Your kitchen remodeling begins with what you already have. Use the Kitchen
Survey to assess your needs and establish your priorities. Then, using the
sample Existing Plan as a guide, translate your three-dimensional space into
a two-dimensional drawing.
As you start gathering kitchen ideas, consider an open design like
this one. Family sitting and eating areas are well separated from kitchen
activities, but the open room encourages relaxed gatherings. Harmonizing
with the character of the old house, the colors, formal cabinetry, textures,
and trim are all Integral parts of a cohesive design.
If you are like millions of homeowners, you spend more time in your kitchen
than anywhere else in your home. So it’s probably important to you to have
an attractive room as well as an efficient work space for preparing food.
Creating such a kitchen is what this guide is all about.
Maybe you are trying to work within a kitchen planned for an earlier age.
You might be running yourself ragged in a large kitchen or cramped into
a small postwar tract kitchen with out-of-date and inconvenient appliances.
Or, perhaps your kitchen works fairly well but needs improved lighting
or energy-saving appliances. Whatever your situation, you have probably
already said to yourself, “Something has to be done.” The next steps center
around how far you can go, how much it will cost, what skills you will
need, and where you can go for help.
Your budget may rule out total renovation plans, but “remodeling” can mean
nothing more than adding a few shelves and applying fresh paint finishes.
Or it can mean something more substantial, requiring carpentry, plumbing,
and wiring skills. Although remodeling a kitchen is not a project to undertake
lightly, you will find that everything falls into place if you take your time
and break the project down into several steps. If you do not have basic skills,
do some smaller projects first, and get help from friends and neighbors to
upgrade your knowledge of building techniques. Our Plan:
Each section in this guide covers one of the five stages in a remodeling
project. The sections are ordered in the sequence you should follow:
1. Getting started. Analyze the reasons for wanting to remodel
by making a survey of your existing kitchen. Take a good, hard look at what
you have now. Then draw a plan of your existing space. This will be the foundation
for your new design. Section One provides guidelines for these two steps.
2. Defining your style. Section Two outlines the de sign
process and provides a photographic tour of re modeled kitchens. By looking
at a wide variety of kitchen styles, you develop a clearer sense of what you
want to do in your own kitchen.
3. Creating a new design. Section Three shows you how to
draw floor plans and elevation sketches for your new kitchen to help you develop
your design through stages until you have just what you want. Our Shopping
Guide describes some of the products you will find on the market and prepares
you for decisions you will need to make when selecting cabinets, appliances,
and materials. Finally, this section helps you organize your project and estimate
the time, money, and materials it may require.
4. Taking out the old. Section Four provides specific information
on removing appliances and cabinets and on stripping walls and floors. By
following the step-by-step instructions and diagrams, you should be able to
do most of this work yourself.
5. Installing the new. Section Five outlines procedures
for installing cabinets, hooking up new appliances and lighting, installing
counter tops, laying new floors, and adding the finishing touches.
If you start at the beginning and work your way through, you will arrive
at the end with a new kitchen that suits your needs and reflects your own
style.
The Project Overview
At the beginning of any major project it helps to be cognizant of the basic
issues that will affect you as you proceed. It would be wasted effort to plan
a kitchen that your building department, budget, or schedule won’t allow you
to realize.
Building Permits
A visit to your local planning or building department will help you learn
both the limitations and the possibilities of a remodeling project on your
lot. In most communities there are restrictions on how far out you can build,
how high up you can go, and what you can do without obtaining approval from
your neighbors. You will need to know these basic facts before you can begin
to consider your options.
Although there may be no restrictions on the types of alterations you wish
to make, your building department usually requires you to obtain a permit
for the construction. Whether or not you need a permit may depend on the total
cost of your project, the degree of alteration, or both. If you need a permit,
you will also be required to submit detailed working drawings showing any
structural, plumbing, and wiring work you intend to do. If you plan to use
a general contractor for the work, you may be able to rely on him to get the
permit for you.
You will also need to know which codes cover which aspects of the construction
so you will be able to meet the various building inspections as they occur.
