Perfect Kitchen Planning

By Tim Carter
©1993-2012 Tim Carter

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Summary: Kitchen design or redesign can be can be very exciting. Electric or gas utilities can be moved. Drainlines and water can be moved. Add pantry space. Go for the countertops and sink that you really want. Add natural and electrical lighting. Kitchen flooring ... the sky's the limit! Don't settle for less than you want.

Related Articles: solid surface countertops, design suggestions, kitchen lighting

DEAR TIM: A new kitchen is on the horizon for me. I have waited years for this and want the perfect kitchen. Surely you have some advice as I assume you have installed many kitchens both large and small. What mistakes have you solved in the past for your clients? If you could wave a magic wand at my house, what would the kitchen include? Sandy K., Stanton, KY

DEAR SANDY: You nailed it. I have installed so many new kitchens - four of my own - that I have lost count over the years. Several of my past customers tell me each time I see them about particular aspects of their kitchens that they love and about things that guests point out in their kitchens. To be honest though, I don't know if the perfect kitchen is an attainable goal. Every time I try to create one, I discover a flaw or two weeks or months later after all of the tools are packed away.

This handy bar sink is next to our refrigerator. To the left of the sink is just enough space for glasses and other things you might pull from the refrigerator. But to the right of the sink, there is not enough space.

Perhaps the best way to help you is to tell you things I would avoid. Over the years I have seen dysfunctional kitchens and the misery they cause. Some people become numb to the daily pain.

The first thing to do is to begin to think outside the box. Certain utilities such as water lines, drains, gas lines and high-powered electric may be in certain parts of your existing kitchen, but that doesn't mean they can't be relocated with a little effort. I distinctly remember as a small child watching plumbers move the gas line for our stove from one side of the kitchen to the other. They had to pull up a little bit of flooring, but at the end of the day, you couldn't tell anything was really different. Relocating utilities can open up a wide vista of planning opportunities.

If at all possible, install a double bowl sink. Don't settle for a standard one. You can get gorgeous stainless steel and cast iron ones that have very deep bowls for large pots and pans. Make sure your plumber installs separate ball valves under the sink so you can easily and reliably shut off water to the sink and dishwasher. Speaking of dishwashers, focus your attention on the ones that are whisper-quiet or completely silent. I hear people complain on a regular basis about how operating dishwashers compete during phone calls and regular conversations.

Food and sundry storage is very important. Try to include a pantry closet in your kitchen. It only has to be 36 inches wide and 24 inches deep. Special shelves and compartments can be made for canned goods. Pantry cabinets work, but they can be a compromise.

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Avoid flaws and mistakes when planning your new kitchen. Use my Kitchen Remodeling Checklist as your remodel guide. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

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Lighting is everything. Try to create levels of light. You can do this with multiple recessed lights and traditional surface mounted or hanging fixtures where certain ones are operated by different switches. Indirect lighting can create a soft glow for mood lighting when the kitchen is not in use. Skylights allow abundant sunshine to cascade into the kitchen and light the space even on dreary days.

Countertops are very important. Don't think you must limit yourself to one material. You can tastefully mix different materials. You may decide to splurge on a natural or reconstituted stone island top while using high-grade plastic laminate for the remainder of the tops. Solid surface tops can be mixed with any other top material. If you like to make your own dough for baking, you may want a cool slab of granite inserted in a food preparation area. At the very least, you can buy a stand-alone granite trivet for this same purpose.

Be sure you plan for plenty of countertop space in critical areas. You need a landing pad for things taken from the refrigerator. Ample countertop space is a must-have on both sides of the cooktop and sink.

Kitchen flooring is another mistake magnet. I learned long ago that ceramic tile and dishwashers don't play well together. There are countless chips in the tiles in my kitchen that are adjacent to the dishwasher. I realize that humans who drop dishes and silverware are to blame, and I am one of the guilty. Cork and hardwood are good choices as a fresh coat of water-based polyurethane can be applied each year to make the floor look like new. Just a very light hand sanding is required to prepare the floor for this rejuvenation.

Entire books have been written about kitchen planning. This column can't possibly talk about all kitchen issues and possibilities. Common sense needs to be applied in all situations. For example, make a list of all complaints you have with your current kitchen. Where do you need extra electrical outlets? Is it too dark at night ? Is your refrigerator too small? Do you hate to clean your cooktop?

Think about conveniences. If you hate to vacuum your kitchen, you can install a central vacuum system that has little doors strategically located on the sides of certain cabinets. When debris and crumbs fall on the floor, just grab a broom and brush them over to the discreet vacuum door. Touch the vacuum activation lever with your foot and sweep the debris into the opening. Poof its gone!

