When you first begin to plan remodeling your kitchen, all the things that have to be decided, chosen and purchased may overwhelm you. Where do you start? You may want to start by hiring a designer to help you through the process. This is probably your best bet because a good kitchen floor plan is more difficult to produce than it seems. But if this is out of the question because you have a fixed budget, then you will have to do the footwork yourself.
The new trend in homes today is to keep your home as open as possible. If this fits in with what you want, you may have a big project on your hands, but it can be done. If your kitchen is against a living area, an open bar area between the kitchen and living room helps open the space up while still keeping your kitchen as a separate room.
If you have a large enough space, one of the most useful additions to any kitchen is an island. It gives you more storage and counter space to work with. And as you design the floor plan for your kitchen, think about how much storage you currently need and what extra storage needs you may have in the future. This will help you decide which of the following floor plans fit your style.
Some of the larger floor plans are G-shaped, U-shaped and L-shaped. These are just what they sound like. Cabinets and appliances form these shapes in the space around the kitchen. There are also Galley kitchens, which are very popular in many homes, but their design can feel cramped as kitchen cabinets and appliances are lined up along opposite walls.
The rule of thumb when planning the layout is to keep your work triangle as small as possible while leaving as much open floor space as you can. The work triangle is the perimeter of the area connecting the most important areas of the kitchen: the oven, the refrigerator and the sink. This imaginary triangle serves to help you design your kitchen in a manner that will reduce work and make you more efficient by keeping everything just close enough to be convenient.
The work triangle should be no great than 26 feet and no less than 12 feet, with each leg measuring no longer than 9 feet and no less than 4 feet. You should not place your island or any other obstruction within the triangle.
Armed with this information, get started on your floor plan by deciding which floor plan you like and then measure your triangle to see if you are within the parameters. Take into consideration how much traffic flows through your kitchen and where the large traffic areas are. They should not fall within the work triangle.
A few other tips to remember: make sure your cabinets are at least 16 inches deep, keep at least 36 inches of continuous countertop space in the food preparation area, put your dishwasher close to your sink and make sure that any doors in cabinets, the refrigerator or other storage areas have plenty of clearance. While it may seem like a lot of rules to follow, it will make your kitchen more accessible and convenient when you use it.
Chris Brown is a regular contributor to Home Remodeling, Bathroom Remodeling and Kitchen Remodeling websites. Chris also takes pride in many of his own do-it-yourself projects around his own home.
Do It Yourself Home Help
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