Help with an awkward kitchen (small and full!) (this post is long i'm sorry...)

ST1991

Along with everything else going on in life, i do need to try and arrange a new kitchen at some point before the end of the year.
Number 1 is a new boiler (as it's knackered) Number 2 is a new front door (also knackered) and then to tackle the kitchen. As we're not able to address 1 & 2 at this exact moment due to covid-19, it gives me some time to plan the 'perfect' kitchen. I use that term loosely, as the space is far from perfect...

To add to stress, baby is on the way, arriving in December. We had planned to do the kitchen this year anyway, so i think it would be least disruptive to get it done before baby arrives!

Apologies for this horribly labelled image, but here is my kitchen 'as is' (as close as i can get it)

Room size is: 2.18m wide by 2.95m long.
As per the image above... Top wall features the Front door, and a window.
Left wall features a boiler
Bottom wall has a line of units, nothing special, however units cannot go all the way up to the 'left' wall as there is only a 15cm doorframe that juts out, hence the gap/corner part.
Right wall features an open doorway to the dining room, and a radiator.
As you can see, i cannot use all of the cupboard space due to the oven poking out infront of units.

After endless hours on ikea and diy kitchen's planners... i am coming up with countless options but none of them are 'perfect'.
I need a good amount of storage without sacrificing worktop. I also have loads of appliances squeezed into a tiny space. HOW!
On top of that, i would like a slimline dishwasher (no dishwasher at present) and a new oven which is built in, instead of freestanding. Ideally the layout would not be U shaped, as i dislike having worktop unaccessable in the corners. I realise i'm being fussy here...

So far i have..
Option 1 : Base units along top wall with washer/dryer, sink with pan-style pullout for bins, slimline dishwasher, and a slimline 'pull out basket' style unit to hold cleaning supplies
Base + wall units along bottom wall as far along this stretch as possible, without impeeding on the entranceway - oven in the middle, and a tall/shallow depth cupboard on the end for more storage (closest to the entryway)

Option 2...
Top wall is much the same (washer,sink,dishwasher) with a slightly smaller sink and no pull-out.
Then, the right wall would be full of shallow/tall units for LOADS of storage
Bottom wall much the same as option 1, but all worktop as far as possible without the tall unit at the end.

Option 3...
Breakdown in tears and leave my horrible kitchen as it is...


If you are bored, or also secretly spend hours on kitchen planners, or happen to have an awkward sized kitchen yourself... how would YOU best fit a new kitchen in this space? Due to the way the house is laid out, we are not able to move any doorways, windows, plumbing or to move the boiler...

Currently the kitchen is so old and gross. It was old and gross when i moved in - cupboards are grimy and glossed beyond repair, doors and frames are on their last legs, and drawers aren't even attached properly.

Doozergirl

Could you move the doorway to the dining room more into the middle of the room?  You'd be able to free up space for one more unit, preferably a tall larder unit that you could fit more into.  

Or even knock through into the dining room to steal a bit of space for a couple more units. 

Or even move the front door as well to make it a proper galley kitchen. 

I always look at the kitchen as part of the whole house rather than just within the existing four walls.  A new kitchen is the opportunity to make real improvements.  

ST1991

Hi Doozer! Thanks for replying so quickly.
In an ideal world... yes i could move either doorway, however...
I don't think the front door could be moved to where it needs to be, to make it a galley. It would open up directly onto the small driveway/carport in the front garden. There is no-where else to relocate that driveway/carport (except by simply not using it) and it's a struggle to park off the street. Exterior space is not massive, so my car goes as close to the outside of the house as possible there, completely blocking that wall.

Moving the entryway to the dining room... also a possibility, however that wall is the 'original' wall of the house.
The whole kitchen is a small extension at the front done many moons ago by a previous owner, so that particular wall is over a foot thick of solid stone, and i'm unsure how simple/expensive(?) that might be...
(In short - house is 300/400 years old, with a 90's single-storey extension thrown on the front with no thought...)

The extension basically covers around 50% of the width of the front of the house - so that wall to the 'right' with the boiler, is front facing.
We are terraced, and the boundries at the front of the house are alll kinda messed up. I don't particularly want to post my actual house here, but if you were interested to look at the layout from a previous zoopla listing i'm happy to PM you? It might give a better understanding that my awfully labelled picture above... 

Doozergirl

Sure.    🙂

rach_k

I'd try to move the dining room doorway too, as the space would feel a lot easier to work with if awkward things like doors were closer together.  You can get under-plinth heaters so you could maybe skip the radiator altogether (no idea how good they are as we opted to leave our kitchen unheated).  

Where is your fridge freezer?

How tall are your ceilings?  We added an extra row of cupboards above the normal wall units and it's been great for extra storage.  I need a step to get in them but we keep things we don't need often but still want to keep up there.  

If you'll be replacing the boiler soon anyway, I'd do that before the kitchen as you won't want a mess in your new kitchen when they do the boiler afterwards, and you will be able to work to the exact size of the new boiler with units around it, tiling, decorating etc.  Personally, I'd get the boiler done before you have a baby, if you have any suspicion that it might break down - cold showers and thick jumpers are one thing when you're childless adults but boiling kettles for baths and worrying about your first born being warm enough when you're a sleep-deprived new parent is a whole new level of hell!  

