Kitchen renovation not completed - need to re-think
Roberta Long
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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herbflavor
7 years agoBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Complete lawn re-do...need some advice
Comments (5)I'm sorry I must have only previewed the previous message & not posted it! I live in Indianapolis, zone 5 B. Most of the residential grass here is a combination fescue/bluegrass, which is what I will probably use. I only have a couple of trees at the back edge of the lawn, so the only shade is from the house, which faces east. I did the jar test last week, & it still hasn't all settled. It looks like 5% sand, 10% silt with 10% clear water at the top leaving the remaining 75% clay. Also did the rolling test & had a strip about 4" long before it broke. I sent my soil samples to Purdue's extension & am waiting on results. In the meantime I just used a test kit from the hardware store. The pH color change was considerably darker than the color indicating an 8. Nitrogen & phosphorous had barely any color, indicating very low amounts of either & potash was right in the middle. Another indicator is drainage. There are a number of holes in the yard from where the previous owner removed the scrubs. When it rains they fill quickly with water (about 6") and take a good 10-12 hours to drain. Its sticky when it's wet & like trying to dig into concrete when its dry. I'm still raking up the left behind rubber mulch, but it hasn't rained for 4 days & it's still wet under those areas. I'm not opposed to clover & mulch in the back yard for this year, but would like to have grass in the front. Thanks for your responses....See More7 days bath renovation complete ... need paint color
Comments (5)Oh my! We have the same "before" bathroom!! Didn't you just love the demo phase?! Good riddance, I say! Am nearly to the paint choosing time myself, and it is not my talent, so I have no ideas for you. Instead I have a question. Please tell me ASAP the name/color of your floor tile. It looks so close to what I am selecting, and your pictures have aroused my curiosity. Thanks. And great job, by the way! Congratulations on style and speed....See MoreKitchen layout thoughts please I think we're close
Comments (2)Thanks, Chris! Some excellent points that made me realize I left some stuff out and need to consider some stuff I hadn't thought of much... Sinks - my software only gives me a double sink choice. I am leaning toward single bowls for both, or maybe a 1+1/2 for cleanup. Undecided. I tend to pop stuff in the dw immediately, too. Hate to have stuff taking up counter/sink space that doesn't need to be out anymore. Trash - I guess I could add a can under the cleanup sink. That is about our only option right now for the trash, and no one can get to it if someone is at the sink. So maybe we just have a couple of bins - one for prep, one for cleanup. We can put our kitchen scraps in our yard waste bin for the trash company to take for composting, so we actually have trash, recycle and scraps that we collect. I am still undecided on how to locate & handle all those. Right now we have our recycle bin in the mud room and it hasn't bothered me much. Frig landing space - I don't have this shown in the renderings, but I am thinking about putting in a type of flipper door appliance garage in the gap that would normally be between the base cabs and upper cabs in the stretch to the left of the frig. We'll keep the toaster, mixer and maybe coffee machine there. The doors can be left open to act as a landing for the frig, and then when we are entertaining and want it to look neat, we can close it all up. It won't be 24" deep, only 16-17. But I'm hoping that will be enough. I should have a couple feet next to the frig to use for that. Glass storage - It is a bit of a hike. I need to think about that. I think I am going to have filtered cold and hot water at the prep sink, so I've been planning to have the glasses on that side, but near the frig. I will have to do some testing in my current kitchen to see how the distance there feels. Seating area at bar - I do have it at about 2 feet right now. I have my dining table placed exactly where the counter/bar would be to see what it feels like. I had it at three, and it seemed like a waste of space because only one person can fit in that little "nook" where there is only two feet between bar and wall (so going behind that person isn't an issue). I do need to make sure that it doesn't get too close to the furniture we have in the family room, or make it feel like the kitchen is half way in the family room. Perhaps I will take some real pictures of the setup and see what people think. I love that you think we could dance in this kitchen. That is what I want! Roooooom! But that temptation to squeeze in ever more storage is strong, so it has been hard to balance the storage need with my desire for room and lots of windows as I've been considering layouts. Thanks!...See MoreI need suggestions on my complete kitchen renovation
Comments (18)Hi kntryhuman, How fun it must be to start from scratch :-). We have been working on a minor kitchen remodel the past month and have some ideas for you (sorry for the long post). A couple of ideas to consider instead of an island: 1) Create an "L" peninsula, extending out from the window on the short wall towards the dining room area. Place the stove in the peninsula (you would be looking into the family room while cooking). This shape creates a bit of separation between the kitchen and family room and makes it easier to move between the dining room table and the sink and stove. 2) Create a "U" peninsula with the window on the short wall at the center of the "U" and the stove on the right (you would be looking at the dining room table while cooking). This shape separates the kitchen from the dining room a bit and makes the countertop space behind the stove usable while cooking. With our new cabinets, We will be "connecting" our island to the countertop space nearby, effectively creating a "U." We find this gives us more usable countertop and lower cabinet space. In either scenario above, you could create an overhang on the peninsula (more countertop space) and place some stools on the other side. A peninsula also provides more walkway space to get through the kitchen to the laundry room. We think 30" is too narrow. We did some space tests recently between our currently movable island (this will be our new peninsula) and our refrigerator which we moved across from the end of the island. We found that 48" is comfortable to get through with a laundry basket, or for one person to be in the refrigerator and another to walk by. Even 42" was too narrow. (Maybe take a laundry basket out and do a walk through!) For the refrigerator, you could move it to the spot currently marked as "appliance pantry." The door would face towards the family room and swing to the left, opening towards the sink. You would build a 36" wall behind the refrigerator and put the freezer and appliance pantry behind this wall. This would make the refrigerator closer to the work space and dining room table. It would also provide 3" or so of extra space in the area behind the refrigerator wall. This is because refrigerators are not as deep as they are wide (and inches count!). In addition, if the "U" peninsula is used, items from the refrigerator can be placed on the peninsula countertop which would be across from it. How about a corner sink in the corner where the window is on the short wall? In addition to being closer to the stove, it would be an efficient use of space, providing more countertop and bottom cabinet space to the left of the corner sink. Perhaps then you wouldn't need the appliance pantry :-). One more quick thought - if going with the "L" shape, you could place some storage cabinets for the family room on the other side of the peninsula, for games or other stuff. Have fun and good luck!...See MoreBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoblfenton
7 years agoGreenDesigns
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agopractigal
7 years agoLavender Lass
7 years agohuango
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoemilyam819
7 years agoBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoemilyam819
7 years agoStan B
7 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRoberta Long
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRoberta Long
7 years agoRoberta Long
7 years ago
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Roberta LongOriginal Author