What would you do with a blank slate layout
Hubs and I are still trying to decided about our kitchen floor plan. It is in an open concept single floor home with vaulted ceilings (in the dreaded popcorn). It will be a DIY reno probably with Ikea cabs. I have not been happy with any of the layouts I've come up with, so this morning DH said why not start from scratch? (This might be why I married him!)
We will add an exterior vent. The window location cannot move right, so probably will not change other than become counter height. The fridge, a CD Samsung SXS, won't change, nor will the Bosch stainless bar-handle dishwasher. We'll likely go with a cooktop and wall oven, but a range is a possibility. Probably no microwave -- they take up a lot of space for a butter melting/oatmeal making tool. Flooring is Gray oak LVT plank. Current pics below.
So, given this existing floor plan, what would you do?
Sunroom/dining area
Before pic
ETA Don't know what's up with the broken photo links.
Comments (15)
Buehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
blank slate-what would you do?
Comments (14)Mtnrdredux-the view would be my side yard, a street and then the neighbors house across the street. I was thinking of it for light and watching the kids in the yard. Herbflavor-Thanks! We were thinking about carving out some space under the stairs for a drop zone, but aren't really sure how to achieve that yet. There is a wall now separating the kitchen from the dining room. There are a lot of pipes running through that wall so it will stay but we can rearrange the cabinetry on it. There is no wall next to the kitchen table, just a pennisula and there is a wall enclosing the stairs. As for style, I don't know. Everything in the house is "builder grade" - snap in place floors (with deep dirt collecting grooves), "brass" fixtures, etc. The house was built in 1995 and is part of a collection of all very similar houses. Is center hall colonial considered a style? (sorry for my ignorance) Ginny20- The sink is currently in the right L and the stovetop in the left L and the microwave is right in the little walkway by the dining room. Heating up lunch for my kids in the microwave, which I do a lot, blocks the access to the pots and pans, utensils, and dinnerware-perhaps we should just move the microwave and not remodel? :)...See MoreBlank slate, how would you configure this space?
Comments (16)Twins- Thanks for the clarification. You definitely need a larger addition, IMHO. Any chance of adding a bigger garage, to match the new addition? I don't know if you need the space, but it would seem to fit nicely into the overall plan...and probably increase the value of your home. I think your living space should be roughly equal to your bedroom/bathroom space. Think of a 2 story home...main floor living space, upstairs is bedroom/bathroom space. So...with that in mind, I would want to keep the layout of your first plan...and add the dining bump out, mentioned earlier. I'd add a rectangular dining room addition, where you have the wall of windows, in the family room. Then, you'd still have all those windows, but they'd be 10' to 12' further back, with a slider/french door on the 'left' side going out to a deck/patio, behind the kitchen. Great place for a BBQ. The fireplace/TV could be on the 'right' wall with the seating area 'as is' and maybe some windows on the TV wall, as you show in your pictures. This would give you plenty of room for the table and the seating area...without giving up kitchen and island space. You'll end up with a great entertaining space that can be flexible, when you have larger get-togethers :) As for the master bedroom (a bit off topic, I know) but I'd think about putting the master bath against the kitchen wall (closer to your other plumbing) and create a nice noise/privacy barrier. The closet could be on the front wall (as is) and the bedroom could have windows on the side and back. Maybe a slider/french door out to the patio...even a hot tub? Just a few ideas :)...See MorePlease help with kitchen layout - blank slate
Comments (5)@cpaartist - I am 100% sure that the porch was originally an outdoor porch - I opened up part of the wall in the laundry room and found the original wood siding and openings where windows originally were in the bedroom. Sadly they did a very poor job enclosing it. The back bedrooms were originally some kind of mechanical workshop - I haven't figured out exactly what type yet. There is a large barn door that runs along the exterior wall in the hall - they enclosed the wall and left a single door in behind the exterior barn door - I would like to restore that and have it open to a patio. There are a couple of houses in the neighborhood that are very similar to mine. I believe that the part of the living room with the fireplace was a later addition as well - the other houses don't have that. I love old houses with all their quirks and mysteries!...See MoreAn Empty Slate; A Blank Canvas. What Would You Do?!
