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 by means of the psychological listing of every part I have to do as a way to end our bed room suite (as I do fairly often), and pondering to myself that as quickly as these guys are finished 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 finished comparatively shortly.

“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 serious about how superb will probably be to have that entire bed room suite completed, hopefully by the tip of this 12 months, 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 could be completed, however then my plans have been to mainly 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 tub to create a walk-through pantry, turning the present kitchen right into a eating room.

I began serious about how huge that undertaking goes to be. Earlier than a kitchen might be constructed, I’d need to have all new plumbing put in. I’ve already gotten a quote on that, and will probably be virtually $10,000 only for the plumbing since this room has a concrete basis. After which I’ll need to 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 do this in levels that have been a few years aside, if my reminiscence served me appropriately.

I imply, with all of that, I’m taking a look at 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 wish to do it. And you recognize what? I really like the present location of my kitchen. It’s small, nevertheless it’s not the scale 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 entire wall of cupboards on the again wall of the kitchen, whereas it appears fairly, is mainly ineffective. I used cupboards which can be manner too slim on prime that they gained’t even maintain plates. And the underside cupboards are higher wall cupboards, in order 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 could be the place we place meals when we’ve got folks over, however that’s by no means what finally ends up occurring. 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, virtually straight away, I made a decision that I don’t need or want a bigger kitchen. I would like an environment friendly kitchen. I would like 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 manner that truly works higher for a way we use it.

Along with the inefficiency of that entire 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 house subsequent to the range. I at all times really feel so cramped after I’m making an attempt to prepare dinner. And at last, I hate that the dishwasher might 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 quit that cased opening. It’s the dishwasher location that has to alter.

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 format designer is really easy to make use of to get some fundamental format 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 need to 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 house out there. What a recreation changer that will probably be! In order that again wall would go from this…

…to one thing like this…

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

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

This is able to require some plumbing work, however since this a part of the home has a pier-and-beam basis, the fee could be a fraction of what it might be to maneuver it to the breakfast room space. After which I’d have far more countertop house 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 wish to swap the situation of the dishwasher from the best 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 need to see about that. I feel if the situation 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 form of got here out of nowhere, however I actually don’t wish to be engaged on this home for the subsequent decade. I do really wish to end it (no less than the within) in order that I can spend my outdated age outdoors tooling round within the backyard, choosing weeds, planting flowers, and having fun with the outside.

So mainly, that signifies 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 feel 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 needs to maintain the pantry, however the truth is that he doesn’t use the pantry. He simply likes the way it appears.

However I nonetheless wish to go away the door open for that future addition. We’ve been speaking about it for what looks as if perpetually, 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 wish to take this wall down and simply have one huge, 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 signifies that this entire association will mainly 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 might keep identical to it’s, solely with new cupboards and a brand new countertop.

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

Anyway, I do know it’s an enormous change, and it occurred in a cut 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 subsequent two years (or most likely for much longer) making an attempt to attain.

Typically larger isn’t higher. It’s simply extra to scrub, with extra countertop house to assemble muddle. That’s not what I would like. I simply want effectivity, and I feel I can get precisely what I would like within the present kitchen’s footprint if I plan correctly.