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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Getting a new kitchen
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Amorya
Ship's tame galoot
# 2652
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Posted
My kitchen is rather run down, and needs a complete revamp.
It needs new flooring (to replace some old and damaged vinyl tiles), new cabinets/units, a new fridge/freezer, new tiles or paint on the walls.
About the only things it doesn't need are appliances. (I had the built in hob and oven replaced relatively recently, and the dishwasher/tumble dryer/washing machine are still going, even though the latter is nearly 10 years old.)
I'm hoping that in this thread we can do two things: share tips on what makes a really good/usable/awesome kitchen, and share tips on how to get a new kitchen put in (i.e. where to buy it from, how to deal with contractors, etc). If anyone has experience of the process, please share!
In addition, regarding my specific situation:
- I have a large open plan kitchen/dining room which has an archway through into the lounge. Here's a plan that I quickly cobbled together. The dining area is carpeted, the kitchen bit has the vinyl tiles. I'd probably want to refurbish the entire kitchen and dining area at once.
- I like the functionality of the G-shaped kitchen.
- I'm not wedded to under-counter fridge/freezer. A combined fridge/freezer, where the fridge wasn't so low down, might be more functional.
- The thing I labelled "Board Games Shelf" is a whole Billy bookcase, and it's still not big enough for all our board games.
- Yes I have two pianos in the dining area. No, that's not going to change!
- There are high up wall cabinets above the piano/sideboard, but we don't really use them. I'd consider replacing them with a couple of long shelves, and putting the board games up there.
- I'd love a bigger dining table that could be used for board gaming. (Can you sense a theme here?) That would require improving the room layout though, since currently there wouldn't be space.
- I'd like to get the tumble dryer into the kitchen area, which might help the above. Currently the microwave is on top of the tumble dryer, and that could find a home on one of the counters.
So, Shipmates… what have you done to make your kitchen awesome?
Amy
Posts: 2383 | From: Coventry | Registered: Apr 2002
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
1. Don't get Pergo (or other floor laminate) if there's any chance the floor will get wet (so not in kitchen, then). Don't ask me how I know.
2. Check anything that has a door that opens to make sure there's enough clearance and nothing is going to bash into something else (oven, dishwasher, cabinet doors, door doors, etc.)
3. Dogs are the devil in kitchens.
4. Never trust a DIY-er to handle an uneven floor. Even if it's your husband. Especially if it's your husband.
[ 25. October 2016, 15:41: Message edited by: Lamb Chopped ]
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
4. Never trust a DIY-er to handle an uneven floor. Even if it's your husband. Especially if it's your husband.
Why not? It is less uneven than it was, so that has to be a plus.
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Last ever sig ...
blog
Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
It's my belief that there is an optimal layout for every room and you know it when you find it and, conversely, are never quite at ease with any other arrangements. Case in point is my kitchen/dining room. The house is 1920s, so there is a fireplace and chimneybreast: otherwise a rectangular room with 3 doors and a window in one corner. The previous owner - a bodger if ever there was one - had gone with the fashion at that time for breakfast bars and put one across the room opposite the fireplace. He had also got off the peg kitchen units, one set of which sat in - but did not fit - one recess and the other had upper cupboards which partially blocked the window.
I can remember the moment standing with the kitchen installer looking at the plan which showed all this cleared away and seeing the room as the spacious and symmetrical space it had been intended to be. After that, it was obvious where things needed to be.
Moral: never go with anything - bars, room dividers, island units - unless it feels absolutely right.
On a personal preference I feel the cooking - and the cook - are integral to the meal, so I prefer an open area where all participants can see and talk to each other.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
I would say that it's worth getting a professional installer (or at least getting one to draw up a plan). When our kitchen was done, they were able to say exactly what would and wouldn't work, and knew one or two little "secrets" to make life easier.
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Graven Image
Shipmate
# 8755
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Posted
I redid my kitchen cabinets last year by simply having them painted and changing out the hardware. I have had Pergo floors in the kitchen for 12+ years and they still look like new. We have a dog but no children. We had the floor flooded once from leak under the sink and mopped it up right away and it was fine.
I added a mid size island on wheels and this has been a great idea. I use it when unloading dishwasher, and putting groceries away. It makes extra counter space when more then one are cooking and serves as a bar when entertaining. I am so glad I did not go with a stationary island.
