Do you have a broom closet somewhere near the kitchen?
Also, depending on the type of cabinets, if you are planning undercabinet lighting, check to make sure that you have space for them. You might need to figure in the distance between countertop and uppers and any additional trim to hide the lights. (If you do need trim, you'll want to have it be same material as cabinets.)

Hard to tell, but will you be able to reach the leftmost upper cabinet along the sink wall?

I remember something from long ago about panels and warming drawers and someone from the appliances forum having a problem getting it flush. I can't remember the details but might be worth asking.

Also, if others are doing crown, does that mean that it will not be same material as your cabinetry?

jayne

I would personally prefer the warming drawer under the cooktop where it would be convenient to fill and serve from. That also gets it up off the floor where it'll be under the ovens.

Is this a one-cook & cleanup kitchen? There isn't much room b/w the cooktop & sink. If there are two people working there (one cooking, one at sink), they will be bumping into each other. Also, you will not be able to use the trash pullout if there's someone else working at the cooktop.

There also isn't much prep area b/w the sink and cooktop, which is the most useful prep space

Everything seems crammed into the small U. Can you push the peninsula out into the nook at all? I know the beam is there, but you could still stop the uppers at the beam...accessing those upper shelves on the left may be problematical from the kitchen anyway in the current layout. If the peninsula were a foot or two further into the nook, those shelves would be easily accessed from the kitchen as well as giving you extra prep space in a prime real estate area and room for 2 people to be in the kitchen at the same time.

jaynesb--There is a pantry next to the fridge. I plan to put brooms there. Crown is to match the crown used in other parts of the house. We may paint it white to match the molding in other parts of the house or paint it to match the cabinets. Taking the crown off my cabinet order save thousands of dollars.

alku05--We experimented with other places for the WD, but I really want the drawer space under the cooktop. I have checked out the WD that low, and it is okay for me.

buehl--The part that extends beyond the beam is the addition. If I extend the U, it would block the new (and only) door to the DR. Not that we use the DR that much... Everyone marvels at the "large" kitchen, but I do not think it is very big. The current kitchen has the fridge where the ovens are and the sink and stove on the new fridge wall. Kids are constantly running behind me to go to the table. The idea behind the U was to eliminate traffic cross over. We toyed with putting the sink on the opposite wall, but thought we would be tripping over people going to the table.

Thanks for your thoughts--keep 'em coming.

I guess I would see if that door right beyond the peninsula could move into the breakfast area. Then I'd flatten those cabinets up against the wall - up to that beam. You get a little more storage and a lot better access and usable counterspace.

I might either move the ovens to the pantry area and have a smaller pantry or ditch some of them in favor of a range with a built in warming drawer - microwave going above the countertop near the ref.

Is there only the one entry way into and out of the kitchen/nook area? Is it on the wall by the oven or by the split drawers? What room are you walking out of to go into the kitchen/nook area?

Hi bmorepanic--

That's only going to work if you walk outside and crawl into the DR through the window. The breakfast nook is an addition, so it sticks out from the house. In a perfect world, I would have added on to the DR there, put in a porch, etc. but that's just not in the budget. Gotta work with what I have.

Teched, I think buehl's point about the work area between the sink and cooktop is one worth considering. I have a U-shaped kitchen which I love and that is definitely my main prep area. If you could slide the sink down towards the other corner, it would really help with the work space. If you did that, could you swap the trash pullout with the DW? If you were able to snag about 8-10 inches or the width of an upper cupboard, I think it would help. We all worry so much about symmetry of cabinets in the planning but it really doesn't end up being that important compared to function.

One other comment is to think about the appliance garage. They are very popular and may be your favorite thing in your new kitchen or you may end up like me with mine sitting in the garage! I didn't like the way it interrupted the counter space (and I have 30 inch deep counters). I thought I just had to have one but YMMV. So, get out your blue tape and some boxes and mockup some of the options.

Aside from that, even if you make no changes I'm sure that you will love your new kitchen because it will be a vast improvement over the old one!

I'd rethink that appliance garage too because I think you'll find it in your way and not efficient storage space.

I know you said you were okay with the warming drawer down there, but frankly I wonder how much you will actually use it, especially in that location. Have you tested lifting heavy food items up and down from the floor? Things with fluids or a stack of dishes? I don't have one so I'm not too familiar with how people use them.

What about a fan over the cooktop?

It's going to be gorgeous when you're finished and I love your bump out addition for the kitchen table.

Thanks patti_bee and skypathway. I am a little worried about the garage too. DH wants it, but I figure that's part of what my pantry will hold.

I have a downdraft fan. I know, I know, but it will vent less than 5 feet from the stove and that horrible beam--charming as it is--is in the way of a hood.

skypathway--I can't take credit for the bump out. It was built in 1988 by the first owner (house is c 1964). The bay window is kinda falling down, but it is surrounded by mature azaleas which are home to all kinds of birds! I love to eat breakfast there and watch them. The former owners put the insulation in backwards, and now there is mold on the underside of the subfloor. Yuck, but it sped up our interest in redoing the kitchen. We are also replacing the door that goes out the lovely brick patio (thank you 2nd owner!) with a slider to bring in more light. Kitchen faces south, but we are downhill and under significant mature foliage, so very dark.

I don't think you want to switch the DW & trash, the DW would be in the way of anyone at the cooktop--even more disruptive than having the trash there.

I would also rethink the appliance garage b/c you have very little prep space overall right now...the 4' or so on the opposite wall isn't very useful for prep.

