kitchen reno ideas

4 years ago

hi. I'd like to open up my kitchen so that I can see 1 or 2 adjacent rooms. I'd also like to have an island or penninsula for seating area and two sinks. kothcbe has a tricky layout because of all the doors. does anyone have any ideas?

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DavidR

4 years ago

Open floor plans are "hot" now, but think twice. Removing walls from a house designed by its architect to have them can be life-disrupting and expensive, and you're unlikely to get the investment back when you sell.

I've also never understood why people think it's such a great idea for guests to be able to watch you make a mess in the kitchen while they're waiting for dinner. There were good reasons that kitchens were separate from (and sometimes far away from) the living and dining areas, back in the days when having servants was more common.

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Comments (11)

shead
4 years ago
To get accurate and useful answers and suggestions, you’ll need to post the floor plan of the main level and identify any load bearing walls.
cpartist
4 years ago
And the floor plan needs accurate measurements
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User
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Hire a real Kitchen Designer. Spend 60-150K, depending on your area, and percentile in that area, and you just worry about the colors and pretty stuff. Done. https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2019/
shead
4 years ago
"Spend 60-150K"

Don't let this figure ^^^ scare you. $150K seems to be pretty inflated to me but it all depends on your area, your finish choices, and the amount of structural work that you'll have to have done.

IKEA cabinets can be done for $15K or less. Appliances can be anywhere from $10K-30K depending on your choices.
shead
4 years ago
"There were good reasons that kitchens were separate from (and sometimes far away from) the living and dining areas, back in the days when having servants was more common. "

I agree with this to an extent but we aren't "back in the day" and having servants is far less common. Having a kitchen that it totally closed off to other rooms makes the cook (usually the wife/mom) feel more like the servant because he/she is missing out on the conversations and the family time. And removing walls isn't always that complicated or expensive. It just takes some planning and expertise which can usually be found through the contractor or even sometimes the lumberyard if they have someone there than spec out beams. Of course, it depends on jurisdiction and whether permits are required for it, etc. I actually thought that opening up our kitchen in our upcoming remodel was going to cost thousands but the contractor says the beam will cost $500 or less.

But until the OP gets back with a floorplan and measurements, it's all a guessing game at this point.
Ken
4 years ago
"Spend 60-150K, depending on your area". A recession will come sooner than later, which will bring prices back to Earth at least for a while. We are in the middle of planning a major kitchen remodel, but may push it off a year to see what happens with the economy. I'm quite sure our meals won't taste any better with a different kitchen. We'll certainly have a thinner checkbook.
DavidR
4 years ago
I'm quite sure our meals won't taste any better with a different kitchen. We'll certainly have a thinner checkbook.

Well said, Ken! The less money you throw at your kitchen, the more money you have to buy good, healthy ingredients. That's one reason that, other than the paint colors, my kitchen still mostly looks the way it did when I moved in. :)

There are certainly exceptions, but from what I've seen, most home renovation consists of

(1) Viewing home fashion websites and/or home improvement television programs.

(2) Noticing that parts of your house don't look like the expensive houses you've just seen.

(3) Borrowing a large amount of money, or taking it out of your savings.

(4) Removing and junking perfectly usable parts of your house that don't look like the ones on the websites and programs..

(5) Replacing said parts with expensive new house parts that look somewhat more like the ones on the websites and programs.

(6) Handing said large amount of money to your contractor.

The home improvement ecosystem is carefully designed for just one purpose: to keep money flowing smoothly and reliably from homeowners to contractors, suppliers, websites, and television producers.
cat_ky
4 years ago
First of all, you have a very good sized kitchen. I see no advantages of opening up walls. Everything looks to be in great shape. Second thing, is I dont always agree with David R, but, this time, I agree with him 100 percent.
Naomi
Original Author
4 years ago
is this helpful? I hear everyone's opinions. I agree I don't want to go bankrupt from this and my kitchen is not falling apart, but I want to be more connected to the rest of my house. it's not too functional for my lifestyle right now. if I could improve it and can afford it, maybe I should. let's see how much it will be
shead
4 years ago
We need a floor plan that is to scale of the kitchen and the rest of the main level to see how the kitchen relates to the larger layout. Design can’t happen in a vacuum. Any changes to the kitchen will cause ripple effects nearly throughout.