Design Decisions For Your New Or Renovated Kitchen Project

If you are building a new home, creating a substantial addition or preparing for extensive interior renovations for your kitchen project, you will need to consider a myriad of decisions along the way.  In order to organize your efforts, work with your architect/designer and contractor to prioritize the process from larger items down to the details.  Are there exterior or interior changes that will affect overall room shape and size?  Will the design include wall, door and window changes? Will the ceiling shape be simple or more complex to create a special feature? Are there structural issues that need to be considered or resolved?

 

Exposed Structure Can Add Interest to the Room

 

Once the overall room shape and dimensions are resolved, you need to consider general conditions that will affect electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems.  This is a good time to involve the contractor and the various subcontractors who will be performing the work as they will have the most specific information needed to make good decisions.  By considering the systems needed to create a functioning kitchen, some key design issues may be affected, such as building soffits for ductwork or piping, location(s) for stove exhaust, and access to crawl spaces or basement access to run utilities. If the kitchen ceiling or walls are exposed to the outside, decisions on insulation will need to be included in the process, and details—such as recessed lighting fixtures that need to be rated for insulated locations—need to be taken into account. This will also help to inform locations for appliances and fixtures.

 

       Interior Design decisions

Your architect and/or interior designer will often have a vision and sense of style for the project. However, if you are uncertain about what look or what kind of design you wish, start looking at design magazines or online for a sense of what you might like (Houzz or HGTV, for example). You will need to decide whether you want a modern, transitional, country or classic look and what color scheme you would like. Then is time to start looking at the items to be included in the space. It will be difficult to create a realistic budget until you determine how you want your kitchen to work and what fixtures and appliances are going to be included. This will help to understand what things will cost and what styles will be attractive to you. In the end, a careful review of overall aesthetic issues as well as the working features of the new space will help to create something that you will be happy with and can live with for many years to come. 

When considering the specifics of the kitchen layout, review your selections for fixtures and appliances— refrigerator, oven(s), cooktop, microwave, exhaust hood, dishwasher, sink, faucet, water filtration, dishwasher, garbage disposal, garbage compactor, recycling system.

SHOPPING FOR APPLIANCES, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT

Before visiting retail stores, you will want to research appliances, fixtures and equipment online or in venues such as Consumer Reports. That’s a good start, but it will not tell you about appliance repair records. For more detailed assessments you may want to look at kitchen forums or comments on larger sites like Amazon or larger outlet stores.

There are a wide variety of stores who specialize in certain brands only. Go to all that you can. Prices vary. In general, learn about their delivery, warranty and repair policy. Consider local recommendations from people you trust. You may have to visit multiple times.

Refrigerator: This is a key anchor in the design. Figure out the size of the refrigerator, whether existing or new. Is space limited- do you need a narrower unit or do you want something extra wide. Do you want the refrigerator to be full depth or counter depth, built-in or custom? If your kitchen layout is being altered, work with your architect or kitchen designer to find where this item will be placed. The refrigerator needs to be accessible but not intrusive.  As with all of the appliances, you must see these in person so that you can check out models and styles. These range from side-by-side, to those with freezers on the bottom, or on the top, French style, drawer style, even commercial grade equipment. Make sure that you are able to open all of the drawers in the unit when the door is fully opened.  If the refrigerator is against a wall, allow at least 2”-3” for clearance to be able to open the door fully, including the handle.

My wife and I were particularly interested making a well-guided choice of refrigerator, as we had previously gone through two new refrigerators, each of which died within a few years because of the model’s design flaws. We spent more on the unit that went into our major renovation, but figured that the added cost would cover multiple lesser product replacements.  One thing to keep in mind is that many different “brands,” are often made by the same manufacturer who will create minor variations and sell them under different names.

Oven: Gas or electric? One oven or two? Built-in or free-standing? Wall oven or under-counter? What type of cooktop? Will it be integrated with the oven or installed within the countertop with a separate oven underneath. Will you want a microwave? Will it be integrated within the cabinet system or as simple as a free-standing unit on the countertop? Some homeowners are requesting microwave units built into the base cabinets so that the entire family can access them.

