Methodology:
- Tried to standardize on a 24D x 48W blind cabinet
- Lazy susan & corner drawers required 36 x 36 corner cabinet
Total usable space is calculated based on the interior space of the drawer/pullout
Usable space given is PER TIER and calculated based on the footprint of the box
Multiply usable space by number of tiers/drawers for total storage area
Drawers and pullouts are 22” deep minus 5/8” drawer front/back
Drawer widths are box width minus 3/4” box sides, 1/2” drawer slide clearances, and 5/8” drawer sides
- Your cabinet builder’s specs may vary slightly from my numbers

Shelves & Non Corner Drawers
Plain shelves (not shown) maximize space use (88% of footprint due to plywood box sides and back) but minimize accessibility. The gold standard is drawers (see 'Non Corner'), balancing space utilization and accessibility (only 73% of footprint due to hardware and clearances), but obviously, two drawer stacks are NOT an option for a corner. Space efficiency should be compared to the drawer 'gold standard' rather than plain shelves which are a terrible idea for any deep cabinet, especially corner cabinets!

Corner Drawer
The corner drawer solution (53% of footprint, 73% of non-corner drawers) does have LARGE dead dead space in both corners, and awkward angles all over the drawers. The pluses are: you can store a lot of stuff by having 4 drawers (2728 sq in), and you can have access to ALL of your stuff. 4 corner drawers offer 81% of two 24W drawer stacks, but takes up 12.5% more floor space.

Super Susan
The super susan (60% of footprint, 82% of non-corner drawers). It’s impractical to do more than 2 tiers, and it lacks a certain sex appeal, and stuff can fall off and get lost in the dead space areas. There’s a maximized version of the Super Susan called the Korner King, which looks like it stores a LOT of crap, but it looks like a Frankenstein’s cabinet, an esthetic purist’s nightmare. For those not offended by its looks, functionally it has a lot of broken up pieces of storage of which only about 10-40% of your stuff is accessible at a time.

Custom Corner
My 'custom corner' (narrow pullout, wide side slide), my choice, has the same usable space as drawers per tier (73% of footprint), but a lot less accessibility due to the limitations the corner imposes. I chose it because while we have lots of storage space, I still wasn’t ready to seal off the corner. The large sideways slideout is perfect for items like our 60 and 100 qt pots that wouldn’t fit in drawers anyway (we occasionally cook for LARGE groups). The main pullout would have 3 tiers for more often-accessed items, for a total of 1494 sq in (514 s.i. x 1 full height slideout for big pots, 327 s.i. x 3 for front pullout), a decent amount of storage including a very large, full height side-slide. 2 L + 3 S tiers would give 2009 s.i.

Dead Corner
The simplest corner solution, the 'dead corner,' only gives 29% of the footprint in storage, or 40% of the storage of 48' of non-corner drawers. But if you use a 4-drawer stack, you get a lot of functional storage - 1348 sq in, though no room for tall/large items.

Magic Corner
Hafele’s Magic Corner offers that WOW factor when you see it gleaming and gliding in and out with soft-close. But it’s only 536 s.i. per tier (49% of footprint, 67% of non-corner drawers), 1072 total s.i. It could store more, but it’s designed to fit in more applications (21D cabinets, narrower cabinets), and therefore has a lot of dead space.

Thoughts
- Unlike straight base cabinets where there’s clear consensus that drawers are best, corners are ALL about limitations and compromise (and debate, with everyone having their own favorite corner solution that fits their needs)
- Drawers offer the greatest accessibility, and by using 3 or 4 drawers, you quickly make up for less space efficiency over 2-tier solutions. For example, even though the dead corner only offers 29% of the footprint of storage per tier, multiply that by 4 drawers = 1348 sq in, more than the Magic Corner’s 1072 s.i. and almost as much as the Super Susan’s 1550 s.i. with 144 s.i. smaller footprint. Despite the large dead spaces, the Corner Drawer offers a LOT of potential storage, up to 2728 s.i. with 4 drawers, though losing large item capability.
As impressive as the 'Magic Corner' solutions are to demo (I too “ooooh”ed at first), they are extremely costly (about $900 and up after hardware and baskets) and optimized to fit in shallower cabinets so have more dead space than other solutions.
My custom corner maximizes total use of the footprint area and also maximizes large and bulky item storage with relatively limited access to the inside corner area, while minimizing cost.
- As with marriage, there is no perfect match, only great or poor fits for your needs. If you’re unhappy with your corner solution, either ignore the limitations or find a better solution. Just don’t expect perfection!

