What options do I have for designing a kitchen besides an architect?

last year

I will preface this by saying I have zero remodeling experience, so maybe I don't know what I'm getting into.

I have a small, square kitchen, approximately 15 ft by 12 ft. It needs to be remodeled, but I don't think it's a massive undertaking. None of the walls need to be moved or removed. There are no window or door changes involved. It's basically a reconfiguration of the existing space.

I already have a general contractor who will do the work. I just need help with the design. I have a general idea in my head of how I would like the layout to be, what appliances I want, and the types of cabinet and flooring that I like.

I got a quote from an architect for the design of the kitchen for almost $10,000. To me, that seems excessive and over the top for a relatively straightforward project. I was expecting to pay about half of that. I am willing to pay about half of that (or less).

What are my options for kitchen design besides to an architect? I tried to book consults with the kitchen designers at cabinets.com and Ikea because I'm genuinely interested in those options, but the companies won't talk to me unless the kitchen is in the current configuration for cabinets, which mine is not. My vision is to move the appliances to different locations within the existing footprint of the kitchen.

I can draw a basic layout of how I'd like the kitchen to look that is the extent of what I am able to do. It seems like companies won't talk to me until either I have professional drawings or I'm doing a simple facelift and reconfiguring my kitchen in the same exact way. But I only want to make relatively small changes and am not changing anything structural. What would you recommend?

Featured Answer

BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA

last year

last modified: last year

A kitchen designer is what you want. This is not generally the same as a cabinet salesperson, though some of the higher end kitchen stores may have one on staff. You should be able to find an independent kitchen designer that isn't tied to a specific cabinet sales company ...

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Comments (14)

PRO
RappArchitecture
last year
Agree that a kitchen designer is your best bet. Or find an architect who will charge you a reasonable price for what seems to be a simple project. When I was practicing I would have charged a fraction of $10K for what you describe.

(OR...and everyone here will yell at me for suggesting this...if you really trust your contractor, perhaps he has someone on staff who can develop the necessary drawings to get the permits you need. It sounds as if there's no structural work involved, but of course there will be electrical and plumbing work, and that's really what needs permitting. Talk to your contractor and see what he/she recommends.)