FreeBear

rach_k said: You can get under-plinth heaters so you could maybe skip the radiator altogether (no idea how good they are as we opted to leave our kitchen unheated).

Got one in my kitchen - Best thing I ever did in there for heating the space. They are expensive to buy compared to a conventional radiator. Fitting one under the sink would mean the pipe run to the boiler would be pretty short.

OP - If you are looking for further suggestions... Shelving between the dining room doorway and the end unit. That would give you space to stash quite a few jars & tins of food. Personally, I wouldn't bother with a dishwasher. Not enough space in there, especially if you want a washer/dryer too.

Ectophile

If you're going to be paying a kitchen company to supply and fit the kitchen, then most will offer a design service as part of the package.  It may be worth getting them to take a look and suggest how things should be laid out to fit the space.

ST1991

Thanks everyone for your advice!
Doozer i've messaged you my house details, hopefully you can see the doorway etc, not sure if you would know by just the pictures if it's possible to move it.

The boiler is definitely getting done before the new kitchen goes in, it's a 40 year old valliant and has started to be temperamental. As it's so old, we've been told that repairs are out of the question (and also it costs an absolute bomb to run it)
We've already had someone out to quote for a new boiler, just waiting until we can order the parts/get him booked in!

We are looking at fitting the kitchen ourselves - hence looking at Ikea or DIY Kitchens. It will be mostly my partner (as he's very handy) but me on hand to help! We'd be looking at an electrician and plumber separately for the smaller jobs of installing the built in oven and dishwasher, once the units are fitted. It sounds like a good idea to perhaps go and ask someone for a plan though, i had thought we could only do that if we paid for it? (i don't want to waste someones time, and then buy/fit it ourselves from elsewhere if that makes sense)

Great ideas about the plinth heaters!! That's something i hadn't considered. As the kitchen is an extension it is quite cold, so having heating there would be good

We already have a washing machine in the kitchen, so will just be replacing it with a washer/dryer.
There will be room for a slimline dishwasher, as there is just enough cupboard space available there at the moment, but it's current blocked by the cooker!

gwynlas

Washer dryers are not that useful as you cannot dry a full load, is there anywhere else you could site the washing machine to create a utility area? Near bathroom?
Pan drawers are better than cupboards in that you can see everything at a glance.

Doozergirl

I just replied via PM but I'll post it here as I've just seen about the boiler and was going to suggest moving it, but now it's a no brainer, so I've edited.    

I can see the the wall by the car port isn't wide enough to hold a front door and kitchen units either side, so the front door on the side is the best place for it.   

It won't be an issue to move the doorway over.  It will give you that bit extra valuable space and really improve the flow.   Yes, it's structural but the room will feel so much better for having a doorway in the right place and I think it would be money well spent.  

The radiator could be changed for a tall, thin one so you don't lose heat but I would open the doorway up right to the front door, making it a little more open plan and make the kitchen feel a bit bigger.  Not only can you fit the one extra full unit in on the bottom run, you can extend the run into the dining room if you want to, easily disguising the pillar that is there currently.  

Larder units on the right hand would work as you could hide the boiler (or move it!).  Ideally move it somewhere with more space, but at the very least buy a compact boiler that will fit into a kitchen cupboard and ensure it is placed to fit perfectly in on the run of units.  Worcester Bosch do a good one.  

Larder units could also hold an eye level oven in the centre area, giving you drawer storage under the hob.  Drawers hold a lot more than cupboards!  

If it is cold, insulate the extension roof.  Has it been done?  What about the cavities?   It's so tiny, I'd use solid insulation between the rafters and open it up to have the fully vaulted roof.   

It has great potential, you know, with a little bit of imagination.  

rach_k

I'm not sure what they're offering right now, but we bought our kitchen from Ikea and arranged for fitting ourselves.  We paid something like £50 for a guy from Ikea to come to our house and design it for us, then we got that money off the price of the kitchen (I would happily have paid more though).  It was the best thing we did as he was able to see the space, the light, the view out the window etc and make suggestions we wouldn't have considered and he could see things we wouldn't have thought to tell him in the shop.  They will help you design in store too, but it's not the same.

I don't know about other kitchens, but Ikea ones are built along the same lines as the rest of their furniture so bear that in mind.  Personally, I love sitting down with a pile of random-looking boards, some odd shaped screws and making it into a piece of furniture, but some people hate it with a passion.  There is nothing difficult but it does take time.  

Lots of people are very down on washer-dryers but I love them!  If you get a good capacity one, by the time you take out things that can't be tumble dried you'll have the right size load for drying.  Ours is 9kg for washing and 7kg (I think) for drying.  Many washing machines are 7kg washing capacity anyway.  People will also tell you that you can't wash and dry at the same time, which is true but who needs to be washing all day every day?  With a little planning you can easily spread out your washing loads to allow drying time in between.  Swapping our washing machine for a washer-dryer was the best baby-buy we made!