They generally come after rough plumbing is in, after rough electrical work
has been done, after you have nailed up your wallboard, and after the subflooring
is nailed down. A final inspection will be made after everything is hooked
up and ready to go. You will not want to redo any work, so you should know
how to do it correctly be fore you start. The individual inspectors can provide
help and advice as you go along.
Money
Your bank and savings and loan offices are obvious sources of information
on how to obtain the best possible financing for the size of your project.
You may need only a slightly higher limit on your credit card in order to
purchase the necessary materials or a small personal loan to be paid back
over a short time. For more extensive remodeling, you may need a home-improvement
loan, a loan on the equity you have built up in the house, or even a re-financing
arrangement on the house itself. It is also possible to obtain credit through
your contractor or cabinet dealer, or to seek help from a credit union, or
even a life-insurance company.
If you put in active or passive solar systems, some of your outlay may be
retrievable through federal or state income-tax deductions or credits. You
will want to explore all possibilities before you get into the actual work.
When you work with professionals, give them a definite limit to the amount
you can spend. However, it is all too easy to run a project over the originally
intended budget limit. So don’t start with your total figure during discussions.
Pick a lesser amount.
Time
The amount of time you plan to devote to the project will include any tasks
you take on personally, the days given to waiting for deliveries, and making
followup calls to suppliers, picking up supplies, and cleaning up. If you
are employed full time, you will have only evenings, weekends, and vacations.
If the project is not extensive, this can be done. A very small kitchen can
be taken apart and put back into working order over a weekend, with only a
few more days needed for finishing up. New construction, alterations to the
structure, and relocating appliances will take longer, in which case you may
decide to leave the coordinating to a professional and just turn over the
key.
If you are like many homeowners, you will do some work yourself and subcontract
some of it. Perhaps you’ll get involved in the dismantling process, have the
professional supervise the major construction and installation, and then step
in yourself to finish the room. This last stage can take as long as you can
stand living in an unfinished kitchen. Most homeowners have found that remodeling
takes tar longer than they originally bargained for, so give this part of
the planning some careful thought. Both schedules and budgets are discussed
in more detail elsewhere in this guide. With these basic considerations in
mind, move on to phase one of your project.
Gathering Ideas
Start your project with one of the most enjoyable aspects: gathering ideas.
There are many sources to which you can turn.
Internet and Computer. Lot’s of resources online, including
DIY web sites, blogs and forums. Also, you can purchase architectural or design
/ layout software.
Magazines. If you have not already loaded up your supermarket
cart with magazines, do so. “Shelter” publications, which deal with the home
and its design, are full of innovative plans and new ways to use materials
and products. The ads represent the newest and best of the products currently
on the market. There are also special interest magazines devoted to kitchens.
These contain just about all the products, manufacturers, and information
you need to get started on your own collection of ideas.
Start a clipping file of kitchen photographs that spark ideas you might
want to try. In the kitchen shown here, open shelves above a breakfast counter
let in daylight and do not obstruct the view of the dining room; yet they
retain valuable storage space and provide an eye-catching display space.
Trade publications. If you have access to a large public
library or the office of an architect or a contractor, look over some of the
magazines distributed only to the trade. Some manufacturers, such as hardware
producers, advertise only to the trade, and you will not get to see their
products anywhere else.
Manufacturers. In most ads, the manufacturer provides some
method for obtaining further information. The in formation includes brochures,
many of them in color; specification sheets that give actual dimensions and
finishes for the various lines of products; pamphlets that instruct you on
how to install certain elements; and lists of dealers in your general area.
If the product advertised is a big-ticket item, the manufacturer may alert
your local retailer to your interest and you may be invited to look over the
showroom displays.
Check your local library for Sweet’s Catalog. This is a compilation of many
brochures put together for architects, designers, and builders. It contains
hundreds of photographs and illustrations arranged by topic and manufacturer
that can give you additional ideas about how to select and install products
in your own kitchen design.
Professional and trade associations. Manufacturers and professionals
belong to associations that often pro vide lists of local dealer sources and
materials. They may also produce informative booklets on how kitchen cabinets
are made, how to install ceramic tiles, or how to work with a kitchen designer.
Most will not recommend individual manufacturers, suppliers, or professionals,
but they can be of help in answering your general questions.