Costly Design Errors

By Tim Carter
©1993-2012 Tim Carter

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Summary: Home design is one of the most important parts of home building. Design your home without all the errors that other homes have. Exterior home design includes things such as drive and walkways, air conditioner unit placement, porches. Interior design includes small things such as outlets, switches or large things such as traffic patterns.

Related Articles: patio design tips, lighting design, garage storage

I'll bet you have been to a party at a the house of a friend, neighbor or relative and noticed one or more builder blunders. Perhaps it was when you drove into the driveway and opened your car door only to find you were stepping in wet grass. Maybe you were in the first floor bathroom and wondered why you had to reach way behind you to get toilet paper. There are hundreds of places a builder or a subcontractor can make a mistake, but let them happen on other new homes not yours.

Let's start with a few common exterior mistakes that can often be easily avoided. If you are going to have air conditioning in your home, think about where the outdoor compressors will be. Try to locate them on the east or north side of your home for maximum efficiency, but avoid placing them near bedrooms or other rooms where you will spend lots of time. New air conditioning units are being made so they produce minimal noise, but they are by no means silent.

Driveways must be wide enough to allow you to easily exit and enter a car and still be on the driveway. A single lane drive should be no less than 12 feet wide and a double-wide driveway should really be 22 feet wide. These widths will handle beefy SUVs with ease and minimize door dings if two cars are parked adjacent to one another.

If you don't want your guests to cower in the rain waiting for you to answer the front door, be sure a front porch or covered entrance is included. Clever architects can provide this protection no matter what the architectural style of your new home will be.

Do a quick walk through inspection of your existing home. Make a list of things that bother you in each room. My guess is that you might wonder if the plumber who worked on your home was only 5 foot 2 inches tall. All too often, shower heads are installed too low and people squat and bend over when a relaxing shower was on the agenda. Toilet paper holders can be placed just about anywhere in easy reach so long as solid blocking is placed in the framing before drywall is installed.

Don't forget to pay attention to simple things such as electrical outlets. Do you wish you had more in given rooms? Would you like to have outlets directly behind end tables that are placed next to beds and couches? You bet it is possible. What about a nice outlet or two right on top of a fireplace mantle? It can and should be done. You might also want a floor outlet or two in home offices that will have a desk out in the room instead of against a wall. Imagine how you might like a strategically placed floor outlet to power a coffee table that is lighted.

Traffic patterns in rooms and the house as a whole need to be studied. Pathways within rooms can gobble up valuable floor space. You can sketch these connecting walkways on your plans and see how well scale cutouts of your furniture will fit without extending into the traffic pattern.

Your builder may have great intentions and build your home to code, but the floor systems may be spongy or bouncy after you move in. This boo-boo can be avoided if you specify stiff floors that meet the 1/480 deflection design standard instead of the minimum standard of 1/360 in most building codes.

Think about hallway and stairway widths. Once again the building code minimum width of 36 inches is often chosen by builders. Avoid this at just about any cost and try to make sure staircases are 42 inches or more in width. You will never regret having a 48 inch or wider hallway.

Often, the biggest builder blunder is overhead and out of sight. All too often regular common trusses are used over living spaces and garages. In certain places your builder may be able to install cool attic trusses or lower-headroom storage trusses that allow you to either create a full-sized room in the future or safely store some possessions on trusses that have been rated for this purpose. Last but not least, ask your builder to install a real staircase to these bonus spaces, not one of those light-duty folding staircases.

Kitchen Design

By Tim Carter
©1993-2012 Tim Carter

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Summary: Kitchen design and kitchen planning are big issues when doing your kitchen remodeling. Kitchen cabinets, kitchen islands and layout are just some of the factors to be concerned when planning your new kitchen design.

DEAR TIM: I need some help with the kitchen design for my home. I am pretty sure I know what I want, but kitchen designs are as varied as faces in a crowd. How will I know what is the best design for this kitchen remodel job? What is the best way to approach a fresh kitchen design project? Sheila B., Hardeeville, SC

DEAR SHEILA: Kitchen design is very important, but it is sometimes confused with kitchen planning. Both planning and design are critical, and ignoring one while concentrating on the other can lead to a disaster and heartbreak. Let's make sure we are on the same page with respect to what you need.

Kitchen design, in my opinion, speaks to the overall look of the kitchen once it is completed. A designer can use different materials, cabinets, finishes, lighting, etc. to achieve a sleek, modern look and feel or a kitchen that was transported in a time machine from a quaint Irish cottage. There are an infinite amount of kitchen designs you can have.

