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Original poster

Is this kitchen too small to buy?

42 replies

Fofftwenty21 · 05/09/2022 16:13

Hi I'm a FTB and would love some advice. We have seen a house we like. It's a good location, 3 bed semi-detached, lovely garden but the kitchen is small (9'4 x 6'5) my husband thinks its too small but I can the potential to change it such as removing the bookcase and chest freezer which will free up some room and maybe removing the cupboard on the wall near the clock. Also possibly opening up into the dining area or a side extension to the left but have no idea of costs for this?

Any other advice about the layout is greatly appreciated, thanks. We are going for another viewing in a couple of weeks, when we viewed last time I don't remember it feeling small but I don't know if we spent enough time there.

Is this kitchen too small to buy?
Is this kitchen too small to buy?
OP posts:
Bluevelvetsofa · 05/09/2022 16:16

Not as it is. If it became a kitchen/ diner that would be different.

MintJulia · 05/09/2022 16:20

It's not really workable as it is. But if you knock through to the dining room, it becomes much more usable.

SoupDragon · 05/09/2022 16:21

I reckon it's about the same size as the galley kitchen in my last house. It was absolutely fine.

Long term we would have knocked through into the dining room but it wasn't a "forever home".

LeftTheWashingOut · 05/09/2022 16:28

I think it depends on how you want to use the kitchen, how long you intend to live there, and whether you'd consider doing some work to open it up.

I thought our kitchen was big enough, having used it now for a couple of years it's irritatingly small in terms of workspace for someone who likes to cook. DH and I also like to cook together in the evening so it would be much better to have space to sit down and chat while the food is cooking etc. therefore we are about to get some walls knocked down to open up the space into a larger kitchen/diner/living area.

If you don't enjoy cooking and don't spend long in the kitchen, what it has is fine. But, if you enjoy cooking it looks from the plan like there is a long option to create a really large space if you knock through to the diner, with opening out onto the garden. So if you plan to stay a while and have funds for the improvements then it's fine too! And it sounds like, apart from the kitchen, it has a lot going for it

SoupDragon · 05/09/2022 16:32

Long term, you could do something like this

Is this kitchen too small to buy?
Surtsey · 05/09/2022 16:35

That's bigger than my kitchen. Inconvenient galley shape though.

senua · 05/09/2022 16:45

the kitchen is small (9'4 x 6'5)
I don't think those dimensions are right. I might believe 19'4 by 6'5.

2bazookas · 05/09/2022 17:12

For 20 years we had a little red kitchen which was a lean-to wooden "shed " with a tin roof, less than 6 ft wide, so I could touch both opposite walls while standing in the middle Two people couldnt work in it together. Even the dogs walked in single file. I moved the sink and cupboards and it was fine. We both learned a LOT about design, footfall, organisation.

Original poster
Fofftwenty21 · 05/09/2022 17:14

Thanks for all the replies, does anyone know how much the opening out into the dining room might cost?

@LeftTheWashingOut thanks that's really helpful and something to think about at the moment we are in a 1 bed flat so don't entertain that often but maybe we would if we had more space.

@SoupDragon Great idea, thank you! Something to think about once we have an idea of how much it might cost. How did you make the galley kitchen work for you?

@senua Oops, I'll edit now.

OP posts:
Sockmonkeysloth · 05/09/2022 17:16

It’s about four times the size of my kitchen!

IThinkYoullFindIWasHereFirst · 05/09/2022 17:22

It's much bigger than my kitchen, which I have sort of learned to love! We have a bookcase which holds a huge amount of mugs, glasses, cereal, drinks etc whilst not taking up much floor space. Open shelves and hanging storage also work for us instead of wall cabinets which seem to impede on worktop space somehow.
You could consider having a nice dresser or sideboard in the dining room to house your less used kitchen items to free up storage space in the kitchen.
At least the layout of the house would lend itself to knocking through if you wanted to do that in the future.

greenhousegal · 05/09/2022 17:27

I live alone in a three bed semi and have a long narrow kitchen. It has room for a table and good work surfaces. All the appliances fit fine. I could knock through to the room beside it but I won't now, because I spend a lot of time in the kitchen (WFH), it has a full glass door to the garden and is SO EASY to heat.

