Should I place my dishwasher behind my kitchen sink?

sew_what

How long is your island?  We've got one that's 1800 long - dishwasher, sink & bin/recycling cupboard, the Quooker, chopping boards & cleaning products all fit neatly under the sink. The oven/hob is opposite the sink/dishwasher as in your layout.  We do most of our prep above the dishwasher next to the sink & also dish up there.
You could then have decent sized cutlery drawer where you've got the dishwasher.

Dannyboyni

sew_what said:

How long is your island?  We've got one that's 1800 long - dishwasher, sink & bin/recycling cupboard, the Quooker, chopping boards & cleaning products all fit neatly under the sink. The oven/hob is opposite the sink/dishwasher as in your layout.  We do most of our prep above the dishwasher next to the sink & also dish up there.
You could then have decent sized cutlery drawer where you've got the dishwasher.

My island is 2080 long. The sink is 450 wide. May I ask you how much countertop space you have for prep and how much countertop space you have at each side of the sink? I also would be interested to know how wide your sink is.

If I did move the cutlery drawer to where the dishwasher currently is I would have to move the dishwasher to the other end of the island so they do not clash. This introduces the dishwasher into the middle of the kitchen creating more of an obstruction than it being on the outside edge.

sew_what

Our dishwasher is sometimes a pain for emptying - we tend to empty one side, then move round the other side to put the things away that live on the other side.  We tend to take the basket out of the dishwasher to empty it into the drawer so being opposite wouldn't be a deal breaker. As it is, it's opposite the oven so both appliances are rarely open at the same time!
We've got 600mm worktop either side of the sink (plus a bit for a breakfast bar at one end)  We've got cupboards on the back so the whole island is 1m deep.
(if only it was still as tidy as in these pictures!!)
.

Dannyboyni

Thanks for those photos sew_what. 600mm prep worktop is very narrow indeed. The minimum recommended is 914mm. Unless you work between the sink in the middle.

I decided to try and move the dishwasher to the Island. I have positioned it on the right so it is not in the way of the rest of the kitchen when open. The cutlery drawer is beside the oven in the same position as before. Opposite the dishwasher is a 600mm drawer which I could use to hold spices, oils, cooking utensils. With the removal of that handy 400mm prep cabinet I have lost the storage for the chopping boards but I could put them under the sink I guess.

There are a few draw backs with this new layout.

1. The distance between the edge of the island and the fridge is now only 900mm wide, with my old layout it was 1000mm. This does make it awkward when one of the food storage drawers are extended leaving 100mm less room to squeeze past to view the side.

2. The second issue is my prep work area reduces down from 1178mm to 962mm a 18.3% reduction. On the plus side my dirty dishes storage area next to the sink increases from 452mm to 778mm a 72% increase. The trouble is I value prep work area more than dirty dish storage.

3. One of my valuable prep drawers is lost on the island losing storage close to hand.

So with all these facts known which layout would be best? Dishwasher behind sink slightly offset or dishwasher in the island to the right of the sink?

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sew_what

600mm is plenty for food prep - especially as it's 1000 deep - enough space for the whole salad drawer out of the fridge, four sandwich boxes or plates and a chopping board!
I'd still prefer the dishwasher closer to the sink - then you don't have to drip things you've rinsed across the kitchen, closer for pouring the slops out of mugs etc.
You seem concerned about space when the fridge is open - you'll soon get used to walking the other way round when the door's open.  Ours is a pain because the door opens into the passageway and as it's an American style F/F the door can't be hung the other side.

Dannyboyni

The fridge is actually fine with the island closer as you access it from the side away from the island.
My only concern is when the drawer is pulled out of the dry food larder to get to the other side of it beside the fridge means squeezing past the island which is a tighter squeeze with the island being 100mm closer.

I guess to help counter this problem I could bring the island out an extra 20mm to the original 1220mm I had planned, currently at 1200mm.

jennifernil

I would want to have a 11/2 bowl sink, with the waste disposal in the small bowl, a single sink means you cannot "multi-task".  

Also, what provision are you making for draining hand washed Items?
Dishwasher either in the island or in the units opposite would both work for me.  I would put it as close as possible to where the dishes and cutlery are stored.
What is opposite the island on the other side, more units?

Dannyboyni

jennifernil I am glad you do not mind either option for the dishwasher placement. I will take into consideration your sink idea, though its only going to realistically work with the dishwasher not on the island as there is more prep space to eat into for the wider sink.

I have got the final layouts of both dishwasher placements and how the kitchen has to be organised around it.
On the first image the dishwasher is on the island. The cutlery drawer would ideally be directly opposite the dishwasher but the drawer of the cultery drawer would clash with the dishwasher door. This means the cultery drawer has to be placed beside the oven leaving a large gap between them. Another disadvantage of this layout is that a prep drawer has to be placed far from the island, the chopping boards for example are not on the island itself.


This image has the dishwasher not on the island. The advantage of this is the cutlery drawer is much closer to the dishwasher and I can get the important prep drawer on the island itself. The disadvantage of this layout is if you are not careful when rinsing plates some water is more likely to splash on the floor compared to the first layout.


For draining I would be buying something like this,



There will be enough room for it with my 452mm to the side of the sink if I leave the dishwasher on the opposite end. On the other side of the island will be a 1200mm hid-able pocket door unit which will have a worktop unit for all the annoying worktop items such as, toaster, George foreman grill, vacuum sealer and storage for heavy electrical items like food mixers etc. Next to that is another overflow larder cabinet for bulk storage of food and next to that are shelves for cook books.