Posts: 2641 | From: Third planet from the sun. USA | Registered: Nov 2004
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by balaam:
quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
4. Never trust a DIY-er to handle an uneven floor. Even if it's your husband. Especially if it's your husband.
Why not? It is less uneven than it was, so that has to be a plus.
Because he evens it out by raising the floor height nearly an inch--which means the doors in and out now require adjustment, which they never get.
![[Devil]](graemlins/devil.gif)
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
Lighting. Don't forget lighting. All preparation and cooking areas to be clearly lit. Eating area clear but diffuse light which can be adjusted. Everything on separate switches so that you can lose the cooking area in decent dimness when you sit down to table.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Zacchaeus
Shipmate
# 14454
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Posted
I echo what somebosy said above, get proffesionals in to ahve a look.
even if you don't pick them to do the job in the end they give you ideas and so do the design people in DIY shops
Posts: 1905 | From: the back of beyond | Registered: Jan 2009
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no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
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Posted
We redid the kitchen. Once most of what we needed/wanted, then revamp yet again. My comments:
1. An island is better than an L or penisula coming from the wall. It means that if you cook with family or friends, everyone can gather around. Like for making things like cookies, biscuits, home made pasta.
2. Drawers below counter height are better than cupboards. You open a drawer and you can find things from the top. Cupboards, you must bend down for.
3. Laminate is okay for kitchens provided it is the laminate that is made for "high traffic" areas. There is also repair filler than should be part of the installation package, comes in a tube or 2 of different shaded.
4. At least a piece of granite or other heat tolerant countertop is a joy beside an oven, so as to put things directly out of the oven one.
Bright, cheerful colours in the kitchen is my preference. We have maple coloured laminate floors and cupboards, and "Peruvian orange" walls. That and the "sunshine ceiling" really make the place happy in our cold dark winters.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
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Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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Lothlorien
Ship's Grandma
# 4927
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Posted
Drawers, drawers and more drawers. I stayed once at a place with a new kitchen and drawers everywhere. Right next to dishwasher so it was easy to unload. Drawers for plates, glasses, saucepans. A joy to use.
I would second the suggestion of the importance of lighting. If you will not have a dishwasher, make sure your lighting is not like what I have here. Lights are behind me when I stand at sink so I have to hold things up to check when I wash dishes.
Height of appliances and cupboards in relation to your height is important for back comfort. Many years ago when we had an entire new kitchen put into what was essentially just a space, I insisted on a height to suit me for cupboards and benches. This involved adjusting cupboards and benches by about 4 cms. I can still hear the builders whinging. So much more comfortable to use.
[ 25. October 2016, 20:51: Message edited by: Lothlorien ]
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Buy a bale. Help our Aussie rural communities and farmers. Another great cause needing support The High Country Patrol.
Posts: 9745 | From: girt by sea | Registered: Aug 2003
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
I'm finally taking the plunge and dealing with my kitchen at the moment - no small task because it means sorting out the layout of the ground floor of a house which is only one room wide.
First thing is to rationalise the (f)utility room and ground floor bathroom: at the moment they occupy a narrow strip at the side of the space and are divided from each other by what used to be an external wall: the solution is going to be to lose the old wall (RSJ the gap) and then run it so that the utility area is on the way into the bathroom, which will have the outside wall for light and ventilation.
Then what is now the kitchen and a useless area with the fridge-freezer will become the living room - big improvement because this has double doors into the garden which at the moment are partially obscured by the dining table.
What is the living room at the moment is going to become the kitchen. At the moment it is a too small space which fronts onto a main road and is cold. It will have sink, hob, oven and dishwasher along the window wall (faces north) plus the fridge-freezer and some shelving on the east side wall. I'm not going to have fitted units, rather a pantry will be formed along the back wall and hidden away behind narrow sliding doors. There will be room for a table to seat 8 and lighting is being done by a friend who works in the theatre.
The middle room between kitchen and living room is currently an internal hall and will remain as such, but with proper space for coats, etc, which at the moment are spread around the place.
