What would you do differently on your extension/kitchen refurb?

[BabybabybabyOooh]

We’re embarking on a side extension for a new, bigger kitchen and I feel like I’m making a lot of decisions that I have zero experience or expertise to be making! This is a massive outlay for us so I really want to get it right.

I’d love to hear any tips or things you learnt along the way if you e done a similar exercise. Especially anything that in hindsight you’d do differently?

Thank you for all your wisdom and help so I don’t bugger up this very costly project!

From doing a kitchen extension in our previous house: if possible, leave the kitchen layout flexible until you can see and move around in the space you have. We completely changed what went where (and actually took an additional internal wall out) once we could stand in the new space.

From moving into a house with a recently extended kitchen: don't have your oven door opening right behind the door into the room eg from the hall, it's an accident waiting to happen and I hate it!

Number one. Don’t get a kitchen from Wickes.
The cupboard sizes are unique to them so should you want different doors etc in the future you will have to go back to wickes.
Shoddy workmanship, poor customer service. Avoid at all costs.

Think/walk through everything you do in your kitchen to optimise your layout, e.g. making a cup of tea - water, kettle, mug, tea bags, spoon, milk - where will all these items be located? Are you having to zig zag around the kitchen just to do this simple task?
Sink, dishwasher positions
Ovens - where will you place hot dishes when you take them out? - you don’t want to walk half across the kitchen for the nearest suitable surface.
Hob placing - where will the utensils, pots, oils, spices etc be kept in relation to it?
And so on

I’m doing one now. Budget 20-25% more than what it’s currently forecast to cost. Expect and anticipate logistical snags. Don’t agonize over small decisions.

If a trades person gives you ego, they will most likely be difficult to work with.

I would have damned the expense and had all drawers and no cupboards below the worktops - I have a mix which seemed sensible at the time, as rarely used stuff is in the cupboards, but it’s still a pain.

Think how many sockets you’ll need, then double it.

Beat decisions for my current kitchen, which is small, was having tall larder cupboards with pull-out drawers inside, a glass back door that opens outwards rather than into the room, and a pocket door between the kitchen and hall (it’s rarely closed, but never in the way).

We have countertop over hang for stools and have never bothered getting stools. I guess we might when the kids are older but in retrospect I wish we’d utilised the space for storage. (Which is actually what I wanted to do in the first place, DP insisted he’d want stools and now doesn’t!).

Not me but the in-laws got talked into having loads of fancy lighting options put in - think plinth level colour changing mood lighting for one. Everyone who got the tour of the new kitchen had to have the full light show but I honestly don’t think they’ve ever used it since!

I found that in store ‘kitchen designers’ don’t actually come up with any interesting/constructive ideas - they’re v good at telling you what everyone else has but not necessarily with any justification as to why it works. It will really be up to you to come up with ideas and drive the layout/design.

Before you talk to a kitchen designer think about how you cook, how you live eg

• kitchen designer glass cabinets look great around the cooker hood - we want spices there they will look ugly.

Built in everything means you cannot adapt it to have a larger or different shaped table for example.

Check out wooden kitchens locally. They can be the same price as the frankly, poor quality that all the designers use. They are then reparable.

What worked well/badly in previous kitchens?

Try to avoid the current trend. We live in a time of fast fashion in home decor and current trends age rapidly and then it's outdated in 6 months.

If you have extra storage you will fill it. Consider carefully what is enough.

Think about how you clean. Those trendy baths that are not butted up to the wall are a nightmare to clean behind.

Running cost and repairs of things like quookers etc.

We have an island. One slight is slightly recessed for two stools, then behind the recess we have two hidden cupboards to store things we don't use very often. There are also two power sockets on the side of the island. It's so much nicer cooking on the island hob rather than facing a wall.

I do wish we had sealed down the side of the dishwasher as it's annoying to clean there!

We did however put a panel above the wall cupboards so no one dumps stuff on top of them and then it also doesn't get dirty/dusty.

Under the island hob we have two pan drawers and two pull out jar/can racks which are so useful!

We have another couple of pan drawers but I wish we had more as I prefer them to cupboards.

Finally, I really wish we had put something in the corner unit that pulls out as it is such a waste of space as you can't get to it!

