Kitchen Plans – I’ve Had A Major Change Of Heart

This weekend, as I used to be engaged on the drywall within the lobby of our bed room suite, I used to be going via the psychological record of all the pieces I must do with the intention to end our bed room suite (as I do fairly often), and pondering to myself that as quickly as these guys are completed with the bed room door and the drywall restore across the door, I’ll be off to the races and I can get this factor completed comparatively rapidly.

“Shortly” is, certainly, relative. However I don’t assume it’ll take me practically so long as the walk-in closet took me. And I used to be desirous about how superb it is going to be to have that complete bed room suite completed, hopefully by the tip of this yr, and to have a lot of the home completed at that time.

After which I remembered my plans. Sure, that half of the home with the bed room suite can be completed, however then my plans have been to principally begin tearing up the opposite half of the home on the opposite aspect — transferring the kitchen from its present location into the realm the place the present breakfast room and pantry are, tearing out the half bathtub to create a walk-through pantry, turning the present kitchen right into a eating room.

I began desirous about how large that undertaking goes to be. Earlier than a kitchen may be constructed, I’d should have all new plumbing put in. I’ve already gotten a quote on that, and it is going to be nearly $10,000 only for the plumbing since this room has a concrete basis. After which I’ll should buy new home windows for the entrance wall of the breakfast room as a result of the present ones are too low to place cupboards beneath the home windows.

After which the set up of recent home windows would require new framing and new siding on the outside. And transferring the kitchen would require some fairly main flooring restore as a result of half of the present peninsula (the half that overlaps into the breakfast room space) doesn’t have flooring beneath it since I had to try this in levels that have been a few years aside, if my reminiscence served me appropriately.

I imply, with all of that, I’m most likely $20,000 proper out of the gate, and that’s earlier than I even get to new cupboards, new home equipment, counter tops, and the entire fairly stuff that truly make a kitchen a kitchen.

I simply don’t need to do it. And you already know what? I truly like the present location of my kitchen. It’s small, but it surely’s not the dimensions that bothers me. What does trouble me after 10 years of dwelling with this kitchen is the inefficiency. I’ve shared a number of occasions that this complete wall of cupboards on the again wall of the kitchen, whereas it seems fairly, is principally ineffective. I used cupboards which are method too slender on prime that they gained’t even maintain plates. And the underside cupboards are higher wall cupboards, so that they’re solely 15 inches deep. I set the center part out from the wall to provide it some depth, however the within the cupboards are nonetheless solely 15 inches deep.

Additionally, after I designed that again wall, I at all times thought that the lengthy countertop there can be the place we place meals when we have now folks over, however that’s by no means what finally ends up taking place. The meals finally ends up on the peninsula with folks gathered across the peninsula. In order that lengthy countertop on the again wall finally ends up as a catch-all the place random junk will get piled up.

So this previous weekend, nearly right away, I made a decision that I don’t need or want a bigger kitchen. I want an environment friendly kitchen. I want a kitchen with usable cupboards and storage that’s higher deliberate. Now that I’ve had this kitchen for ten years, I do know what works and what doesn’t work. So now, I can rearrange within the present footprint and design it in a method that truly works higher for a way we use it.

Along with the inefficiency of that complete again wall of cupboards, I’ve a pair extra points that I would like mounted. First, I hate that I don’t have extra countertop area subsequent to the range. I at all times really feel so cramped after I’m attempting to cook dinner. And at last, I hate that the dishwasher may be seen as quickly as somebody enters the entrance door of our home. As quickly as you stroll within the entrance door and look in the direction of the kitchen, the dishwasher is the very first thing you see. I’ve hated that from the second I put that cased opening between the kitchen and the lounge, however I’d by no means surrender that cased opening. It’s the dishwasher location that has to vary.

With these points in thoughts, I headed to the IKEA kitchen designer and began taking part in round with some concepts. I’ve no plan to make use of IKEA cupboards, however their kitchen structure designer is very easy to make use of to get some fundamental structure concepts in place, in order that’s the place I headed. Let me present you what I got here up with.

First, I moved the fridge to the again wall. And since I desire a French door fridge, I put it within the center. I’d like to get a panel-ready fridge, however we’ll should see about that since they’re so costly. After which I put floor-to-ceiling storage on each side of the fridge. Precise usable storage that takes up the total depth of the area out there. What a recreation changer that can be! In order that again wall would go from this…

…to one thing like this…

With the fridge relocated, the wall with the range might go from this…

…to this, with loads of countertop area on both aspect.

This might require some plumbing work, however since this a part of the home has a pier-and-beam basis, the associated fee can be a fraction of what it could be to maneuver it to the breakfast room space. After which I’d have far more countertop area on both aspect of the range, in addition to extra storage close to the vary, which I’ve additionally needed.

After which on the peninsula, I’d simply need to swap the placement of the dishwasher from the suitable aspect of the sink the place it’s now…

…to the left aspect of the sink.

Once more, I’d love a panel-ready dishwasher, however we’ll should see about that. I believe if the placement is simply swapped, I’ll be fantastic with a nice-looking dishwasher with out the expense of a panel-ready possibility.

I really feel a lot extra peaceable about this plan. I do know it sort of got here out of nowhere, however I actually don’t need to be engaged on this home for the following decade. I do truly need to end it (no less than the within) in order that I can spend my previous age outdoors tooling round within the backyard, choosing weeds, planting flowers, and having fun with the outside.

So principally, that implies that the breakfast room stays a breakfast room (or a eating room). The kitchen stays the place it’s. And the half rest room within the studio additionally will get to remain.

The one factor I’m uncertain about is the pantry. Matt and I are divided on this matter. I believe that if I’ve an environment friendly kitchen, I don’t want a pantry anymore, and I’d like to take that wall down. Matt desires to maintain the pantry, however the truth is that he doesn’t use the pantry. He simply likes the way it seems.

However I nonetheless need to go away the door open for that future addition. We’ve been speaking about it for what looks as if ceaselessly, however I nonetheless maintain out hope that it’ll occur. And when it occurs, I’d like a doorway main from the brand new household room into the eating room. That may’t occur if the pantry remains to be there. So I actually need to take this wall down and simply have one large, open room. Maybe I can nonetheless go away the cupboards alongside that again wall, however I’d actually desire a reasonably seating space or one thing that’s extra acceptable for a eating room — one thing that appears much less like a kitchen.

And that implies that this complete association will principally keep like it’s — kitchen peninsula, eating space subsequent to it, and the doorway into my studio.

On the IKEA kitchen planner, I wasn’t ready so as to add cupboards to the again of the sink space, however it could keep identical to it’s, solely with new cupboards and a brand new countertop.

After which there would simply be some minor modifications with the plumbing for the opposite two partitions.

Anyway, I do know it’s an enormous change, and it occurred in a break up second, however I really feel so peaceable about this. It appears manageable, and it doesn’t appear overwhelming to me in any respect. The opposite plan appeared very overwhelming and like one thing I’d be spending the following two years (or most likely for much longer) attempting to realize.

Generally greater isn’t higher. It’s simply extra to scrub, with extra countertop area to collect muddle. That’s not what I want. I simply want effectivity, and I believe I can get precisely what I want within the present kitchen’s footprint if I plan correctly.