Because we had the experience of an oven dying while leaving a perfectly good cook top, we went with a separate cooktop and a built-in oven below. It was much less bulky than a free-standing unit, and had a very clean built-in look.  This was also in line with what most professional chefs prefer—a dual fuel system, where the stovetop uses gas, and the oven uses electric heating.  Newer models are also using induction and ceramic cooktops. These typically require particular cookware.  The choice really depends on your cooking preferences, the kitchen layout and the space available. Wall ovens are often preferred due to ease of access, but will take up more room in the design.

 

photo by KH Krena

 

Exhaust Hood: This item needs careful planning since it typically involves exhausting to the exterior of the house (there are recirculating hoods, but they are not well recommended). The size of the exhaust duct will often determine the hood model, and this is based on the power of the suction desired- the cfm (cubic feet per minute) rating. The higher the cfm rating, the larger the exhaust duct will be. This needs to be reviewed with your architect and contractor. Will the ductwork travel vertically or horizontally? Do you want the hood to be a major design statement, or blend into the cabinetry? Is there room in the ceiling cavity or will dropped soffits or enclosures be required? Codes will also come into play, including height clearances above the cooktop and the location of the exhaust vent at the exterior wall/roof.  Typically these issues are guided by the manufacturer’s specifications and need to be followed during installation.

Sink and Dishwasher: This is the third leg of the kitchen “triangle.”  This is the path of travel from refrigerator to cooking appliance to sink and should be as compact and easy to traverse as possible. The choice of sink really depends on personal preference.  It can be stainless steel, porcelain enamel over steel, integrated with the countertop, even soapstone.  Double bowl, single bowl, shallower or deeper. Farmer’s sinks expose the front face of the sink for a more rustic or historic look. Often I design a large sink near the dishwasher and a smaller sink in an island for washing tasks or as a bar sink. It is good to have a deep enough sink to handle large pots, but not so deep that it will cause back strain. Usually 9” is sufficient.

The dishwasher is typically best adjacent to the sink for efficient rinsing to loading operations as well as shared plumbing.  Keep in mind whether you want to include a garbage disposer in planning for the sink and the cabinet below the sink. Also keep in mind a space for a trash bin (and/or a compactor if there is space or the desire). Trash cans often fit within the sink cabinet, but it is nicer to have a separate location if possible. Also keep in mind recycling in conjunction with this area of the kitchen.

 

 

THE ALL IMPORTANT CABINETS

Cabinets: This aspect is one of the key components of any kitchen. The cabinets set the tone and the look of the space. Will they be modern, transitional or traditional? Modern cabinets will typically be flush panels with thin joints and no exposed frames. This is usually referred to as full overlay, flush reveal. Transitional cabinet styles will often have some relief, but will be very spare in their design. They will likely be inset or partial overlay in their construction. Traditional cabinets will have more detail, raised panels, and exposed frames. If a cabinet is face framed, it will have a “frame” laid over the front of the cabinet box. Otherwise, they may be “European” in style, where the front edges of the box are thin and not covered. Face framed cabinets may be more stable and traditional, European styles may be considered to be more elegant and modern. I like to include a valence (a concealing panel) under the lower front edge of the upper cabinets (if used) to conceal a lighting strip. A face framed cabinet will easily include this; European cabinets will need to have an added component or overhanging doors to conceal the lighting.

What about the finish? Will the cabinets be stained or clear coated to show the wood species, or will they be painted for a more traditional look? Finishes may also be metallic for a striking modern look or laminate faced for a more cost effective solution.

 If the kitchen space is ample and regular in its layout, cabinets may be purchased as stock items from a kitchen vendor. Sizes will be in standard modules of the manufacturer.  Semi-custom cabinets will use standardized modules that can be adjusted by the manufacturer to more closely fit the kitchen dimensions. Often, creating custom cabinets can be similar in cost to semi-custom.  The key to custom cabinets is finding a skilled craftsman in your area. Often the general contractor will have a cabinet subcontractor(s) that they frequently work with. Under this scenario, you will need to work closely with your architect and/or kitchen designer and the cabinet maker. Set up a meeting with all parties early in the process so that everyone is on the same page, decisions that need to me made are outlined and timing is clarified. Decisions will include layouts—is there room for an island, or a peninsula? Where will appliances and fixtures fit and how does the space work? What are the specifics of the cabinets—the thickness and type of wood, the finish, the number of shelves and height in-between; will the shelves be adjustable; what is to be stored in each location; are there special mechanisms, and the all-important cabinet pulls. I think that the cabinet pulls (and some lighting fixtures) are like the final jewelry for the kitchen.

