I was thrown off when you said this was a "modular". A modular home to my mind means single wide trailer house. And that's not a negative comment and no disrespect at all meant in saying that....My close friends remodeled a double wide modular and it looks like pictures on Houzz!

I had just never heard of a two story modular before and yours looks humongous! I'm amazed at what can be done with a crane if that is what you are showing.

Now that I'm over that new concept, I'll think about the kitchen.

Intial thought: Is that two dw's on either side of the sink on the island? I am sorry, I have a hard time reading the plan. This is going to be a great family gathering home with lots of bedrooms. You said it has a roof deck looking down into the kitchen/dining? And does that also include the ocean views? What?!!!! Awesome, I'm speechless...

Yes, I'm having trouble reading the designs.

- what are the 2 18" cab flanking the DW to be used for?

- same for the 12" to the right of prep sink, or Right of corner susan?

- where will you put the trash(s)?

- where do you intend to keep the coffee maker, toaster, blender, etc. IN the app garage or out? If IN, then I don't think that app garage will be big enough.

- W/ so many people, I would def make the island sin 36" base w/ 33" sink it it.

- I would consider a MW drawer in the island near the fridge, instead of by the app garage (even though I don't like MW drawers).

I see that prep corner being busy/congested for breakfast: toast/coffee/warm up milk for coffee/oatmeal, etc...

- where's the washer/dryer?

Wait: is the kitchen on the 2nd floor?

When you come in from the outside, you go to the 1st floor first?

and climb stairs to get to the kitchen?

hmmmm... I would want to retire on a 1st floor home, where I don't have to climb stairs, or can use a wheel-chair possibly.

when it says ADA bath#2: does that mean the shower is wheel-chair accessible also?

(I'm only 42 and I'm planning ahead for my retirement, as I watch my aging mother-in-law deal with these difficulties)

--

great great vacation/retirement space.

good luck,

Amanda

I think the kitchen is pretty good. I would put the microwave where you note it. It makes sense to be near the fridge/pantry area.

I would switch the shower and linen closet in Bedroom #1 to muffle the shower noise more.

Just received some updated elevations, so I'll add them here first and then comment.

rebunky:

It is very different than a trailer. My parents' current home is also a modular, and you'd never know it unless you knew to look for a few subtle clues. It looks like a normal two-story colonial. It just happened to be delivered in 4 pieces on a truck! Modular homes can be a great way to save money because they usually have a boxy design and the pieces are built in a factory instead of on-site.

Yes, that is two dishwashers flanking the sink in the island. In their current house, my parents' dishwasher is running all the time and there's often a pile of dirty dishes waiting to go in on the counter above it. I am confident that they will both get good use.

Sorry the plans are not more legible! In my browser (Firefox), I can click on the images and a much larger image will appear. Does that not work for you? If you know a better way of doing this, please let me know and I'd be happy to revise! I used the Houzz photo upload option.

With the elevations I just uploaded, it should be easier to see how the roof deck works with the windows looking down into the kitchen. It's likely that we will have bay views from the 2nd floor living room looking to the top right of the page, and it's almost definite that we'll have them from the roof deck looking in the same direction.

The ocean is a little farther away and there are more potential obstructions in between, so I'd say ocean views are unlikely but not impossible. If we had them, they would be from the dining room and upper roof deck looking to the lower right of the page. There are close neighboring houses directly to the west and east (top and bottom of the page).

Amanda:

Again, sorry the plans are not more legible. Please let me know if you know how to fix this and I'll gladly do it!

I'm not really sure what will go in the cabinets flanking the dishwashers or the right of the prep sink yet. I was toying with the idea of putting a pullout trash to the right of the right dishwasher, and another to the left of the prep sink under the windows. What do you think?

I am considering getting rid of the appliance garage altogether, putting the microwave at counter height to the left of the fridge, and the coffeemaker/toaster on the counter to the left of that (in the current location of the appliance garage). My parents don't use the blender much, so it will likely be stored in the pantry.

Interesting idea about allowing for a larger sink. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. Is a standard sink usually in a 30" cabinet like the one we have shown?

I did present the option of a MW drawer (in that exact spot!) to my parents, but they are not interested. They want a regular microwave that is easily replaced at a reasonable cost. That means the MW has to be at counter height because my mom is very short and would struggle reaching one mounted at upper cabinet height.

Yes, I agree that the corner has the potential for congestion in the morning, but I'm not sure how to improve it. It should be somewhat mitigated because people usually trickle into the kitchen for breakfast at different times, but I suppose if we were all trying to get somewhere on time in the morning it might be an issue.

The washer/dryer are in the laundry room on the 1st floor.