I had budgeted Ł10k for the work but the good news is that at some point the kitchen was where I'm now going to put it so all the services are already there - a huge saving. Shelving in the pantry I'll do myself - I've got slate for the middle/main shelf from architectural salvage. Flooring will be sanded and waxed reclaimed floorboards with washable rag rugs on top.
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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Nicolemr
Shipmate
# 28
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Posted
Peg Bracken, the cookbook writer and humorist, was firm that a kitchen should have a window over the sink, (in fact she titled her memoir A Window Over the sink) a thought with which I concur. Sadly, I rent an apartment that doesn't have a window over the sink, though it has one next to the sink.
And I second the suggestion of drawers and more drawers. Wish I had more drawers in my kitchen.
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On pilgrimage in the endless realms of Cyberia, currently traveling by ship. Now with live journal!
Posts: 11803 | From: New York City "The City Carries On" | Registered: May 2001
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
Washable rag rugs may look well, but might they not be a slip/trip hazard? Not good in a kitchen, what with knives and breakable crockery/glass and all.... ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
IJ
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Lothlorien:
Drawers, drawers and more drawers ...
I'll go along with that - the kitchen in the former Château Piglet had no drawers at all except for a kind of broken one in a beat-up microwave trolley until we found a little drawer unit abandoned outside a block of flats up the road one Christmas Day, adopted it, painted it and gave it new handles. Never have four drawers made two people so happy ... ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Being a Brit, I was always used to washing-machines living underneath counter-tops in the kitchen, but when I moved here, I found that most people had their laundry equipment* somewhere else, be it in a utility room at the back, or sometimes integrated into a bathroom or lavatory, which IMHO is an excellent plan - they're out of the way, and their absence frees up space in the kitchen.
The former Château Piglet, however, didn't have anywhere suitable, so the tumble-dryer was the dividing point between the kitchen and dining-area, and the washing-machine (a top-loader, so not much use as counter-space) was in the opposite corner of the kitchen, which wasn't really ideal.
Whatever you end up with, I wish you health to enjoy cooking/eating/playing the piano/playing Monopoly in it. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
* Because of the prevailing weather conditions here, practically everybody has a tumble-dryer.
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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Amorya
Ship's tame galoot
# 2652
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Piglet:
Being a Brit, I was always used to washing-machines living underneath counter-tops in the kitchen, but when I moved here, I found that most people had their laundry equipment* somewhere else, be it in a utility room at the back, or sometimes integrated into a bathroom or lavatory, which IMHO is an excellent plan - they're out of the way, and their absence frees up space in the kitchen.
I'd love that. If only I had a utility room!
quote:
Originally posted by Zacchaeus:
I echo what somebosy said above, get proffesionals in to ahve a look.
even if you don't pick them to do the job in the end they give you ideas and so do the design people in DIY shops
How should I find such a professional? What are they called?
I assume I don't want to just saunter into B&Q and get them to take a look at it… do you get independent kitchen installers?
Amy
[ 26. October 2016, 10:24: Message edited by: Amorya ]
Posts: 2383 | From: Coventry | Registered: Apr 2002
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Alisdair
Shipmate
# 15837
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Posted
@Amorya - If in Britain just contact two or three kitchen suppliers, make sure at least one of them is a local independent, and get them to come around and measure up and make suggestions (as long as you know you are capable of resisting any pressure to sign anything - the better ones will not inflict that kind of thing on you).
You will/may be amazed at the variety of service you get; from pitifully bad, through cynical to actually very knowledgeable and helpful.
All the best.
Posts: 334 | From: Washed up in England | Registered: Aug 2010
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Moo
Ship's tough old bird
# 107
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Posted
I once met a woman who was a professional kitchen designer. She listened carefully to what her clients said and figured out the best way of carrying out their wishes. Obviously, she charged for this.
I have no idea how to locate someone like that.
Moo
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See you later, alligator.
Posts: 20365 | From: Alleghany Mountains of Virginia | Registered: May 2001
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Hilda of Whitby
Shipmate
# 7341
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Posted
We contacted a kitchen design/build firm when we had our kitchen redone in 2011. They came up with a design, helped us with selection of cabinets, flooring, counters, and appliances, and their own construction staff did the work. All we did was approve things and write checks. Because they used their own construction staff, each job was done start to finish. It took 4 weeks, exactly as promised. There was no leaving our kitchen a shambles for weeks while they worked on someone else's. This business of leaving jobs mid-way to work on others is a very common practice at least in my experience with other home improvement projects. Be sure to ask about that if you decide to get someone else to do the work for you!
