I would also suggest that better lighting will give you more work space.
You use the fryer right next to the sink, which is not logical. The reason is probably because the lighting is better from the window. (You probably don’t realize you do this)
Add under cabinet lights, and the black hole of counter on the LH end becomes usable.
Have we talked about something like this yet?
Basically butcher block top on a roll-around toolbox. Store all kinds of stuff, moves out of the way, creative shopping could help put this together pretty inexpensively.
I really like the idea of getting rid of things not used. Sometimes "getting rid of" is putting things into long-term storage. I went from about two dozen mugs and cups to six I keep in my kitchen and the rest in a box. Same with glasses. I live alone so I don't need more. Go through every cupboard and figure out what you haven't used in the last 12 months and think really hard about life without the thing or life with the thing in storage somewhere.
Duke said:Why on earth would you remove the dishwasher? A dishwasher is just a cabinet that happens to automatically clean the dirty stuff you put in it.
I suggest ditching the countertop microwave for a combined hood / MW unit. You'll lose that little upper cabinet, but it's probably not very useful as is.
You're only showing us one wall. I see what looks like a patio door to the left and probably a garage door to the right. I know it's a long shot, but is there any opportunity to relocate one of those to less mission-critical real estate?
Is there a breakfast nook you could repurpose into kitchen space? That's what I had to do. Many houses have space for a little dining table in / near the kitchen, PLUS a separate dining area. The nook in my case was pretty redundant, or at least less useful than extra workspace is. We just eat all our meals in the dining area.
I've lived in 6 different houses/apartments with dishwashers. The ones that ever actually worked I needed to hand wash before they went in anyway.
But I quoted you because you're right, that's only one wall, the side of the house.
This is from the front door, the left in that first picture.
and this is from the right side, the laundry room/downstairs bathroom/connecting room to garage.
Until it was mentioned earlier, I hadn't put much thought into a microwave/vent combo to get rid of the counter top. There is the problem of a microwave wanting its own circuit though, which could be more problematic they helpful the duethe ancient construction techniques and old wire. It's romex at least, but the breaker panel and access is...well it's a pain in the ass.
One of my other major complaints is the lack of electrical outlets, but that's a whole other problem.
Honestly the best thing that could happen would be for a tree to come through the roof during a storm because that's about the only way to pay for major renovations or just moving.
Don't know what all is going on in that purple room in the second image but it seems like prime real estate for a large shelving unit.
And item reduction.
In reply to pres589 :
that is the porch, where my winter heat lives. While insanely cheaper than an electric furnace and worlds better than a wood burner, having pellet stove requires a bit of floor space.
I just threw in some insulation and put up the leftover drywall this year in an attempt to lose less heat. The porch was added after the house was built, I think in the 70s, and until this year was pretty much 2x4s and plywood that the siding attaches to.
Okay. Yeah, I think one of those heavy shelving units, the kind that comes with composite wood stuff shelves that can hold a decent amount of weight on each level could help.
And +1 to the garden shed idea.
Looks like there's 10 pounds of fertilizer in a 5 pound bag, well, kinda everywhere. That's OK, I get it, I came from a house sort of like that, and DW definitely did. That will be an ongoing struggle and you will have to keep plugging at it.
SVreX said:3- More counter space: you've already sacrificed your dishwasher. If you are happy with this decision, rip out those shelves and build a more efficient work space. I would suggest a 4’ or 5’ rolling island that “parked” in the existing dishwasher hole. In the parked position, it would stick out 2 or 3 feet. This would give you more space all the time, allow you to use it as a free standing island (prep area near stove when necessary, seating space when necessary). It would also force you to clean most of it every time you parked it.
This is what I would do.
If your looking to replace that stove, try FB marketplace. There’s good deals there all the time. Heck, this morning someone had a one year old stainless electric stove for $150. I would have tried for it but it already had 17 comments.
Call Chip Gaines. You close to Waco?
Robbie said:SVreX said:3- More counter space: you've already sacrificed your dishwasher. If you are happy with this decision, rip out those shelves and build a more efficient work space. I would suggest a 4’ or 5’ rolling island that “parked” in the existing dishwasher hole. In the parked position, it would stick out 2 or 3 feet. This would give you more space all the time, allow you to use it as a free standing island (prep area near stove when necessary, seating space when necessary). It would also force you to clean most of it every time you parked it.
This is what I would do.
I like this idea as well. I bought a rolling island for more counter space and prep space in our kitchen.
Even where the wood pellets are there looks to be plenty of room to put up some shelving. And just in general decluttering.
Man, I would love to have that much counter! With the washer and dryer residing in our kitchen, the overall work space is much smaller than the room size would potentially offer. Someday we will relocate those to another part of the house, but both plumbing and electrical upgrades would be involved so not for at least a few more years.
Great suggestions in this thread so far, I'm interested to see how you tackle this.
When my stove died recently, I replaced it with one I found at the Habitat ReStore that has a double oven and fit in a standard space. The top oven is much smaller than the bottom, hopefully replacing your toaster oven. I'd also second the microwave over the stove idea, which will remove the microwave from the counter. Also, I think an island on casters could help immensely by adding some counter and storage space, with the ability to wheel it out of the way as needed. We have one and it works great.
Finally, the garden shed idea for the winter heating stuff will allow you to put up shelves in that room for a pantry.
This is GRM; I'm disappointed that the obvious solution for the pellets doesn't involve surplus 55 gal drums and some sort of auger powered by a Goodwill stand mixer or old starter motor.
In reply to oldopelguy :
I assume pellets act much like rice sized hard coal, in which case an old whole house vac is the answer.
You have about twice the kitchen space as i do. Theres some good ideas in this thread .
Your problem, besides too much stuff, is that you have 3 door ways in the kitchen. This means what you basically have is a cluttered hallway. Where do all the doors/passageways go? Is one of them not used often or able to be accessed in another way?
Yep get rid of one of the doorways.
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