This kitchen design was a collaborative effort. My wife had significant input from beginning to end throughout the entire design process. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Kitchen planning, in my opinion, tends to pay more attention to the functionality of the space. When you plan a kitchen, you are thinking about the placement of the sink, appliances, types of cabinets and the layout of the cabinets and countertops. The best analogy I can think of is kitchen planning is like the structural steel of a skyscraper and kitchen design is the outside appearance of that same skyscraper.

There is no simple answer to your main question. I feel you can ask 100 top kitchen designers what they would do with your new kitchen, and you will likely end up with 100 different designs some of them being similar, but no way identical. My suggestion is for you to start to immerse yourself in research where you look at hundreds of different designs and see which few really put your head on a swivel.

Your research will undoubtedly take you across the vast tundra of the Internet, into numerous kitchen cabinet showrooms and possibly design centers built by large remodeling contractors who specialize in kitchen remodeling. I also suggest you start looking at any number of excellent kitchen design books and magazines that have hundreds of gorgeous color photos of kitchens large and small, expensive and affordable. If you really want to be on the cutting edge, look at kitchen designs done in European countries. European kitchen designers often produce stunning results in small spaces.

Be sure to look beyond just cabinets and countertops. Every surface in the kitchen is a design element. The backsplash space between the countertops and underside of the wall cabinets, floor, ceiling, doors, wall spaces above and around cabinets, etc. all should contribute to the overall design theme.

For example, if you are on a tight budget, you may decide to paint your existing floor and incorporate a design of some type into the paint. Painted floors hold up very well when they are coated with high-quality clear urethane. Don't forget lighting as it is a very important design element. Unfortunately, lighting is often overlooked in many kitchen designs that I see.

I urge you to consider interviewing several professional kitchen designers. They may be able to offer you great advice about how to maximize your design dollars. The fee you spend for a kitchen designer may be paid for from dollars you might otherwise waste on rookie design mistakes.

Not all professional kitchen designers are made equal. Some have years of professional and industry training mixed with years of field experience. Others may have little or no training in the field. Before you sign any contract for design fees, make sure you investigate the qualifications of the person you are going to hire.

At a bare minimum ask to see the last 20 kitchen design projects they have worked on. Try to determine if the designer has experience working with the look and feel you have decided you like. Ask the designer what kind of training and classes they have taken. Probe to see if they have any type of certification from industry associations. Some certifications require many hours of training.

Functional Kitchen Design Ideas

By Tim Carter
©1993-2012 Tim Carter

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Summary: Kitchens are, by far, one of the most popular remodeling projects at this time. Even in new construction, kitchens receive great attention. Our changing lifestyles and interest in health make the kitchen a central room in the house. In many homes, the kitchen is the most heavily used room. If this is true in your case, then you want the room to be as functional as possible. Function doesn't happen by accident. You need to think and plan. Following are some ideas that you might want to consider when a kitchen remodel job or new home is on the horizon.

Related Articles: Cabinets, Wholesale Cabinets

Dishwashing

Consider elevating your dishwasher. If you elevate your dishwasher by nine to 12 inches, you will be surprised how easy it is to load and unload. Never again will you have to bend over! This idea causes the countertop, in many instances, to be interrupted. The resulting platform is an excellent height for a microwave, TV, or radio.

Lighting

Give serious consideration to both direct and indirect lighting. This means using recessed lighting to cast light on specific work areas and using indirect light for general lighting purposes. Fluorescent lights hidden above wall cabinets can produce magnificent results if disguised well and balanced within the room.

Sound Considerations

Kitchens are noisy places. The materials in kitchens also don't help matters much, as they easily reflect or bounce sound. Consider cork flooring, which is easy on your feet and absorbs sound (see Bulletin Cork Flooring Products). Also, if an island is in your plans, consider building walls around three sides. Make these walls 42 inches high and insulate the walls. The extra height walls provide a great place for electric receptacles. Also, insulate the walls between the kitchen and other rooms of the house if possible. Insulate the ceiling as well. Attempt to reduce sound producing activities. By using pull-out drawers for pots and pans, rattling will be kept to a minimum.

Windows

If you have a window at your sink, consider enlarging it so that the sill of the window becomes an extension of the countertop. It is a dramatic effect and also can serve in certain instances as a convenient pass thru for outside dining.

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Avoid flaws and mistakes when planning your new kitchen. Use my Kitchen Remodeling Checklist as your remodel guide. I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

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Hidden Waste

Absolutely make every effort possible to put garbage cans and recycling cans in pull out or tilt out cabinets. Open waste containers in the room are unsightly.

