do I need to plan heating into kitchen design?

[Difficultyear2015]

Bought a renovations project and first job is kitchen.

It currently has no heating.

I hadn't even considered fitting a radiator as there is no spare wall space and thinking of previous kitchens I have had there has been no heating.

Is this something we should factor in now?

We also are limited on space, but have the choice of storage cupboard or space for tumble dryer.

I was going to stick to washer dryer to enable us to have more storage but would that be a mistake?

Thank you

You can buy kick board heaters. Either electric or central heating powered. No idea how good the are and if it will be enough for a whole room but it might be worth a look.

My parents have a kick board heater in their fairly large kitchen and it seems to do the job. I don't think there's a radiator at all.

My kitchen diner only has a radiator in the diner part and the kitchen is freezing!

Depends on size doesn't it? A tiny galley kitchen will generally be open to other rooms and fine without a radiator, but a more "lifestyle" kitchen big enough for a table will need one I'd have thought. Underfloor heating?

Our 14 x 9' kitchen has a radiator but is nearly open plan to our unheated utility room. It gets cold. I'd love to get heating into the utility but like you say, it's fully cupboarded.

Tumble dryer vs extra cupboard depends mainly on how many cupboards you have already. Though once you've lived with a tumble dryer it's difficult to go back to not having one. Do you have space for one elsewhere in the house? I would personally get a decent washing machine and lakeland airer or similar, or put a tumble dryer somewhere a bit weird rather than rely on a washer dryer but they may have improved since I last threw mine out in a fit of hatred owned one.

Yes!!! Mine has none and is freezing

If you can open your kitchen into your dining room, you can use a BTU calculator to determine what size of radiator you would need to heat a kitchen/diner.

I have found a good one on a company website, the company is called Geyser. They are a designer radiator company. You might also get some ideas there as well.

I've got a small kitchen with no space for a tumble dryer. So I have a Hoover washer/dryer that still going strong after 5 years. I got it based on a Which review. So they are not all rubbish.

As for heating, the kitchen planner's design sited a radiator right next to the freestanding fridge. Thought that would be a bad idea so now have a hydronic plinth heater that works off the central heating with a fan. The only thing is that you have to switch it on and off unlike the radiators. So in the morning I may walk through a warm room/hallway into a nippy kitchen.

We have a plinth heater in the kitchen bit of our kitchen diner. We hardly ever use it but when we do, it works well.

I would definitely try to fit a tumble dryer in somewhere. Garage maybe, if you don't want to lose cupboard space in the kitchen.

A kitchen needs heating. Under-floor is best if you don't have wall space. Stayed in a house with no kitchen heating during Christmas period and the kitchen was no a pleasant place to be in except during a short time one evening when so much cooking had been going on that any normal kitchen would have been sweltering but this one got temporarily bearable.

I second under floor heating, it's lovely!

Underfloor heating to take the chill off the tiles, and kickboard heating if you want something to pump out obvious heat. Yes to doing it now.

surely there are regulations to help guide you? heating and power outlets, venting etc. are regulated where I live.

Depends on the build of the house I'd say. We have a 1930s build. All of the internal walls are as substantial as the outside walls and low ceilings and lots of doors. It's the warmest house I've ever lived in and I keep the kitchen radiator off. This kitchen only has one external wall which faces away from the prevailing wound direction.

How about underfloor heating instead?

You should plan heating into your kitchen. I would go for underfloor heating off your heating boiler as my first choice (stay clear of electric underfloor heating, it's more expensive to run and will eventually burn out). If you have to go for a plinth fan assisted heater, go for the one that can be connected to your heating boiler, they are far more energy efficient than the all electric counterpart.

Also worth thinking about flooring, tiles can be cold. If you don't want to lose cupboard space then go for underfloor heating before you put the kitchen in.

Our kitchen is TINY! Literally 2 base cupboards (inc sink) a slimline dishwasher and a cooker. Thank goodness it also has an old fashioned pantry and we have some space for a washing machine etc in the back of the (separate) garage.

It's freezing in there in the middle of winter and I think it helps make the living room next door colder than it would be too, so def include some sort of heating if you can.

Our kitchen is small & akward due to 3 doors so we removed the radiator to free up space. I think it's fine. It's not big enough for a dining table so in there to cook & that's it. I think the heating from the hall & dining room probably heat it a bit.

We have a new-ish apartment with a small, two person kitchen, which is freezing! I hate going in there in winter, so I'd put something in from the start to at least have the option......

I also have a plinth heater and it does work well, but it's one of those noisy fan ones so you wouldn't leave it on all the time. As such I would probably have kept the radiator if I was doing it again, it's an old house and it gets cold in there, and you do tend to pop in and out of a kitchen. I did buy a little oil radiator which works well though and I guess it's just an issue in the colder winter months.