It was expensive (a gut-to-the-studs job) which required moving a gas line, blocking a window to create more cabinet space (but keeping the window over the sink), new walls, ceiling, flooring, etc. aside from the cabinets and counters.
It turned a hideous, non-functional tiny kitchen into a gorgeous functional tiny kitchen. The house was built in the 1930s and appliances were a lot smaller then and there was not the expectation that a kitchen should be the size of a ballroom. We knew we were not going to expand the kitchen's size; we just wanted the existing kitchen to be functional.
I would second recommendations to get a professional kitchen designer in to take a look at your kitchen. You should expect to pay for their time and you'll get some good ideas if you decide to do everything yourself.
Best of luck. Kitchen remodels can be quite stressful.
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"Born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world is mad."
Posts: 412 | From: Nickel City | Registered: Jun 2004
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
My parents are going through this very thing right now. They actually have to do a lot of work on the house, but the kitchen is the primary consideration to start with. It turned out that getting a recommendation about a building contractor was the answer for them.
I had a major problem in my house, and a friend recommended another acquaintance's son who is a contractor. He did an excellent job at a reasonable price for me, so I suggested that Mom and Dad would maybe want to talk to him. He is going to completely redo the kitchen for a very reasonable cost, and with his contractor's discount, get the materials way below the price we could get just walking into the DIY stores.
One of the 'must haves' is a pantry cabinet to be installed. There will also be a peninsula to be used as an eating area. It will be very nice when finished!
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Jante
Shipmate
# 9163
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Posted
quote:
I assume I don't want to just saunter into B&Q and get them to take a look at it… do you get independent kitchen installers?
When I had a new kitchen installed 15 years ago B&Q were one of the companies I went to for a design- along with Wickes and a now defunct company. They all came back with similar designs and I went with the one who could give me details of a recommended kitchen fitter.
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My blog http://vicarfactorycalling.blogspot.com/
Posts: 535 | From: deepest derbyshire | Registered: Mar 2005
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Bishop's Finger: rag rugs will (a) not be on major walk routes, and (b) will have that clever tape on the back that fixes them in place - it is washable.
One tip I'd share: don't automatically buy your appliances through your kitchen unit suppliers because they'll add a mark-up. This is doubly the case with 'own-brand' appliances from joinery companies because their 'own-brand' tends to be bottom-of-the-range for performance but is priced at Bosch (or similar) prices. Next door had a swanky new kitchen designed and fitted and none of their own-brand appliances made 6 years - the oven died after 3 years, followed in quick succession by the hob, then dishwasher, then integrated washer-dryer and finally, a month ago, the integrated fridge-freezer. Replacing all that lot has cost them a huge amount but none of them were covered by the 10 year guarantee which specifically excluded appliances.
[It was branded as Lamona, or something like that]
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
L'organist - re rag rugs - very sensible (and I'm sure they'll look good on the waxed floorboards).
IJ
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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Robert Armin
All licens'd fool
# 182
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Posted
I keep reading the title of this thread as "Getting a new kitten". Maybe that's because I'm getting two on Tuesday.
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Keeping fit was an obsession with Fr Moity .... He did chin ups in the vestry, calisthenics in the pulpit, and had developed a series of Tai-Chi exercises to correspond with ritual movements of the Mass. The Antipope Robert Rankin
Posts: 8927 | From: In the pack | Registered: May 2001
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Landlubber
Shipmate
# 11055
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Jante:
quote:
I assume I don't want to just saunter into B&Q and get them to take a look at it… do you get independent kitchen installers?
When I had a new kitchen installed 15 years ago B&Q were one of the companies I went to for a design- along with Wickes and a now defunct company. They all came back with similar designs and I went with the one who could give me details of a recommended kitchen fitter.
We asked one of the big chain companies and a local independent company to come in to design and quote. The chain company listened to how we thought we would use the kitchen, asked questions and made intelligent suggestions. They also proposed to use a team of local tradesmen to do the work. They got the job. Their team worked hard to get the result we wanted in a seriously unfriendly space. We are now enjoying using the kitchen - it works for us. The independent firm's quote came in at roughly the same price but they did not really listen to us, just looked at the space and told us what they would put in it. Not the result I had been expecting.
