Need a taller / higher kitchen

Rosa_Damascena

GDB2222 said:

If refitting our kitchen now, we’d go for lots of wide and deep pan drawers rather than cupboards. Even for storing dry goods such as flour they work really well. 

The danger of this I fear is that the drawers get packed with very heavy items, in a standard cupboard it is a door that opens and that is unaffected by the weight of the contents. Do the drawers themselves withstand constant opening and closing if loaded with heavy items? (I have some myself but they serve mainly as storage, and very rarely get opened).

GDB2222

Spider_In_The_Bath said:

Thanks for all of the ideas.

I think building a plinth to put the units and white goods on to raise the height of everything is probably the best idea.  If we are going to build this then we might also build the frames too and just buy pre-made solid doors and the worktops and build the kitchen ourselves.

Good idea about testing the height we want as we are not sure.  Currently, our worktops are 91 cms tall and they are too low.  As many as said the sink is the awfully low (and it is not a butler sink).  We have to assume a wide leg, squat stance to be low enough to wash the pots!

I just checked. Our worktops are indeed 91 cms high, which is splendid as I'm 5'8" and DW a few inches shorter. A couple of things you should plan:
You'll need to lift the appliances up onto the plinth. That's okayish for a small fridge and freezer. It would be beyond me for a washing machine.
Also, you'll see a bit of the plinth where the fridge and freezer stand. You should think about what finish you want there - possibly flooring.

GDB2222

Rosa_Damascena said:

GDB2222 said:

If refitting our kitchen now, we’d go for lots of wide and deep pan drawers rather than cupboards. Even for storing dry goods such as flour they work really well. 

The danger of this I fear is that the drawers get packed with very heavy items, in a standard cupboard it is a door that opens and that is unaffected by the weight of the contents. Do the drawers themselves withstand constant opening and closing if loaded with heavy items? (I have some myself but they serve mainly as storage, and very rarely get opened).

We do have some pan drawers, which are too heavily loaded. I've had to replace the runners a couple of times. It's tiresome, but quite easy.  I'm sure that better runners are available.

daivid

We have 800mm pan drawers fully loaded with pans, baking tins and a slowcooker. Pans and tins are nested to get more in, so quite a weight. Also have smaller pan drawers with crockery and with ovenware, all going strong after 3 years. The runners seem pretty beefy so hopefully will last a whole lot longer. I wouldn't be worried about loading them with flour etc.

[Deleted User]

Grenage said:

I'd be interested to hear back when you're done.  I'm 6'5 and the other half isn't short, so I was planing on building custom frames and ordering doors to fit.

I will try to remember to update this thread when we have done.  It might be some time though.

[Deleted User]

GDB2222 said:

Spider_In_The_Bath said:

Thanks for all of the ideas.

I think building a plinth to put the units and white goods on to raise the height of everything is probably the best idea.  If we are going to build this then we might also build the frames too and just buy pre-made solid doors and the worktops and build the kitchen ourselves.

Good idea about testing the height we want as we are not sure.  Currently, our worktops are 91 cms tall and they are too low.  As many as said the sink is the awfully low (and it is not a butler sink).  We have to assume a wide leg, squat stance to be low enough to wash the pots!

I just checked. Our worktops are indeed 91 cms high, which is splendid as I'm 5'8" and DW a few inches shorter. A couple of things you should plan:
You'll need to lift the appliances up onto the plinth. That's okayish for a small fridge and freezer. It would be beyond me for a washing machine.
Also, you'll see a bit of the plinth where the fridge and freezer stand. You should think about what finish you want there - possibly flooring.

Luckily our washing machine is in a small utility room next to the kitchen so it will not need to be moved.  Although, I can lift a washing machine on my own anyway.

Not only am I tall, but I am strong too "A big, tall, strapping lass".  I can easily lift the whole 100 kilo stack on the weights machine in the gym.  As I have mentioned to my husband often I might not look like Audrey Hepburn (more like a female Viking warrior), but I can build brick walls, lay patios and use a pneumatic drill.

Rosa_Damascena

Spider_In_The_Bath said:

GDB2222 said:

Spider_In_The_Bath said:

Thanks for all of the ideas.

I think building a plinth to put the units and white goods on to raise the height of everything is probably the best idea.  If we are going to build this then we might also build the frames too and just buy pre-made solid doors and the worktops and build the kitchen ourselves.

Good idea about testing the height we want as we are not sure.  Currently, our worktops are 91 cms tall and they are too low.  As many as said the sink is the awfully low (and it is not a butler sink).  We have to assume a wide leg, squat stance to be low enough to wash the pots!

I just checked. Our worktops are indeed 91 cms high, which is splendid as I'm 5'8" and DW a few inches shorter. A couple of things you should plan:
You'll need to lift the appliances up onto the plinth. That's okayish for a small fridge and freezer. It would be beyond me for a washing machine.
Also, you'll see a bit of the plinth where the fridge and freezer stand. You should think about what finish you want there - possibly flooring.

Luckily our washing machine is in a small utility room next to the kitchen so it will not need to be moved.  Although, I can lift a washing machine on my own anyway.

Not only am I tall, but I am strong too "A big, tall, strapping lass".  I can easily lift the whole 100 kilo stack on the weights machine in the gym.  As I have mentioned to my husband often I might not look like Audrey Hepburn (more like a female Viking warrior), but I can build brick walls, lay patios and use a pneumatic drill.

OMG (faints).

I have never thought of myself as petite but I would look like a weed next to you! 100kg is an average height man heading into the morbidly obese category!!!