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Original poster

Kitchen/diner extension - what are our must haves??

52 replies

Piscesmumma1978 · 31/12/2022 19:21

The outside walls are going up and we have a rough plan of where things will go.

It will create a big room. I definitely want a large, curved island.

What are our 'must haves'? We're using Howdens for the kitchen as we won't be going it again so want good quality.

I'm really nervous about planning it and want to make sure we get it right.

Any tips welcome 😀

OP posts:
SallyLockheart · 01/01/2023 07:16

echo pp, pan drawers
more pan drawers
internal drawers within an drawers
appliance garage type cabinet to put your toaster etc in
we didn't buy a boiling water tap - budget constraints - but have minimised electrical items on the worksurface and so kettle is ok.

double sinks - as deep as you can. we use the second one for drainage. we had drainage things cut into the marble (extra £ each one) and don't need them.

integrated bins under the sink - we have four for waste/recycling.
don't be too clever as we were and had a "nudge" electric opener for the bin drawer. Even the not very bright spaniel cracked that within 10 days and helped herself to bin contents ....

as much insulation as you can get - walls, floor etc

also echo pp re lighting. work out where light switches will be - this will depend on how many doors into and out of the room - and number of different types of lighting in the room you have. Make sure you can turn lights on and off from different places.

PigletInABlanketJohn · 01/01/2023 07:27

If you insist on an island you will have to puzzle out a way to get the duct outside from your large canopy extractor.

Put the boiler close to the waste pipes. If it is on an external corner the wind turbulence will help dissipate the steam plume.

Sunflowergirl1 · 01/01/2023 07:39

Piscesmumma1978 · 31/12/2022 21:29

Thank you all! I'm dreading the knock through. Luckily we have a large utility that can be a temporary kitchen.

That's interesting about Howdens. We thought they were the good ones.

Two single ovens is a great idea 😀

Howdens are good but I thought the quality at DIY Kitchens beat them but also a lot cheaper. 5 years on and my DIY kitchen still looks like new.

My must have...American fridge with piped water supply.... amazing how much longer food lasts with the perfect temperature control

Babytwodue · 01/01/2023 08:14

Following! 🙂

MusicstillonMTV · 01/01/2023 08:20

My main tip is to really think about what you cook and therefore want.

We got a lot of incredulity about not wanting two ovens in our large kitchen but for a variety of reasons we don't actually use the oven that much - we primarily cook on the hob. We also cook a variety of cuisines so need a lot of pantry space and space for spices - our kitchen designer was a bit surprised by how much we wanted but we use it all.

RedRiverShore2 · 01/01/2023 08:24

Are people needing to use two ovens now apart from maybe Christmas, everyone seems to be using the ubiquitous air fryer, so maybe less oven space and more counter space for large air fryer

BarrelOfOtters · 01/01/2023 08:34

We went with howdens…really like it apart from the sink, it’s Lamona and not great, scratched already. So I’d upgrade on the sink. The kitchen fitter liked it too and they were really good about replacing a couple of bits when we changed our mind…refunded about £2k.

what has worked well

underfloor wet heating
vented hob in island ducted under the floor to outside (think about how you are going to have an extractor fan as that had to be done as part of build for us)
boiling water tap….(qooker) got used to having that v quickly…expensive but like it
big deep pan drawers, keep all the crockery in them
hidden cutlery drawer to use space
big larder cupboard
300 mm pull out cupboard for bottles etc
separate drinks fridge to keep dh’s grown up kids happy
drawers in the cupboards which pull out, great for pasta, flour etc..
lots of plug sockets including a USB one under island counter
sockets in tall cupboard to recharge hoover
integrated bin
induction hob, so easy to clean.

think about light switches and lighting

our electricians were lovely but no common sense and we’re about to waltz off leaving no lighting over the main prep area.

wish we’d put a small pull out cupboard under hob for oil, seasonings etc
dont get a pop up socket in island.

separate utilty

think about bins, storing ironing board, mops etc.

if underfloor heating you’ll need somewhere to put the manifold, it’s quite big…

BarrelOfOtters · 01/01/2023 08:37

We’ve got a main oven, a combi, and a deep warming drawer. The neff combi is a great wee oven but not the best microwave….

the warming drawer we use all the time.

RedRiverShore2 · 01/01/2023 08:41

The best thing we have is a separate walk in pantry, it keeps all the tins, bottles and cooking ingredients out of the kitchen cupboards and means you can bulk buy if needed

deplorabelle · 01/01/2023 08:45

I use the oven a lot but manage perfectly well with a single oven with small top oven.