Here is a link that might be useful: Korner King - not for me, might be right for you?

SCD=soft close drawers, full extension.
PGM=paint grade material or paint grade maple
5pc=matching doorstyle drawer front: Made with 5 pieces. Picture framed with center panel.
455 Brandom Durango standard overlay
471 TSG Artic White full overlay chinese (RTA) SCD- ply box
480 Wellborn Forest Jackson standard overlay
569 Wolf Classic Dartmouth full overlay SC drawers & SC doors ply box
570 River Run full overlay chinese (RTA) SCD - ply box
595 6 Square itasca painted vanilla full overlay chinese SCD- all ply
600 to 650 for Ikea Akurum (req. assembly-$55 per box?)
622 JSI Essex full overlay chinese (RTA) SCD- All ply box
623 Medallion Silverline Series: Lancaster Maple - Slab Drawer
628 Debut Estate Series: Oxford Maple -5pc Drawer - SCD
640 Aristokraft monroe MDF door (PGM) Particle board box
645 Kabinart arts and crafts maple SCD- all ply box
780 Bridgewood custom framed or frameless same price all ply box -SCD and SC doors
785 Brookhaven Bridgeport frameless, full overlay - SCD
786 Touchstone fully custom frameless melamine box solid maple door- SCD
790 Allwood Nantucket full overlay chinese - SC doors and drawers - all ply box.
809 KraftMaid: Atwater Maple - Slab - SCD
843 Shiloh: Shaker Inset (reverse raised panel shaker)-Slab
849 KraftMaid: Huntington Maple - 5pc - SCD
855 Touchstone fully custom full overlay or frameless all ply box -SCD- Paint Grade Maple meaning natural wood not MDF door (lower cost then natural maple used for stains)
862 Showplace: Pendleton Maple - slab
889 Medallion: Potter's Mill Maple - 5pc
925 Touchstone fully custom inset all ply box- SCD - paint grade maple
928 Holiday Estate Series - PGM - Slab -
1047 Embassy House/New River Mission Slab SCD
1125 Brookhaven Inset Rockport - SCD or not, same price
1204 Embassy House/New River, Mission, Slab- Inset SCD
1265 RichMaid (CWP?) Frameless Mission Slab- SCD
1239 Pennville Shakertown full overlay framed or frameless, all ply box, SCD
1335 RichMaid (CWP) Mission Mission Slab- FO or Inset SCD
1366 Plain & Fancy: Vogue Beaded Inset Soft Maple-Slab-SCD
1399 Mountaineer- slab -FO or inset SCD
1761 Saxton Frameless Whittaker NAUF SCD
1780 Pennville inset Shakertown, all ply box, SCD or not
1849 QCCI Frameless Whittaker SCD
1871 Woodmode Chatham full overlay, SCD
1957 QCCI FO Whittaker , Slab SCD
2057 QCCI inset Whittaker, Slab SCD
2241 Woodmode Inset - Sturbridge, SCD or not

SCD=soft close drawers, full extension.
PGM=paint grade material or paint grade maple
5pc=matching doorstyle drawer front: Made with 5 pieces. Picture framed with center panel.

