Kitchen planning, help needed?

[leeloo1]

I'm in the middle of replanning my kitchen as part of works being done under insurance, which we're 'upgrading' to get new units.

I'm having a couple of firms come to do designs for us next week, but they've both said they'd take about 30 mins to chat, measure and draw up a design, so it seems likely they won't be working hard to find amazing storage solutions for us and I want to know in my own mind what I want before they come.

My current best plan ended up with 2-3 larder cupboards, 2 wall units and 1 drawer unit. We're loosing 2m of floor and wall units to make room for a table, so I'm trying to make sure we have enough storage, which is very hard! Its a 3 bedroom house and we're looking to sell in a couple of years so it needs to be workable for us now, and not put off buyers in the future. Does that sound like enough?

To make more worktop space I thought of having a wall cupboard to hold the microwave - does this look really tacky?

Also, I could re-use the current worktops to save money, but they're beech laminate, and advice elsewhere has been to have expensive worktops to upgrade the kitchen?! I've looked at Barncrest, but it'd add about £450 to the total cost. :(

Any ideas appreciated. :)

[leeloo1]

I forgot to say if that doesn't sound like enough storage, there is also a odd back 'utility room' thats 85cm x 1.85m (door in long side), which currently just has a tumble dryer in, but I think we'll need to try and put a couple of cupboards in there too to make up for the storage we're loosing.

[minipie]

On your microwave question, we have our microwave suspended above the worktop, with a built in frame around it and with a half height cupboard above it.

Re storage... It depends how much stuff you have! I would say the best plan is to think about all the kitchen stuff you have and work out where you would put everything in your proposed plan. Boring and time consuming but worth it!

Also, do you have anything that's currently stored in the kitchen that doesn't really need to live there? eg vases, any "smart" table linen etc that doesn't get used much, cleaning products that aren't used in the kitchen, gadgets you rarely use?

[snice]

can you get the washing machine into the utility area plus a mop/cleaning cupdoard and make it a laundry room? I would like this if looking around as a buyer

[fresh]

When you say larder units, do you mean the tall narrow ones? They can be a bit restricting if they're too narrow, as they will then only hold foodstuffs and you need somewhere for crockery, pots, pans etc - deep drawers are ideal for this. From what you say it sounds like the food/non-food storage might be a bit out of balance. Microwave in a cupboard is a good idea if you're short on worktop space.
Your utility space sounds very narrow at .85m, but you could put the tumble dryer on top of the washing machine at one end, possibly with space for a very narrow cupboard next to them for ironing board/iron, but I would think it would need to be made bespoke as it's so narrow.
Ref worktops, if you can possibly replace the beech laminate it will help at resale.

[teta]

I would honestly recommend you go for a budget kitchen in a basic colour and put a new worktop in.I ordered my worktop from worktop express and i think it was cheaper than Barncrest.Ikea kitchens are really good for the money and you can design your own kitchen using the kitchen planner and take it instore where thay will listen to suggestions and then modify it for you.A joiner can make you a cupboard to house a microwave if needed.I have my microwave in my large pantry cupboard so i can close it off when needed [i have a vent at the back of the cupboard as well].

[leeloo1]

Thanks for the advice.

minipie - yes thats exactly what I meant about the microwave cupboard. I saw one and thought 'ooooh perfect' then wondered if it would look odd to others. :) Do you find it useful?

I have a lot of stuff in the kitchen thats only there because we have cupboards to put it in! (now hidden as there's a table pushed up against them).

Larder cupboards - I was planning for 1 x 50cm wide, 1 x 30cm wide, and possibly 1 x 50cm wide but shallow (37cm deep).

Good idea about moving the washing machine - I think it'd be expensive to do the plumbing though. The 'utility room' is at the back of the (long) kitchen on the other side from where the plumbing currently is... oh and thinking about it there's no soil pipe/drain at the back there - and a pipe would have to go past the back door steps to drain into a current one. :(

Re worktops - would wood be best (or too hard to look after?). I think the floor will end up as oak parquet (possibly pine). Would beech worktop be ok or better to go for oak too? Or would that be too much oak? [been looking at Barncrest emoticon!]

[minipie]

Yes and no. It doesn't look odd but the half cupboard above the microwave is quite high, and I'm a shortarse, so I find that cupboard is of slightly limited use. That's the only downside though and it depends how tall you are!

Moving the washing machine would be brilliant if you could manage it. Would be less noisy as well as gaining you a big cupboard's worth of space. Is there definitely no water supply near there? And are you taking the floor up as part of new kitchen - if so then it's not that big a deal to run some extra pipework over there.

Worktops - wood is beautiful but it is high maintenance. You can't chop on it (obviously) as it will scratch, and you can't leave water sitting on it or it will go black. personally I'd say it's too much hassle. How about one of the composites - like Corian but cheaper - eg see this page. I don't know much about these though!

[leeloo1]

Yes, the floor (in the kitchen) is being taken up and parquet re-laid, I got a bit excited when I read that idea... but pretty sure the parquet is on something solid and there's a metal doorbar in the way, then tiles/lino in the 'utility'. :(

[leeloo1]

ps will go and have a poke to check there's no water supply in there - the tumble has been there since we moved in. :) I think there was a fridge/freezer in there when we bought (in addition to the one in the kitchen and the one in the shed!).

[leeloo1]

Post-poking! I shifted the tumble forwards a bit and leaning over... there is what looks like a filled in toilet pipe underneath it! Plus in the wall, about 2 feet up there's a thin pipe going into the wall thats cut off an inch or so out...

So the plot thickens! A (potential) toilet... would the plumbing be completely different to that needed for a washing machine (if it could be reconnected somehow?)?

[minipie]

Hmm.. Still worth considering... maybe ask a builder to come have a look?

Is there a bathroom above that cupboard by any chance (or anywhere nearby)? If so then the pipework could come down from there quite easily.

[minipie]

cross posted! Toilet pipework would be perfect - drainage and cold supply.

[leeloo1]

Hopeful .

All other pipework, bathroom, drains etc is above the other side of the kitchen and further forward.

Although thinking about it, a while ago our neighbours on the other, utility (newly discovered secret toilet room!) side came round to ask if we had any pipework as they were having bad condensation problems in their new extension, at the back of their house (next to our new secret toilet). We said no, nothing, just a tumble dryer and they ended up taking off all the plaster and putting a damp proof course in. Wouldn't it be terrible if our secret toilet was leaking. [guilt emoticon]

Also if it was leaking, would that scupper our washing machine plans? [selfishly caring about own kitchen plans more than neighbours condensation emoticon]