How to maximise this kitchen/laundry space.
Hi everyone,
I have been mulling over this house design but feel the kitchen/laundry space is not utilised properly and would like some help/opinions on how to go about this. My block will be 25m instead of 20m so it seems like there will be room to extend both the dining/living areas further up (budget depending).
I have redrawn the above house plan to this below (measurements are not accurate due to app issues):
- moving the WM and sink to the garage, extending the bathroom further up.
- removing the wall between kitchen and laundry, extending the wall near the pantry below next to the door. The sink is near the door and the stove is above Bedroom 3. Fridge is by the wall of the Master.
- swapped laundry sliding door to single door
- moved the linen near the deck/alfresco
Questions I have:
- Is the original door by the laundry necessary and if so, can it be moved to a different location?
- Have reviewed the different styles of kitchens, galley, L shaped, Island etc but finding it difficult to picture or fit them to this design.
Any ideas would be highly appreciated.
Comments (18)
4 years ago
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRelated Discussions
How can I maximise bench and storage space here..
Comments (24)Hi Karina. Haha very funny re your art piece, KitchenAid! Baking is so much fun; I'm a baker from way way back, and you learn by just jumping in and doing it. About the height of your combined dining/bench table, it's pretty important to have a height that's comfortable for you whilst you work. I'm tall and my family is too, so we had the benchtop height built higher so we are not getting backaches from constantly having to bend over to work. It's really more important for the one who does all or most of the cooking & baking to be comfortable as you can spend long periods of time reading and working out recipes, then putting it all together. Likewise, if you are shorter, choose a table that suits you. Best wishes and keep us posted....See MorePositioning robes and windows to maximise bedroom space
Comments (7)my suggestions also enlarges the bathroom to include bigger shower and a handbasin in the toilet, loses WIL in favour of built in storage and uses the saved space for a study nook to allow more space in the activity room and adds a cavity sliding door to create some occasional privacy for kids' area ...and the best way to decide windows and biw location is to first plan windows to suit the outlook (looking out to a view, hot afternoon sun, warm winter light etc?)and then consider furniture placement but the windows should be high enough off the floor to allow for placement of desk and/or bed (ie bottom of the window about 80cm off the floor) ..these few ideas showing a standard double or single bed but each bedroom has the 2m wide biw and entry doors on the same wall...See MoreTemporary kitchen and laundry? How?
Comments (9)If you need a kitchen for 3 to 4 years I would go for a small, cheap kitchen across the back wall, using freestanding units with storage under and double up your dining table as a kitchen table for prep, like our grandmother's used to do. You could install a sink fairly cheaply and a small cooktop, but maybe just buy a convection microwave to use as an oven? A convection microwave will cook just about anything, and takes up much less space than a full stove. Your cooktop doesn't have to be an electrician installed one. You can also buy table top, plug in induction hotplates. I think you really need 2 hotplates for long term cooking, but look around, see what you can get and what you think might work for you. If you use freestanding units, except for the sink, you could achieve quite an eclectic, funky look on very little money and a lot of imagination. A cheap kitchen doesn't have to look cheap. Check out the free standing units at Ikea, old cupboards and benches at second hand shops and the dump shop, even work benches at Bunnings. Go to the markets and get yourself a couple of sturdy, good sized cutting boards in stone or wood to use to do your prep on. The advantage of freestanding units is that you can build/install them yourself, arrange them how you like, re-arrange them if they aren't working for you how they are and repurpose them later,. Think about how you cook, and pare everything down to the bare minimum to save on storage/space. I lived for years with a kitchen in a small house that had an old gas stove, one small sink with a draining board, one bench about 1.2m long that had glass doored pass through overbench cupboards that I contually whacked my head on for the first three months when prepping food, and an old pine cupboard that was both pantry and crockery/cutlery storage. We also had a small fridge and microwave. I raised 2 teenagers with that kitchen. You adapt to what you have, especially if you have the goal of your dream kitchen shining in the future! Also, living with a basic kitchen really helps to clarify what you really want in a kitchen. Oh, and would a front loader washing machine fit in the space next to the bath, be the door in the bathroom? You really don't want a washing machine in a space that hasn't been properly waterproofed. If not, maybe consider a temporary outside laundry?...See MoreWhat is the best way to maximise this space?
Comments (7)You have a tricky design exercise with limited space and lots of structural and plumbing constraints. I would call in a professional to do an accurate measure-up and work with you in selecting appropriately scaled bathroom fittings and a workable layout. Only your option 1 looks like it may have potential as all of the others don't have enough space around the different elements to access them properly. If you have never renovated before then a tiny bathroom in an apartment could be a really expensive exercise in learning from your mistakes, as every millimetre is crucial, and any little mistakes cost big dollars to rectify. Have a look at my project, "Luxury Bathroom Renovation", which was actually a tiny powder room, a tiny ensuite and a tiny bathroom all in the same townhouse, that was renovated with similar constraints to yours (except none of these rooms had windows or any natural light) to see some of the tricks that professional designers use to maximise space and functionality in tiny bathrooms. All three of these rooms were carefully designed and drawn up at a large scale (1:20) to make sure that everything worked, and could be accessed without the need for extreme body contortions. https://www.houzz.com.au/hznb/projects/luxury-bathroom-renovation-pj-vj~672428 Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visits viz Zoom...See More- 4 years ago
- 4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
Thank you all. To answer questions:
- @oklouise Block is facing NW, in Perth
- @dreamer Yeah, I am aware of the parapet wall issue (been tough getting in touch with the builder) so this was just some preliminary thoughts- I thought it was odd the original design did not incorporate another garage door but I have lived in houses with no spare doors and it has been fine so I'm guessing it's okay?
- Yes i have been asked to consider changing the alfresco to a living space, if so, would you change the kitchen?
- 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
This house is slightly bigger than your block allowance, but the concept of plan is what I would work towards.
- 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
another option to consider ...and note that the master suite, bathroom and garage can be reversed if needed and still keep the kitchen on the south side
Samantha thanked oklouise - 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
- 4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
my previous suggestion flipped although space shown as alfresco could be used for bigger kitchen, pantry and laundry
PRO4 years ago- 4 years ago
4 years agoI have to agree that Builders don't like any big changes and will apply extra charges to do so. I suggest the following small changes.
i) The fridge needs to be swapped with the cook top, the pantry looks like you can make it longer to line up with the outer edge of the island.
Is the island 900 deep to allow you to sit up to?
Have one of the newer deeper squared sinks preferably with 1 1/2 tubs to hide dishes in
2) The laundry, don't go with a sliding door they are a waste of space, and won't allow the bench to go full length, instead a small window at the end and above the bench which shoud have the sink below it. plus a a glass hinged door. (check our some of the display home with the sliding doors!!)
Plus add a doorway from the passage
3) Try for wider wardrobes in the bedrooms with sliders for more space
4) Maybe add a wide Barn door across the opening into the family bath, bedrooms
5) Swing the garage door inwards, if the garage is deep enough step the door in from the corner to allow for storage along that back wall.
- 4 years ago
SamanthaOriginal Author