That said I have a Siemens oven and it has a few annoying features you might or might not care about.

  • The lights are in the top wall of the oven so putting something on the top shelf plunges the whole thing into darkness.

  • The timer beeper is incredibly weedy and inaudible

  • The top oven is not governed by the timer so I can't set it to turn on/off at a particular time.

Check the power rating of your appliances. The induction hob we initially chose would have required a huge 50A electric cable to be wired in. The right induction hob is a wonderful thing though. Faster and cleaner than gas and just as controllable. My asthma has never been better since I got rid of the gas stove.

Personally we went for no appliances in the island. I love having the extra space to pay things out and prefer to be prepping and plating facing my guests rather than trying to shout across a stove/extractor.

My best kitchen feature is a small nook of worktop on the other side of the room where I have my KitchenAid (contains flour drift and mixer spatter a bit) Doubles as a drinks area for parties.

Crikeyalmighty · 01/01/2023 08:52

The last 2 houses we have rented both had big kitchen diners with ikea kitchens and being honest they were better quality kitchens than in some of the houses we have rented with much posher brand kitchens

peachescariad · 01/01/2023 08:54

Watching....planning new kitchen....currently looking at wickes kitchen and having a rangemaster....but do like idea of 2 ovens side by side as I do need 2.
Feeling Completely daunted at whole thing as I'm not at all creative and don't know where to start!

Original poster
Piscesmumma1978 · 01/01/2023 11:26

It's really daunting. We'll be measuring and designing in the next few weeks.

I've used the IKEA online designer but I don't have the exact measurements and our dining table is huge etc so still hard to visualize.

We've got 4 kids do two ovens is ideal for us!

I love the idea of a hot water tap. Do you still have a kettle?

I was thinking of a corner pantry cupboard.

OP posts:
yomellamoHelly · 01/01/2023 11:46

Plan how you make a cup of tea / coffee / breakfast / prep meals / cook etc. Ours is all organised into areas. Then think about what units you need. Works very well for us. And allow a couple of cupboards to grow into if space allows.

Stripedbag101 · 01/01/2023 12:40

I am half was through a kitchen diner extension.

I love my boiling water tap!

agree in side by side ovens - I also have a warming drawer which is amazing

drinks fridge was very handy over Christmas

I am short and I designed windows that I can easily reach to open!

lots of sockets and different lighting options.

RedRiverShore2 · 01/01/2023 13:32

You can still have a kettle with a boiling water tap, we do but I'm quite fussy with my drinks so have a variable temperature kettle as well, you can use the tap for cooking though which is handy

Susanthehappytrottingelf · 01/01/2023 13:47

Our induction hob boils water so fast I don't really see the point of the boiling water tap - I am also quite fussy about temperature for hot drinks

Original poster
Piscesmumma1978 · 01/01/2023 14:16

Thank you everyone. I've got a lot to read and think about there.

It's really hard because it seems so far away at the moment but it's actually not! I just can't wait for more space and an island! We're living with the kitchen/separate dining room that was here when we moved in. It's old, totally impractical and never seems to be clean despite cleaning constantly!

OP posts:
thaisweetchill · 01/01/2023 14:27

Sockets in the island/on the work surface

Make sure the fridge freezer (if you're having one) have separate doors

PigletInABlanketJohn · 01/01/2023 15:11

I wouldn't have sockets set in the worktop facing up

As you will spill things on them

You can put them on the ends

Or get a laboratory-type upstand thing

There are also extension multisocket types that rise up out of a hole. I don't like them. You can still spill gravy down the hole.

BodenCardiganNot · 01/01/2023 15:13

Plenty of space between the island and the wall of units. The biggest sink you can get.

Susanthehappytrottingelf · 01/01/2023 15:20

BodenCardiganNot · 01/01/2023 15:13

Plenty of space between the island and the wall of units. The biggest sink you can get.

I think yes and no on space between island and units - you don't want it to be too big a space as then it's annoying to carry things across the space. But big enough that you're not edging past definitely

SUBisYodrethwhenLarping · 01/01/2023 15:21

Lots of plug sockets

Stripedbag101 · 01/01/2023 16:18

I actually didn’t go for the biggest sink. Got a Belfast sink - a deep one but the standard 60cm wide. I can’t imagine needing a bigger sink - but I’m not a big cook. And there is a sink I. The utility for messy jobs

Notsympatheticenough · 01/01/2023 17:02

I measured our big frying pan and biggest baking tray to make sure they'd fit the sink....

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