Showrooms. One of the best ways to get hands-on knowledge
about specific products that intrigue you is to visit the showrooms of kitchen
specialists, building suppliers, lumberyards, home improvement centers, plumbing
suppliers, and other specialists. Although some outlets may sell only to contractors
and other professionals, you can still look over an array of products that
you might not find elsewhere. You can check out cabinet door hinges, the way
drawers slide, and the final look of various finishes. You can turn on faucets
to see whether they work easily and look over the styles to see just which
spout works best with which faucets. You can open oven doors, measure different
types of sinks, peer inside cabinets to see interior finishes and shelf adjustments,
and read the control panels of major appliances. Catalogs and specifications
are available, and you may be able to borrow sample chips or books to consider
products more carefully at home. There you can see just how various materials
will look under the actual day and night lighting of your own kitchen.
Organizing Your Research Materials
You will very quickly accumulate a pile of materials that you should organize
to maintain a sense of order during your planning. File folders, scrapbooks,
or three-ring notebooks with pockets are all helpful for grouping brochures,
magazine pages, and notes. Separate them under such headings as Layout, Counter
Tops, Appliances, Lighting, Cabinets, and so on. As you sort them into their
various categories, the whirl of ideas circling around in your mind will begin
to sort itself out.
Clip photos from brochures rather than keeping piles of dog-eared pamphlets.
Jot down any dimensions necessary for planning, and put pamphlets dealing
with installation aside during the planning stage. You can also winnow out
those ideas and products you don’t like.
The Kitchen Survey
While you’re gathering new ideas and compiling your notebook, take a close
look at what you already have. Even if you decide to go to a kitchen designer,
architect, or contractor, you’ll be asked to go through the same steps outlined
in this section. So make the Kitchen Survey outlined
below, possibly saving yourself some money. When the survey is completed,
you will have a basic list of priorities that will help you keep on track
throughout your project. This list and the Existing Plan of
your kitchen will be the foundation for all your future planning.
Start by thinking through the primary activities that take place in your
kitchen—cooking, serving, eating, and cleaning up—and list the major problems
that occur during each. Most of the questions in the following sections ultimately
relate to how your kitchen works—or does not work—for you. By looking at your
kitchen first in terms of activity “centers,” you’ll quickly pinpoint areas
to which you should pay particular attention. Then create one page in your
notebook for each of the following categories: Layout,
Traffic Patterns, Counter Space, Cabinets and Other Storage Areas, Appliances,
Surfaces, Lighting, and Style. Note special difficulties and needs under each heading.
Try to determine what the biggest problem is and how it affects your kitchen
activities. As you prepare your lists, possible alternatives or solutions
may come to mind. That’s fine. Make note of them for future reference. But
don’t focus on solutions right now; keep your attention on the very real draw
backs you currently face. The questions that follow will help you focus on
the specific problems that are prompting you to take on this project in the
first place. They are by no means exhaustive, but they should prompt other
questions of your own, helping you determine your real priorities.
Basic Layout and Traffic Patterns
Kitchen planning experts all talk about the work triangle formed by the three
major appliances—sink, stove, and refrigerator. Their arrangement determines
the number of footsteps necessary for one person to pre pare or clean up a
meal. The recommended distances are 4 to 7 feet on each side of the triangle,
totaling 12 to 22 feet for all three sides. For top efficiency, planners place
the sink at an equal distance from the other two corners of the triangle.
It’s not essential that your plan measure up to the norm, but by answering
the following questions you may be able to determine some of the basic problems.
For instance, do you walk too far between any two points of the triangle?
Or are two of the points almost on top of each other? Further, how many cooks
work in your kitchen? Do you bump into each other as you move around? Can
you stand side by side at the cooking surface? Are you working around one
another at the only sink? Is there a peninsula? Island? Worktable? Is there
a place to eat? Are they all arranged for maximum efficiency? If not, list
the problems.
Next, walk from the kitchen into the dining room, the laundry room, and the
garage. Go back to the kitchen and make some notes: How many doors open into
the room? Are they all necessary? Do kids and pets troop through your work
space to get from one room to another? What happens when company comes and
moves into the kitchen to help? Must you run around a corner to get to pantry
items? Where are your laundry facilities? Would it make more sense to move
them into or out of the kitchen? If you find you are doing more walking than
working, go back to the assessment of your layout. Try to outline the major
problems.