The Corners: Often the kitchen design will need to include a “dead corner” at the junction of 90 degree layouts. The base cabinets in this case will need to use either a “Lazy Susan” on a rotating spindle, a trolley system of pull-out carts, a semi-rotating pull-out shelving system, or specially designed corner drawers.

Drawers: how many, what shape, special interior design features (segmented for knife storage, tray inserts, or fully open).  My wife’s favorite drawer is a double-decker stack with partitions in each. We use it for two layers of silverware, and it is very convenient and useful. Consider what you want to store in the drawers to insure that there is enough depth for some larger items. Most cabinet door and drawer hardware systems now have a soft close feature, which everyone likes.

Double Decker Drawer

 

 

 

       OTHER KEY INGREDIENTS

Countertops: This is a very important aspect of the kitchen and will be a major design feature. There are many materials to choose from, and it would be wise to see these in person, especially if you are choosing a stone counter with natural patterning. Think about the backsplash options for your counters: full backsplash or lower. If you are using a natural stone, you will want to visit the stone vendor’s showroom or the distribution warehouse (if possible).  Natural stone has unlimited variation—each slab is an individual, so you will want to specifically choose the pieces to be used for your kitchen. Other choices include laminates, synthetic materials such as quartz composites and quartzite, as well as various polymers such as Corian.  Concrete is a more modern material being used. While most counter top materials will be in the 1” to 1 ½” thickness range, concrete counters will often be 3” thick to insure stability. They will also need careful attention as to color and finish.

Measure twice: Make sure you measure your dishes and trays to make sure they will fit. Think about pot and pan storage and adding pull out drawers for ease of access and to reduce the strain of bending over. You will also want to think about a dedicated cabinet for spices near your cooktop or oven and how much space you will need to accommodate these items.  Make sure that your contractor and cabinet vendor control the dimensions within the overall space. Final field dimensions are needed to confirm cabinet and appliance installations and should be taken once all the walls and key controlling items are in place. Often the cabinets will include filler strips and added tolerances to allow for field adjustments after delivery.

 

Lighting: Your architect will help you plan where you want lighting and what kind of lighting is appropriate for each location—recessed fixtures are common for overall illumination and to highlight edges of counters, open floor areas, and over sinks. As mentioned above, lighting strips (often LED’s these days) under the upper cabinets can provide a very useful illumination for the back of countertops. Other fixtures may include wall sconces and pendants that can really add a decorative aspect to the design. Your local lighting showroom will often have a designer working in-house. They are often a good resource to review layouts and types of fixtures that are appropriate for each location. Consider whether the fixtures will use LED lamps, halogen, or CFL’s (fluorescent). This will affect the overall color “temperature” of the room and can range from a cool white on the bluish end of the spectrum to a more warm light on the yellow end.

Finishes— Ceilings, Flooring, and Walls: You will want these various items to work well together. Ceilings may be flat, open to above, coffered or beamed, wood toned or painted. Flooring will have many more options—ceramic tile, stone tile, wood, vinyl tile or sheet goods, cork, rubber, even concrete. Are the walls to be painted, or will there be other special finishes? If you are going to use wood flooring, you will need to consider species, size/width, and stained or painted finish. With wood or concrete surfaces you will want to take the time to experiment, especially if you are coordinating with other colors in adjacent rooms. Consider the transitions between rooms—will the floors be flush or will you need to use thresholds.  I have used rubber flooring in a kitchen design and it looked stunning— very nice and soft to walk on, but these materials may be stained by oils, so make this choice carefully.

 

 

 

Given the great number of decisions that need to be made, it is best to allow months of planning. This will provide for a productive process that will allow you and your architect to fully understand your needs, discuss alternatives, get a realistic idea of budgets and prepare for an efficient construction phase.