BTW....are you sure you want a split drawer in that 36" drawer base? You lose a lot of space in drawers when you split them like that. Something to think about.

I thought you guys were talking about the other door near the ovens - my mistake.

You have one of the few times I would ever suggest putting both the sink and cooktop in the corners. Again, I think you should consider a range, but if not move the ovens by the ref.

{{!gwi}}

Not advocating the vendor or the specific sink - this is an example of a corner sink that doesn't need an angled cabinet.

It looks beautiful on paper, but you have so very little usable counterspace. I would not put my MV and OVen on the wall where you have them. I would put them next to the fridge, as I don't think that counterspace is as prime real estate as the space within your U. The MW and oven will not be as important to you in the U as the counterspace will be. The space next to your cooktop isn't really usable for prep. I would much rather have counters and uppers where you MV and oven are and move them to the fridge wall. JMHO>

Aren't you glad you asked? :>)

According to my guess-alations, you have ~34" between fridge and end of peninsula. That's gonna be a real tight fit, and a potential traffic blocker. Our peninsula is about the same distance from our beverage centre, but end of counter has a rounded radius with a bullnose edge so easier to scoot by than a hard edge like your knee wall and cabinet, AND, it's not the fridge door right there, but a cupboard that is rarely used. Can you bump the fridge into that back wall even a few inches?

I like the idea of the corner sinks and cooktops. WE had a happy accident that the two appliance garages we ordered didn't arrive. WE are LOVING the extra counter space, (and we have a significant amount more than you), (though really, corner counter space is not all that useful for working). If you don't move sink there, definitely use cardboard boxes and do a mock-up, make sure the appliances will even fit. eg, our new bigger Toaster Oven wouldn't have fit in ours anyways!

If you put sink in that corner, you won't need the high knee wall (no cooktop splatter to worry about), so you could eliminate the wall and stretch out your counter and create a little overhang. Again, you can never have too much counter space!

I like Bmorepanic's rendition. It scoots the refrigerator over some but more importantly it (1) separates the cooktop & sink and (2) adds a lot of counterspace...something you need. If you are concerned about space b/w the end of the peninsula & the refrigerator/ovens, you could cut off 3" inches from the peninsula. That would give you 36 or 37 inches b/w the peninsula & the refrigerator/ovens.

As to the knee wall...If it were my kitchen, I'd get rid of it to get the extra 4 or 5 inches for the counter...or 3" more for the cabinets in the middle of the "U" and then 1 or 2 inches add'l counter depth on the peninsula...maybe even 3" (if you can spare another inch b/w it and the DR doorway). However, if the sink is in that corner and you're concerned about seeing dirty dishes from the table, you may want to leave it there. Purely personal preference!

HTH!

The appliances are already ordered, so that can't change. I also really did not want a range. I could not find one that appealed to me at all.

The fridge is a CD (we had to buy a new one last April when the old one started heating all our food). I cannot bump it back because the wall it is up against is to the family room (about 4 steps down--gotta love split levels).

I had not considered moving the ovens next to the fridge. I will say that in my current kitchen, I have tons of counter space. I actually hate it. I know it sounds odd, but there is like 8 feet on one wall, 2 feet on another, and 13 feet on yet another, plus the 3 foot long island. It just gathers stuff and it never gets cleaned because it's not altogether.

I am gonna try out the garage with boxes. That has me worried too.

Teched,

When I said bump out the wall, I meant even just frame out the studs to gain a few inches- (no need to disturb the other side of the wall). I wish someone had suggested that to me, cuz I would like my fridge to be less obtrusive- but I have an extra deep one. Your CD, is it literally 25-26" deep just like a counter? In the plans, it appears to stick out a little bit from counter (but maybe that's just the drawing?).

Could your current kitchen be gathering clutter rather than working for you because of flow issues? Our old one also had a fair bit of counters, but like you, in bits and pieces, and I hated working in it. I wish I could express in words what a difference the new kitchen is making- we can have three adults (haven't tried it with all four of us cuz kids don't live at home anymore)working all at one time, and we're not crowding each other out. We have a similar sized kitchen to you, though narrower and longer, so our 'working U' is about 3.5 ' longer, with about 9.5' of uninterrupted counter on one side of the sink + a 66" peninsula.

So, even if you switched DW and sink, you would gain a good chunk of workable counter on that prime prep space.

Bump

Teched,
How are you making out? Just curious.

Hi Footballmom--

I think I am going to revisit a few things with the KD, esp the garage. I know she recommended the oven stack where it is for safety reasons and general flow. She also wanted to make sure I had a landing spot for the frige, but with the sxs, that's probably not where things will land.

This design is a dramatic departure from the current situation. It currently has no flow, the sink and the range are on top of each other and you can't walk through the kitchen if the DW is open.

Thanks so much to everyone for your thoughts. You have given me some details to wrap up with KD and GC and helped me make up my mind on other things! Cross your fingers for me that I will be posting the kitchen destruction pics in 6-8 weeks. Hope to get it all done before swim team season starts! Optimistic, I know...

Teched,

I'm also curious as to how it develops.

And, as I just got back from coaching at the pool...who swims, and what do they swim?

My son (currently at Royal Military College) swam for Canada at the World Military Games in Hyderabad, India this fall, and he was supposed to coming back to BC for a triathlon training camp next weekend, but I've just been informed that his captain denied his leave, as she thinks "he's doing too many things"- arghh- sending nasty thoughts over the airwaves!!!

I wear chlorine cologne- Rae

With a side by side, the most convenient landing space is immediately opposite. In your designer's plan - than would be the 15 inch wide cabinet next to the cooktop.