Counter Space
Counter space should function primarily as a work surface. Is this true in
your kitchen? Or are the counters more like storage shelves? Are you trying
to do all your kitchen tasks on one small counter? Do your kids draw or do
homework at your serving counter? Do you have a place for dirty dishes near
the sink? A drain-board for clean ones? A place to chop? A place to lay out
dinner plates when serving food? Do you have space to put down large grocery
bags next to the refrigerator? Is there room to sit a hot pot down next to
the cooking surface or the oven? Are your counters all the same height? Can
you sit at any of them? Are any approached from both sides? List the areas
where your biggest problems occur, where you want more counter space or where
you have counter space that isn’t used efficiently.
Cabinets and Storage
Lack of storage space is often caused by cabinets that are full of items
which rarely, if ever, get used. Before answering the questions listed below,
note everything you have not used during the past year or have taken out only
once or twice. You may be able to find other places for these items. Then
ask: Is there wasted space above the flat stacks of plates and bowls? Is there
a cabinet wide enough to hold mixing bowls? Salad bowls? Mixer? Are cupboards
too high to reach? Too low? Too shallow? Too deep? Is there space between
the cup board and the ceiling where dust accumulates? Are shelves adjustable?
Do the tall vinegar and oil bottles fit? Are cooking utensils stored by the
stove? How convenient are the drawers for flatware and table accessories?
Do you have any pantry or other storage space large enough to hold the biggest
roasting pan, large coffee urn, bags of cat or dog food, mop and broom, vacuum,
or picnic baskets and coolers? When you’ve checked out every existing storage
space, list both your problems and needs in terms of drawers, shelves, bins,
closets and their desirable widths, depths, or heights. If the only thing
wrong with the cabinets is the way they look, consider refinishing them or
just changing the doors. However, your next consideration is the appliances,
and if you change them you may be forced to alter your cabinetry.
Appliances
Sink. If you are replacing the counter, you may have to
disconnect the sink, so decide whether you want to reinstall your existing
one. Is it scratched or discolored? Is your sink too low, too high, too deep,
too shallow? Do large items like grills or roasting pans fit into it? Can
you fill large pots easily? Does the garbage get mixed up with utensils and
dishes? Do you use the second sink or wish you had one? Does the nozzle swing
wide enough and high enough? Before moving on to the second point of your
work triangle, decide whether or not you like the location of your sink.
Range/Cooktop/ Oven. Even if there is nothing wrong with
the appliance, ask yourself whether it serves your needs adequately. Do you
have gas and prefer electric or vice versa? Do you have enough burners? Are
they big enough? Are the burners far enough apart to handle big pots or woks?
Is the oven too small? Too slow? Could you use a microwave? Do you dislike
your range enough to put it on your “must replace” list, or is the problem
something else—a bad location, for example? List all the pros and cons about
your current cooking appliances.
Refrigerator/Freezer. This is the third appliance in your
work triangle. Does the door swing in the right direction? Is it reversible?
Does it block anything or is it blocked by another appliance? Is the refrigerator
big enough? Is the freezer big enough? How convenient is it to reach the ice?
Is the appliance self-defrosting or do you have to defrost it? How often?
Does it have energy-saving features? If your main problem is that you can’t
open the door wide enough to get the crispers fully open, perhaps you can
save the cost of a new refrigerator merely by re locating the existing one.
Or perhaps you can have it re finished to match a new color scheme. Decide
whether or not replacing the refrigerator is a must.
Dishwasher. If you’re moving the sink, the dishwasher may
have to be relocated, too. Is this the time for a new one? Or a second one?
How often do you use it? Does it have energy-saving cycles? Are the racks
convenient for loading? Does it get the dishes really clean? Does it ever
break down? How easy is it to have repaired? When open, does the door interfere
with the traffic pat tern or with other cabinet doors? Is it convenient to
the sink and to cupboards where clean dishes go? Does loading and unloading
disrupt the work and circulation in the kitchen?
Trash compactor. Assess how high on your priority list this
appliance should go. Is it convenient? Do you empty it every couple of days?