455 Brandom Durango standard overlay
471 TSG Artic White full overlay chinese SCD- ply box
480 Wellborn Forest Jackson standard overlay
569 Wolf Classic Dartmouth full overlay SC drawers & SC doors ply box
570 River Run full overlay chinese SCD - ply box
595 6 Square itasca painted vanilla full overlay chinese SCD- all ply
600 to 650 for Ikea Akurum (req. assembly-$55 per box?)
622 JSI Essex full overlay chinese SCD- All ply box
623 Medallion Silverline Series: Lancaster Maple - Slab Drawer
628 Debut Estate Series: Oxford Maple -5pc Drawer - SCD
640 Aristokraft monroe MDF door (PGM) Particle board box
645 Kabinart arts and crafts maple SCD- all ply box
780 Bridgewood custom framed or frameless same price all ply box -SCD and SC doors
785 Brookhaven Bridgeport frameless, full overlay - SCD
786 Touchstone fully custom frameless melamine box solid maple door- SCD
809 KraftMaid: Atwater Maple - Slab - SCD
843 Shiloh: Shaker Inset (reverse raised panel shaker)-Slab
849 KraftMaid: Huntington Maple - 5pc - SCD
855 Touchstone fully custom full overlay or frameless all ply box -SCD- Paint Grade Maple meaning natural wood not MDF door (lower cost then natural maple used for stains)
862 Showplace: Pendleton Maple - slab
889 Medallion: Potter's Mill Maple - 5pc
925 Touchstone fully custom inset all ply box- SCD - paint grade maple
928 Holiday Estate Series - PGM - Slab - SCD
1125 Brookhaven Inset Rockport - SCD or not, same price
1239 Pennville Shakertown full overlay framed or frameless, all ply box, SCD
1366 Plain & Fancy: Vogue Beaded Inset Soft Maple-Slab-SCD
1780 Pennville inset Shakertown, all ply box, SCD or not
1871 Woodmode Chatham full overlay, SCD
2241 Woodmode Inset - Sturbridge, SCD or not

Everyone, keep in mind...these prices are not set in stone from dealer to dealer. Markup and freight will differ.

Updated:

SCD=soft close drawers, full extension.
PGM=paint grade material or paint grade maple
5pc=matching doorstyle drawer front: Made with 5 pieces. Picture framed with center panel.

455 Brandom Durango standard overlay
471 TSG Artic White full overlay chinese
480 Wellborn Forest Jackson standard overlay
569 Wolf Classic Dartmouth full overlay
570 River Run full overlay chinese
595 6 Square itasca painted vanilla full overlay chinese
600 to 650 for Ikea Akurum (req. assembly-$55 per box?)
622 JSI Essex full overlay chinese
623 Medallion Silverline Series: Lancaster Maple - Slab Drawer
628 Debut Estate Series: Oxford Maple -5pc Drawer - SCD
640 Aristokraft monroe MDF door (PGM)
645 Kabinart arts and crafts maple
780 Bridgewood custom framed or frameless same price all ply box
785 Brookhaven Bridgeport frameless, full overlay - SCD
786 Touchstone fully custom frameless melamine box
809 KraftMaid: Atwater Maple - Slab - SCD
843 Shiloh: Shaker Inset (reverse raised panel shaker)-Slab
849 KraftMaid: Huntington Maple - 5pc - SCD
855 Touchstone fully custom full overlay or frameless all ply box
862 Showplace: Pendleton Maple - slab
889 Medallion: Potter's Mill Maple - 5pc
925 Touchstone fully custom inset all ply box
928 Holiday Estate Series - PGM - Slab - SCD
1125 Brookhaven Inset Rockport - SCD or not, same price
1239 Pennville Shakertown full overlay framed or frameless, all ply box, SCD
1366 Plain & Fancy: Vogue Beaded Inset Soft Maple-Slab-SCD
1780 Pennville inset Shakertown, all ply box, SCD or not
1871 Woodmode Chatham full overlay, SCD
2241 Woodmode Inset - Sturbridge, SCD or not

Shaker door style
Maple Wood
White Paint
Drawer guides: Whatever comes standard
No upgrades
W3630
B36
Note: All are full overlay...except with Shiloh you can choose from full overlay or inset. Both are the same price right now. Ikea, Debut, KraftMaid and Plain & Fancy, all have full extension, soft close drawers as a standard.