Distinctive Cabinets & Countertops

Your cabinets and countertops make up the largest components of your new kitchen. Do whatever you can to personalize these items. For example, if your budget will permit choose a cabinet line which has matching complimentary trims such as crown molding, valances, etc. These items can dress up the tops of cabinets or the room by continuing the cabinet theme towards the ceiling.

Countertops can be highly customized. The edges of countertops, even plastic laminate, can be easily individualized. Different color laminates or pieces of wood can be added to countertops with dramatic results. Solid surface countertop material offers virtually unlimited design possibilities. These materials can be shaped just like wood. This means that you can use any router bit to create the edge of your liking. Countertops, when done properly, will make or break a kitchen design. Spend some time and find the best fabricator in your town.

Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

By Tim Carter
©1993-2012 Tim Carter

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Summary: There are many kitchen remodeling ideas that can save you money. Painting kitchen cabinets will save a bundle compared to replacing cabinets. Watching for sales will help lower the kitchen remodeling price.

DEAR TIM: I'd love to move to a new home, but the economy is preventing that. So I've decided to do some new kitchen remodeling as it seems to be the center of activity of our current home. Based on the bids I'm getting, kitchen remodeling costs seems high. What can be done, in your opinion, to keep the total job cost as low as possible? Can you share any tips on how to minimize the disruption the construction work will cause? Mandy W., Richmond, VA

DEAR MANDY: Kitchen remodeling can create some financial stress as well as friction in your personal life. Most people simply don't grasp how much they use a kitchen each day, even if it's just walking to the refrigerator to get a glass of juice. Or they think nothing of walking over to the microwave and using it to heat up a cup of coffee. When those appliances are suddenly gone, life starts to imitate a deep-woods campground experience very quickly.

This kitchen is being remodeled. The contractor has kept the old sink in place till the last possible second to make life easier. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Let's talk about the cost of kitchen remodeling first, then I'll share some tips I've discovered after remodeling kitchens for nearly 35 years. There's no doubt that in the average home, the kitchen contains the highest concentration of fixtures, cabinets and appliances. No one item may cost a lot of money, but when you add everything up it can be a frightening number.

If you want to keep the cost of your job as low as possible, I suggest you keep your current cabinets and just paint them. I say this assuming the cabinets are in good condition. You'd be shocked at how dramatic the difference can be by just investing in a gallon of paint. Painted cabinets, especially ones that have some highlighting, can look gorgeous at the end of the day. You can save thousands of dollars immediately by deciding to paint instead of installing new cabinets.

I would watch for appliance sales if you're in the market for a new stove, refrigerator, cooktop or microwave. You'll pay a penalty if you impulse buy. Plan ahead and watch for sales at appliance stores. Scour the Internet for promo codes or rebate offers.

The odds are you may need to invest in new countertops and flooring. The plastic laminate tops you may have shunned in the past should be considered. You'll discover many new patterns that mimic the look of expensive countertops that cost thousands of dollars more that what you might spend for durable plastic laminate.

Don't reject affordable vinyl tile flooring. Advancements in technology will amaze you when you see vinyl tile that looks like real slate, marble or granite. These are products you can absolutely install yourself in a day or less. That will save you sweet moola.

The disruption caused by the remodeling needs to be minimized. I would not start the job until you have everything you need stored in your garage and double checked to make sure it's correct. Once you start tearing apart your kitchen, you should not be wasting valuable time driving around getting materials or making selections only to discover the thing you want will take three weeks to arrive.

Think about doing the remodeling job in warmer weather. If you decide to rip out your kitchen entirely and start over, set up a temporary kitchen out in your garage where you can do basic tasks in relative warmth instead of frigid temperatures or blazing heat in the middle of summer. Use an outdoor grill as much as possible to cook, but don't use one of these in the garage. Fumes and the risk of fire are real threats.

If you're going to do some of the work yourself, practice the skills before you need to do the actual work. Discover if the paint you want will actually look good. Train yourself how to use additives in paint that will give you professional results. If you're going to paint your existing cabinets, go ahead and remove a cabinet front and paint it. When you get the perfect result, then advance to the rest of the kitchen.

Painting kitchen cabinets is much easier if you remove the hardware. This takes time up front, but you'll get fantastic results at the end of the day. Be sure to put the hardware for each cabinet in a separate marked plastic sandwich bag so that you can reassemble the cabinets and everything work perfectly.