In terms of design, if you put a basic proposed floor plan on this site, I guarantee you that many, many people will respond with comments and advice to point you in the right direction in terms of layout.
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Oh! The toekick! Yes, that's cool. Sorry I misread that! Mirror is so MCM my head just took me there. No, no, NO! Bad architect! Very naughty! The fridge goes as in the floorplan, across from the prep sink. This is function. Function trumps looks. The looks will be spectacular either way. Function won't. And yes, it shouldn't be a big deal to move the hookups. A small price to pay for correcting this. At least the number of stools is more accurate. :) The aisle widths are still wrong in the new drawing, and the reason things stick out is that he added 8" overall to the measures. The built-ins will be 25" from the wall, and that's not marked for sure, but it looks like he has 4'8" for the work aisle (too big) and island, and he has an extra 2" on the credenza. It probably doesn't matter if the credenza overlaps the side light, except that it bothers you. There's even an argument to be made for breaking up the grid. But, since the point of the credenza is to delineate the kitchen, having it break into the neighboring space, besides bothering you, is counter productive. You also need a little more margin on either side of the cooktop and sink. 8" minimum, 12" better, 15"-18" best but would probably screw up the rest of the design. Is that a Jenn-Air with integrated downdraft cooktop? Are you sure you want to go this way? I know you don't cook, but you said you wanted to, eventually. With the house shut up tight most of the year, it could get pretty awful without a good vent and cooled make-up air. If you're content with downdraft, please consider getting one of the pop-up ones that go behind the cooktop. That will not only do a better job, it'll be a shield for the little ones you were concerned about. I did a Google search for whitewashed cabinets and all of the pictures were either French Provincial or ugly pickled. Egads!!! As to whether they'd be too light, that's up to your taste. I just like the positive/negative, light/dark, apposition in this design and think it would be great if carried through to the cabinet fronts. It's not like it wouldn't look good in all walnut. I will say, however, that I find dark interiors in Phoenix to be very unsettling. They're fine in New York, but in the Southwest they're just...dark. I love the idea of the dark accent of your walnut, and the quantity will be fine either way, but I don't think it can be too light. :)
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I suggest you think about your needs in terms of the competencies required for the design task rather than the job title(s). 1.) You need someone to help translate your lifestyle needs into a liveable floor plan, 2.) you'll need someone with enough structural background to ensure the plan can be implemented without it becoming a major civil engineering project, and 3.) you'll need someone who can help assess the cost early in the design phase to ensure it can be realized within your budget. I've worked with both architects and designers who brought high level competencies 1.) and 2.) to projects as well as some who brought neither. With regard to assessing cost, you'll be well served to pay a remodeler to develop a line-item estimate of materials and trade labor for any portions of the construction you will not be doing yourself. Best wishes for a successful project.
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Oh, I've been involved in 10K kitchen remodels. Small ones though. Stock off the shelf crapinets, 2K. Laminate counters fabricated to fit, 1K. Apartment grade appliances, 2.5K. Vinyl floors $500. Sink, faucet, disposal, $600. New replacement center light fixture, $100. New DIY paint, $100. No electrical at all. Just the plumbing reconnects to the crappy old drains and shut off valves, because penny wise and pound foolish. And 4K worth of licensed, insured, and background checked contractor labor, from someone that you'd actually want to allow in your home, to demo all of the old, legally dispose of it, and install the fresh new in the apartment.
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A rectangular trestle table (with slightly rounded, non-pointed corners if you can find it with these), ideally with at least 1 or 2 leaves, will seat more people than a table with legs on the corners. Who will be sitting at the table on a daily basis, and as visitors? If you will be buying a table of reasonably decent quality to keep for the long run, and will have people older than little kids sitting at it, at least 4 chairs would be a minimum, and 6 would be better--if there is some place else in the house where the extras could be used or stored until needed. When my daughter was first married, she bought a table with 4 chairs due to their under 1000 sq' house and kitchen-eating area smaller than yours. When they wanted to entertain, which often was a total of 6 adults, 2 people had to sit on folding chairs and be relatively uncomfortable, although she could have put 2 more "good" chairs into the small space if she'd had them long enough to enjoy the meal and conversation. For years, I had an 8 x 12' dining room with the long side open to the living room. Because a 6 x 10' rug defined the dining space and therefore the location of the table, there was actually about 9' in width. I routinely had 8 people (7' long table including 2 leaves) seated. Crowded? A little, but doable. How busy will the walkway at the "bottom" of the kitchen be--what does it connect? If it's not super busy, could you shift the left wall of cabinets and the island 3 to 6" into the walkway to get more space in the eating area? Anne
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PRO
Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
last year
last modified: last year
Are you totally set on the GC? I ask this because most good GCs have relationships with other professionals who can help you, such as designers, tradesmen, and cabinet, stone, tile, and appliance resources. If he doesn't, I'd be hesitant to use him.

In addition to an independent kitchen designer, Design/Build firms that specialize in kitchens and baths are great resources for one-stop shopping.
PRO
Revelry Interior Design
last year
Most interior designers design kitchens!
0
auntthelma
last year
If youre not moving walls or doors and windows, youcan work directly with you general contractor. You dont need an architect to update an existing kitchen. I did mine with just me, the cabinet store and the contractor.
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Lyn Nielson
last year
if you have a collection of ideas (a vision board)

Sit down with your builder and discuss how to accomplish your vision.

Your builder, if he listens to you, will walk you through each step.
0
lharpie
last year
Independent kitchen designer for sure! we did all the design ourself - mostly we are happy but i think a few k in design fees would have been well worth the investment! there are so many choices/small details to attend to.
0
nickel_kg
last year
Just to be clear, are you discarding your existing cabinets and starting fresh?
0
PRO
Sabrina Alfin Interiors
last year
An independent CKD or a CID is what you want (Certified Kitchen Designer or Certified Interior Designer). But I have to tell you, $10K to design a full kitchen remodel is not excessive. In fact it's a little on the low side. You can expect to pay roughly 10% to 15% of the cost of construction for a kitchen design. So, let's say your remodel will cost $150K to build. Design fees will be around $15K give or take, depending on where you live.
0
Otter Play
last year
To start, take a look at your current kitchen, and note (as in write down, not each individual jar of caviar but how many shelves of what length to store canned goods, dishes, cookware, small appliances) where everything is stored. Also note anything that causes you problems as you cook. What are the pain points that you want to correct?

