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caroline94535

Minimum walkways?

caroline94535
9 years ago

What is the standard, minimum width for a hallway?

Also, what is the correct distance between counter tops/cabinets in a galley style kitchen? Would that be 48 inches?

I'm still trying to come up with a workable plan for my horrid kitchen. I need to keep the dogs and the husband out of it. Right now the 13x14 room, which only looks like a big room, is the main highway from one side of the house to the other. It also holds the large table. I am trying to come up with a way of running an 8-10 ft. bank of lower cabinets with counter top, down the middle of the room to block off the "kitchen" from the "hallway" and leave a one-entry point to the galley kitchen.

The kitchen is 13' wide. It would have cabinets, stove and sink on the 14' wall; the corner cabinet would turn the corner and then there will be the stove at a right angle, and the new bank of cabinets would complete the U shaped galley kitchen area. The table will go on the sun porch which is supposed to someday be a dining/living room area. It's 14x23 or so. The cabinet next too the stove would have its door facing the new walk way to avoid dead space. It will have deep drawers and hold dog food and supplies.

Comments (14)

  • desertsteph
    9 years ago

    I don't know the minimum but be sure to consider someone in a wheelchair or using a walker... and moving a big chair w/ legs thru it...

    can you draw that room out on graph paper with dimensions and what you would like as for the cab positions? include space / measurements for windows and doors. graph paper free online.

    my brain doesn't connect with my vision to 'see' that without the graph LO and figures in front of me.

  • caroline94535
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yes; I'll dig out my graph paper tonight and work on it. Thanks so much!

  • desertsteph
    9 years ago

    can you pop it over here from the other thread? that should be good enough.

    a quick look and calc seems like it should work ok - not sure if with table tho.

  • Shades_of_idaho
    9 years ago

    Our hallway is 42 inches in the wider sections. BUt I have an 11 inch deep, tall desk on one side. It breaks up the look of the 18 foot long hallway. A draw back from stretching a manufactured home.

    I remember a long time ago 36 inches was the minimum for pass by spaces. Then it seemed to go to 48. There probably is a standard. We have a U shape kitchen and the opening from dinning room happens to be 49 inches. It is plenty wide. We also have a door across from that opening out to the laundry room. That doorway is 30 inches wide.

    As I think I understand it you are working on creating a one butt kitchen. I am like Steph I would like to see it in picture format or graph or just drawn with measurements.

    I was considering putting a small dresser at the end of the peninsula in our kitchen. But then I could not figure what it would gain me. BUT I felt there would still be a wide enough walk through at 36 inches.

  • desertsteph
    9 years ago

    shades - how wide is your bdrm doorway? mine is 27.5" wide.

    jed will need to measure my dresser to see if it will fit thru it.

  • Shades_of_idaho
    9 years ago

    Steph all our interior doors are 30 inches wide. The one front door to outside is 36 inches and I think the other three doors are 32 inches wide. I did not measure the height. Standard.

  • caroline94535
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Desert Steph, here's the floor plan for the whole house. I have the plumber coming tomorrow to fix two issues, so it may be Friday before I can re-measure and draw out my ideas.

    You can see the west window by the fridge. That's where I'm hoping to put the run of base cabinets to form a dedicated hallway along the right-hand side of the kitchen.

    I'm posting this from my iPod, so I hope the photo shows up.

  • desertsteph
    9 years ago

    if the room is 13.5' L to R you should have enough space - but it'd be tight to me. the far R would just be open for walking thru?

    where would you put the fridge?

    maybe it'd be better to put up one of those train track arms that come down - you could lower it to keep people and dogs out?

    just do a LO of that room like you think you want it - we can go by the other drawing you posted for how it interchanges with other rooms.

  • desertsteph
    9 years ago

    'all our interior doors are 30 inches wide.'

    dear me! why is mine only 27.5 - I hope I don't need it widened any time soon. maybe that's why he couldn't get the wingback in here.

    this place is over 15 yrs old now tho. yours is newer and they might have changed requirements. that's a good thing.

  • caroline94535
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yes; the 13'5 is left to right. The 4' on the far right would be a dedicated "hallway."

    I plan to put the fridge where the stove is shown here, it will take up part of the space where the teapot cabinet is, too.

    I think I need one of those tall, very narrow, pull out pantry cabinets to the left of the fridge to make room for the fridge door to open completely without bumping the wall.

    This is almost what I have planned for my sink/fridge wall. The side of this cabinet would be against the wall that divides the kitchen from the livingroom and breakfast nook.

  • Shades_of_idaho
    9 years ago

    So you are saying your island will be about 2 foot wide? Dedicated hallway between back side of island and far right wall. Still half asleep but I see it if you had that hall as 4 foot and island as 2 foot then another 4 foot isle then sink base run of 2 foot. you could maybe do an extra foot on the island width making it three foot.

    Our peninsula is the standard two foot and it is a fine work space although 80 percent of my kitchen work is done on the right of the sink.

    I am not sure I would want to be boxed into a long set of cabinets.

  • caroline94535
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    There won't be an island; in that drawing the "island" actually represents the kitchen table that is there now. It will be moved to the sun porch.

    I'll have the U-shaped galley kitchen, opening to the living room / breakfast nook, and a 4-ft (?) hallway running down the right side of the current kitchen.

    I hope.

    I'm not too keen on the boxed-in feeling, either, but as the kitchen is now I can't keep either dog or the husband from under my feet, out of my way, and away from the food. This room is the main thoroughfare of the house.

    Right now there is only about 30 inches from the oven to the kitchen table (It is larger than the drawing shows). DH pushes through and knocks me out of the way when I'm trying to take things out of the oven. I have burned myself so many times. I've asked and asked him to use the "right / walkway side" of the kitchen, and train the dogs to, also, but it falls on three sets of deaf ears.

    My goal is a cleaner work area; a way to direct traffic through the house without going through the kitchen, and a measure of safety while cooking. With my new plan he should be able to get to the fridge without bumping me while I'm handling hot dishes and sharp knives. He really should make that a priority, LOL.

    This post was edited by caroline on Thu, Apr 17, 14 at 13:32

  • desertsteph
    9 years ago

    'running an 8-10 ft. bank of lower cabinets with counter top, down the middle of the room to block off the "kitchen" from the "hallway" and leave a one-entry point to the galley kitchen'

    you sure you want to be that closed in?

    how will the window play in that setup?

  • Shades_of_idaho
    9 years ago

    OK I got it. Burning yourself is very dangerous. And the dogs too. I know how they can some times race through the house too. We slowed them down here by putting vinyl in the whole house. LOL

    I think it would be fine with the living room end open.

    I still love the narrow cabinets down the hallway side. So much storage and they look so pretty. I think you can squeeze them in.

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