Jason Robie: Cool kitchen creations – Conway Daily Sun

By Jason Robie

One of my favorite (albeit stressful) processes in building my house was laying out the floor plan. Anybody reading this with an ounce of sense is saying "You should have had a designer help you, dummy." and I couldn't agree more. But alas, I'm stubborn and independent and wanted to do it myself. Thankfully it came out great (and I had a lot of help).

I spent hours with a computer program laying out the cabinets, moving the abutting bathroom wall, shrinking and expanding the bedroom on the other side of the bathroom, etc., all in an effort to fit everything in and make the space accommodating and functional.

The more fun part was working on the deck of the main floor of the house before any of the walls went up. My friends and I measured out and marked with masking tape, the different sections of the kitchen in order to better visualize the space. Of course without walls this is a bit misleading, but it helped solidify my ideas about space and flow.

Besides the actual layout and "flow" of your kitchen, there are a few other considerations that are important when you are designing (or RE-designing) a kitchen. Let's look at a few of those today and perhaps I can save you from missing an important detail that you discover once the sheetrock goes up.

First and foremost, you need to familiarize yourself with the local zoning and building code rules and laws. I encourage you to employ the services of an electrician and/or plumber for this and just have them walk through the space with you to highlight any blatant errors in your design.

Simple things like spacing between outlets, ventilation specifications for the oven hood fan and even the routing of water pipes can all create a huge headache if they are not planned for until "after the fact." Nobody expects you to know all of these rules, so hire an expert for a few hours and be sure you are "coloring within the lines."

One of the more tedious parts of my layout planning was the spacing for the areas between the cabinets. My goal, which was later eliminated, was to have an island in the middle of the kitchen for eating and food preparation. I even considered having that island house the sink and dishwasher. After hours of figuring and re-figuring, moving walls and adjusting the shower location in the bathroom, we got it squared away.

Little details like the opening of the dishwasher, the swing direction of the refrigerator door and even the distance a drawer could slide open all factor in to where the walls will go and how much room you have to move around.

After re-designing your kitchen, it would be horrible to realize that there can only be one person in there at a time because the space it too confined. Beyond just using masking tape on the floors, I recommend borrowing a few big boxes from a local store and using those to mark the placement of the counters and other appliances. This visual representation will help you get a more accurate feel for the space and your ability to move around.

Although I'm not much of a designer when it comes to colors, fabrics and textures, it is important to give some thought to the finish of your fixtures and appliances. I bought my entire kitchen (cabinets, appliances, countertops, etc.) from a friend who was remodeling her kitchen. In this case, I didn't have much choice. But if you are considering a whole new look for your kitchen, be sure all of those parts and pieces will work well together.

"Often times folks will replace one or two items in a kitchen with a finish they have fallen in love with, only to discover it clashes with the remaining appliances," Badger Realty agent Nubian Duncan said. "I encourage people to take a faucet handle or other item from the pieces that are staying when they go shopping. This helps solidify everything will work together at least until the other items can be replaced."

Sink mounting is another decision you'll have to make along this journey. Once again, there are other factors that will determine (or limit) your choices. If you are replacing the entire countertop, the sky's the limit. But if you are just replacing fixtures and the sink itself, it might make sense to have an expert give you a few options.

Under-counter sinks are great and make cleanup easy and smooth. But they are not really an option if your counters were not originally designed that way. You'll also want to be careful about measuring your sink and cutting the associated hole in the countertop. Remember, you can always cut the hole bigger, but you can't cut the hole smaller. Ask me how I know.

Kitchens are a focal point of any home whether you are selling or just remodeling to enjoy it more yourself. As with most things, planning is key and taking the time up front will reduce the number of headaches in the future. Do a little planning for your kitchen and call in the pros when the time is right. You'll be glad you did and you won't have to be annoyed every time you open the dishwasher and pinch your fingers on the opposing cabinets.

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Jason Robie: Cool kitchen creations - Conway Daily Sun