That said, I love the floorboards/rag rugs idea. Everything breaks on our tiles. My recommendation? Double the number of electric sockets you think you will need. This is the first kitchen I have had where I did not have to unplug something to use the mixer/coffee pot/whatever.
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They that go down to the sea in ships … reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man
Posts: 383 | From: On dry land | Registered: Feb 2006
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North East Quine
Curious beastie
# 13049
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Posted
By recollection, B&Q were one of the designers we asked to draw up a plan, though in the end we used a small independent company. We had a very small budget (long story) and everyone we asked was able to suggest a kitchen within that very small budget.
Posts: 6414 | From: North East Scotland | Registered: Oct 2007
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jacobsen
seeker
# 14998
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Posted
Six years ago I moved into my post WW2 3 bedroomed semi-detached prefab. It was an era of fairly generous sizing, but the kitchen had a door in each of three walls, (to hall, utility room and dining area) and a window over the sink in the fourth.
Partly to allow for a wardrobe in the hall area and to give a clear run of counter in the kitchen, I had the door to the hall blocked off. Access is now through the living and dining area. Best decision ever - there is room to work, and the shelves over what had been the doorway are a gift. Everything is full or over full, but much more functional.
The local workman who did all this also recommended an oil based paint for the 30 year old kitchen cupboards. As he promised, the paint actually filled in minor blemishes and damage, and made the whole place look fresh.
I had to keep the white tiled walls with their occasional blue and green transfers as this was a makeover on the cheap. However, once the white cupboards had been painted the same soft green, and the very tatty blue marble effect counters replaced with (still the cheapest) charcoal grey, the effect was a startling improvement.
Oh, and I kept the lino. It refuses to die.
[ 27. October 2016, 14:28: Message edited by: jacobsen ]
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But God, holding a candle, looks for all who wander, all who search. - Shifra Alon
Beauty fades, dumb is forever-Judge Judy
The man who made time, made plenty.
Posts: 8040 | From: Ćbleskiver country | Registered: Aug 2009
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
... the good news is that at some point the kitchen was where I'm now going to put it so all the services are already there - a huge saving.
It makes you wonder, doesn't it, when you have to totally deconstruct the current ridiculous layout to put things back the way they originally were? We had so many "what were they thinking" moments with ours. Like, why did they move the large sink away from the middle of the kitchen wall under the window to a teeny tiny corner in the dark under a cupboard, where a single person standing was too much? And blocked three cupboards and two drawers all at once.
Freaks.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
Our tiny kitchen has a freaking FOUR doors in it, all of them necessary, plus a wall of windows and another on the remaining side. Why they didn't just turn it into Grand Central Station I'll never know.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
Because you're not near a railway line, perhaps?
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Tree Bee
Ship's tiller girl
# 4033
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Posted
We had our kitchen totally redone this year; our experience is similar to Hilda of Whitby's.
We used a local firm which I had spoken to at a Home and Garden fair. They install German kitchens and arrange and oversee the contractors.
They helped me to design it exactly how we wanted it. We have drawers and a pull out larder unit. We also have a carousel unit in the corner and an enormous wine rack.
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"Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make it simple."
— Woody Guthrie
http://saysaysay54.wordpress.com
Posts: 5257 | From: me to you. | Registered: Feb 2003
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Cathscats
Shipmate
# 17827
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Posted
A carousel unit? No, don't tell me. It cannot be as exciting as it sounds. ![[Yipee]](graemlins/spin.gif)
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"...damp hands and theological doubts - the two always seem to go together..." (O. Douglas, "The Setons")
Posts: 176 | From: Central Highlands | Registered: Sep 2013
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
I love pull-out larders - the kitchen in our house in Belfast had one, and it was just the coolest thing we'd ever seen.
We bought a unit from W*l-m*rt that at first glance looks rather like a wardrobe, but on one side it has a pull-out larder and on the other two quite tall cupboards one on top of the other, and we've found it very useful.
Whether there'll be a space for it in the new house that we haven't got yet is anyone's guess, but I know I'd miss it if I didn't have it.
Of course assuming there isn't a walk-in larder, which would be even nicer.
