I don't think it would provide increased functionality in terms of your issues. I would suggest going to the store and seeing what it would be like to load a partially pulled out drawer. Also measure exactly how far it protrudes.

You could try boxes and see if that actually enables you to achieve increased functionality.

You’re right that I really need to find a way to see and test in person before making a decision. I hadn’t seen them at my local big box stores but I also haven’t really looked for them locally.

One detail I didn’t add because my post was way too long as it is is that I often load the top shelf of my current dishwasher with the door only partially open. When I do that, I can comfortably stand in front of the sink and reach to the back of the top dishwasher shelf beside me. I've just measured and the door is open about 17” when I do that (picture below).

But of course the bottom shelf can’t really be loaded at all unless the door is fully down. And the dishes going on the bottom shelf tend to be heavier (plates, pots and pans, etc.) so maybe I notice that bottom shelf a lot more? I’m not usually organized enough to do a whole shelf at a time So I end up going back and forth in the chaos of evening clean-up.

You should be able to find them to test drive at any appliance store. Just call and see if they have one available on the floor to test drive.

The big box stores don't really carry anything remotely upscale so there is no benefit from purchasing from them.

I have one and really like it, but I bought it on craigslist for a song. I don't know that I could stomach the cost of a brand new one. It would definitely take up less space while open, but it would still block the left door of the lower cabinet. Maybe consider relocating the items you store down there so there is less conflict? Do you plan to rework the layout eventually?

To answer some questions about whether the kitchen will be remodeled, that’s not likely to happen in the near future, at least not for 5-10 years. We don’t have any plans to move, either. I think if the kitchen were re-done to have a better layout in terms of functionality, or would be at the expense of storage, which is already minimal and a constant problem. This is a small kitchen, made even smaller by various old-house elements like a back door, big low window, curved wall, etc. that interfere with changing the layout.

I don’t think the cabinet and dishwasher could be swapped because it’s a long corner cabinet and seems pretty securely fastened where it is (picture below). The opening continues to the left past where the drawers begin, if that makes sense. Dishwasher question aside, I’m not willing to spend much on the kitchen at this point because there’s a possibility of a renovation in 5-10 (or even 15) years. Maybe you could tell that from my stick-on backsplash. I just recognize I may HAVE to replace my dishwasher before then, though.

Thanks for info. It would be interesting to see how much a new bank of Ikea base cabinets with all drawers would cost, compared to the cost of a dish drawer. The Ikea planner is fast, easy and free. https://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/rooms_ideas/splashplanners_new.html

kmarissa, we had the Fisher Paykel two drawer dishwasher in our previous home. We liked that we could run one drawer at a time since it was just my hubby and me living there, but one of the racks started to rust in a few areas after just a few years old. The replacement rack was ridiculously priced. Luckily, I remembered that they gave us an extra one (different config) with the purchase so I was able to swap them out. Makes me wonder if this is a common occurrence. Secondly, I wasn't impressed with their customer service. It's been a little while so I can't remember the specifics. Lastly, just when we sold the home after living there for 8 years, the dishwasher broke. I don't know what the problem was, but I know they are expensive units to repair. I really like the Miele in our new home and I know Bosch has good reviews as well. You might want to see if they have the 2 drawer models.

I have had the Fisher Paykel for years, in my home up north and in Florida. My only complaint is the older ones you had to put plates in with a slant. I just built a new home and have a new one, they made the top drawer taller to accommodate plates and I love it. I live alone so the drawer is perfect for smaller loads.

Apple Pie, I do like IKEA for affordable kitchens—we actually added ikea cabinets in one part of the kitchen to add storage. But wouldn’t we then need to replace the countertop and the upper cabinets? Seems like that would have to be more than $800-$1k. BUT I haven’t priced any of that so I could be way off. It would also leave unmatched cabinets on the other side of the kitchen, although maybe that’s a necessary evil. I would lose storage depth in the corner next to the drawers, which is hard to reach but we do use for less-used items that have nowhere else to be.

Drsag, I’d be interested in other companies, but my understanding is that Fisher Paykel is the only one doing the drawer units right now. I’d be happy to learn more about other options though. That rust issue is concerning!

Replacing kitchen cabinets - however inexpensive those cabinets might be - is a snowball as then EVERYTHING in the kitchen needs to be changed - sink, plumbing, counter. It just starts to spiral and often you need to upgrade electrical for Code because once you touch the kitchen to that extent, it all needs to be brought up to current Code.

Save your money for a real remodel and then you can think about how to get a more functional kitchen for an affordable amount - a lot of course depends on your DIY skills so if you have none, now might be a good time to take classes or otherwise bone up on those skills.

If the F&P drawers truly make your life easier after you have tested them as well as you can, then go for it.

If not, and you need to replace your DW anyway, I would personally go for the least expensive reliable brand on the market - check scratch and dent if possible as you just need it to last until you are ready for a complete remodel.

Helen, the more I’m thinking about this, the clearer it seems that I really need to see these units in person to really form an opinion on how helpful (if at all) they would be. And for what it’s worth, I just checked and the kitchen flooring is installed around the cabinets rather than under the cabinets, so any cabinet replacement would need to match the prior footprint perfectly :(.

Thanks everyone!

Your situation is exactly why I bought the drawers. My kitchen is so small I couldn’t reconfigure it during the remodel. The drawers solve this problem. I love them, especially being a small household I can run small loads. However, they’re not perfect. If you use the dishwasher pods youre essentially using twice as much detergent, and the powdered detergent is difficult to use. And my dishware doesn’t fit in well...the plates do but not the rest. It’s still worth it to me.

