Small kitchen reno - please help asap!
So, I've been planning to do my kitchen since we moved into this house, which is almost two years now. Had general idea in mind, was planning to go with Ikea. Few days ago we walked into Home Depot just to look at cabinets, and they happen to have what I wanted on sale with some additional discounts, but - sure enough - we have to decide by Sunday, that's when promotion ends. The designer at HD worked with me on layout, but I keep thinking there are some better ideas out there, which just are not coming to my limited mind :) I desperately need thoughts on how to make this kitchen work.
I will post a floor plan that HD designer had done for us, I've added the rest of the living room to it ( not exactly up to scale, but pretty close). Sorry for my ugly Paint job, no time to make it look nice lol :). Also a perspective pic is below. I'm planning to get high gloss white door fronts, butcher block counter top. Single sink. Have no idea about what tile to choose with it - any suggestions?
The house is small, inexpensive, and older, so one of our priorities is low budget, because this is just not the dream house or dream kitchen for us. Another priority is cramming dishwasher in there. And not putting the sink in the corner. There is currently a partial wall between kitchen and living room, we are planing to remove it and just leave a section wide enough to cover the fridge, this will give us enough space to have a dining table kind of half-way in the kitchen, half-way in living room. Also there is a baseboard heater by one of the walls, we cannot remove that thus the gap between cabinets and the wall. Those are the main limitations. Ideally, I would like the stove to be as far away from the dining table as possible, but we could only come up with this location.
I do understand that options of layout are extremely limited in such a small kitchen, but what I have now just doesn't look good enough, even though I'm not aiming for perfect or even close to it. May it's just a pressure of having to get it now b/c of a nice price. May be I just have to accept it is what it is. Please help with your thoughts!
By the way, price for all this Kraftmaid cabinets will be around $3500 (only cabinets, no counter tops included). It's less than what I would have to pay for similar ones at Ikea, plus instead of us driving to Ikea ( 3.5 hours drive) and assembling it ourselves (they told us we'll have over 300 boxes to open and put together) this comes to the house assembled. So I am motivated to get this by Sunday.
Comments (20)
desertsteph
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoIrene K
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoOn the left end there is a baseboard heater by the wall, we cannot remove that. Have to leave a gap per HD designer, I do not know what else to do with it. Above that - no upper cabinet b/c there is a window on the left wall, I was planning to have few open shelves there.
The gap between stove and DW - that's a pull-out thingie for cookie sheets etc. HD designer came up with it because she said we should not have stove and DW next to each other, plus this way she got the floor cabinets to line up the best.
We do have stove and fridge. Stove is 30", fridge is 28". No sink yet, so size doesn't matter that much. Just a single bowl. We are also going to have a 5" gap between fridge and the small piece of wall, in case we get a newer bigger fridge (likely we will).
Price does not include installation, includes delivery.
I do not have any pics of what it looks like now at the moment, but basically it isn't much of a kitchen. There are only a few upper cabinets, one long blind undersink cabinet (sink is in the same spot), and the stove. People who lived here apparently didn't cook much. Compared to the plan below - now there is nothing between the left wall and the end of the projected dishwasher.
Thank you so much for responding!
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Comments (3)I went on Houzz and looked a some beadboard kitchens...that was my thought, can one have too much beadboard! There were several with it throughout, so it doesn't appear to be too much after all. I want to go dark on the lowers because it's just so stinking hard to keep them clean in the cream color. (the dark will show more dog hair, but less dirt!). Definitely keeping the creamy color on the walls and upper cabs. I might do the red on the inside of the open cabs, tho...like I have in the pantry. I do love the b/w, but I don't want to do the whole kitchen walls in the red since the adjoining dining area is the same red as the backsplash. I am excited to start working on this project!! I have been lusting after open cabinets for a long time, and I have finally made the commitment to do so. Fortunately my dishes all coordinate now, so I feel like I can pull it off!...See Moreplease help review my kitchen reno...feedback on plans please!
