remove fireplace & new floorplan?

Kitchenin2013

10 years ago

Our kitchen is now demolished and the major structural supports are framed. We initially included the fireplace in the kitchen in our original design thinking that it was going to cost $10k to remove (from some initial estimates: thought to have been connected to another fireplace in an adjacent room).

Seeing it open, our GC is telling us that it may only cost $2,000 to remove. It's now within range of our budget. Although we're in love with the IDEA and charm of a kitchen fireplace, we've never used it and can't see ourselves using it in the future; we have 3 total.

The question is, if we remove the FP, what do we fill it with? Easiest option is to move the pantry into the space and gain more usable counter. Although it sounds nice, its a little boring and unexciting given the effort to take it down. Do we consider a wall oven/microwave combo, moving the refrigerator, additional counter, etc? The FP is a focal area, it faces the street and can be seen through our windows so something interesting would be nice.

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Comments (13)

Kitchenin2013
Original Author
10 years ago
Here are some elevation drawings. The finishes are quite right and the island will be a floating gathering table instead, or maybe none at all.
Kitchenin2013
Original Author
10 years ago
Construction site
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I've looked at your plan several times, but have found it difficult to come up with ideas since I'm not clear on what can be changed, and it's hard to see the measurements. Looking at your second plan, it's guesswork to see what the old plan was. It would be very helpful to see the original, existing plan. But I'll take a stab at it. What is it that you don't like about the MBR, besides the location of the WIC door? You said you're redoing the bathrooms. Can their fixtures be relocated? Can the kitchen cabinets along the dining room wall be changed? Seems like there must be a better way to do the butler's pantry, which is inconvenient in its present location. Can the locations of the appliances be changed in the kitchen? The great room seems huge--what are the measurements? Do you really need it that large? The reason I ask is that it seems like you have space in it for the dining table at the end towards the kitchen. If so, I'd go back to the 3 car garage, and just attach it to the house. Then I'd rework the present dining room, mudroom, and butler's pantry. How many people/ what ages are living in this house? Is there a reason the mudroom is so large in Baton Rouge, especially with the laundry elsewhere? I assume you need 4 active bedrooms, and wouldn't want to convert one to a study/guest bedroom? Living in the north, I don't know much about life styles in Louisiana. How much of the year are the doors and windows open, or do you mostly close up and use air conditioning down there? Which way is south on this house plan? How wide is the lot, and how close to the lot line are the doors of the present 3 car garage? More info and the original plan will help! Anne
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Do you really need both a dining room and a breakfast room that literally adjoins it? If the pool is on the garage side of the house, putting a mud room back entry with a powder room in that in the back left corner between garage and basement stairs and kitchen likely would be more convenient. Making the mud room off which you have a poser room beside the garage wall, large enough to include floor to ceiling closets and/or cabinets for pool related storage and even kitchen pantry space would make that room serve multiple purposes -- far more practical than having a pair of adjoining dining spaces. Not at all a fan of the right front corner -- between living room and front exterior wall and between entry and master bedroom .. not on on either plan. On that second (Klenk) plan, is the "closet" with the "X" is a heat pump closet? Your powder room is open to/visible from the living room. Nope. Consider these changes: Remove the closet from beside the heat pump closet so that the ?raised?. hallway between entry and master is wider. Add a wall between the living room and that ?raised? hallway (that could be only a half/pony wall across from the heat/ac closet) -- creating a floor to ceiling wall across from what is now the powder room door, making that entire wall be built in storage facing the hallway to the master and about as deep as the closet that had been planned for against the heat pump closet. Where you have the powder room door, do add a door but have it lead to a larger and more upscale powder room between the heat pump closet and the front exterior door -- adding a small high interestingly shaped stained glass or frosted window that actually opens facing the front of the house. Do keep the wall now shown between that new upscale powder room and what is now master suite bath; however, add a doorway in the master suite that is at a right angle to the hallway door. Absent stops in the top hinges of the two doors, the two doors that open to this new upscale powder room would bump into each other so do add those stops ... and consider adding full length mirrors to the backs of both doors -- creating a great dressing room feature. Now your master suite already has access to a second toilet and vanity so you don't need two in the master suite. Because you built in that storage wall, you will have moved your doorway to the master bedroom toward the front exterior wall of the house. Your doorway will now be at the end of the hallway just AFTER the new doorway to the new upscale powder room. You can have the option to make a part of that new hall storage space on the end of the wall open into the Master instead of the hallway -- perhaps as a place to hang long coats so you can use your most of your Master closet hanging space as dual rod hanging space. As you enter your Master, leave a 4'x4' space with the bedroom on the left open; however, beyond that open entry space, continue that same hall wall (in line with the back of the hall storage wall) over to the right exterior wall of the home. Your Master closet will be to the right against the front exterior wall of the home, hopefully with a window matching the new one in the new upscale powder room. You could then build a full bath -- with toilet and vanity and a tub/shower combination with all three fixtures against and along that right exterior wall of your home. You could have the interior wall of that new full bath from door to front exterior wall be floor to ceiling storage, some of the storage be facing the new bath and some of the storage be facing the Master closet area on the other side of the interior wall to the new bath -- whatever storage arrangement meets your needs. Recommend a mid height toilet for both Master bath and any/all powder room(s). As you age, your arthritic knees will appreciate it.
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If you have no use for a living room, this would make sense & increase the value of your home. I would look at your layout of the bath & the entry to the master to incorporate a much larger closet (WIC) in lieu of the single closet you show now. You could do this by moving the entrance to where you current hall linen closet is now located & reverse the current master closet into the hallway for the adjacent bath. This would allow the whole left corner of your plan for a WIC and a full master bath.
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Kitchenin2013
Original Author
10 years ago
Here's another angle of the space with the fireplace.
rosie
10 years ago
What a nice problem to have. If you must remove a charming fireplace, how about replacing it with an equally charming built-in sideboard and hutch? Not from your cabinet line but looking as if it might have always been there? It'd provide great storage and be part of a handsome transition between rooms--no workaday kitchen appliances or cabinets right by the doorway. (I imagine you are putting a wall or good finishing panel on the side of the refrigerator where it is now?)