When you have agreed on pricing with your contractor and are ready to proceed with construction, make sure to have a few general items in order. Since utilities are involved, a building permit will be required. This is a positive aspect, as the added inspections are intended to provide safety checks. Also consider that occupancy certifications and insurance issues will also be affected by these renovations. In Massachusetts, as a residential property owner, you have the ability to”pull” the permit yourself, however, you give up certain protections.  A licensed and insured contractor needs to comply with state credentialing and arbitration requirements that give you leverage if things go awry.  Having the general contractor obtain the building permit is always a good idea unless the project is very small or limited in scope.  Your homeowner’s insurance may also be affected by the upgraded values of a new or renovated kitchen.

GENERAL ADVICE:

• If you are living with someone and both of you are making decisions, please know that this process can be taxing on your relationship. You both may have differing methods of coming to a decision as well as stylistic differences. Be patient and considerate.

• If you can move out temporarily and easily, think about it. Construction can be dirty and noisy. Some projects are harder than others. No matter how many decisions you make, likely there will be more. There may be times when you must leave the house (for some types of spray-foamed insulation installations), so you may want to think about your options. Keep in mind that each decision made is one less to tackle as you head toward the completion of the space.

• The kitchen is the heart of the home, and it will be out of commission for a while. If you have an alternative place in your home to cook, you are lucky. If you can get a portable cooktop, toaster oven (sometimes two are better), and small refrigerator, that will also help. Sometimes the old appliances can be used in another location until the new items are installed or phasing determines that they must go. 

• Plan to eat out. Know your take-out options. Consider this to be part of your budget.

 

Advice for Planning a New Kitchen Or Kitchen Renovation

       CREATING YOUR TEAM

The basic key to success in a achieving a great kitchen is to create a great team. Find an architect and contractor that you can work well with. Check on their competency. Are they licensed and insured? Online sources such as state government websites can locate and verify this information. Ask your friends for suggestions. Interview several, as this team will be in your life for a long time, and it is best if you can communicate well with each other. Kitchens always seem to take longer than you will expect, as there is much planning, decision making, and coordination that goes into making a functional and beautiful space.

You will typically be dealing with a general contractor who will in turn, organize plumbers, electricians, mechanical installers, insulation experts, plastering subs, painters, flooring installers, appliance installers, cabinet makers, and counter installers. A kitchen vendor/designer may also be involved to provide cabinet selections/purchases and may also help in appliance purchases. The process will also include permits and approvals from your local building officials, with inspections at various times during and after construction. A good contractor/architect team will help you coordinate all of this, but you need to keep in mind that there can be issues with order fulfillments and conflicts with scheduling.

There are many different trades working on a kitchen project, and getting them to be on the job when needed can be a challenge. Typically the general contractor is responsible for arranging the trades to be on site when needed. Having a good set of drawings and specifications, making decisions ahead of time, and finding a contractor with a well-tuned team will help.

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

Whether you are altering the exterior of your home, creating an addition, or just renovating the interior space for the kitchen, good planning is important. The design process starts with a detailed set of existing conditions drawings for a renovation or well developed drawings for new construction. Good measurements and good documents can make a very big difference in how smoothly the project will proceed.

Depending on the scope, size, or disposition of your project, zoning or other approvals may be necessary. This step may require the services of a surveyor. If your home is in an historic district, you may also need approval from the local historic district commission. Before the drawings become too detailed, make sure that any initial approvals have been obtained. If the project involves supporting or bearing walls, exterior additions or other complex conditions, you should confirm with your architect or contractor whether a structural engineer needs to be involved. Since kitchen installations involve mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, these items need to be considered and coordinated within the overall context of the house and access to utilities. Fixture and appliance locations may affect larger planning issues. Is there and outside wall for venting the stove? Is there a basement space below that can be used for utilities?

If you are renovating an old or historic home, allow for the unexpected. As an architect working with old homes in historic districts, I am often confronted with hidden surprises—some good and others not so good. An experienced team will help to resolve issues quickly and keep the process on track. 

For instance, in our 18^th c. historic home, after demolition of the kitchen ceiling, we discovered that the structure above was in a dangerous condition. Comprised of a heavy timber frame, one of the main beams was not connected to its supporting post.  It seemed as if the fireplace trim was supporting the 2^nd floor in this area. In addition, the 2^nd floor joists were 4” diameter tree trunks, spaced at about 4’ apart. With the ceiling now removed, you could see the bounce in the floor above when someone walked across the area.