I've got a Labradorite work surface. It's dark, with varied natural shades if browns. I would advise not to get a dark work surface as although they look great, keeping them sparkling is a mission. I'd go for top quality man made in a light shades.

My kitchen extension and new kitchen is perfect but I am a professional and I have designed a lot of kitchens!

dos (some have been said by PP)

• stay as long as possible in paper: much cheaper to make mistakes on paper
• get your plans and elevations either draw them or use the ones your kitchen supplier gave you, and mark where you ll put your utensiles, crockery, glasses, etc
• as said earlier, organise per items ie. All breakfast together, food prep together, etc. You do not want to walk miles
• a lot of designers are going away from the triangle. I disagree. I love a perfect triangle but I ll add prep areas to put stuffs down within the triangle
• absolutely think about circulations. Rule of thumb a minimum of 1000mm around the island is non negotiable. If you dont have it re think an island.
• drawers behind doors, drawers. Shelves are useless
• if you have wall mounted cupboards go all the way to the ceiling. It is pricier but much more efficient and nicer. The gap between top of cupboards and ceilings is useless
• if you only want undercounter cabinetry and a shelf on top. Be honest with yourself: are you really going to dust it and make it look like in magasines? If yes then do it. If not then wall mounted cabinets
• think about where will live the mop, the hoover, the cleaning stuffs? I prefer a dedicated over counter cupb for the cleaning products. Why under the sink? Little ones can grab them.
• when your kids are older and make their own lunch: think where will you store all the plastic containers and water bottles. You dont want them in your way when you want your breakfast
• make sure your island works hard if you have one. If you have space for cupb on on side and on the other under the overhang do you have a void in the middle? If yes put a pop up socket. Some can be mounted with the same stone on top so invisible.
• remember sockets under the overhang, sometimes you will need to plug a phone or a laptop
• consider task lighting and decorative lighting. Make sure your pendants are not too high
• make sure your main tap has a flex, easier to clean the sink and rinse.
• do consider a quooker or similar, so you can remove the kettle try to hide all the ugly stuff: microwave I am looking at you 😝
• if your budget is tight think about your priorities: pocket doors are very expensive so are pantry units so do you want that or a self cleaning oven for instance?
• dont forget that aesthetic goes hand in hand with function, and that function goes hand in hand with aesthetic. Not one or the other
• remember that taps and ironmomgery are very expensive items so dont forget to budget them, but budget quality.

donts

• you do not need a lot of spotlights. Only a considered few for task lighting
• dont use the ones with a large ring sitting on the ceiling it s old fashioned
• reduce the circulation to fit an island. You can have none or a small one on casters and still have an amazing kitchen
• put a fan on the ceiling if you have a hob on the island, spend a bit more and use a hob with integrated fan
• put a sink on the middle of the island. Always use a corner or an edge so more than 1 person can be at the sink at the same time
• finally stay out of the trends. Think about who cooks, who is using the kitchen, how does one cook?
• use grey or at least use a warm grey.

those are a goos starting point.

We had an extension built on the back of our house. 5m wide and 4m out (to keep under permitted development). Took the kitchen wall out to make a kitchen/family room.

We didn't move the kitchen, just replaced the doors and added an island in the middle where the table used to be. We use the island a lot. We have 3 stools down one side and the other has a double cupboard and space for one stool so all 4 of us can sit around it. The extension has a corner sofa, TV and dining table so we're altogether when cooking, eating, doing the dishes.

We went with white cupboards and dark worktops. It looks lovely but really wish we'd done darker cupboards (navy or grey) with cream/white worktops. The actual kitchen is quite dark so we've even got under cupboard lights on in today when it's nice and sunny outside .Garden is south west facing so gets plenty of light.

In the extension we have Velux windows in the roof. They are electric and controlled by a switch on the wall and even close automatically if it rains. These are my 'best buy'.

These are some fantastic tips, thank you everyone!

@Bubblesgun so useful to have a professional’s dos and don’ts! I have an aversion to spotlighting so I was glad to see that in your don’ts list 😂

@Cadenza12 that’s really useful on work surfaces. I’d have thought dark surfaces would be more forgiving.