Cost to Homeowner:
$600 to $650 for Ikea Akurum (req. assembly-$55 per box?)
$657 Debut Cabinetry: Oxford
$669 Medallion: Silverline Lancaster
$888 Shiloh: Shaker Inset (reverse raised panel shaker)
$916 KraftMaid: Atwater
$963 KraftMaid: Huntington
$983 Medallion: Potter's Mill
$987 Showplace: Pendleton
$1494 Plain & Fancy: Vogue Beaded Inset

So for 24' Lin. Ft of cabinets, costs would be:
$5,352 Medallion Silverline Full Overlay
$7,104 Shiloh Inset
$11,952 P&F Inset

I realize, much of this could change from dealer to dealer and region to region. If you add another brand of cabinet, I can add it to the list. Also some brands are higher on the extras like accessories, moldings and custom modifications. For cost comps in your area and for your kitchen, you still must do the footwork. But maybe this will help somebody.

Details:

Ikea Tidaholm cupboards, professionally sprayed in Cloud White with alot of customization. Unfortunately, these have since been discontinued.

AEG Electrolux 36" freestanding stove. Bought for less then half price because someone bought it, used it once and returned it because they decided they wanted gas. We don't have gas and recently put in Geo Thermal heating/air conditioning. Wasn't in the budget to bring in propane. Stove was so reasonable that if we decide to do so later we can.

Liebherr 30" freestanding refrigerator. Purchased for half price because it had a dent dent in the bottom half. Bought a new door so it was good as new, until they delivered it and dented the top half. They replaced the door. Neither will be installed until house is complete (just in case).

Ikea farmhouse sink and dishwasher. I'm actually very pleased that it works as well as it does.

Perrin and Rohl Aquatine faucet in polished nickel.

Island and Jam cupboard - Special Order from Camlen Furniture in Quebec. Purchased with hand planed top in pine and may or not replace with marble. Will live with it for a while.

10" random length pine floors. All hand finished and dinged and finshed with Waterlox. This alone took us several weeks. We love the finish.

Honed Absolute Black granite. Bought the kitchen at Ikea's 20% off sale. Rather then cash back you get Ikea gift certificates. Used these and another $1300.

Faber Inca Pro hood

Light fixture- Sescolite, Burlington, Ontario

Finished kitchen, $19 thousand including all the small stuff.

I would like to thank the GW community. I found you when most decisions had already been made but early enough to make some positive changes based on the vast amount of information shared on this site. I didn't ask for much advise but I can assure you that I read everything written on the subjects that I researched on this site and then some. I do not have the incredible knowledge that so many of you do who share so willingly to those who ask but have from time to time tried to help out on the very few subjects I know a little about. I have taken much more than I have been able to give. I am grateful to have had a place that I could frequent with people who share the same desire to have a kitchen of their dreams no matter their budget. And to those who think their day will never come, keep the faith. I never thought that I would get here. After seeing so many unbelievable kitchens, big and small, elaborate and understated, new and updated thanks for looking at mine.

nc sandyfeet, I believe Camlen has retailers selling on the east coast now. To be honest if you know of a carpenter it would be fairly easy to build. If you would like the dimensions or closeups I would be more then happy to send them to you. Thank you for your kind words.

http://www.camlenfurniture.com/ContactEN.php

mamadadapaige, sabjimata and kateskouros, Thank you!

lynn2006, Thanks, I'm not sure why they discontinued this door style. It was so popular and used by many designers in Canada including Sarah Richardson. I'm actually very impressed with the quality as is everyone else who questioned my using them.

scrappy25, The doors and drawers were just under $1000. They were sanded, cleaned with tsp and sprayed with 3 coats of BM Advance. I painted all the additional pieces. Had I known how wonderful Advance is to paint with I probably would have tackled them myself. The finish is as hard as nails and a breeze to clean.

My husband built a box to fit the vent hood and then built the decorative surround. As far as the toe kicks are concerned we didn't use the legs that Ikea provided for the cabinets. My husband built frames to sit the boxes on and then made a template for the toe kicks and these were nailed to the frame. It's one of my favorite parts of the kitchen.

Thanks again for your kind words. Happy New Year to you all.