Would you spend more on garbage collection without it? If the answer to these
questions is “no,” reconsider your need for this appliance. The storage space
it displaces may be more valuable to you.
Surfaces
Although many of your options for surfaces are related to style and color,
you should consider the practical aspects: How often do you have to wax or
clean your floor? Does it show dirt easily? Is it looking worn or dated in
color or pattern? Is your plastic laminate counter burnt or scratched? Is
the wood chopping block water-stained? How discolored is the grout between
your tiles? Could the walls use a fresh coat of paint or some lively new wallpaper?
Remember to consider all the major surfaces in relation to each other. If
you replace one, you may want to replace others to maintain a particular look
or style. Or you may be able to refinish the surface to update its look while
saving some money.
Lighting
Notice how light affects the space in the morning, at noon, and at dusk.
Is your kitchen too dark to work in without artificial light? Could you enlarge
or add a window? Is there a shadowed area over the sink? Over the stove? Are
the backs of the counters in darkness? Is it difficult to read the morning
paper at the kitchen table or counter? Can fixtures be moved or turned? Exactly
what is it about them that you don’t like, other than design? Analyze your
lighting in terms of general ambient lighting and lighting for specific tasks.
List all the problems you find.
Style
Make a list of the existing style elements in your kitchen—colors, textures,
cabinet style, and so On; then answer these questions: Do you like the basic
look of your present kitchen? Does it have a particular style? If so, what
is it? Do you like your present color scheme? Are there structural elements
you want to disguise or emphasize? What about the details? Do all the handles
or knobs match? Are they in keeping with the style of your cabinets? Where
do you hang dish towels? Are they just hooked through the refrigerator door
handle? Can you reach oven mitts when you stand in front of the oven? Are
your pots hanging from large nails instead of hooks? Do you have room for
an attractive rack? Note all the elements that contribute to the overall look
of your kitchen and write down everything you like or dislike about the look
of your kitchen.
Structure
Kitchen walls may be constructed of wallboard, plaster and lath, wood paneling,
brick, stone, or adobe. If your tentative thinking calls for expansion, you’ll
want to know whether walls are load-bearing or not. Spotting the difference
is tough—bearing and nonbearing walls look identical. If you have the original
building plans, you will be able to tell. If not, a good rule of thumb is
to see whether there is a wall either upstairs or downstairs the identical
position. If there is, chances are you are beating with a bearing wall. If
not, it is probably a partition wall. The difference is critical if you are
considering tearing out the wall. A non-bearing wall is merely a partition
and the only problem in removing it is clearing away be rubble and patching
walls and floors. A load-bearing wall is part of the basic structure and,
like the exterior walls, is used for support. If you remove such a wall. If
you remove such a wall you’ll have to install a heavy beam to carry the load.
While looking at the walls, see whether or not outside walls have been insulated
and whether they show signs of leaks or dampness. In an older house, check
whether your framing is 2 by 6’s rather than today’s standard 2 by 4 studs.
The wider studs sometimes placed farther apart than the 16-inch norm now used,
might make it harder to work with standard doors and windows. Some older houses
have walls with no studs at all. They are constructed with tongue-and-groove
boards attached either horizontally or vertically and serve to wall off a
smaller room. Such construction requires re placement or reinforcement if
you plan to hang heavy objects like kitchen cabinets. The wood can be saved
for use in a more decorative, visible way.
Determine whether ceilings are plasterboard, plaster over lath, panels on
beams, acoustical tile suspended from a metal gridwork, or something else.
Some of today’s high style kitchens pictured in magazines feature interesting
uses of the air space. To get additional height, you might want to go up into
an attic or second floor space. Or you may have a high ceiling you’d like
to lower in order to provide a more cozy feeling with a well-lit area beneath
a grid of diffusers.
Check your floors for squeaks or slopes. If you’re thinking of installing
a number of additional heavy appliances, make sure your foundation and floors
will carry the extra weight. You may need professional ad vice to be sure
of this.
Plumbing
If you are considering rerouting appliances, familiarize yourself with the
existing plumbing and with the way appliances work so you know what supply,
drain, and vent lines are needed. Transferring your sink to the opposite counter
may require all new venting as well as plumbing. Switching from an electric
to a gas stove will entail running pipe to the gas supply. (Make sure you
have one.) On the other hand, moving the refrigerator may be as simple as
finding another outlet—unless you have an icemaker, which requires additional
plumbing.
