Floor plan Issues

[charles]

I just inherited my childhood home and an looking forward to expanding the kitchen. The only problem is that the house is block so in order to expand I would have to use space already inside the house meaning that I would have to remove to foyer so that the front door would open into the kitchen. Is this worth doing or would I regret people walking in and out of the kitchen all of the time.

 

[ea56]

Thats a personal choice only you can make. If it were I, I wouldn’t do it. It’s nice to have some insulation from people coming to your front door, especially strangers.

Why don’t you move in and live there for a while and see how you adjust to it. I know, it’s your family home, and you’v lived there before, but now you are the “boss”, and can utilize that smaller kitchen the way you want to use it. You just may find that you really like the smaller kitchen.

There is less to clean, and its easier to get to everything you need to use, less wasted motion. I have a small kitchen and I love it. If there is someway to maybe open up a wall to the kitchen so you can have a breakfast bar that company can sit at while you’re cooking you won’t feel so isolated from company.

Just a thought. I hope you get it the way you want it. But remember, act in haste, repent in leisure. And kitchen remodeling is hella expensive!

Eddie

 

[petek]

I wouldn't want my door opening into the kitchen,, that's just plain weird. Rather you should look at how can you maximize the space in the kitchen as it already is.. I've seen some small galley kitchens in apartments transformed. Things like having kitchen cabinets that go all the way up to the ceiling instead of having that dead wasted space between the cabinet tops and ceiling, gone. Can you live with an 18" dishwasher , there are also apartment size stoves and fridges to gain more counter space,, could you live with both or just one etc.

 

[wayupnorth]

Like Eddie, we can not give any personal recommendations unless we actually saw what you have. Someone may like this or that and may be different than what you may want.

 

[combo52]

Expanding A homes Kitchen

Hi, What does the house being built out of block have to do with expanding the kitchen ?

 

Our house is 1955 brick and block and we expanded the house with a large addition that allowed us to triple the size of the kitchen and was certainly the best housing decision we ever made. It has been just wonderful if you like appliances and like to cook to have so much  space.

 

The builder perfectly matched the brick and siding however you can add a frame addition to a brick or block house it done all the time.

 

John L.

 

[mattl]

Agreed, there is nothing sacred about block walls.  A steel beam can be used for support when a wall is removed.  No way would I want guests walking right into my kitchen.

 

[gusherb]

Brick and block are very common where I'm from and people blast through it to build room additions all the time. It's really no big deal, so I wouldn't consider that a reason to not build a room addition onto your home. I would also consider what others above said, and give it some serious thought after moving in as to whether you really need the extra space. 

 

[lordkenmore]

I actually have the door open into the kitchen. (I don't think it was the original "floor plan" intention. But with the circumstances effectively made it into the "front door" since it's the door nearest the driveway.) A part of me doesn't like it--but then I grew up with houses that had a front door that was far removed from the kitchen. Although on a practical level, the door works, and it's not like I ever have guests. But in the event that I ever have friends and a social life--which, at the moment, seems about as likely as the chances of me winning the lottery, even though I never buy lottery tickets--I'd hate this setup.

 

I suppose there is one plus to having a door open into the kitchen--a lot more convenient when hauling in groceries!

 

 

 

[lordkenmore]

I think Eddie makes some good points above. It makes sense living with the kitchen a while (and living today, with today's needs/realities, vs. past experiences). I can even recall suggestions that when one moves into a house one shouldn't do any changes for a year. That might be extreme, but I think it's worth waiting on major changes.

 

I, personally, would have no problem with a small kitchen.

 

One plus to big kitchens is storage space...but is that really necessary in the kitchen? A lot of that storage space most often seems to get taken up by stuff that is only used occasionally. That stuff could be stored elsewhere--it would still be available, and it wouldn't be that hugely inconvenient when, say, a turkey roaster is needed a couple of times a year.