Yes, the kitchen and main living area are on the 2nd floor. Which luckily isn't an issue because there's an elevator! Reverse living arrangements are common in this area because it means you get to enjoy whatever water views you have from your heavily used common spaces rather than the bedrooms which are usually only used at night.

All homes in the area are required to be raised on pilings in case of flooding. So you walk in the front door on the ground level, but you are not allowed to make the entryway a true finished space with regular drywall. You are required to use breakaway walls that will break off and float away during a flood to protect the structural integrity of the rest of the house. So the main entryway will be more casual like a mudroom, and there won't be any heat or air conditioning.

You'll walk up the stairs or take the elevator to the first floor, which has 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a laundry room, an office, a lounge/theater room, a coat closet, a large walk-in-closet, and a large covered deck.

If you continue to the second floor, there is an open concept kitchen/dining room/family room, a large walk-in pantry, a large uncovered deck, 2 bedrooms (including the master), 2 full bathrooms (including one ADA compliant), and a utility room.

I don't remember which ADA standards we used when designing the ADA bathroom. The shower either allows a wheelchair or it has a transfer seat that you move to from the wheelchair. I think it may have been the transfer seat, but I'm not completely sure. One of our group members is a physical therapist and gave it the stamp of approval a while ago. I'm just a little fuzzy on the details now.

lolauren:

I love the idea of muffling the sound from the shower in Bedroom #1, but how would you solve the problem of the bathroom and linen closet doors banging into each other?

Thanks for the new plans. Wow! Now I understand what you are describing.

I have a regular DW and also a double dw drawers. I love them. I'm embarrassed to say this since it is only my husband and I now, but we use them all daily. I guess I dirty a lot of dishes!

Oh and just had to add...an elevator? What? That's awesome....

Out of curiosity, did you price out this plan with a regular build? Was it way less going with this modular plan?

With a countertop MW, you need to place the MW so there's at least 15" of clear landing space adjacent to the handle side of the MW. (If the MW is mounted above the counter, the landing space should be below it; if it's under the counter, the landing space should be above it.)

MWs average around 21" wide (some wider, some narrower - the narrow ones are usually around 700 or 800 watts - pretty weak for a MW). You will need a few inches on the hinge side to ensure both enough air circulation around the MW as well as sufficient space for opening the MW door. Next, add at least 15" on the handle side (personally, I'd do at least 18").

3" + 21" + 15" = 39"

So, be sure you have at least 39" of clear landing space (i.e., nothing else in the landing space area - no toaster or toaster oven, no coffeemaker, no mixer or blender, etc.) 42" would be better - more flexibility with MWs, better landing space.

It looks like you have, maybe, 36". You need another 3" to 6".

Do you really need 6 feet of refrigerated space? Even for 10 people... I would reduce it to no more than 66" (5'6") and use the extra 6" for the MW space.

Double wall oven - if your mother is short, I would think twice about a double oven. With the setup in your layout, she will not be able to use the upper oven without burning herself. A better idea is to have two single ovens mounted so the bottoms are midway b/w the floor and counter. Something like this:

Any chance you'd be willing to share the name of the modular company? These look like very nice plans to me. I do second the double oven conversion to side by side ovens comment, though. I have no idea the height of your family, but I'm 5'2", and a double oven would be tricky for me (and I'm 30 years from retirement age).

Agree with what Buehl said. (She's one of the greats!)

Fridge/freezer does seem huge. I know you will have big groups at times, but that maybe overkill. You could really use more counter space for mw landing, coffee maker, toaster, etc...

Definately go with a 36" or at least 33" sink. 30" is definately too small.

The curved overhang on island might be tight for leg room if want stools on those two ends. What do you plan to store in the shallow cabinets on back of the island? Maybe lose those, shorten the wine rack and cookbook shelf, and square up the island? You have plenty pantry storage. I don't think you will miss the small amount of things you could store under there and they would be a pain to get to anyways. Put that money saved in cabinets somewhere else.

Consider a 42" range hood over your 36" cooktop for better capture.

Just a few notes for now anyways. :-)

Thank you Rebunky!

Here are my updated plans with and without dimensions. They are mine,
not from the builder, so there might be slight variations in small
things such as wall thicknesses. Hopefully they will be easier to read. Comments to follow.

rebunky:

Yes, an elevator! :) It's almost a necessity if you are going to retire in this area because of the local regulations requiring the house to be elevated on pilings. Either that or extensive wheelchair ramps.

I'm not sure what type of comparison shopping my parents did before deciding on a modular. I came on board with the project after that decision was made.

buehl,

Thank you for the microwave area dimensions, they were very helpful. We moved the freezer to the pantry to free up some more counter and cabinet space. That allows plenty of room around the microwave.