Trace all pipes and note the location of connections and shutoff valves.
Note which are waste lines, which are supply lines, and which are hooked into
the water heater. This step may prove difficult and will certainly entail
crawling around in the basement or under the house and peering into the base
cabinets. It may also require professional assistance. See our guide Basic
Plumbing Techniques.
Wiring
The wiring systems in many older homes cannot carry the load of today’s appliances.
Certain appliances use a lot more electricity than others and require their
own circuit with a grounded outlet. This is true of electric ranges and ovens—microwave
or conventional. If you are adding appliances or relocating existing ones,
you will have to provide heavy-duty outlets, which may mean doing some rewiring.
Check the capacity of your system at the point where the main line enters
your service panel—it is usually in the basement, garage, or entryway. If
your home is old and has a fuse box, chances are that you have 110-volt wiring
instead of the 220-volt wiring required by today’s appliances. Newer homes
have circuit breakers that switch off automatically when any one line is overloaded.
Check which fuses or circuits serve which rooms by unscrewing fuses or flipping
switches to cut off the power. When you have located the kitchen lines, turn
the circuit breakers on and off again to see which lines serve what. Some
outlets or switches may be on the same line, and some may be on separate lines.
Those on separate lines may be capable of powering additional fixtures.
If there are blanks in the service panel, you may al ready have additional
lines available. If you need more power, the utility company will have to
install new lines. In order to complete your assessment of the wiring, you
may want to use our guide, Basic Wiring Techniques, or seek professional
assistance.
Heating and Cooling
If you are satisfied with your heating and cooling systems, just note the
location of motor, ducts, and outlets. If you are not satisfied with your
systems and will be opening up walls to expose and do plumbing work, now is
the time to make changes. You’ll need to know exactly what you have before
you can decide on possible changes.
In a steam or hot water system where heat is distributed through a loop system
of pipes, you can tap in an additional radiator. You may wish to relocate
air ducts for a gravity or forced-air heating system. A more convenient place
for a duct might be under the kitchen sink, with a grill in the toekick (the
recess at the bottom of base cabinets). That way, you’d have the warm air
coming into the kitchen at a point where it would warm you more efficiently
and be out of the way as well.
Now would also be the time to consider how you can lower your heating costs.
For more information on this subject, see our Energy-Saving Projects for the
Home, Any air conditioners directed into the present space should be examined
for efficiency. Perhaps they need only insulation around the ducts. Or perhaps
better window venting would enable them to work fewer hours during hot weather.
Survey Review
When you have enumerated the problems in your present kitchen, examined its
structure, and scrutinized all the mechanical systems, organize your priorities.
Go over all your notes. In each area, make a list of the most important things
that are in need of change. Pull these together and make a “must change” list
of top priorities.
Then look at your notes again for less critical problem areas. Make a list
of these lesser priorities and label it “would like to change.” The rest of
the items on your lists will be those that would be nice to change if at all
possible, or that are okay now and not in need of change. When your priorities
are listed and firmly in mind, you should be able to focus on your most important
changes, even when you are dazzled by items be yond your budget.
The Kitchen Survey will help you define the
functional and style elements you want in your new de sign. Here, well planned
storage units and a simple color scheme makes cooking both efficient and pleasant.
Your Existing Plan
When you have completed your priority list, put it aside for a bit so you
can draw your Existing Plan which is an exact, two-dimensional rendering of
your kitchen as it is right now. It will form the basis for all your future
planning. First measure the overall dimensions of your kitchen (including
any additional closet or other space that you might use) and the elements
in the kitchen that you may keep. To make this plan, you’ll need some Inexpensive
materials that are easy to find in hardware, stationery, or art supply stores:
- retractable steel tape
- ruler, 18 inches long
- graph paper (four or eight squares to the inch: ¼- or ½-inch squares)
pencils
- eraser
- tracing paper
- masking tape
- plastic template of kitchen elements
- plastic triangle
- compass
You can do all your measuring first and mark the measurements on a rough
sketch of your kitchen, or measure and draw to scale as you go. If your paper
has a ½-inch scale, use one square for every foot. If your paper has a ¼-inch
scale, use two squares for every foot.