I definitely want to avoid anything that shows dirt / wear & tear more easily. I just learnt this week that black taps & ironwear can look tarnished quickly - I love the look but we aren’t going to be scrubbing them with a toothbrush every week!

Very much agree re: boiling water tap (although I know some would disagree). Minimise clutter on the counters so a place for everything- consider an appliance garage or similar so you can close the cupboard on the toaster, air fryer, kettle etc.

Not to get the stupid cantilever thingy for accessing a corner cupboard. Its pain in the arse.

Don’t do laminate, it’s not hard smith wearing for a kitchen, so wish we’d done tiles. I’d also avoid bifolds, they’re so heavy and dropped, seem to need them adjusting every 18 months or so.

Is a boiling water tap a pain to keep clean or repair? I like the idea of decluttering!

An appliance garage sounds great! I’m going to research options for this. I think it would need to be really accessible or it’ll be awkward to use or have doors hanging open the whole time.

We've had our kitchen for 15 years now, and I'm still happy with it. Big thumbs-up for the deep pan drawers, built-in recycling bin, contrasting high-level cupboards with glass inserts, and lots of useful alcoves for chopping boards and towel rails. There are a few things I'd change:

Firstly, there is plenty of worktop, but it's not quite where I need it to be. Chopping veg and preparing food to cook you tend to do near the hob, so I'm corralled into quite a small area. Meanwhile there are acres of under-used worktop at the other side of the kitchen - great for appliances, but not for prep. I wish I'd thought more about that.

Secondly, there's a pinch-point in the middle of the room, so of course, that's where we chose to put the dishwasher. Duh. When the dishwasher is open you can't get past, which is annoying. Should have moved it to the other side of the sink.

I wouldn't bother with one of those big chrome extractor hoods if I were planning a kitchen now. There are much nicer/more modern extractors.

Lastly, we bought a cheap built-in microwave from B&Q, which gave up the ghost after 18 months. It turned out to be a weird non-standard height, and we have never found one to fit the space. I the end, we had to turn that section into a shelf, and slot in a free-standing one. Not the worst thing in the world, but it annoyed me for ages. If you're going for built-in, go for quality. The Neff oven, for example, is nearly 20 years old and still going strong (was already in the house when we bought it).

I love my boiling water tap, it's no trouble to clean and has only needed professional attention once in about 12 years. Will never be without one again.

Remember the bit between the hob and the sink is where you're going to want to do all your food prep so don't squish them together.

Big mistake I made was to succumb to decision fatigue and go for a temporary cheap worktop. Yup, 12 years later it's still there, just not cost effective to switch it, and I still hate it.

Next kitchen I'm having is going to be dropped by about 4" - I'm only 5' 2" and do all the cooking so it's going to be adjusted to my height.

If you want to minimise cleaning, don't have lots of mouldings and ledges on your cabinetry. It's just additional places for dust to gather. Likewise open shelving.

Our black granite is pretty forgiving - wipe it down then dry quickly for no streaks.

An appliance garage is a fancy/knobby way of saying: a cupboard where you can shut away all the clutter and open it when you want to use it. So what you need is a wall cupboard that comes all the way down to the counter with sockets inside and shelves wide apart enough that appliances can fit.

Agree with PPs re: pan drawers - not just for pans though, you can use them for tupperware, plates.
I hate hidden drawers behind cupboard - one too many obstacles to the contents!

and agree re: circulation space around islands, open cupboard doors, drawers and dishwashers. E.g at a friend’s house, if some is at the sink or unloading the dishwasher, no-one get to the drawers behind them on the island, let alone open them.

Reading with deep interest. Why the affection for drawers rather than cupboards?

Things at the back of the cupboard will never see the light of day ever again.
Also a pain to get things from the back if you do actually want them.

We gutted our kitchen (well the whole house a couple of years ago). I’m thrilled with everything except the white floor grout. We have limestone effect tiles which are fine but the grout discolours and stains very easily (dogs, kids). I literally end up scrubbing it for an hour so once a month otherwise the kitchen feels grim. I keep on top of mopping but the grit becomes disgusting regardless.

Im glad we didn’t go with very dark cabinets as my sister put in very beautiful dark grey cabinets with marble counters. But they show prints and dust like something else. They drive her potty