Yes, it is a ton of fridge/freezer space! We are basing it off of my parents' current lifestyle. The fridge and freezer are always packed, and they have a mini fridge and freezer for overflow in the basement. When I visit it can be tough to make room for anything I've brought over. They are big Costco fans...or at least my mom is. :)

I talked to my parents about the side by side wall oven idea (which I liked, by the way). My mom prefers to keep them stacked. She says she is fine using the stacked wall ovens at my house (which are a few inches higher because we have a shallow drawer underneath), and she'll have my dad do anything she finds difficult.

hawkeyekitchen:

Actually the designs were done by us! We completely scrapped the builder's original plans and started from scratch on our own.

I'm just under 5'4" and have no problem with stacked double ovens, and like I said ours has a shallow drawer for baking sheets underneath, so it's a bit higher than normal. My mom is around 5 feet tall. Have you had a chance to try them out before?

rebunky:

Whoops, missed your last comment when I wrote my previous response.

I increased the width of the sink cabinet in the island to 36". I'm not sure what size sink that translates to, but it's the same size sink cabinet my parents have now and it's huge! Definitely wouldn't want to go smaller. Thanks for picking that up (and you too, huango!) because we missed it.

At the shallowest point of the island (at one of the stools on the end), the leg room is 15.5". Do you think that's sufficient?

Great suggestion about getting rid of the cabinets on the back of the island. You're right, we have a ton of storage elsewhere and it probably wouldn't be very cost effective.

We originally added the curve to the island to make more room between the island and the column behind it. But that's no longer an issue since removing the back cabinets. Still, we are considering keeping the curve to make it easier to converse with others sitting at the island. But if we squared it up, it would provide more cooking prep space on the end of the island near the fridge. I'm kind of torn on this one.

I removed the cookbook shelving on the end of the island closest to the dining room. Cookbooks could easily be stored in the pantry, and storage near the dining room table is valuable for tableware (and was in short supply before the change).

My parents vetoed the idea of a 42" ventilation hood. They don't want to lose the upper cabinet space, and they point to my kitchen which has a 36" cooktop with a 36" hood and has been fine. Great idea though!

Oh yeah, those layout plans are SO much easier to read! I'll let you know if anything else catches my eye. :-)

It looks nice and I think you have plenty of prep space to the left of the clean-up sink. I assume that is secondary prep, right? Most prep will proper occur between the small prep sink and cooktop. I have a couple concerns.

• Where is your storage for dishes, cutlery and glassware? At least those items should be as close to the DW as possible.
• Why do you have trash between fridge and microwave? You really need it right at the prep sink.
• How does the storage in this kitchen compare to your parent's current kitchen? It seems fine for most people but with all the big family gatherings, that means a lot of serving bowls and other kitchen gear, plates, etc. Probably more than the average family needs regularly. There's a bit pantry but if Mom really stocks up at Costco, things still might get tight. Has the storage really been thought through?
• Have all drawers, cabinets and shelves been measured and compared to measurements in current kitchen to see if there is more or less, or to at least ensure that the new kitchen will be more accessible and functional? Especially if aging in place is the goal.

I realize you are asking for kitchen opinions. However, have you considered giving the second bedroom it's own entry into bath. With so many people in the house, a future inlaw will not want to walk in an open hallway in the morning or evening. I feel the plan needs an additional toilet downstairs also. Again for this reason. Who ever gets stuck with the second bedroom will have no private space compared to the other bedrooms.

Awesome house! I have only one little comment, and that is that you can't converse at an island where the seats are all lined up in a row, whether it's curved or straight. To me it looks like a diner, where everyone buries their head in the their newspaper or talks to the waitress, not to fellow diners.

As funky mentioned, I would try moving the trash by the fridge, over near your prep sink. I make the most trash at my main prep/sink zone. No dripping yucky stuff over to the trash, as it's right there next to prep sink open and ready to dump.

Can you make the prep sink cab a 21"? (I am not sure if you need the 24" cab for a prep sink or not?) Then the trash p/o can be a 15" between it and the corner susan.

Or, keep it 24", but have the trash pullout be under the prep sink cabinet? (Do a search for trash pullout prep sink cabinet, as I'm sure I have seen this before). Then, I'd make the 12" a tray storage for cutting boards.

Under the MW area, that nice 34" deep drawers could hold tupperware, mw safe dishes, bowls, paper plates, coffee/tea stuff, etc...

Next to fridge, where you had the trash, instead it could be 18" drawers for all those grab-n-go bars and snacks from Costco.

Or, like me, hold herbs, vitamins, and tinctures. :-)

funkycamper:

Yes, the sink under the windows is a prep sink.

