Where to put the kitchen sink!

[FlibbertyGibbets]

We're in the early stages of building an 3metre extension to create a fairly standard open plan kitchen diner, with space for a sofa & bifold doors out onto the garden. The current kitchen is approx this size so we're kind of creating a large box

DH & I have differing opinions on the location of the kitchen sink. We're both easy-going though so are quite willing to concede one way or another! I'd really appreciate the experiences of people who have already had this work done or the opinion of an expert.

I would like to keep the kitchen area and sink in it's current footprint, creating a breakfast bar/sink facing into the new space. Pipes would run under the floor of the new extension.

DH is worried that if the sink is not on an external wall we will have difficulty cleaning the pipes if needed. He's proposing putting it on the external garden wall, next to the bifold/french doors.

Help!

I think you need to attach a sketch of the layout - very hard to visualise without it.

Traditionally your sink would be under the window to alleviate the tedium of washing up the pots and pans.

Personally I wouldn't have my main sink on an island as I like to dump dirty plates etc in the sink when the dishwasher is in use (or there's no child around to unload it!)

I'm not sure what your DH means about access to clean pipes - wherever they are sited they'll be a bugger to access I'd have thought.

As pinkje says, traditionally sinks are under a window - putting your sink against on an outside wall should mean pipes are accessible under the sink or outside. Definitely preferable to dealing with greasy mess indoors.

One thing I'd add on sinks (as a person mid kitchen work) is to think about the ergonomics of what you are doing at your sink. I wanted mine next to the dishwasher where I could rinse then put pots straight in (this also minimised the plumbing work) and kept all my watery units in one place (washing machine is on the other side of the sink to the dishwasher).

I'd also think about exactly how big your island will be and whether you want it to be your main prep space, would there be enough room with a sink there especially if you don't want to splash people who are sitting at your island whilst you rinse your veg!

Ours sits between the dishwasher and the fridge freezer (with one base unit in between). Easy to load / put away dishes in cupboards over sink and to side and easy for making drinks / cereal (tea in cupboard above base unit and cereals, cutlery and bowls in base unit). Wanted as few footsteps as possible.

Did not think about which wall etc, just knew that was the layout I wanted.

Is on an internal wall.

Have had a host of issues of issues with this house pre-renovation (hence the scale of the work), but have never lived in a house where cleaning the pipes was previously necessary other than an occasional sloosh out with hot water for maintenance.

One thing I'd add on sinks (as a person mid kitchen work) is to think about the ergonomics of what you are doing at your sink. I wanted mine next to the dishwasher where I could rinse then put pots straight in (this also minimised the plumbing work) and kept all my watery units in one place (washing machine is on the other side of the sink to the dishwasher).

I'd also think about exactly how big your island will be and whether you want it to be your main prep space, would there be enough room with a sink there especially if you don't want to splash people who are sitting at your island whilst you rinse your veg!

We have a similar set up and planning the same thing. If I understand what you are saying, for your H's proposal of it going on the back external wall, how does that affect the bi-fold doors (which I presume are also in the back external wall)? You'd need a couple of metres of units to the right of the bi-fold doors (as you look at them) in order to have sink on that back wall (I agree with previous posters that dishwasher / bin unit probably needs to be near the sink) and presumably a run of units along the right hand wall? If your bi-fold doors are going to be in the middle of the back wall, you'd then need a part wall for a similar distance on the left hand side of the doors (if that makes sense). Does that work with what you plan to do with the space / how wide you want the bi-fold doors to be?

We've just done a very similar kitchen diner, sink is under the window. Surely if your sink is on an island, the water you may splash about may go the other side of the island? Also we have sink next to dishwasher like previous poster said. I wouldn't have it any other way. We have a peninsula rather than an island as not enough space for an island.

Thanks so much to everyone for their feedback. Unfortunately our laptop is broken at the moment so I'm using the app & don't seem to be able to post images (certainly can't see them!)

Overall, I'm getting the feeling that maybe DH's way might be better, but for different reasons. Ergonomicly, it's all up for grabs so the advice on dishwasher / fridge arrangement is much appreciated.

For the poster that asked (sorry, app - can't see!) I'd envisioned full length bifolds across the back wall. Obviously a kitchen there would do for that idea! We also want to fit a second seating area near the doors (opposite the kitchen). I guess I was worried that we'll be cramming everything that we'd use for the majority of the day down at one end and not having any space to move about.

Useful link on ergonomics of kitchens: here

Can you add a sketch of your layout? I would want my sink with dishwasher one side and then about 3 units and then the cooker/hob. So you have dirty dishes one side and prepping space the other side. Don't maroon it somewhere it doesn't work just to be on an outside wall, but do think how you would access pipes if you needed to.

I decided I want to move my kitchen sink to the other side of the kitchen on an internal wall but this means having to run pipes etc and dig a channel in the floor for the outlet pipes Big job !! So I had an idea 💡 I have a utility room off my kitchen which already has water and waste etc in place so the question is ....can I put my kitchen sink in there instead of having it in the kitchen?? This would free up loads of worktop space 🤗 appreciate advice from plumbers/builders etc as regards to any building regs that may apply to this idea Thanks

@jmh65 we're about to move onto a house where the kitchen sink was moved into the utility room. It's one of the first (of many) things we're sorting. You'll need a sink near to your cooking area for food prep/straining veg/pasta etc and filling the kettle!

But it is next to my cooking area it’s practically 8ft away My current sink is situated the other side of my kitchen nowhere near the cooking area so moving it to the utility room isn’t going to make any difference to me I just merely wanted to know what the regs are regarding this but thanks for your response 😊