Some kitchen reno questions

amother

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 8:34 am

We are iyh renovating our kitchen and I have some questions.

-Did you count out your cabinets before making a layout? ie did you count how many you need for what or did you just do the max that fit?

- In a small kitchen (little wider than a gallery kitchen but same idea 2 sides with a door on one end and the window/radiator at the other) is an island possible? any kind of eating in possible?

- What would you consider top priority and what would be low priority especially on a budget?

Rubber Ducky

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 10:19 am

-Did you count out your cabinets before making a layout? ie did you count how many you need for what or did you just do the max that fit?
In general try to use the biggest (widest) cabinets that will fit rather than the most.

- In a small kitchen (little wider than a gallery kitchen but same idea 2 sides with a door on one end and the window/radiator at the other) is an island possible? any kind of eating in possible?
You don't say how wide. How about an eating counter over the radiator?

- What would you consider top priority and what would be low priority especially on a budget?
The top priority should be your layout! Good workflow, logical storage.
If you can afford semi-custom cabinets, consider frameless because they are bigger inside. In stock cabinet lines stick to framed.
But I'm a kitchen designer so maybe I'm prejudiced. Very Happy

Amarante

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 11:04 am

I am not a designer but recently finished a remodel including a gut remodel of my small galley kitchen.

You don't count cabinets in designing a kitchen. You measure actual usable space and then factor in what needs to fit - e.g. a sink that will be X inches; a refrigerator; a stove (in a small kitchen it will be a stove rather than cooktop and wall ovens) and a dishwasher.

Most people also consider a microwave to be essential and with limited space, the compromise is to have one above the stove rather than have it sitting on the counter. Of course this is a compromise since it means you can't have a real exhaust hood but that is the standard compromise in smaller kitchens.

Whatever space is left over, you use for cabinets and you try to eke out every bit of functionality from those cabinets. FWIW deep drawers in lower cabinets are much more functional than having doors - even doors with pullouts.

In terms of allocating budget, you allocate for those items which can't be changed easily which generally means you invest in high quality cabinets since you can change the counter and add a backsplash at a later time. Even a kitchen faucet is not an expensive change although Delta and Moen make excellent quality for a relatively low price.

Frameless does provide more interior space especially for drawers. FWIW, IKEA makes high quality frameless cabinets. A lot of the savings is because many people can DIY - or at least the boxes themselves - but even those who have them assembled and installed by third parties say you get a lot of bang for your money. However, there is less choice possible which may be more important for smaller kitchens. However, there are some fantastic tiny NYC apartment kitchens which are IKEA are very functional.

amother

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 11:25 am

Rubber Ducky wrote:

Thank you for your time and expertise!
why wider cabinets? wouldnt they get messy faster? I was kind of asking do I count, I need a baking cabinet, a snack cabinet, a milchig pots a fleishig pots etc?

eating over the radiator is an interesting idea!
theres between 7/8 ft between the 2 sides of the kitchen.

I do agree layout is most important. Whats not so important?

Rubber Ducky

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 1:15 pm

Thank you for your time and expertise!
why wider cabinets? wouldnt they get messy faster? I was kind of asking do I count, I need a baking cabinet, a snack cabinet, a milchig pots a fleishig pots etc?
Better to measure your stuff and figure out how much space you need and where you need it. With framed cabinets you lose nearly 5" of width to the cabinet frame and the drawer box. With frameless you lose about 3". You lose even more with rollouts. You can purchase dividers for drawers or rollouts to divide the space.

eating over the radiator is an interesting idea!
there's between 7/8 ft between the 2 sides of the kitchen.
So if I understand you correctly, the total width of the kitchen is between 7 and 8 feet.

Also, look at the relationship between the kitchen and adjacent rooms. For example, if the dining room and kitchen share a long wall, changing the galley shape to an L along the wall not shared with the dining room and the outside window wall, cutting a new door to the dining room, and then straight line counter/appliances along the rest of the shared wall may be a good option.

I do agree layout is most important. Whats not so important?
As Amarante said, things that can be changed easily. Paint, tiles, flooring, faucets, light fixtures. To some extent countertops and sinks.

saralem

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 4:42 pm

Another vote for IKEA. I worked with the ikea designer as they measured everything down to the centimeter! Definitely was a better design than the other contractors offered me. And less expensive.
I totally love the lower drawers. This is the best way to go for storage. I use mine for pots/pans, dishes, baking pans, storage containers, paper goods and more. Far superior to lower cabinets because you can access everything and it doesn’t get messy.

amother

Tue, Aug 04 2020, 5:02 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

Thank you for your time and expertise!
why wider cabinets? wouldnt they get messy faster? I was kind of asking do I count, I need a baking cabinet, a snack cabinet, a milchig pots a fleishig pots etc?
Better to measure your stuff and figure out how much space you need and where you need it. With framed cabinets you lose nearly 5" of width to the cabinet frame and the drawer box. With frameless you lose about 3". You lose even more with rollouts. You can purchase dividers for drawers or rollouts to divide the space.

eating over the radiator is an interesting idea!
there's between 7/8 ft between the 2 sides of the kitchen.
So if I understand you correctly, the total width of the kitchen is between 7 and 8 feet.

Also, look at the relationship between the kitchen and adjacent rooms. For example, if the dining room and kitchen share a long wall, changing the galley shape to an L along the wall not shared with the dining room and the outside window wall, cutting a new door to the dining room, and then straight line counter/appliances along the rest of the shared wall may be a good option.

I do agree layout is most important. Whats not so important?
As Amarante said, things that can be changed easily. Paint, tiles, flooring, faucets, light fixtures. To some extent countertops and sinks.

The space between both sides (the middle unused space is 7 or 8 ft)