I would say the prep sink.

Two dishwashers is a particular functional type of thing that some people love and others don't get at all.

I would say two dishwashers! That seems like more of a luxury feature, and one I'd be really excited about (says the person who hates to unload the dishwasher and put in 3)

My best guess (I am not a real estate agent) is that most buyers wouldn't notice the absence of a prep sink or see a need for 2 DW's, so I doubt either choice would be a break point. 8 years is a long time -- I think you should get whichever is most useful for you!

For myself, I'd rather have the prep sink. In case you wanted to know. :)

I say prep sink although I think most non-GW'ers wouldn't notice one or the other...

Do you have a floorplan you can post?? A prep sink may make more sense based on where your range/ clean-up sink are located, and a seconddishwasher may impede the flow of traffic. On the other hand, it could be just the opposite. A floorplan will give people an idea of what you're working with, and may even give you additional suggestions you've never thought of!

most buyers wouldn't notice the absence of a prep sink or see a need for 2 DW's, so I doubt either choice would be a break point. 8 years is a long time -- I think you should get whichever is most useful for you!

I agree 100%. Eight years is a long time and can easily turn into 10 or 15. My philosophy is and always has been that unless you plan to sell as soon as the remodel is done, it's best to put in what YOU like. You're the one who will have to live with it for 8+ years. On top of which, it's very difficult to predict what "optional extra" any given buyer will want. I'm guessing that will be evidenced by the replies you receive here. IOW, it'll probably go 50/50.

Agree with lowspark. I also think it depends what price point you are in - for me, neither of those items would be a huge selling point, but think the prep sink has more universal appeal.

Thank you guys so much!

I wish I had a floor plan to post but I don't. I have a prep sink in my current kitchen but I mostly use it to chill wine for parties so I think I could live without it. On the other hand, I'm the girl who lives with a pile of dishes in the sink b/c I never empty the clean ones so probably the second dishwasher is more relevent for us.

Spacewise it doesn't make much difference. The kitchen will have 2 36" 3 drawer units on the island with 3 24" cabinets for storage facing out under the eating ledge. Also there will be a 24" floor to ceiling pantry unit and some upper cabinets as well. Skipping the second dishwasher would mean I could put in one more 24" base cabinet but I don't think it makes much difference either way.

I think I'll take your advice and go with the second DW. 8 years is a long time to live with piles of dirty dishes :)

I would say most buyers will not be more or less inclined to purchase a home based on whether or not you have a prep sink or a dishwasher. Some more savvy buyers will, however, be more inclined to purchase a more functional kitchen. Whether a prep sink is functional may depend largely on its placement. By sharing your layout (just a photographed or scanned drawing on graph paper would work), we might be able to help you know if either option is more functional. For your lifestyle as you describe it, sounds like the second dishwasher would be more functional for you. I would go that route then.

In terms of resale, it also might depend on the type of buyers your home would attract. For example, if you have numerous bedrooms and live in a great school districts, maybe you would attract families with many children that might appreciate having multiple dishwashers. You might also check local for sale real estate (usually you can find listings online) to see what other homes in the neighborhood include.

I'd pick the prep sink, because in 8 years it will still look and work great, but the dishwasher may be nearing the end of its life span.

Get the second dishwasher for use during the eight years you're going to be living with it.

If the future buyers don't like the layout of your kitchen, they'll remodel it. Far fewer potential buyers are active cooks who understand what works in terms of working kitchen design, who will reject a house because of it. I did know that the kitchen that came with my house was hopeless, but so much else about the house was just right, I just spent too many years avoiding fancy cooking. :)

The best thing you can do to a kitchen to make it ready for resale is unstuff it (i.e., uncrowd and stage your cupboards and put the resulting boxes in storage, and clear everything off the counters), and CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. If the appliances are old but not too scratched up and clean as new, if the finishes are out of style, but clean as new, if the only smells are lemon fresh and cookies (or just heated vanilla), the rest won't matter much.

I agree to do what you want. As a buyer, both would be selling points to me given a good layout. If I had to choose, I'd go with the prep sink. I cannot stand prepping food over dirty dishes or near dirty dishes. I'd love two DWs, but a prep sink has become a must-have for me.

If I entertained a lot, a 2nd DW would be great.

I'd rather have the cabinet space than an extra dish washer. Actually, I'd be happy to trade my one dishwasher for some extra cabinet space, but my dh wouldn't like that.

I guess I'm saying that my vote goes for the prep sink. (Though I wouldn't mind the extra counter space.)

If you have a dishwasher and a prep sink already, have you thought about doing something different like installing a wine bar in the space? or something for extra storage?

If you plan on being there another 8 years, you should definitely do what is going to the the most functional for you.

Honestly, to me as a buyer an 8-year old kitchen would be an 8-year old kitchen, no matter what was in it. Do what works for you.

agree with writer's. 8 year old appliances are still 8 year old appliances. Buyers won't look at them as brand new. Get what YOU need. so much of this depends on the type of home you currently have and what kind of buyer is attracted to that home. We just remodeled (down sized). We are now two who entertain alot. I have no need for 2 DW's... in fact, wouldn't want them. I'd much prefer the extra storage.

I'm one of those people who does not get the point of a 2nd dishwasher unless you keep kosher, entertain frequently or have lots of kids. If you are buying a 2nd DW because you don't want to empty the 1st one, you will just have to empty twice as many dishes later - there is no point unless the delay buys you enough time for the housekeeper to visit and empty it for you. As a buyer, I would look at the 2nd DW and wonder how difficult it would be to find a matching cabinet to fill in the space. I would rather see more storage or a wine fridge if you don't already have one. OTOH, a prep sink may be a real plus, depending on the total layout.

Chill wine you say? Why not put in a beverage cooler instead? That would appeal to a lot of folks too, and perhaps you would get more use?

(I don't see the appeal of 2 dw's, but we barely fill one in a week's time, so I'm not the person to ask.)

I do agree with others though, do what YOU want. Odds are good someone who feels they need/want those features may be TKO themselves and want to redo the kitchen space to suit their own needs anyway.

I've had 2 additional thoughts to the good advice already given:

#1) I wonder that if your prep sink is only useful for those tasks, if it's located well. My prep sink is indispensable in my layout, but if it was out of the work zone, it would be much less valuable. Location is crucial. I would consider one necessary and a big plus in a house I was buying, but only if it is placed right.

#2) If you put in a 24" cabinet on the other side of the main sink from the 1st one, it's pretty easy for you or a future buyer to add a 2nd in place of that cabinet. It is not so easy to get plumbing to an island and add a sink later, especially if you have stone counters.

Sounds like you've made up your mind, but since you did ask about resale, I'll add my 2 cents. I agree that 2 dishwashers just means more to unload all at once. Personally, a prep sink could be a plus if located right, a beverage cooler would be nice, but not necessary, and a 2nd dishwasher would be a negative, since I'd want to replace it with storage space. An 8 year old kitchen doesn't seem that old to me, so I wouldn't plan on remodeling unless it was pretty bad.

All of the above? I think it depends on the layout and your needs. As it is now, it sounds like the DW would be a good pick, but rhome raises good points -- maybe the layout and placement of the prep sink are the reason the sink isn't more useful. Mine is indispensable.

I also have 2 DWs. They are important to me now, but most people are really surprised to find out we have 2. Two DWs would only be expected in a very large house set up for a lot of entertaining or for keeping Kosher. We knew putting them in that we could use the 24" space in a different way down the line or at resale (filling a hole is easier than creating one), but we got what we wanted for us for now.