Dishes, cutlery, and glassware would be stored near the dining room
table and right-hand dishwasher. That would include the 30" wide
drawers in the island, 30" wide drawers to the right of the wall ovens,
and 30" wide upper cabinets to the right of the wall ovens. (The
kitchen elevations currently show cabinets under counter height, but we
are converting those to drawers. Still waiting on revised elevations
from the builder.)

I really wasn't sure where to put the second trash. I originally had
it closer to the prep sink like you suggested, but I wasn't sure if it
was a problem having it so close to the other trash.

I put together a rough estimate of their current kitchen storage vs.
the new design, and I'd say a pretty conservative estimate is that
there's at least 2/3 more storage in the kitchen cabinetry (ignoring the
pantry for now). Most of the storage gains are below counter height
which is excellent for aging-in-place.

I was surprised when I started really thinking through the pantry vs
their current "extra" storage space outside of kitchen cabinetry. At
first glance the new pantry is HUGE and you'd think it would fit so much
more than the storage they have now. But take a look at the kitchen
related storage they are currently using outside of their kitchen
cabinetry:

- 1 coat closet converted to a pantry (maybe 3 ft wide? but very
inefficient use of space because it's so deep and hard to find stuff)
- 1 small reach-in pantry closet that is an appropriate depth (maybe 18-24" wide)
- 1 rubbermaid style storage "armoire" on the basement stairs landing, used for oversized and infrequently used items
- 1 double door reach-in pantry in the living room (converted from a wet bar), used almost entirely for servingware and china
- 1 china hutch in the dining room (though it doesn't exclusively house china, there are also collectibles on display in there)
- 1 buffet/credenza in the dining room with special occasion flatware, bartending supplies, etc.

Suddenly that new walk-in pantry doesn't seem so big anymore,
especially with the freezer in there. For sure, there is a lot of stuff
they aren't really using now that could be pared down. But there is a
lot of special occasion stuff like holiday china and flatware, specialty
serving items, etc. that I don't think they'll be willing to part with.
Now I'm wondering if it might be worth bringing back the extra
cabinets we had on the back of the island for storage of infrequently
used stuff like that.

Like I said, this really took me by surprise because their kitchen
related storage is spread out all over the first floor of their current
house. It's hard to picture it being condensed into one dedicated space
in the new house. Thank you for suggesting this exercise - it has been
eye opening!

ourgeorgiahouse:

Thank you for the feedback. I'd love to hear feedback on any aspect of the plans, not just the kitchen - please fire away! :)

I am hesitant about adding direct bathroom access for Bedroom #2, but
the thought certainly has crossed my mind. That is the only public
access bathroom on the top floor, so adding access to the bedroom would
mean we are dealing with a two-door bathroom situation. I anticipate
problems with people forgetting to lock/unlock both doors. Have you had
any experience with this type of situation?

I am not sure I follow your comment about adding another bathroom
downstairs. We currently have 3 full bathrooms (one for each bedroom)
and one half bathroom (public access). Where do you see a need for
another?

sjhockeyfan325:

Thanks for pointing that out. I haven't been in a kitchen with an island that long, so it's hard to picture. If we end up putting back the cabinets on the back of the island, the curve is necessary so there's enough space for the person seated in front of the column. But if we keep the current configuration where the island isn't as deep, it might be worth squaring out the island for more prep space since it wouldn't make a difference with conversing anyway.

rebunky:

Hmmm I'm not sure what size is appropriate for a prep sink in this case. I am a little nervous making it smaller, as the kitchen will be used by some serious cooks working together (i.e. it's not just a sink for passersby getting a glass of water). But then again, I'd much rather have a pullout trash next to the sink rather than under it. That way it can remain open while you are using the sink.

I've never worked at a prep sized sink before. What size do you find comfortable?

What do you mean by "tray storage" for cutting boards in the 12" cabinet? Is that vertical or horizontal storage?

I agree that the area near the fridge is perfect for snacks/coffee/microwave related stuff. And Costco sized bottles of vitamins and supplements. :)

An exciting project, good luck.

My in-laws have a small house with two doors on main bath. It is a bad idea based on experiences there with large family gatherings.

Tray storage is usually a vertical space for cookie sheets and cutting boards. So much better than storing them horizontally.

I've never had a 2-entrance bathroom in my own home, but I can tell you as a "consumer" I really dislike them.

As sjhockeyfan said, the tray storage is vertical. I think mine is only a 9" wide cabinet with a small drawer on top. Convenient next to my sink for my cutting boards.

Sorry, I don't know much about prep sinks either. Hopefully someone else can be of help on the size. :-)

Tray storage sounds very handy. Much better than pulling out a heavy stack of cookie sheets to get the one I want which is what I have in my house.

Still waiting for revised plans from the builder, so we are temporarily on hold at the moment...