Be sure to read all written installation instructions before you start any task. Read these days before you start so you have all the tools and materials handy. Don't hesitate to practice something if you've never done it before. For example, if you've not put down vinyl tile flooring before, try to install eight pieces on a scrap piece of approved underlayment. Learn how to cut the material before you're in a bind.

Counter Depth Refrigerator

Summary: Undercounter appliances, such as a refrigerator or freezers, can installed in your kitchen. A counter depth refrigerator can match your kitchen cabinets. No one will know that what looks like drawers are actually an undercounter refrigerator or an under counter freezer.

DEAR TIM: What can you tell me about shallow refrigerators that don’t project out past the line of kitchen cabinets? They look gorgeous in my opinion. Are they really practical? Do you lose lots of space? I’ve seen some of these appliances that have a door panel on them to match the kitchen cabinets so you don’t even know it’s a refrigerator. How in the world do you make that work? Diana F., Austin, TX

DEAR DIANA: I believe what you’re talking about is a counter-depth refrigerator. These appliances have been around for almost thirty years, possibly more. Back in the 1980’s, I installed my first one and liked it so much I put one in the new home I built for my family. That refrigerator was still working perfectly 23 years later when I replaced it for another in a remodel job at my home!

Believe it or not, this ugly steel box is a counter-depth refrigerator. Once it is dressed up with the decorative wood panels and its kickplate, you’d think it was drawer cabinet. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

Back in those days there wasn’t much competition. The refrigerators were absolutely high-end appliances you’d typically find in expensive homes. But now, there are quite a few brands that offer refrigerators that don’t project out past the plane of the front of the cabinets in an average kitchen.

As you might expect, there is a vast difference between makes, models and features. What’s more, not all shallow refrigerators can be finished in the way you describe, that is, with the custom door panels. These are frequently called integrated refrigerators. Did you know that you can get integrated freezers, dishwashers, ice makers, etc.? If you want to hide all your kitchen appliances behind matching wood panels, it’s absolutely possible.

There’s no doubt these appliances are practical. If you were to open one of these refrigerators, I’d bet money you’d ever notice the couple of inches they lack in depth. What you’ll immediately notice on some of the better models is the extremely efficient use of space. The drawers, shelves and storage cubbies in the doors ensure there is no wasted space in these gorgeous refrigerators.

Five years ago, my wife and I embarked on a massive kitchen remodel in our previous home. I discovered something about refrigeration that I didn’t know. Prior to that remodel, we had a combination refrigerator freezer. I believe many people were like us. We did have a stand-up freezer in a back room for other frozen goods.

But what we discovered is that if you just have a refrigerator, foods tend to last much longer and don’t dry out because the humidity in a refrigerator-only appliance is higher than in a refrigerator/freezer combo unit.

Sure enough we got a separate refrigerator and a set of freezer drawers that were stand alone in another part of the kitchen. We were stunned to see how long vegetables, fruits and other things stayed fresh in the refrigerator. They didn’t dry out and shrivel up like they used to.

When you combine both functions in one box, the colder temperature of the freezer extracts lots of the humidity in the appliance simply because the colder air gets, the less water it can hold. You may want to consider getting a separate freezer if you want really fresh fruits and vegetables.

I don’t know if you’ve seen them, but the refrigerator drawers and freezer drawers are sensational. I just installed a set of refrigerator drawers in our current kitchen. This appliance is the exact size of a 27-inch base cabinet.

It’s an integrated set of refrigerator drawers so when I screw on the decorative wood panels, you’ll think it’s just a regular set of deep drawers one might store pots and pans in. My wife LOVES it. We put our leftovers in one of the drawers so they don’t get lost in the regular refrigerator behind other foodstuffs.

Attaching the decorative wood panels to integrated appliances, including refrigerators, takes some serious skill and patience. There are many finish carpentry tricks you have to employ, not the least is working with tolerances of 1/16th inch or less.

Typically there are metal brackets that interlock with the appliance. These brackets have to be carefully placed on the backside of the wood panel with the aid of a template. Using special screws often supplied with the appliance, you attach the brackets and then slide it into place on the door. It usually takes several tries to get the wood panel precisely where it needs to be.

Dealing with the sides of an integrated refrigerator are even more problematic. You almost always need to get a finished side panel from the cabinet supplier. This side panel takes the place of the cabinet frame in a regular cabinet. Keep in mind that the actual appliance is often the same depth as the cabinet boxes and that the drawer and door fronts of the cabinets are in the same plane as the finished panel you’ll place on the refrigerator.

Try to visualize how the countertop will finish out at the sides of the refrigerator and this finished side panel. You’ll probably need the help of an experienced kitchen designer or top fabricator to draw out this very important detail.