The Home Ownership Thread

[jcman311]

Huskies rule.

View attachment 2161587

Must be mimicking its owner.

 

[Mujib]

We're planning a kitchen remodel that involves taking down a couple of walls. There's an option to raise the ceiling in the kitchen to align with the vaulted ceiling in the dining area, but I'm not sure what to do about open space above cabinets. Is adding a soffit the only option? I can't imagine a decent looking kitchen with open space above cabinets.

Here's a 3D image of the plan so far (without raising the ceiling). The opening to the left leads to the family room. There's a second opening there now that houses a bar sink and cabinets on either side. There is also a wall currently that runs from where the wall ovens are in the pic to the post. Post and island being added.

 

[SixOhNine]

I can't imagine a decent looking kitchen with open space above cabinets.

It looks awkward, but eventually you get used to it. The kitchen in my mom's house was like that. She put some random decorative stuff up there- vases with dried flowers, some paintings, interesting serving platters, that sort of thing. It worked OK.

 

[double00]

consider whether you want to programmatically join the kitchen with the dining room , I mean in a human use sense . if not then leave the ceiling if so then raise it . $.02 .

 

[brokencycle]

We're planning a kitchen remodel that involves taking down a couple of walls. There's an option to raise the ceiling in the kitchen to align with the vaulted ceiling in the dining area, but I'm not sure what to do about open space above cabinets. Is adding a soffit the only option? I can't imagine a decent looking kitchen with open space above cabinets.

Here's a 3D image of the plan so far (without raising the ceiling). The opening to the left leads to the family room. There's a second opening there now that houses a bar sink and cabinets on either side. There is also a wall currently that runs from where the wall ovens are in the pic to the post. Post and island being added.

Having the pillar through the island would be super annoying to me.

 

[nootje]

We're planning a kitchen remodel that involves taking down a couple of walls. There's an option to raise the ceiling in the kitchen to align with the vaulted ceiling in the dining area, but I'm not sure what to do about open space above cabinets. Is adding a soffit the only option? I can't imagine a decent looking kitchen with open space above cabinets.

Here's a 3D image of the plan so far (without raising the ceiling). The opening to the left leads to the family room. There's a second opening there now that houses a bar sink and cabinets on either side. There is also a wall currently that runs from where the wall ovens are in the pic to the post. Post and island being added.

From a heavy user point of view:

Fill in that space above the cabinets. Even infrequent cooking and especially grilling will create a sticky surface that dust clings to in a space that’s hard to clean. And not in use.

If possible I’d switch the fridge space with the cabinet on the right. Then have the ovens placed next to each other, with all cabinets around it. I hate having to crouch to get stuff out of the oven.

And wherever you can, drawers. So much easier to get stuff in and out of in a hurry.

 

[otc]

Yeah, I refuse to accept that partial height cabinets are anything besides builder cost cutting. Less cabinets to build, less demand for custom fit cabinetry built on site.

Maybe builders did it enough that some people started to think it was normal and chose it themselves, but it is a ridiculous choice for a kitchen that actually gets used.

If you know you won’t reach/use them, put in glass doors for display or just leave them empty.

 

[Numbernine]

Last house I owned had a vaulted ceiling in the kitchen so not a lot of options there

 

[Mujib]

Here are some pics of the current spaces and a pic of the proposed plan:

 

[brokencycle]

Here are some pics of the current spaces and a pic of the proposed plan:

A few comments:
1. Why do you need the column? Are you in a condo? You should be able to replace the spanning beam with a cross laminated beam and avoid the need for it.
2a. I don't like microwaves under the island. Then you're bending down to use them.
2b. You can get a double oven where one of the ovens is a microwave. They're normally shorter than a full sized oven, it has the advantage that if you're doing something smaller, it heats up a lot faster.
3. Do you need/will you actually use a breakfast nook, chairs at the island, and a formal dining room?
4. I don't think you need to make the ceiling heights match. You can just do something different on each ceiling (e.g. a wood ceiling on one) to visually separate the space and make it look like it was done for a good reason.