Floor Plan
The most important part of your Existing Plan will be a scale drawing showing
the floor plan of your kitchen, including cabinets and storage areas; cooktop,
refrigerator, and sink; work and eating areas; the hot water heater, air conditioner,
and other mechanical devices; and electrical and plumbing lines. The following
sections outline the steps you must take in order to prepare a detailed floor
plan.
Perimeter. Measure the basic width and length of the kitchen
plus any adjacent areas you might use. Measure the distance of doors and windows
from a corner or the end of a wall and from each other. Measure the width
of their moldings or trims. Draw a line for each wall, leaving the proper
amount of space for each door or window. Draw a second line outside the first.
These parallel lines indicate a normal 4-inch wall. Fill in the space between
the two lines with solid penciling.
Next, draw in the doors. If a door swings, show it in the open position.
Using a compass spread to the width of the door, make a quarter circle from
the hinges. Make a semicircle if the door swings both ways. For sliding doors,
draw in the fixed one, and then indicate whether the sliding one is inside
or outside the fixed one, and show it about halfway open. For folding doors,
show a series of little w’s to the depth of each panel. Show pocket doors
half open, sitting within the stud wall pockets. Draw in the windows. Use
a compass to show the way they swing or use the half-open position for sliding
windows.
Base cabinets. Measure these individually, as a whole bank
of units, or both. Measure both width and depth, front to back. (Base cabinets
in older homes are often shallower than today’s standard 24-inch depth.) Mea
sure door and drawer widths as well so you can com pare them to new modules
you may want to install. Draw in one long line to show the counter edge of
a wall of units, three lines for a peninsula, and all four edges for an island.
Next, draw in the sink opening and the cooktop on the counter top outline,
using either your template or measurements you make yourself. If you think
you may want to keep them in their current locations, measure the width and
depth of the range, refrigerator, dishwasher, and laundry appliances and plot
them on your scale drawing.
Wall cabinets. These are normally 12 inches deep. compared
to 24-inch base cabinets. Measure these units individually, as a whole bank,
or both, just as you did the base units. While you are working along the upper
bank of cabinets, measure wall vents or hoods that are attached to them. Draw
the upper cabinets on your plan with a dashed line to show the proper distance
back from the front counter edge of the base unit, Draw in one long dashed
line to indicate a whole bank of units. Then draw in their door swings with
dashed lines, showing how they swing out into the counter and the head area,
If the hood over the range or any other cabinets project out farther than
the standard 12-inch depth, indicate that on the plan.
Storage or pantry areas. Measure the width and depth of
each storage or pantry area. Draw them in the same way you drew in base cabinets,
but show that the counter top stops when it meets the pantry. Indicate how
the pantry door swings.
Work areas. These are often a problem, so measure how many inches of counter
space you have to the left and right of both the sink and the cooktop, and
indicate these spaces on your plan. Note the dimensions of counter space by
the refrigerator. If ovens are separate from the cooking area, measure the
nearest space for putting down hot dishes.
Work triangle. If you have not already done so in your survey, measure your
work triangle from cooktop to sink to refrigerator to cooktop again—midpoint
to mid point—and indicate these measurements in another color somewhere on
your plan or on a tissue overlay. Eating areas. Whether eating areas are built
in or not, measure them precisely. Note the size of chairs and stools—side
to side and front to back—and how much clearance you need for pushing them
back or getting your knees under the table or counter. Note the size of any
tables and the size of their pedestals or bases.
Other elements. Measure and draw in floor grills. Mea sure
the hot water heater, furnace, air conditioner, and any other mechanical devices
located within the kitchen area, and draw them in on your plan. If there is
a door leading to their space, measure and draw in the length and direction
of its swing. Note the location of all outlets, light switches, and light
fixtures. Indicate where water and gas lines enter your kitchen. Note connections
for an icemaker or island appliances.
When your heating units and utility lines are drawn in, you should have a
complete floor plan in front of you, with all the elements that you may keep
shown on the drawing. Sit back and look at it, darkening lines here and there
if you need to clarify what’s going on.