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Cathscats:
A carousel unit? No, don't tell me. It cannot be as exciting as it sounds.
Sadly not. Although the way that some of the fittings work can be quite fascinating.
[ 27. October 2016, 21:28: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
Because you're not near a railway line, perhaps?
Oh, but we are! About 100 yards, in fact.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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jacobsen
seeker
# 14998
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Posted
Where would the punters queue for tickets to ride?
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But God, holding a candle, looks for all who wander, all who search. - Shifra Alon
Beauty fades, dumb is forever-Judge Judy
The man who made time, made plenty.
Posts: 8040 | From: Ćbleskiver country | Registered: Aug 2009
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
On the subject of crazy places for a kitchen, I'd offer the following: Do not, under any circumstances, get talked into the 'open-plan because it will give better flow through the house/heart of the home' nonsense. The one thing you can guarantee is that every cooking smell wafts all over the house and your life will be lived to an accompaniment of shrieking smoke/CO2 alarms.
We inherited a kitchen which you entered straight from the porch; there is no wall (!) between it and the central hallway (which we were told was the living room); has a door to the bathroom; a useless long and narrow alcove which cunningly had access at one end, so rendering most of it wasted space because too narrow for shelving, etc; and a wall of glass. And having nowhere for a fridge-freezer where it doesn't block a window isn't too clever either.
It has taken just over 15 years to get the local heritage conservation officer to agree to us moving the kitchen, even though we're not actually demolishing anything: they decided, for heaven knows what reason, that the lunatic arrangement described above was 'original', notwithstanding the fact that the space occupied by the kitchen at the moment was only slung up (accurate description) in the 1970s at the earliest. ![[Ultra confused]](graemlins/confused2.gif)
The one thing above all else that drove my late-lamented mad was that the orientation of the house is to look out north onto a busy road, rather than south into the garden. It is bittersweet that in the last few months, having the house sensibly laid out would have made the end of life immeasurably better...
My project for the next year is to get the house de-listed.
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by jacobsen:
Where would the punters queue for tickets to ride?
Oh, in the huge semi-underground basement, which is a walkout to the front yard. They can come up the basement to kitchen steps through one of those can't-be-moved doors. We'll shove them onto the trains through one of the three other doors.
Hey, at least I could make some money off this weird arrangement!
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Boogie
Boogie on down!
# 13538
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Posted
Our kitchen is awesome. We had it done twelve years ago and I still love it. We had the back of the house taken off and an extension. The room has three distinct areas - sitting, dining and cooking. We live in there, and rarely use the lounge. There's a utility room next to the kitchen which runs the length of the house.
See my 'room' blog for photos.
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Garden. Room. Walk
Posts: 13030 | From: Boogie Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2008
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
25 or so years ago, we did much as Boogie describes, with glass doors and windows opening up the back of the house onto a large terrace with the pool on the east side. Kitchen on the northern end to get sunshine all day through a large window (with a moveable shade outside for hot summer days), then a table and finally a sitting area. Lots of bookcases around the walls outside the kitchen area, cupboards inside. Laundry just to the NW of the kitchen with its own door to the terrace return. There was an enclosed fire on the west wall between the eating and sitting areas. Importantly, we put in a proprietary blind of a make commonly seen in office buildings but patterned in subtle shades rather than the dull grey in offices, and good insulating properties both summer and winter.
15 years later, we re-did the kitchen with new appliances, save for our good old stove, and with a new benchtop in green granite. A waist high bench between the kitchen and the dining area with extra cupboards underneath. We sanded all the varnish from the tallowwood floor and oiled it. That does mean we have to re-oil every year. In return we don't have scratched varnish and do have a softer gleam to the floor. No rugs, too dangerous.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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jacobsen
seeker
# 14998
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Posted
Gee D, was it one of these that you installed?
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But God, holding a candle, looks for all who wander, all who search. - Shifra Alon
Beauty fades, dumb is forever-Judge Judy
The man who made time, made plenty.
Posts: 8040 | From: Ćbleskiver country | Registered: Aug 2009
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
Hard to tell exactly on the screen, but very similar to the Diorite Green. We were able to get away with the dark colour as the walls and cupboard doors etc are very light, and there's so much light coming in from outdoors.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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mark_in_manchester
not waving, but...