Comments (15)Here's an idea: All perimeter counters and cabinets are 3" deeper than standard: -- Counters are 28.5" deep. This gives you more workspace as well as more room behind the sink for a faucet and to clean behind -- Base cabinets are 27"D. If your cabinetmaker does not offer deeper base cabinets, then pull standard 24" base cabinets out from the wall -- Upper cabinets are 15"D. This should not be a problem - most cabinetmakers today offer 15"D upper cabinets. All zones are nicely separated, which allows multiple people to work in the Kitchen at one time - preparing a meal/snack, cooking, and/or cleaning up. There are four defined Prep Zones, with potential for others throughout the Kitchen. There are 3 Prep Zones on the island - two of which are adjacent to the prep sink. The third is around the corner and while it is not directly adjacent to a sink, it's close to both sinks. There is a 2-bin trash pullout next to the prep sink. The Cooking Zone is on the wall for ease of venting. It is surrounded by ample work/landing space. There are two cabinets on the left for tray storage and pot & pan storage on the right. Additional pots & pans can be stored in the island. The Cleanup Zone is on the perimeter where dirty dishes are hidden from direct view from the Dining Room and Family Room. Both DWs flank the cleanup sink. There is also a 2-bin trash pullout b/w the cleanup sink and the range for easy access from both the Cooking Zone and the Cleanup Zone. Dish storage is located in several locations near the DWs and all to the left of the cleanup sink. This is so your dishes are located near their point of use - the Dining Room. Dishes are also stored near the DWs for ease of unloading. Finally, dish storage is located where someone can set the table or load/unload the DW without getting in the way of those preparing & cooking. Since you have a large family, you probably have more dishes than most (I grew up in a large family - six children as well - and we had more dishes than most.) Dish storage is located: -- A 24" Dish Hutch is to the left of the sink/DW. It has a 15" deep upper cabinet that goes to the counter above a 27" deep base cabinet. I recommend the first 6" to 9" of the upper cabinet be either a drawer or two or separate doors from above so you can open the doors above even when there are items on the counter. A nice thing about this arrangement is that if you are short or while your children are, dish storage is lower than in standard upper cabinets. Instead of starting 18" above the counter, storage starts 9" or so above the counter. [Note, I originally made it 36" wide, but then I remembered that you have a Utility Shaft at the end!] -- There is a 42" dish drawer in the island for additional dishes. The drawer faces the sink/DW side. 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Comments (17)Thanks so much for all the great input! @einportlandor - I get it! :-) I'm really, really uncertain about the peninsula which is why I was really pressing for input. It does seem a bit awkward to me.. just sort of unnatural. I do like the extra countertop space... can never have too much of that. I might just end up adding one more cabinet next to the dw and keep my pub table. We like the counter height seats, if it becomes problematic in the future, we can always get a lower table. The view is better from counter height though! @rantontoo, @benjesbride & @bpathome - the wall between the DR and kitchen is loadbearing and has hvac. Expensive to remove. Regarding the view: We have a better view from the LR slider and from 3 seats in the DR, we have that view too. I know the DR looks pretty dark in the pic I posted, but it's not that bad. It gets tons of light from the slider in the LR. Since the windows in the kitchen and the LR face west, we have solar shades and use them in the afternoon to cut the glare and heat. We wouldn't lower the window. Here is a picture from the table which shows the tennis courts and clubhouse in our view. It really is a small ocean view....See More2 small bathrooms help with Reno please!!
Comments (4)I don’t care much about the linen closet as they really don’t need that much storage in there. Just need somewhere for towels. We have additional storage in the hall closet that could work for sheets etc and each girl has a large walk in closet which could also hold sheets and extra bedding. So I think I would prefer to either remove the linen closet or make it smaller than changing the entry....See More
sheloveslayouts
8 years agoIrene K
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
mama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoI don't know how this plays with the sizes of cabinets that you've chosen, but I switched the cabinets on each side of the range, then m/l switched the sink and DW. It looks as if there might be 16" between the DW and the counter on the left, which is less than the NKBA's recommended distance of 21", but it's workable--I have about 14". You still have 36" for prep space between the sink and range.
Can the table be turned so that's it's more like a peninsula?
maries1120
8 years agoThis is what we did to get more storage space and still have a place to eat other than the dining room. There was a half wall diving the spaces that we removed.
sena01
8 years agoI tried to have the DW and the sink on the same wall, but can't read the dimensions at all. On the range wall, from the left I have a tall pullout pantry (12" wide), fridge, cab, range, corner cab.
I also moved your DR+FR furniture around. Not sure how it would feel to have the sofa across the DW or a chair next to it, but I'd love a dining table under the window, lol!
sena01
8 years agoI think I can now read the dimension of the long wall.
If it's 142, and if leaving 6" would be enough for the baseboard, here's another idea.
On the long wall, 12" tall pullout, fridge, DW, sink and corner and range on the other wall. I wouldn't center the range on the wall, so as have a wider prep space.
Irene K
8 years agohuango
8 years agosheloveslayouts
8 years agoCan you extend the wall behind the sink 6" toward the front door and put sink-dishwasher-fridge on the sink wall? Does this line of cabinets have a 24" farmhouse base so you could use an Ikea Domsjo single?
sheloveslayouts
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoAlso, did you consider Ikea Veddinge? It's just a painted white slab door/drawer front. It's what I have. I don't know anything about HD cabs, but I LOVE my Ikea base cabinets with soft close drawers.
This is Ikea Veddinge with 40" wall cabs and all-drawer bases flanking the range. What's in the picture below is around $2250 including the Domsjo sink.
nosoccermom
8 years agosheloveslayouts
8 years agonosoccermom
8 years ago
cat_mom
8 years agoflamingfish
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoIrene K
8 years ago
sheloveslayouts