Comments (7)0) Decide on the budget. No point on sky high desires when your budget is a shoes strings. Locate your utilities. The Utilities and their placement (e.g. septic) will be one of the constraints. 1) Approximately decide on placement of a driveway [the constraint here], based on the access to nearby roads. Your neighbor on the right (pic2) did semi ugly solution placing a garage, right next to the road. In the USA the driveway is the first permit you get. 2) Place your house about the same as your neighbors but try to orient spaces toward the south part. However south orientation should take a step back to the "Best Views". No point of orienting all your rooms to the neighbors backyard. The "Best Views" should be deciding the orientation. Also consider future development. 3) So 150m2 = 1600 sq ft - pretty modest. I would definitely do a walkout basement. Preserve all excavated dirt. 150m2 - I would rough 30mx50m structure. 4) Floor plans are typically based on the "needs and wants", we have no idea what is needed or important to You and your partner. Some ppl like big kitchens, others big garages, or big bedrooms or big entertainment spaces; 5) With all of that in mind - talk to the architects and the builders. Your conversations should be: what can I get done for this budget, how would you orient my house, where would you place the driveway, how our wants and needs be satisfied in 150m2....See Moremabeldingeldine
7 years agoBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agomabeldingeldine
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoBuehl, you are AMAZING. Thank you. OK, here is more info:
Goals:
Better function
more storage
better counterspace
2 adults, 1 cook
frequent from scratch meals, avid baker, canning and preserving in summer,
frequently host casual dinners/parties, often have people hanging out in the
kitchenNo significant structural
changes, but plumbing/electrical can changeWant to keep it open to
other roomsAppliances:
Range or Cooktop 30”
(possibly 36” if cooktop)Single or Double Wall
Oven?Existing standard DW
Existing 36”w SXS CD
fridgeAdd a vent hood
Prefer no or few uppers
Currently have a pantry
closet, deep shelves, not very functional.
I’m thinking pullout cabinets instead.That is the house plan. 2 large bedrooms and 2 baths are down the hall. There is a deck adjacent to the sunroom/living room.
Here are some of the before shots of the kitchen.
We dismantled the ridiculous island and reconfigured it temporarily. We painted now to mitigate my loathing of the wall paint.
"Are you changing the flooring? Would you be willing to have an island that extended into what appears to be a family room a couple of feet?" The kitchen flooring is new, and we will be extended into the living room. And yes, willing to have an island.
"Where exactly does that Family Room wall start?" The above images should answer that question.
sena01
7 years agoI have something slightly different if you can move the range to the exterior wall (maybe an induction range?). I think keeping the tall cabs/fridge on the short wall will help bring more light from the sunroom.
I show upper cabinets, but maybe you can eliminate the ones on the sink wall. You can consider an appliance garage in the corner.
Condo Renovation · More Info
Mariemont Ohio Traditional Kitchen · More Infomabeldingeldine thanked sena01mabeldingeldine
7 years agoBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoTo show you the advantages of having the refrigerator next to the Dining Room, in the correct workflow, and to the Living Room, I drew this up. Ideally, the refrigerator should be situated such that it is easily accessible from (1) Prep & Cooking Zones, (2) Dining Room/Table Space, and (3) Living Room for those looking for a snack -- all without any of these people (cooks, table setter, snacker) getting in the way of each other.
The Cooking Zone is also well-protected from traffic in this design. It's away from traffic going through the Kitchen to the Dining Room from the Living Room & rest of the house and away from traffic going to/from the Dining Room to the sink and dish storage.
Note that I took out most of the uppers. However, you lose a significant amount of storage - especially for dishes & glasses. It's up to you, but I would assess your storage needs b/f I eliminated very useful and well-located upper cabinet storage.
Yes, I know the trend right now is to eliminate upper cabinets, but often the Kitchens that are showcased with this fad are poorly designed and/or large with plenty of base cabinet storage and/or contain a separate reach-in/step-in/walk-in pantry that can hold anything that doesn't fit in the Kitchen itself.
mabeldingeldine thanked Buehlmabeldingeldine
7 years agomabeldingeldine
7 years agosena01 the island can absolutely extend into the living room. All the flooring will be the same.
Gnashing my teeth, I managed to complete a layout in the Ikea planner.
The confusion in the corner was my way of getting some hall storage, the idea being we install a cabinet through the wall with drawers opening in the hallway, effectively making that a dead corner. On the fridge wall in the corner are 15" horizontal door cabinets serving as appliance garages. This might limit prep space but might also serve to keep the area clear as long as I can train people to put dishes in the dishwasher. Too add more storage to sub for uppers, I eliminated island seating and added 15" cabs.
Thoughts?
mabeldingeldine
7 years agoShamelessly bumping in hopes of more feedback.
storage plan -- am I overlooking anything?
Buehl