Next, sketch out your ideas for your new kitchen. Where will everything go? Will it all fit? How will the new layout make your cooking process easier/more pleasant? I think you may have this in process already. This information will be useful for whomever designs your kitchen.

Start looking for a CKD. Good CKDs really can think outside the box and make your kitchen more efficient for you. Also take a look at some of the posts about kitchen design on Houzz. (Someone will be along with a link.) Finally, posting your sketch in this thread will get you a lot of feedback — and most it it will be very useful. Best of luck with your project!
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blfenton
last year
Don't hire an architect to design your kitchen. When we renovated several years ago our GC was a design build firm and came with an interior designer and she designed the kitchen and did a great job. This time around we are building new and the architect designed our new house and plunked down an island and called it a kitchen.

We hired an interior designer, fired her for not listening, and hired another one on the recommendation of some friends and we're happy with her.

So ..... ask friends, ask your contractor who he or other clients have used. And don't be afraid to fire them if they're not working out.
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PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
last modified: last year
IMO not all ID s design kitchens but in my experience architects are usually not good kitchen designers either . I agree post a to scale plan of the kitchen space if the plumbing is difficult to access show it the sizes of the appliances for . My advice get the appliances on hand before the KD gets going. I never design a kitchen until I have the appliances on hand now .Your contractor is the person who installs what the designer designs . You do not need an architect for this at all.On the plan show every widow, doorway where those doorways lead every meausurement clearly marked and all posted here in jpeg format in a comment . DO NOT start another post all questions, answers and drawings will be posted here in comments.Usually graph paper makes scaled drawings a bit easier to do. hen you will get a ton of free design ideas.I have designed many kitchens and not one was 10K for the design
0
Kendrah
last year
May I ask what your overall kitchen budget is? I would not hire an architect. I would, however, consider getting a kitchen designer on board. Interview two or three of them and ask the same good pointed questions of each - including what is the benefit of hiring a designer vs doing it ourselves with our contractor. I presume that one of them will have good answers that convince you to hire them.

The owner of our custom cabinetry company was a kitchen designer and her knowledge throughout the entire process was incredibly helpful. There were so many details that she knew about that I would have never considered - size, spacing, code, efficiency, construction, lighting design and needs, various appliance brands she knew to be good or problematic, various items that she sold to customers who really wanted them but she talked us out of. She didn't charge an extra fee, though the cabinets were expensive because they were custom. Still, in the end, I think we saved money because we used her and our kitchen was so functional and fantastic.
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raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
last year
I will echo Patricia Colwell's suggestion to make the best and most precise drawing that you can, agree that using graph paper will be easiest for you (and us). Measure and mark all wall lengths, all windows, all doors - include ceiling height and any obstacles to anything (such a ducts or pipes in walls, soffits or ceiling as far as you are aware.) Tell us if you are on a slab or have a basement.

Then please sketch out your "general ideas" - this doesn't have to be as precise. Include the sizes and types (ie bottom freezer vs top freezer fridge) of the appliances that you want,

For yourself, as others mentioned, make a list of what you need to change to make the space easy to work in (work triangle? traffic flow? need more counter space or storage? a bigger (or smaller) sink? need eating space?), and a list of what you would like to change (for cosmetics, or to enhance function beyond the "needs to change" list - like, say, a pull-down faucet, a better idea for trash/recycling/compost, or pet feeding spot).

Also, perhaps first, decide how much you can spend.

Doing these things will help you make decisions, whether on your own (in a simple space with the same footprint and only "minor changes" it is possible!) or in working with a KD.

There are several talented people on this forum who can and often do critique, make suggestions, or even draw up a design.
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What options do I have for designing a kitchen besides an architect?

BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA

Comments (14)

RappArchitecture

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