Also, I'd personally definitely keep the existing appliances in the work U. You mention nothing you'd like to gain to offset the inconvenience of trotting back and forth. In a perfect world, the refrigerator would always somehow be right by the stove anyway for another splash of milk or pat of butter. :)
bpath
10 years ago
Rosie's hutch was the first thought that came to mind. If you do solid doors you could use it as the pantry and replace the planned one with countertops and cabinets. There are all kinds of design options, including having it wrap around to face the garage too, taking out the closet on the dining room side (or is that a furnace flue?) and open it to the dining room, as well. But, this will add to your budget.

Or, if you simply take it out, you'd have more room for your island/floating table and circulation.

By the way, the Solatubes are terrific. They made a big difference in our last house.
Kitchenin2013
Original Author
10 years ago
I wish I had more space.. I love both of your ideas. If all were perfect, I would have counters where the pantry currently is AND have all of the following:
1) pantry elsewhere
2) hutch where the fireplace currently is
3) wine/alcohol/barware storage and entertaining zone
4) message center/drop zone from the garage
5) AND somewhere to pull up a stool and have a seat.
6) Oh, and make the opening wider!
Kitchenin2013
Original Author
10 years ago
My contractor would like a decision of removal today, but no later than Monday. Should I just tell him to remove it now? Seeing open may help with design.
bpath
10 years ago
I think you could accommodate 3 or even 4--or 5!-- wishes from your list. Whatever you do doesn't have to occupy the same footprint as the fireplace, it can even be L-shaped, have an opening/passthru to the dining room.

Draw a plan that doesn't show the fireplace at all, and see what pops itself in.

Can you remove the little closet in the dining room, and incorporate that space, too?
Kitchenin2013
Original Author
10 years ago
Yes, that cabinet can definitely be removed too. I'm sort liking this wrap around idea, maybe finishing off with a hutch into the dining room.
User
10 years ago
Move the fridge there. You now have room for a small peninsula from the range side. The kitchen is really too narrow for even a mobile cart, and having a small peninsula (possibly with 2 seats) will give you a landing space for the fridge and a nice prep space next to the range. Depending on the width of the chimney breast, you could face the fridge with a bookcase facing the door to give you a nice view and to economically enclose the fridge.
User
10 years ago
I'd also think about swapping the sink and range for better workflow. The range would be a great focal point between two windows. The peninsula prep area would let you face family at the table while you are working and it's a quick pivot to place chopped ingredients into the pot on the stove.
sanjuangirl
10 years ago
Wow I am a lone vote for keeping the fireplace! I would adore having one in my kitchen and I live in Southern California where we really almost never "need" to use it.

I also can't imagine moving my sink where I wouldn't have a window to look out. I spend a lot of time there and love watching birds, rabbits, kids, and my Corgi while I prep and clean up.

If you feel that you can't get what you want with the fp, I think the idea of a beautiful hutch would be nice. You could even incorporate a wine/bar entertaining zone into the hutch.

Good luck!
lavender_lass
10 years ago
I like Holly's idea! The range would look great between the windows :)
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remove fireplace & new floorplan?

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remove fireplace & new floorplan?

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