Friday 27 March 2015

Barn Kitchen.


                          

Planning a kitchen from scratch sounds easy; but it's not.There had been no plumbing, or electricity in our old Séchoir, so absolutely everything has to be designed and installed from scratch.

Basically we require a sink, 2 ovens (one wood fired, one electric/gas), a fridge/freezer, a washing machine, and a dish washer; plus of course plenty of cupboard space.

It's not just a case of what goes where, but also of how to get rid of waste water and where to position power points. All areas that involve water will be roughly in the same area (2 bathrooms and kitchen), and I'm presuming that both our electrician and plumber are aware that used water flows downhill, and that all wires need to be out of sight. Getting tradesmen together to liaise is almost impossible.

We've found an excellent heating engineer who will install a complex heating system that involves solar panels, electricity, and a wood fired water heater/cooker.


This (above) is the provisional plan. We have plenty of space to play with..... I just hope we can find the dosh.



32 comments:

  1. Nice set up for the kitchen. I know that "Why don't you.... blah blah blah" is the last thing anyone wants to hear, BUT I wonder whether it would be to your advantage to put the washing machine where the cupboard on the extreme left is (presuming thats not a carpeted living area). This change would keep washing baskets etc out of your cooking area - just a suggestion - completely ignore it if it doesn't fit with your ideas.

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    1. Funny you should say that. I had exactly the same idea but was voted down. The other idea was to have a dedicated 'laundry room' somewhere in the barn. Nothing is yet decided.

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    2. Im sorry, i cannot conceive of having my washing done in the kitchen. I dont think you would find a home in oz without a separate laundry. Dirty clothes and food preparation dont mix. There is also the noise from wm and dryer in an open kitchen which is the heart of the home. Even growing up on a self sufficient farm 40 years ago we had a separate laundry building.

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  2. The French country kitchen should of course have curtains instead of doors on the units. I have a pet hate of island units and prefer an open floor space.

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    1. I have a separate laundry room here. Highly recommended.

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    2. We need to consult. A separate laundry room would be good.

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    3. I would take out the island, and have a chair by the wood stove. Then I might consult about the laundry room.

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  3. It is a very good project to plan a kitchen. It will be interesting to start from the scratch.

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    1. No bounds really... but I quite expect it'll end up quite traditional.

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  4. Looks like a big project ahead of you! Will the Island have cupboards under too?

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    1. Yes, that's really what it's for.... Never enough cupboard space.

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  5. Looks good - my one thought was that the washing machine in the kitchen was a very English idea. Here it is usually a separate room, although saying that in our last house it was in the bathroom which had a door leading outside. It worked really well.

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    1. I have a feeling it may end up in the barn part.

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  6. Your design looks good to me Cro. Here in our little town we have a top notch kitchen 'shop' who will come into your home and design several different versions of your new kitchen which you can then present to your plumber for discussion. Do you have anything like that? Not that you really need it with that good design you have done.

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    1. The nearest to that would be Ikea, they are pretty good.

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  7. Ikea have an online planning option, you down load and play.

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  8. A very nice plan. You might find though that having a separate laundry room nearer the bedrooms and bath would be practical. This worked for me very well when I was raising children. It saved me from picking up their laundry all over their bedroom floors. Convenience is the key and my kids learned to sort.

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  9. I think that everyones needs are different and your son and his family will probably have their own ideas about what they would like ….. they will need the final say, I would think !! My imput would be rubbish …. our kitchen doesn't have a lot of storage space,but that's because it had to be fitted into a Victorian house … I'd like to you to start our kitchen from scratch Cro !!!! XXXX

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  10. Well done plan Cro. Please allow me a small observation? Perhaps the dishwasher could be moved closer to the sink and the storage cupboads? Otherwise, it results in lugging crockery back and forth and greater distances from one to the other... which is a pain in the arse. I like the island very much. Additional storage and work space is a good thing. X

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    1. I shall suggest that the crockery cupboards are as close as possible to the machine; logical really. Thanks.

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  11. I think we've now decided that the washing machine will find a temporary home near the fridge, and will be removed to a dedicated laundry room later. My head hurts.

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  12. Fabulous Cro! We too are playing with plans for a kitchen in another building on another farm site and having a blast with the drawings. Please do all the hard work and make all the mistakes on your end so when I copy them I'll be spared any pain. Thanks. Carry on!

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    1. It's amazing how often the plans change.... mostly because we'd forgotten about pipes or wiring. We'll get there in the end!

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  13. After many years of to-ing and fro-ing we are starting too plan a new kitchen -- the present one was there when we bought first saw the house in 1984! There are certain features we do not wish to change and we wish the room were slightly bigger -- so many considerations it quite makes my head spin! Your plans look good -- I quite like the island, but agree you will be happier once the washing machine is in a 'laundry room'!

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  14. You've just reminded me - I would love a bigger kitchen, with worktops etc.

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  15. You could ask Mrs Miliband for some input; she's got two kitchens, a utility room and an island.

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    1. I'd need even more room for all the Champagne.

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  16. How wonderful to be designing your kitchen exactly the way you want it. We have tons of cupboard space and a nice big pantry in ours, which is what sold me on this house. No island, though. It would be nice to have that extra counter space for working. I can't wait to see your finished product!

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  17. The design looks really good. I too would go for a separate utility room. Also I'd recommend running power to the island - very handy. We had great fun when we planned our kitchen from scratch 4 years ago and we wouldn't change a thing. About the first time in my life I've said that!

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