# 15978
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Posted
quote:
So, Shipmates… what have you done to make your kitchen awesome?
I knocked ours through into the room where we eat (which, confusingly, isn't the dining room) last year. I like it, but it took a week to make the big hole and support the wall, and a year to finish everything (lots of cupboards to match what was there, around the hole) off.
That was partly because I wanted to make it look old. Really old, using pre-metric fasteners. Like, before Building Control was a thing, kind of old...
Tips? IKEA sell useful kitchen ironmongery in bits - you don't have to buy a whole set of stuff. I like the wire racks on rollers which are a bit like drawers, but more useful.
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"We are punished by our sins, not for them" - Elbert Hubbard
(so good, I wanted to see it after my posts and not only after those of shipmate JBohn from whom I stole it)
Posts: 1596 | Registered: Oct 2010
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Twilight
Puddleglum's sister
# 2832
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Posted
I was already jealous of Boogie over the dogs and now that kitchen...sigh.
We bought this house, new, eleven years ago, and just last week we hit planned obsolescence all at once. New furnace $8,500, new refrigerator/freezer,$660, new dishwasher $330. The range is still fine, what does that tell you?
The biggest problem is that our appliances were "biscuit," a pale beige that blended just fine with taupe tiles, paler taupe walls and counter tops, maple cabinets -- Boogie's color but not as modern in cut. It's not as drab as it sounds because all my small appliances, etc. are red.
The problem is, these days, appliances come in only two colors, stainless steel and bright white. Hubs has a thing against stainless so we went with white which arrives Wednesday and I'm sure it will make everything else in the kitchen look dingy.
This kitchen is openish in the center of the house with living room, dining room, everything else spreading away from it. It's also the high point of a high ceiling. I have a bad feeling that the white appliances will lead to needing bright white counter tops and floor tiles, set off by pale blue walls which will have to spread through the whole house because there's no clear dividing line and I'm very matchy, matchy anyway.
For want of a beige refrigerator a house was remodeled.
Posts: 6817 | Registered: May 2002
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mark_in_manchester
not waving, but...
# 15978
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Posted
Pot of magnolia emulsion and a roller...you'll be fine. Or treat the new fridge to the full trompe l'oeil.
Actually, if you were bothered, rattle cans would give you a good finish on a fridge if you masked it up carefully, and rubbed it with 600 grit production paper first to give the paint something to hang on to. You could practice on the old one!
[ 30. October 2016, 20:48: Message edited by: mark_in_manchester ]
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"We are punished by our sins, not for them" - Elbert Hubbard
(so good, I wanted to see it after my posts and not only after those of shipmate JBohn from whom I stole it)
Posts: 1596 | Registered: Oct 2010
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Arabella Purity Winterbottom
Trumpeting hope
# 3434
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Posted
We hired an interior architect to redo our kitchen/bathrooms/utility room. You've already got a clear picture of what you want, so talk to a professional to get it! Ours happened to be our next-door-neighbour, and she did a fantastic job of making maximum use of a relatively small space. Little things like making cupboards that fitted around the extractor fan, giving us usable space where most kitchens have dead space.
What we wanted was more space, more drawers (we ended up with big drawers for everything, which I totally loved) and two cooking areas with separate pantries. I endorse doing your research on appliances - we ended up paying a lot less after going around the various appliance shops and taking note of prices, then presenting our preferred shop with a spreadsheet of our findings. They undercut the total considerably, and threw in a big Kenwood mixer (we're talking two ovens, fridge/freezer, big gas cooktop, extractor fan, washer and dryer, microwave). We've just sold that house, and the kitchen was the main thing that people mentioned.
We're now in a new house, and looking at kitchens again, although this one seems to be more immediately functional (and has a window running the whole length of the bench!). It doesn't have the big drawers, so that might be our main change.
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Hell is full of the talented and Heaven is full of the energetic. St Jane Frances de Chantal
Posts: 3702 | From: Aotearoa, New Zealand | Registered: Oct 2002
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St Deird
Shipmate
# 7631
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Posted
Waiting until I have money to redo my kitchen...
