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muppetmom

Kitchen Reno in Maryland

muppetmom
10 years ago

We have been lurking on GardenWeb for several months now, reading as much as we can and looking at all kinds of finished projects. Now we have put together an idea of what we want.
The kitchen is the centerpiece of the reno. We plan to incorporate the dining room into the kitchen and use the formal living room as a formal dining room. We have some nice antique dining room furniture that we want to use. This leaves us a space that is about 11-1/2 by 25 for the kitchen, a long fairly skinny space. It's big but sort of awkward. We would appreciate any ideas, opinions, help and input that you all can give us about the reno. We promise not to get bent out of shape with criticism and to listen to all opinions.

The current situation is at the top and our design is at the bottom.
Thanks,
Muppetmom and Muppetdad

Comments (10)

  • ppbenn
    10 years ago

    Really watch what specs you need duct wise for your vent hood for the range since you are trying to vent into an existing space. and that 48 inch may need massive venting.
    Not crazy about the closeness of the stools for the island and the sliding doors. Is it possible to put the exit to the screened porch in the perpendicular wall in the sunroom?
    You would not have any exits to the outside in the kitchen and just windows. That might help the traffic flow in a tight space, even with sliders I think 36" is too tight.
    Do the pocket door into the kitchen from the dining.

  • ppbenn
    10 years ago

    bumping so you get more help

  • muppetmom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks ppbenn,

    I like the idea of the pocket door between the dining room and the new kitchen. I was thinking of a swinging door that could either open in or out so that we could easily go through it with our hands full. But a pocket door might make more sense.

    We want a 36 inch induction cook-top and my husband wants to add a 12 inch gas wok burner. I am not sure how much of a vent hood we will need for that. I am not sold on the wok burner, but it would allow us cook when the electricity is off. We will check on requirements.

    The sliding doors are the real problem here. I envisioned a wall of glass with accordion sliding doors so that we could open the entire wall to the screened porch on nice days. Unfortunately, our budget is not big enough for this, so this was a compromise. We do have an opening to the patio from the sunroom right now. The screened porch will be built around the same time as the rest of the reno.

  • debrak2008
    10 years ago

    How about moving the proposed dooway into the dining room to the left by where the cooktop/24" counter is? Then you would have a nice L with no interuption.

    I agree you need to check into venting that large of a cooktop before you go any further.

  • baltomom_gw
    10 years ago

    Don't know what your views are, but make sure all seating areas are looking at something you want to look at. I would not put stools facing your fridge, for example. You'll never sit in them. Maybe turn the second island perpendicular to the main island, so the stools face into the kitchen? Or put the stools on the other side of the second island so they look out to the back yard.

    I'd move the door to the dining room to the left of the cooktop so you have a solid L, and I'd put the sink under the window on the wall to the right so you have a continuous prep space between sink and cooktop. But that would depend on the view out that window. If you are looking at a garage, you'd want to keep the sink where it is on the island as long as it has a better view (which I assume it must, since it's facing your back yard??).

    Do you have enough cabinet space? It suddenly occurs to me that the "second island" is a table?? If so, do you have enough cabinets for everything you use, plus pantry space? If you cook a lot, as I do, it doesn't look like you have enough.

  • ppbenn
    10 years ago

    I really like baltomom's suggestion of the sink moving to the short wall and the cooking/range moving to where the dining door is now. Then the seating island could be perpendicular to how you have it with a walkway from dining to porch doors.

  • muppetmom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well, Here we are in Feb. We had to go back and look at how the kitchen would function after everyone's kind remarks. Then, Christmas came and my college aged kids came home and I just ran out of time to think about the "reno".

    We have changed quite a few things in the ensuing months. First, we moved the sink to the far wall giving us a "scullery" LOL. Not that I have a scullery maid other than me! I like the idea of being able to put dirty dishes down away from where I think guests may be.

    Next, we switched the 48" gas cooktop to a 36" induction cooktop. I thinl that will fit more closely how we cook these days. It's just the two of us (myself and Muppetdad) at home most of the time. The kids are all away in school or moved out and independent. We love to cook, but I would prefer an easy cleanup.

    We tried to move the door to the dining room, but all of our venting, a lot of plumbing and other "stuff" go right up that wall just where the door would go.

    We also talked about turning the chairs around, but we have a very long narrow kitchen. The island is as wide as it can go.

    The GC just came back this week to say that the 12 foot sliding glass door to the new screened porch will fit and has been signed off on by the engineer. The orginal idea was to have the entire wall slide open to the porch. This would have been great if we were made of money..... but I will love the 12' door almost as much. At lease it's not 6' which is where we started!

    The demo has begun on the kitchen. I will post some more pictures of the plans and pictures of demo.

    I am very interested in everyone's thoughts.

    Cheers,
    Muppetmom

  • muppetmom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    A view of the rangetop wall.

  • muppetmom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    A view of the sink wall with information on storage.

  • muppetmom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    A view from the range top out towards the sliding glass doors and back screened in porch.