I think the days of the huge kitchen/diner are dying. They can be very hard to keep warm and most people just use the sitting room for TV anyway. Different if you have young kids though I suppose.

But I may be justifying my own particular lifestyle and what suits me! OP the house has great potential. Live in it for a bit and then decide if it works for you or you need to knock the wall down. Best of luck in your house hunting.

senua · 05/09/2022 17:34

Do we presume that the third bedroom and the bathroom are similarly bijou.

It also looks like the staircase is on the external wall which means your neighbours' noisy living area will be on the other side of the shared wall.

SoupDragon · 05/09/2022 21:39

How did you make the galley kitchen work for you?

it just worked really. It was a long time ago now but it only had units along one side and a narrow breakfast bar on the other (useful as extra work top). The dining room was a good size. There was a sort of conservatory utility room which had the freezer, washing machine, tumble drier and dishwasher in. I think the kitchen was shorter than the one in "your" house.

Lunabun · 05/09/2022 21:41

I'd be perfectly happy with that kitchen personally. I much prefer a separate dining room to a kitchen/diner.

You've probably got more worktop space than I've got in my kitchen diner tbh

snowflakeinastorm · 05/09/2022 22:58

I think the kitchen size is fine. I would paint the red wall, as that will make it seem smaller.

rwalker · 05/09/2022 23:04

It’s absolutely fine there’s too much in it
units on one side would give u a 16ft run of units

RagzRebooted · 05/09/2022 23:16

Change the paint colour and take out/move half of the units. It isn't small, it's just long. But that's less wasted space. You don't need a massive room with worktops on opposite sides, that's just unnecessary exercise 😉

Original poster
Fofftwenty21 · 05/09/2022 23:23

Haha @RagzRebooted 😅 I like your thinking we'd definitely repaint as you and @snowflakeinastorm suggest and rearrange.

@senua yes 3rd room is box room fine for us and bathroom small but again fine for us.

@greenhousegal thank you for your well wishes. House hunting is exciting and terrifying in equal measure 😬

Thanks everyone

OP posts:
FuzzyPuffling · 06/09/2022 07:55

It's made worse by the liberal use of bright colours. If the whole thing was a lighter, more harmonious colour scheme it would look bigger and less busy.
Could be a quick win before you knock through?

21reasons · 06/09/2022 08:02

It’s really skinny. You couldn’t have the two of you in it. I wouldn’t buy it. There’s not an obvious thing you can do to maximise the space.

I have a teeny tiny kitchen myself (square shaped not galley) and it is a pain. I would love a decent sized kitchen with lots of cupboard and surface space and I’m not particularly into cooking.

Draincover · 06/09/2022 08:15

Looks like the house has been extended already. Which begs the question why didn't they knock through already. And may be limiting with further alterations. The back door looks troublesome if there isn't an alternative path to the garden, regarding through traffic. But it is also nice to be able to throw a door open when you cook.

Personally I don't like kitchen diners. But do like to be able to share kitchen space. Galley kitchens can be very space efficient. We have an awkward kitchen space with annoying door openings against the walls which makes using all of each wall problematic. Ergonomics can be more important, I have been on spacious kitchens with limited worktop/poor washing up areas.

User148563 · 06/09/2022 08:30

It is not so much small as an awkward shape, ours is similar 7' x 17' and it is just a bit too narrow to be comfortable, because of the length there is room for everything but it is difficult if there are 2 of you and you want to pass each other. All of the similar house up our road have similar size kitchens, they are mainly 1930s houses that have had the back rear hall area converted into additional kitchen space onto the original small 7' x 10' kitchens, in the past this was quite cheap and easy fix to get a bigger kitchen.

We kept our toilet at the and and put a storage area next to it to have 2 doors between toilet and kitchen but those that didn't in similar houses would have kitchens that are about 7' x 22'

Luredbyapomegranate · 06/09/2022 08:38

It’s fine, it’s a galley kitchen ( and quite a big one), you cook in it, you eat somewhere else. or you could knock it through to have a sit in kitchen.

ODFOx · 06/09/2022 08:40

You can maxmise the space without knocking down walls by having all the 600mm deep appliances and cupboards down the left hand side (ideally under counter all the way except the extractor) and then having floor to ceiling 300mm deep handle less cupboards down the right hand side. It'll give you loads of storage and a long useful work surface.