I do, however, have one tip for Amorya:
We have much the same kitchen/dining room locations, and the corner cupboard (behind the tumble dryer in your plan) is facing into the dining room. Rather than an annoying kitchen corner cupboard that we can't get to properly, we have a big games cupboard next to our table.
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They're not hobbies; they're a robust post-apocalyptic skill-set.
Posts: 319 | From: the other side of nowhere | Registered: Jun 2004
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Amorya
Ship's tame galoot
# 2652
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Posted
I've booked an appointment at a local DIY store (that also sells/installs kitchens) to talk about what I need. It's on Sunday — I'll let you know how it goes!
They want me to bring measurements, locations of doors/windows etc. I'm hoping that this is just for a rough design discussion, and they'll measure themselves when it's time to fit it…
quote:
One tip I'd share: don't automatically buy your appliances through your kitchen unit suppliers because they'll add a mark-up.
I was actually thinking of not getting new appliances right now, to save money. My hob/oven are built in, but they're only a couple of years old. Dishwasher, dryer and washing machine are all still going fine, and I'm OK with freestanding units.
A new fridge/freezer would be nice, but I think that's the only one I'm interested in changing right now.
I guess in an ideal world I'd love a double oven and six rings on the hob rather than four. I wonder if they could make something that's modular enough that I could upgrade my current stuff to that in the future…
quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
quote:
Originally posted by Cathscats:
A carousel unit? No, don't tell me. It cannot be as exciting as it sounds.
Sadly not. Although the way that some of the fittings work can be quite fascinating.
I actually had one of those in this kitchen, but took it out because it was beige plastic, decrepit as heck, and we never tended to use it. I put a normal shelf in the cupboard. Technically it's harder to access, but I find we actually store more in there now.
quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
On the subject of crazy places for a kitchen, I'd offer the following: Do not, under any circumstances, get talked into the 'open-plan because it will give better flow through the house/heart of the home' nonsense. The one thing you can guarantee is that every cooking smell wafts all over the house and your life will be lived to an accompaniment of shrieking smoke/CO2 alarms.
I've got open plan already, and quite like it. The kitchen, dining room and lounge are in a sort of L shape.
quote:
Originally posted by St Deird:
I do, however, have one tip for Amorya:
We have much the same kitchen/dining room locations, and the corner cupboard (behind the tumble dryer in your plan) is facing into the dining room. Rather than an annoying kitchen corner cupboard that we can't get to properly, we have a big games cupboard next to our table.
Good shout!
Posts: 2383 | From: Coventry | Registered: Apr 2002
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Penny S
Shipmate
# 14768
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Posted
I'm not after a new kitchen, but I am after a new cupboard in the one I have. There is a gap, which I believe held a tall fridge freezer, between a run of cabinets and a projecting wall. It may once have held th ecooker, since the end of a gas pipe can be found at the back of it. Totally the wrong place fo rme to get a dual fuel cooker when the existing one dies.
Anyway, what I want is like a larder (it isn't on a wall with ventilation possible, so not really one) and rather close to the warm air ducts, with a lot of shelves on three sides, and small shelves in the door for spices and so on. I have some black dolerite place mats I picked up from Oxfam (no I didn't, I dragged them away in a trolley) to floor the part level with the work surfaces. I could install my extra, small fridge under that, as there is a double socket facing that way on the partition wall.
I have had two attempts at getting joiners. My neighbour had a close friend who did three jobs for me to an excellent standard before she ditched him, thus making him unavailable. And a guy in Strood who resurfaced my dining table beautifully had a look at it, and was also going to reupholster my living room furniture, getting as far as showing me the material samples before fading away into the ether.
So I have an unfinished kitchen. Irritating.
Posts: 5833 | Registered: May 2009
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Work has started on moving the kitchen to where it should be: and promptly come to a temporary halt because while I was out on Thursday the heritage conservation officer came round and told the builder (wrongly) that permission hadn't been given for the move.
Now my builder is a good chap but slightly hard of hearing so, knowing that he might get the wrong end of the stick, he called in youngest child - fortuitously off work with a migraine - to come and assist with meeeting with council chap and son, being a natural cynic, set his 'phone to video before going into room. Upshot is we have on film heritage conservation guy telling an outright lie and ordering my builder to stop work, threatening prosecution if he continued.
I have a meeting on Monday with the head of planning services at the local council...
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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