Final (?) layout -- I'd love your thoughts on it

14 years ago

I've got to learn to title my posts better. My other one has fallen off to page 2, so I hope it's OK if I try again with a new title.

Sorry about the photo of the layout; I can't get the scanner to work.

Here is where we are currently:

Forgot to label the air return to the right of the fridge. There will be a tall pantry pullout above it, 16" total width to edge of fridge panel.

What has happened already:

The pantry bump into the kitchen is framed, wired and sheetrocked.

Doorways on either side of pantry have been cut and sheetrocked.

Back door is in place.

Window frames have been made but not set into walls, so the walls themselves are not completely committed yet.

Old fridge wall has been removed. Longer support beam is in place.

Over the weekend, we moved our table into place and mocked up the two islands and lived with it. It all worked well.

- Paths plenty wide

- Pantry bump is not obstructive at all.

- Plenty of room for chairs in every direction at table

- Will need another trash can on the periphery

- No walking through the work zones to get anywhere else

- Straight shot to the garage!

- Dining space is plenty big to expand table to its largest capacity. We rarely have large formal gatherings; mostly informal weekly meetings or one family at a time.

Things still undecided (here's the layout again for easier reference):

1. Bump the sink out 3"? I'd like not to move it left or right if possible.

2. Doors along pantry wall: forget the swinging doors in drawing -- GC said he's seen little fingers get pinched and worse, so that's out. Double half doors? A full door? Swinging which way?

3. Mudroom bench bumped into playroom, which is ~12'x17' right now. The benches/lockers will take ~15" or less from the 12' and ~5.5 from the 17'. When we add to the front (after the kitchen is finished) we will probably make the 12' side a little bigger, but thatÂs not decided yet. It will be office/school/play for all 5 of us (DH, me, two 11 yo homeschooled, baby 13 mos).

4. The main (middle) island, 8.5'x30", will be main prep space. The second (outer) island, 5'x18", 39" high (w/ counter) plus one 8" square column base on either side (with round columns on top), will house china (no glass front). I am thinking the left side of the left column base should line up with the left side of the middle island. I'm looking for balance, not symmetry. I will need to decide on outlets and switches needed in the islands before too long. Any thoughts about any of this?

5. The window frames ended up being 11Â8". This puts them at ~1Â or less from the door. While I donÂt want a counter butting right up to the door, I also donÂt want the windows to look like they are hanging out in space. IÂm thinking of 12" deep counter height shelves to end where the window trim ends. I may be able to scoot the windows 3" inches to the right, but no more if I'm going to have 5' for my cooking area -- I do want symmetry in that 5' span. Any thoughts on that?

Other things to decide:

Exact sinks, faucets

Counters

Hardware

Floor finish - type and color on existing oak

Wall paint

Color of outer island

Lighting

I'll ask those questions in separate posts.

Again, I appreciate any thoughts anyone has!

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Comments (5)

rhome410
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
1. I think this is a personal style choice. Have you thought about how you'd trim it out if it were bumped out? Or would you just bring the cabinet out and leave it at that?

2. Do you need doors instead of just doorways? If you do, I think I'd do a regular single door, hinging as shown on the plan and swinging toward the back hall/pantry area.

3. I'm confused, and not sure what you might be asking.

4. I'm still very concerned about the 30" aisle between the 2 islands. I would make the china storage shallower, myself. As for outlets, have you seen Gisomonike's island outlets hidden behind a false drawer front that flips down? Pretty cool. I have my outlet on the end of my island closest to where I use any small appliances on the island.

5. I think your idea of the shallower storage with counter that extends under the window is good. I would go a few inches past the window trim, I think, rather than end right at the same spot.
jsweenc
Original Author
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you rhome!

1. I hadn't thought for a minute about trimming a sink that is bumped out. I forgot to say that the window guy at the bldg supply said it would be a good idea with the windows coming to 6" above the counter. I guess I need to see pictures. I'll do a search.

2. I'd like a door to the laundry room, but don't necessarily need one to the garage hall. I can wait on that decision.

3. I didn't really ask a question, did I? I meant to ask if it looks like a good location for that kind of thing. I don't know where else I'd put such a thing, as all my other options have been used up for other priorities.

4. Can you elaborate on your concern? We could move it 6" toward the LR or decrease the width. What about 14" wide, with 3" on either side of the columns? That would be 37" between. I can definitely say that 3" toward the LR will not be an obstruction in the path between the bedroom hall and the garage hall.

I saw segbrown's outlets... just found gizmo's in a search. I'll have to ask electricians about that when we get to that part.

5. I just have to convince DH that it would be better to have a shallow object under the window than nothing, and that it won't be an obstruction.

Thanks so much for your thoughts!
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rhome410
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
4. Can you elaborate on your concern?
In the plan I only see 2 1/2 ft between the island and the China storage cabinets...Pretty narrow for a walk through area, especially narrow if someone were to be working on that side of the island and/or someone is trying to get China out on that side.
celticmoon
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I know you said you didn't want to move the sink left or right but...

...seems like there is a lot of counter to the left of that cleanup sink that is too far from the fridge and range to be useful work space. If you moved that sink left, maybe centered under the 3 windows, then you'd have a longer run in that prime space between range and cleanup sink. The right side of the range is sharing standing/landing space with the ovens, so I would want the left side as open as possible.

I'd almost be tempted to use 2 instead of 3 windows to get the range further away from the corner. Tough call.
jsweenc
Original Author
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
celticmoon, thanks for your thoughts.

I could still move the sink, which I am not opposed to doing if it serves a function (extra counter space is a good function). There are 42" there now; do you think more will be useful? I was not thinking of getting a pot filler, but if that sink is further away, I might want to have one there.

Aesthetically, I can live with having the sink not centered under the windows, though I know some don't like it (or worse).

The windows have been ordered and framed and the outlet for the range was placed yesterday.

I forget whether we decided range placement or windows first -- I knew I wanted lots of windows, but may also have been about opening the oven into open space. I could move it inches to the left, but not much. I see what you mean, looking at the layout, the island prep space doesn't seem so convenient to the range, though it has seemed to be whenever I have walked through it, so I have not thought of the space between sink and range as main prep.

What about moving the island a little closer to the fridge (drawn at 46" from the fridge door) and/or moving the prep sink to the right? That would cut my landing space and the width of my drawer bank there, so I'll have to look at what I'm storing there to see if some of it can go elsewhere.

The windows will arrive either this Friday or next and once they are in place the final measurements will be taken for the counters. We will approve the drawings before proceeding, and the cab guy will waive additional fees for revisions pre-production. I will put those out here when we get them.