Kitchen Relocation/Design Advice Request
Hi,
We are a young couple who just bought our first place and looking to transform this 1960's kitchen into a functional and beautiful kitchen. We would really appreciate your opinion and advice on our proposed layout!
The house will just be us for now but we also love to have multiple kids in the near future.
Both of us love to cook and would love for the kitchen to be the main hang out area. In addition, we would really prefer to have an open flow from the kitchen to the TV/Family room and casual dining area. We don't care for a separate formal dining area.
Requirements:
- Appliances: Gas stove top (30-36"), Large wide counter-depth fridge, Dishwasher, full range hood (not microwave range hood combo)
- Windows: We want to keep the windows that look out of the back of the house because of our view. Also want to keep the windows next to the porch of the house.
- Cannot relocate the patio door
- Kitchen Island (Sorry, we are such suckers for them)
Prefer but not must haves:
- Wall unit ovens/microwave
- Prefer more minimalist contemporary design elements
- Exterior garbage can placement area (Not pull out trash drawer)
Cost is definitely a concern of ours especially since we are relocating the plumbing, gas and electrical but we wanted to see if this layout is even a good layout before we start to cost out our dream kitchen. Any feedback is welcomed! We're also interested in any prior kitchen relocation cost anecdotes.
Thank you kindly for reading!
Old Existing Layout
Old Kitchen pic 1
New Proposed Layout
New proposed Layout Pic 1
New proposed Layout Pic 2
New proposed Layout Pic 3
Comments (11)
User
4 years agoPam A
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Layout Advice Requested - Old house kitchen reno
Comments (15)Wow, lovely home. Try to go with 30" deep counters on at least the bottom wall, although I would do both. You can do this inexpensively by building a 2x6" frame behind the counters, or more expensively by ordering extra-deep countertops. You will incur the extra square footage cost on the countertop materials, but it's sooooo worth it. I grew up in the tiniest kitchen but never really noticed because it had 30" deep counters. This will also make the kitchen easier to work in by virtue of shrinking the middle aisle. Also, those uppers over your prep space will be much less in your face, although I would try to get rid of them altogether or at least not let them come down to face height.. it's miserable prepping with uppers in your face. As for layout, I would make the bar sink 6" larger, the cleanup sink 6" smaller, and switch their positions. Like this: Top wall from left to right: 24" DW with dish storage above, 30" cleanup sink w/ trash underneath, rest of wall as shown in your plan. 18" lower next to Fridge becomes dish storage. Bottom wall from left to right: 18" dish storage overflow/cookbooks, 36" cab but with larger square prep sink instead of small round bar sink and trash underneath, two 27" cabs for your prep for a total of 54" inches of prep space (you gain 6" because of the loss of the DW from this wall), rest of wall as shown in your plan....See MoreKitchen Design - have plan - advice requested...
Comments (9)Rosie is right, we need more information. For example, if you cook a lot, you have very little workspace around the cooktop and that angle is an issue. To have a decent amount of workspace and landing space around that cooktop, you should aim for 24" on each side. 18" and less than 12" won't cut it...at least not if you cook much. The prep (or bar) sink and wide expanse of counter is "orphaned"...the island is a barrier b/w it and the cooktop. You have all three primary work zones crammed into one small section of your kitchen...the Prep, Cooking, and Cleanup Zones are all on the small island (small with regards to how it's setup for working) and the counter behind it. You also have your Prep Zone facing the wall, not into the room where you could visit while working. (Because the island is a barrier to the prep sink and has very, very little accessible workspace, you will most likely end up prepping to the right of the cleanup sink...that's where you have water and access to the cooktop.) Also, because you have seating at the island, it will be difficult for anyone to work at that counter with the prep sink...the aisle is just too narrow for both. Personally, I'd get rid of the island seating, you have plenty on the peninsula. If this is more of a "show" kitchen, then function may not matter to you, do whatever "looks" nice to you. (Having a kitchen just for show is fine if that's what works for you, we're all different. Just let us know so we can tailor our comments to the purpose of the kitchen.) Or, maybe you eat mostly raw food and rarely cook. Looking forward to learning more about how you plan to use your kitchen. (Meanwhile, check out the "Layout Help" topic in the "Read Me" thread. It talks about what kind of information we need to help you.) Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: New To Kitchens? Posting Pics? Read Me!...See Moreadding a room, relocating stairs, relocating kitchen
Comments (1)A stair with a landing takes up substantially more room than a straight run. It will also take up even more room because what's there is likely grandfathered in with the old steeper rise and run that won't be allowed once you touch it. It will need to meet modern building codes. A project like this will approach the costs of doing a teardown and complete rebuilt instead. It's extremely expensive and fraught with difficulty. Try Eric Fisher. He did a project for a cousin in law there....See MoreRequest for Review of Kitchen Design
Comments (32)Floor plans are my "quiet hour" activity while my kid are napping/quiet, so I thank you for giving me a plan to play with today :-) The direction I was going in was fueled by sight lines. Your range wall is going to be such a beautiful feature and it seemed off balance to me to have it next to the bay window, so I put it on the wall where the proposed banquette is. I thought it would be best appreciated if you saw it when you came in through the mudroom, when you sat at the banquette and entered the kitchen. II just moved things around from there. I like the view from the front door through the banquette and out the bay window instead of a straight shot to your sink. From the living room, I thought the focus through the kitchen would be on a large group of windows behind the sink. Of course, moving the work zones to the right side of the kitchen had a domino effect of having traffic flow from the living room into the working part of the kitchen, so I played around with island placement and ended up with counter seating between living and kitchen to direct traffic around the kitchen proper and it also adds a lot of counter space. I don't think this is the perfect plan and I'm sure I'm missing something, but I had fun with it til the kids got up and I'm posting it in case it sparks any other ideas for you....See MoreJacky Lee
4 years agoJacky Lee
4 years ago
margaret T
4 years agomargaret T
4 years agoCould you cut the angle off the back of the stairs and shorten the windows in the kitchen to get something like this?
mama goose_gw zn6OH
4 years agoI think Margaret T has a good suggestion--can you contour the stair wall? If so, I wouldn't stick the fridge in the most inaccessible place, in the far corner from the DR. Omit the peninsula and lengthen the island, then put the sink on it. This is rough and will need to be tweaked:
User
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoMom
4 years agojslazart
4 years ago
doug_ b