As noted at the beginning of this section, kitchen remodeling begins
with what you have now. The two photographs to the above are “before”
shots of a small corridor kitchen used throughout this guide to illustrate
the various steps in creating any new kitchen design. The photographs immediately
pin point certain problems: the room’s dark and cramped look, the clutter,
and the conflicting shapes and patterns. You may feel you know your kitchen’s
faults all too well, yet photographs such as these help you see the room more
objectively. And because you’ll be using two-dimensional toots (floor plans
and elevations) to create your new design, photographs help you make the transition
from three dimensions to two. Below you’ll find this same kitchen in plan
form, which is the starting point for a new design.
Elevations
Alter completing the floor plan of your kitchen, you will also find it helpful
to make a similar scale drawing of each wall. These drawings, called elevations,
provide a useful visual aid when you’re generating new ideas, On a separate
sheet of graph paper for each wall—call them north, south, east, and west—do
exactly what you did for the floor area. Draw a plan of everything on that
wall: base cabinets, wall cabinets, appliances, storage space, doors, windows,
grills or vents, light fixtures, and outlets. Draw the room height to scale
as well as the heights and widths of all other elements on the wall. Draw
the frames around the windows and doors. If there is complicated molding and
trim, merely draw the width to scale with straight lines. Position the windows
and doors the right distances down from the ceiling and away from corners.
When you draw the base cabinets, outline the doors and drawers. Don’t bother
with paneling, molding, or hardware unless you need some visual aids for the
purpose of comparison to a new look. The same holds true for the upper cabinets.
Draw in door and open-shelf outlines. Draw in appliances with just enough
detail so you know what they are. Don’t forget the hood across the top of
the cooking area, pantry units or closet doors, pass-throughs. and eating
counters. When the elevations are finished, you will have a complete set of
drawings—a plan of your kitchen as it is now. You will use these drawings
as the basis for new floor plans and elevations. The sketches below will give
you an idea of what yours will look like.
Floor Plan
In the floor plan of the small, corridor kitchen shown above, various
problem areas are shown in two dimensions. The narrow chopping block between
the range and refrigerator presents an impossible work area, and hot pots
cannot be placed on the wood. The overlapping range, refrigerator, and dishwasher
doors become obvious, and the refrigerator blocks passage to the pantry. The
trash compactor, which is already taking up valuable storage space, also blocks
the entrance from the adjacent dining room when it is open. The electrical
outlets are actually well spaced, with the only three-wire plug behind the
range. One wall switch activates a hanging lamp over the eating area, and
another controls both the single fixture in the work area and a short tube
over the sink. A cold-water intake line is located in the pantry area behind
the refrigerator. The sink and dishwasher work off the same hot-water supply
lines, and the dishwasher drain is connected through an air gap to the disposal.
The telephone jack next to the window has a long cord that leads to a phone
on the counter, along with a clutter of note pads, pencils and other message-taking
paraphernalia. Following this type of analysis in your own kitchen, pinpoint
the areas that need your attention. When you begin to draw elevations, you’ll
have a good idea of your focus.
Elevations
Elevations for all four walls of this same kitchen are illustrated above.
Not only do the narrow base and wall cabinets create cramped counter surfaces
and crammed storage space, but they also have a ragged, uneven look. Further,
the dark finish absorbs all available day light and offsets the white of the
appliances, making them appear even larger than they are. Door hinges, particularly
above the dishwasher, are inconvenient for practical use. Even the design
of the cabinet fronts— with raised panels that pull the eye inward—makes them
appear smaller. All cabinet shelves are fixed, and none are high enough to
store vases, bottles, or other tall items. Space above the wall cabinets tends
to get used for storing bulky or extra items, which is impractical and looks
messy. Spice racks over the sink are inconvenient for use and for preserving
the spices—heat from the sink’s steam and light from the fixture cause them
to deteriorate quickly. The hutch at the end of the room, though needed for
extra storage, cramps the round table. Dark shutters on the north wall let
in little light even when tipped open. When you make these kinds of notations
on your elevation sketches, and combine them with those you made during your
Kitchen Survey, you have a very complete picture of the problems you’ll want
to solve in your new design.
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