall oven. I'll bet I can apply that same guideline here. Time to check the guidelines, get out the tape measure and see if I can accommodate a cooktop and a wall oven *and* a prep sink.

Lisa...I think in your kitchen you could go either way. Regardless of where your (main) sink ends up, it will still be close to the cooktop & you will have room to prep b/w them. If the sink moves to the refrigerator wall, you will have even more prep space b/w them.

While a prep sink would be nice, I don't think it's a necessity to make your kitchen work. Yes, it would add an additional prep area for you at the island (b/c there will be a water source) and, possibly, reduce some zone crossing, depending on the location. Right now, to get to the refrigerator from the cooktop you have to either cross the Cleanup Zone or go around the island.

How many people will be using your kitchen at once? Will they all be prepping/cooking or will there be a mix of prepping/cooking/cleaning up? If cleaning up is in the mix, then the zone crossing could become an issue, especially when the DW is open.

As to location, I like Elizpiz's setup best, but I can see where it would definitely reduce available counter space. If you put it on the left side across from the cooktop, it would be readily available from the cooktop as well as the "outside" part of the island for prepping there while someone else is cleaning up on the "inside" as well as be available for outsiders for a drink of water, etc. However, it will reduce that 42-1/4" to approx approx 24" of workspace directly across from your cooktop; but, as I mentioned b/f, you will still have add'l room on the wall run.

If you put it on the refrigerator end, I think you're right in your assessment...I find that I use the counters across from both my refrigerator & ovens much more than the counter next to them...both for removing things from them as well as staging things to put in them. (I have approx 32" b/w the Ref & DR peninsula end and approx 44" b/w the ovens & the end of the "mini peninsula". Both have landing space right next to them as well.)

We do have a prep sink, but in our kitchen it was a necessity to make it work. Our cooktop & sink are opposite each other, separated by approx 6'6" of aisle...the main aisle through the kitchen. By adding a prep sink on the cooktop wall, we were able to separate the Cleanup Zone from the Prep & Cooking Zones as well as protect both zones from kitchen traffic (inside a "U" w/short legs but long base).

During the week, there are usually two of us in the kitchen...one prepping/cooking (me) and one cleaning up (DH) with an occasional child helping make veggies. On the weekend, there are sometimes all four of us working in the kitchen! When baking (usually a marathon!), there are usually two or three of us. (I seem to bake in spurts...when I bake, I seem to go all out!)

Instead of hunting through NKBA's side, I went to a post on my favorite kitchen blog, Kitchen Sync. The post was in answer to my question about cooktop and wall oven versus range but I think the equations apply here since prep sinks also eliminate counter space.

I did a fairly good estimate of counter space whether I go with with an L sink configuration like elizpiz' and theanimala's (my layout preference, still tweaking to make it work) or with the corner sink set-up as pictured above. Both come to about 184 inches. At first glance, it would seem that I have sufficient counter area to add a prep sink.

However, we don't really use the counter next to the ovens because it's hemmed in on either side. Right now it tends to gather junk, which I hate, so I'm trying to come up with a purpose for this space (while adding places to hide junk) to make it more usable. One idea we've toyed with is creating a beverage center with wine and beer glasses above and a beverage fridge below. That's not cheap but neither is adding a prep sink. Anyhoo, I think I should take that counter space (28" after remodel) out of the equation since I've never deemed it as usable kitchen counter. So I end up with roughly 156", just under the recommended minimum of counter space for a cooktop/wall oven combination, which I won't give up. A prep sink will eat up 16" at a minimum (going by theanimala's prep sink measurements), leaving me at 140" - not enough.

So unless I find really good reasons for adding one, I think I won't. I was leaning that way any way since I'll get to keep the free and clear island that I crave and perhaps put prep sink money towards a beverage fridge instead. As for prepping, we envision that wet prep will happen between sink and cooktop and dry prep will happen on the island although I've no problem washing produce and putting it in a bowl to carry it to the island counter, as I do now.

But I'm still bumping this thread in the hopes that others will share their experiences with me.

buehl, you didn't say, how big is your prep sink? TIA.

Almost forgot your comment about crossing zones: we're going to have 42" aisles. We have less than that now between DW and island and oven and island and it's never been an issue having people cross through zones so I'm not that concerned with the remodel. In fact, the new layout will eliminate the bunching up we often have now because our fridge, cooktop and ovens are close together.

Very sensible choice, Lisa.

And I'll repeat something I've said before: Secondary prep can also be done the old fashioned way. Draw a large bowl of water. Get out a second bowl for discards. Use the water for rinsing, the second bowl for gathering, and when you've turned your cleaned veg out onto the board, peel and cut ends into the dry bowl. Works great! Portable. Only uses counterspace while you're working, leaving the island clear for grocery bags at other times.

I don't think that the total sq ft of counter matters in this case, but it is only the square inches that you give up for the sink that count...and it definitely sounds like you want your island completely clear, and would rather those square inches be flat and dry. :-) There just doesn't seem to be a placement that makes a lot of sense either. I think you're making a very sound decision. Believe me, I love my prep sink and would push for one if I thought your layout absolutely needed it and/or the benefits would outweigh the sacrifice.

The main thing you have to figure out is where do you plan to do most of your prep work? The counter space between the range and the sink is a very logical and obvious spot and you would need no prep sink at all. But I know that I would want to do most of my food prep stuff at the island, so I could talk to people who are at the table or in the other parts of the house. I would not like to be facing away from people. So if it were my kitchen, I'd put a small prep sink on the island. But no....you do not NEED one.