I'm in the love the F&P dish drawer camp. I got my first one when they were initially new to the market, maybe 18-19 years ago. It was a little risky not having much history but I loved them. Sold that house shortly after and knew I had a major kitchen remodel in my future again. I literally prayed for the dishwasher to break so I would have an excuse to replace it with the F&P knowing that when we did the remodel it would be the one appliance that would stay. Prayers answered and had that one for 8 years. No rust. One rack assembly broke and I found some online company that had parts (and this is funny - they were located in my town and someone dropped the part off at my door that day!). Ok, so THAT isn't the norm, but didn't have more problems. Fast forward to a downsize a few years ago, and ANOTHER kitchen remodel. We got an entire Kitchen Aid appliance package but I just had to swap out the dishwasher for the F&P drawers. We also got the 5 year warranty. I live in a metro area and there is a service company in the area that I had to call once for the dish drawers. Top drawer wouldn't open but a crack. Guy came and showed me want happens when you inadvertently "lock" the drawers :( Obviously you need to make sure it works in your space and the drawers can fully open. I have found them, both when we had kids home and now that it's just us, to be the best invention ever. Everyone has their preferences.

Get an 18" w dishwasher! The 6 inches is no big deal in loading function ! Add cabinet filler at the corner . Bosch! For the DW.

If you're not cooking that much? it sure won't be an issue:)

I don’t cook that much but my husband does :). We do have a baby and a preschooler so we have the usual array of sippy cups, bottles, and other assorted plastic that fills it up every night.

But I think I’m not following what would be the benefit of regaining the extra 6”. Would that create enough space to stand between the sink and open door? How coordinated would I need to be not to wind up losing my balance and falling over into the dishwasher? I’m not exactly...a graceful person.

I'd look into swapping out those cabinets for some from Ikea or even ready-built ones from a Big Box Store. Do you have a basement? If so, moving the sink to beneath the window will not be a huge deal; on a slab, it will be.

It's truly a totally dysfunctional space. I don't think expense DW drawers will solve that problem.

If you truly cannot afford to do anything much, I'd not use the DW and hand wash everything. It would be easier than this hot mess.

kmarissa03,

I am really sorry to tangent the thread but can I ask F&P drawer owners (janecalle, traci_from_seattle) what detergent works best for your dishwasher? I know that it may depend on the water quality but nevertheless ...

Powder detergent is best, to control the dosage. DD's take in only 0.8 gals of water per fill (maybe a bit less on the latest model revision). Pods and tablets typically are an overdose. I've tried Cascade Platinum pods and they generate so much suds/foam that the spray is impaired, the arm rotation is bogged-down, and the DD may add water a couple times to compensate for the amount of the initial fill that has turned to suds.

Fisher & Paykel is the only current manufacturer of drawer units, although they can also be found rebadged as DCS brand (which F&P owns). DDs were introduced to the market circa 1997 and have undergone numerous revisions, current models are series 9. I have a 3rd-generation unit.

KitchenAid had drawers some years ago, the first generation was rebadged F&P. 2nd-generation KA drawers were a different design that Whirlpool obtained with the purchase of Maytag and segued into the KA, Kenmore Elite, Maytag, and IIRC JennAir brands for a short time.

There tends to be a bit of terminology confusion when referring to DDs. The OP says "A set of two Fisher Paykel drawer units ..." A two-drawer unit is not obtained by purchasing two drawers and installing them in a stacked configuration. The machines are manufactured as either single-drawer units or double-drawer units (like a two-drawer file cabinet). Double-drawer units *CANNOT* be disassembled into two single drawers, and two single drawers *CANNOT* be assembled together into a two-drawer unit.

I really appreciate all these comments, suggestions and perspectives. For the record, I definitely agree that the design of the whole kitchen is the problem, especially at the sink area. The reason I’m trying to keep costs (and work) very limited is that it is likely we will be doing more of a full kitchen renovation in future years, so it doesn’t seem to make sense to do half the job short-term (plus there are other home projects that are more pressing at the moment).

When it comes time to re-do the kitchen, for instance, we will likely want to remove that defunct brick chimney that’s to the left of the sink. I’m not sure it makes much sense to get new counters and cabinets with the chimney still in place. We might add some square footage to the kitchen, or we might possibly move the kitchen into the current dining room. My secret dream is to build a big addition with the kitchen in a totally new space—but that’s probably not realistic.

So that’s why it might not make sense to redo cabinets and counters at this stage. But I will likely HAVE to replace the dishwasher, which is what got me thinking If it’s worth kicking a small amount of money to lessening the issue, even if the issue isn’t fixed. A new dishwasher is something I could probably keep in a kitchen renovation, if it’s still doing well when the time comes.

Anglophilia, can’t agree with hand-washing instead! ;). Did that every day in our last house, and again now whenever the dishwasher breaks. I’ll grumble and moan about the layout but still prefer it to hand-washing, especially now that I have kids!

Nhb, no worries :)

Dadoes, thanks for clarifying and correcting. The terminology isn’t my strong suit. Example: I also realized my first post referred to a French door fridge when I really meant a side-by-side fridge. I meant the double-drawer unit.

Traci, thanks for showing pictures of a set-up like mine! It’s very helpful.

If you are doing a major reno in 5 years cripple by with what you have and save your money for the major reno. If the dishwasher dies, buy a used on to get you through until you do the whole kitchen.

You will absolutely benefit from a dish drawer in that spot and they are great DWs, once you figure out how to load them. Your shins will thank you every day.

Do go to a store with your measuring tape. I bet you can stand at the right side of the sink and load. If you remodel in a few years, you keep that dishwasher and reinstall it.

In the meantime, get some boomerang cabinet pulls so you can appreciate a cute vintage kitchen.