This is the time when demolition work needs to stop and the condition assessed. Over time, all of the parts of the house tend to work as a unit. Although the situation may appear stable, you need to consult your architect or structural engineer to determine if some remediation is necessary. When I find these conditions, I often remark that some of these old houses are still standing by a force of habit. 

       

  

After the kitchen flooring finishes were removed (with several layers from many previous renovations), our contractor fell through the original sub-floor because the floor boards had become so brittle.

Existing utilities and mechanical systems can often be affected as well. In our renovation, it turned out that one of the forced air duct risers, set within the kitchen cabinets and totally enclosed, was discovered to be partially closed off and disconnected from the floor register above.  That answered the question about why our upstairs vent didn’t have much air flow.

As you work through the ins and outs of the initial planning, you should reconsider your budget as well. Especially in an old house. Plan for extra costs as a contingency line item.


(To be continued....Next blog post: DESIGN DECISIONS)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contemplating A New Kitchen or Kitchen Renovation

As an architect working on kitchen designs for over 30 years, it wasn’t until we renovated our own kitchen that I was able to experience what my clients go through. I want to share the benefit of this experience with you, and I will be creating several blog posts that will follow the design and building process.

Here is our “before” photograph. The contractors tend to enjoy demolition so we didn’t have time to get a photo before the demolition began. What is missing in the photograph are the upper cabinets, a much lower ceiling and a clunky island, which partly blocked the view to our dining room. On the right slightly out of the photo is an old oven, quite dead.  The house, in the heart if the Marblehead historic district, does not have a lot of exterior exposure, so interior finishes and lighting were a key factor in our renovation.

 

Here is one of the first photographs after we completed the kitchen.   It took a while to get there...

                              

 

Thinking about a Renovation?

You need a change.

Your appliances are old and tired.

Your kitchen could really use an update.

Your kitchen is not meeting your cooking or family needs.

You are moving into a new home, and you have a chance to create a kitchen that will exactly meet your needs.

Creating an updated or new kitchen is a long process that requires imagination, research, planning and design.

How do you begin?
 

Of course, figuring out your budget will be critical in producing an idea of the scope and design of your project. Once you do that, it is time for your imagination. What would you like to see? How do you envision the kitchen? What style of kitchen appeals to you: country style, sleek and modern, minimalist or decorative or somewhere in between. Your kitchen should aim to feel inviting, comfortable, utilitarian and fit into your lifestyle. Will the kitchen be part of an open plan with a dining room? Will you have seating in your kitchen? An island? A counter with seating?
 

Initial Research

 
This is the time for you to start looking at kitchens in books, magazines, television design shows like HGTV and the many sites on the Internet where you will find what is current in kitchen design. You can also visit area showrooms. Try to collect images of the kitchens that appeal to you, and create an inspiration file. This will help you when you start meeting with professionals.

Magazines and/or internet sites like…  Houzz (http://www.houzz.com/), Old House Journal (http://www.oldhousejournal.com/), Architectural Digest, Home, New England Home, etc. can be helpful to get a sense of how you want to live.  
 

 First Consultation with an Architect or Designer: Optional but a Wise Reality Check

This is the time to ask for help with the design of your space. You may want to talk to contractors early in the process, but in order to get a better understanding of the scope of the project, it will be helpful to get an initial consultation from an architect or kitchen designer.  With this step in the process, you will be able to see if your ideas fit your budget and if larger renovations are feasible or even necessary. Understand that an architect or designer can only approximately give you an idea about overall expenses. Normally, the general contractor will provide pricing for specific line items. The final cost estimate will depend on the project scope and your design decisions along the way. Also keep in mind that a designer may be used for interior work, but if the project includes an expansion, exterior work, or structural modifications, you will likely need to have a licensed architect provide drawings in order to obtain a building permit

If you are feeling like this kitchen project is a go, I suggest visiting kitchen showrooms, local vendors, and large outlets like Loew’s or Home Depot that feature cabinets, kitchen appliances, counters, plumbing fixtures and flooring.  

(To be continued....Next blog post: RESEARCH AND PLANNING)