 

[Omega Male]

Our community association, which is kind of like a voluntary HOA minus any enforcement powers, is throwing a party in one of the local parks with free wine and free massages. Not normally much of a joiner, but I might go.

 

[Mujib]

It looks awkward, but eventually you get used to it. The kitchen in my mom's house was like that. She put some random decorative stuff up there- vases with dried flowers, some paintings, interesting serving platters, that sort of thing. It worked OK.

It's not just the look of it. The grease and dust nootje mentioned would bother me.

consider whether you want to programmatically join the kitchen with the dining room , I mean in a human use sense . if not then leave the ceiling if so then raise it . $.02 .

Not only would the kitchen be more open and bigger, both spaces would become one large space where kitchen work and hanging out, doing homework, etc. could take place.

From a heavy user point of view:

Fill in that space above the cabinets. Even infrequent cooking and especially grilling will create a sticky surface that dust clings to in a space that’s hard to clean. And not in use.

If possible I’d switch the fridge space with the cabinet on the right. Then have the ovens placed next to each other, with all cabinets around it. I hate having to crouch to get stuff out of the oven.

And wherever you can, drawers. So much easier to get stuff in and out of in a hurry.

The cabinets on the right are supposed to be a pantry. If I move the fridge there and use the fridge space for an oven and cabinets, I'd lose the pantry. Maybe we don't need a pantry?

Yeah, I refuse to accept that partial height cabinets are anything besides builder cost cutting. Less cabinets to build, less demand for custom fit cabinetry built on site.

Maybe builders did it enough that some people started to think it was normal and chose it themselves, but it is a ridiculous choice for a kitchen that actually gets used.

If you know you won’t reach/use them, put in glass doors for display or just leave them empty.

So cabinets all the way up?

 

[Texasmade]

Our community association, which is kind of like a voluntary HOA minus any enforcement powers, is throwing a party in one of the local parks with free wine and free massages. Not normally much of a joiner, but I might go.

You deserve the free wine and massages from all the work stress you're under.

 

[Mujib]

A few comments:
1. Why do you need the column? Are you in a condo? You should be able to replace the spanning beam with a cross laminated beam and avoid the need for it.
2a. I don't like microwaves under the island. Then you're bending down to use them.
2b. You can get a double oven where one of the ovens is a microwave. They're normally shorter than a full sized oven, it has the advantage that if you're doing something smaller, it heats up a lot faster.
3. Do you need/will you actually use a breakfast nook, chairs at the island, and a formal dining room?
4. I don't think you need to make the ceiling heights match. You can just do something different on each ceiling (e.g. a wood ceiling on one) to visually separate the space and make it look like it was done for a good reason.

1. The cross laminated beam would suffice for the load bearing wall?
2. Where else could I put the microwave? I figured since it's a drawer microwave (not really a microwave) it wouldn't be so bad. Since we're not getting a range, we need an oven combo.
3. The breakfast nook area is already there. We can't really expand the kitchen that way because there are large windows I don't want to get ride of there. I don't really need the area as a bf nook, or chairs at the island or a formal dining area. Why, what are you thinking?
4. That's a good idea. Maybe wood on the vaulted ceiling.

 

[nootje]

It's not just the look of it. The grease and dust nootje mentioned would bother me.

Not only would the kitchen be more open and bigger, both spaces would become one large space where kitchen work and hanging out, doing homework, etc. could take place.

The cabinets on the right are supposed to be a pantry. If I move the fridge there and use the fridge space for an oven and cabinets, I'd lose the pantry. Maybe we don't need a pantry?

So cabinets all the way up?

If you do the interior of the cabinets around the ovens right you won’t be lacking in space to stuff with food or anything else for that matter.

Or for a more radical approach. Expand the counter to where you had the pantry and turn that wall where you had the range into cabinets with the aforementioned double oven and fridge Move the range to the wall with the sink. Fwiw, as someone mentioned you can get a double duty oven that can function as a microwave too.

We don’t have that, but don’t miss it either. What is a massive boon is to have one of the ovens as a steam oven. Those things rock.