New extension but is it an economy to reuse old kitchen doors/draws?
Celine Fenech
5 years ago
We are completing a new rear extension and the budget is tight. I always thought I would keep our existing Howdens Burford grey shakers kitchen which is only 6 years old (installed by previous owners). Now that I contemplate what I like it is kind of that style of kitchen but with a more modern twist and with a different colour. The builders only salvaged the doors, draws and put all the carcasses in the skip. So am I going to struggle redesigning a new layout kitchen with some of the old kitchen doors/draws, potentially getting them professionally painted (bearing in mind they are PVC wrapped mdf) and finding carcasses to fit them? Is it worth going to back to Howdens (they only serve trade apparently) is it going to be worth trying to make it work or would it be cheaper to start from scratch? Attached are a few photos of old kitchen and drawings of new extension.
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Comments (19)
PROUser
5 years agominnie101
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Kitchen extension problems
Comments (9)Hello ! Re 1. Changing to window... I agree - perhaps a window seat might work well there ?! Re 2. I wouldn't remove the door - but perhaps consider replacing the wall with a crittal style glass divider and opening, if it is compliant with what's needed for fire regs ( as can't see how many floors you have in this building !) but agree that improving the sight lines from the front door would be a bonus! Re 3. That's probably very similar to how I would do it initially - they can be zoned so not all on at once ! Pendants over island might be nice - but again depends on what's going in the island - lighting really needs to be designed at the same time as detailed kitchen design ! Re 4. I think the utility needs to be sub divided so that you can gain access to the study without wandering past (dirty) laundry - so have left half as boot room / en route to/from car things - and route through to study - and have laundry on right half . Put laundry appliances on right outside wall so sound transference lessened in study and tumble dryer can be vented. I would maybe consider reposition the fireplace in kitchen so it's central to space left for dining - rather central to whole room, but again that's dependent on the finished kitchen design, which should be designed to suit your family and routines etc - not just to suit the room shape ! Hope that helps a little - drop us a line if you are interested in a freelance concept planning service - as that's what we do ! Working with you to get the design just right - So you can then shop around with ease, and compare like for like. Yours is the sort of 'whole ground floor project' we often undertake - we don't 'just' design kitchens !...See MoreAdvice needed - kitchen and living layout w extension, mid-terrace
Comments (18)Been thinking about this one overnight:- ( i have a sad life! all say ahh ) You do not have to have a window to call it a habitable room, however, I believe there is a building control requirement for the room to be vented through another, check that out. So, in short, yes the bedroom could be moved and not have 'windows' . I don't know the arrangement of the wall top left that goes in to the garden area, but bear with me. ............ would it be better to have a separate Galley kitchen? I would prefer so. Is there a possibility of a window far top left? A stud wall only takes up 4" so not a great deal of space, plus it would make the lounge / diner look a lot nicer without seeing the kitchen on view permanently & of course you get a longer kitchen run. ( I think the proposed one is too small ). Plus you gain a wall to the lounge area, always handy for furniture placement, as this is what is lost in an open plan arrangement. I also changed the bathrooms round as previously suggested, and had the entrance in the hallway for the second one. Please bear in mind as a said before:- Not to scale - don't have dimensions as had to guess, but on the face of it, likely do'able. I like running plans through estate agents...........ones that I know well and trust as I know they'll give me their honest opinion on what would infinitely give a better price on re-sale. Contained living and dining with separate kitchens, good sized bedrooms etc. So do ask one. Estate agents are handy, they will want you to get more for the property because, if they smell a sale, they get more commission! Roughly where i was going with this after some sleep!Of course, if you still want to go open plan with the living / dining/ kitchen, then lose the top wall and maybe consider a door system to open and close for entertaining purposes - No doors, fully open plan .with doors!...See MoreKnocking through the old kitchen / diner and Building an extension
Comments (7)I think given the description above I would look at maybe going somewhere between. A pallete of light greys or pale neutrals for the majority of the cabinetry, with a strong feature colour in a selected area. Have you started planning the layout yet? An island or tall pantry or appliance cupboards may be the perfect place to do this. It is amazing how a bold dark tone against a crisp white wall can create the illusion of extra light, adding a bright feel to the space. In terms of the worktop, I think I would look at a reflective surface such as a white quartz, the light reflective surface will help to throw the light coming down from the velux windows back up to the walls. If an island was part of the deisgn I would maybe consider a warmer wood tone for the tops here, depending on your preferred style of cabinetry. With more traditional cabinets oak is an obvious choice (although I like Ash as a less common alternative, with fantastic character). For a more contemporary space walnut or wedge could create some of the contrast you are looking for, and compliment the darker tones in the feature cabinets. Obviously this is a bolder choice, and you may feel more comfortable carrying the same surfaces right through. As a final note if you really do think the area will be a little dark, bear in mind that mushroom tones can often end up looking very brown in subdued lighting, so consider where you want to use them carefully. Hope this is some help. Chester & Morris....See MoreHelp on where to put tv and position sofas in new extension please!
Comments (8)Thank you so much for taking the time to do these detailed plans. You have certainly come up with some ideas that we had not thought about. In particular we wouldn't have thought about having a small sofa against that wall (we had thought the tv would be good here) but actually I think it feels nice to be facing the other way. I also like the piano and the bookcase being at the entrance and feels this would help separate the kitchen from the family room area and also be that I can hear my daughter play whilst I cook and pop round the corner to see her. We have only just created that large opening for the window as wanted as much sun in as possible (and in fact have just had it amended to make it larger so it didn't look so obviously like a garage conversion to us) - so I wouldn't be keen on the second idea of reducing the window size for the piano - but yes you are absolutely correct and we should have thought about furniture placement more than we did as the 15cm of wall to the left of the window has prevented me from running a nice long floor to ceiling bookcase along that wall which is disappointing - but still other areas to put it in. Luckily I can carry out your furniture arrangement as I placed 3 tv points so will see how it feels when we finally get finished. Thank you so much for these plans and the effort to achieve them!...See More
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