• If you must have filler, consider filler pullouts. Rev-A-Shelf, for example, has 3"/6"/9" base filler pullouts and 3"/6" upper filler pullouts.
• Consider deeper upper cabinets. Even an extra 1" can make a difference. Keep in mind that cabinets are measured based on overall measurements, that means the exterior measurements, not interior space.

  So, a 12" deep cabinet is really 12" on the outside. Once you factor in the thickness of the back wall, you now have only 11.25" to 11.5" interior depth. If you have framed, the interior depth is reduced again by the thickness of the frame.

  However, if you have overlay, you only lose depth due to the frame along the walls, the rest of the cabinet can use the frame space b/c the door sits in front of the cabinet.

  If you have inset cabinets, OTOH, you lose that space b/c the doors & drawer fronts sit inside the face frame, so those 12" deep cabinets are now down to 10.5" to 11" deep (depending on the thickness of your back wall & frame).

  So, a 12" diameter plate will not fit in a 12" deep upper cabinet. If you add an inch to the cabinet depth (13" deep), you now have that 1/2" to 3/4" back. 15" deep uppers are even better.

• If you have the space, consider deeper counters either with deeper base cabinets or by pulling the cabinets out from the wall a few inches.
• Staggered-height cabinets are personal preference, even with 8' ceilings. If you like them, get them.

  One thing to keep in mind, however, is that dust does accumulate on the tops of cabinets that are not to-the-ceiling. One way to make cleaning easier - line the tops with newspaper. When it's time to clean, just remove the newspaper with the dust that collected on top of it (and not on the cabinets themselves) and replace it with clean newspaper.

  If dust allergies or asthma are a concern, I recommend all cabs to the ceiling.

• Double-bin trash pullouts...love them!!! Dogs cannot open them! (Our dogs learned how to open the step-on ones in our old kitchen!) With two bins, one can be used for recyclables and the other for trash.

  However, put it in the Prep Zone...and, if possible, near the Cooking and Cleanup Zones. If you only have one sink, your Prep Zone will end up on the side of the sink closer to either the range/cooktop or refrigerator. So, put the trash pullout on that side. Put the DW on the other side...it will also keep the DW out of the Prep Zone (and the DW will not be an obstacle to work around while prepping.)

  Oh, and consider getting a foot pedal so you can open it hands-free.

• Keep in mind aisle widths should be measured counter edge-to-counter edge, not cabinet-to-cabinet.
• Strive for adequate aisle space, seating overhang, etc.
• Measure your space 3 or 4 times (or 5 or 6 or 7 or....)!!
• Measure from at least 3 different points vertically when measuring wall/space width...a foot or two off the floor, 4 or 5 feet off the floor, and near the ceiling...walls are not straight in most homes & you need to know your smallest measurements!

  Likewise, measure ceiling height at various points in your kitchen

• Regarding different ceiling heights, plan for crown molding that's at least 2 pieces - the decorative piece for the top and a "plain" (or "filler") piece b/w the cabinet and the decorative piece. This "filler" piece is then cut to size to accommodate different ceiling heights...leaving the decorative piece the same size throughout the kitchen.
• Above all...come up with a good functional layout before ordering your cabinets!!!!

Good luck!

I'll start with the obvious ones:

Tapmaster. A friendly little Canadian company makes these. It's a device in your toekick area that turns your faucet on and off. The first of us to put one in was looking for the ones they have in dental offices.

The basic unit has a plate that you can touch to start the flow and let go to stop it, or push down to keep it on. The Tapmaster uses air pressure to open and close its valves--there's no electricity or anything particularly complex involved. You set your favorite flow rate and temperature at the mixer and leave that open. If you want to change to using the mixer instead of the Tapmaster you can just lock the Tapmaster open.

Since that time, and as more and more of these started showing up in kitchens, they've come up with their "euro" model, which has a single bar controller that you nudge sideways with your foot, or nudge farther to lock open. Some shoeless cooks prefer this.

You can also get multiple controllers on a single faucet so that you can operate the faucet from two sides of an island, or whatever suits your project.

Plugmold. This one comes from the laboratory. Tired of outlets interrupting your planned beautiful backsplash? You can put plugmold either near the base of the backsplash, or at the top, under the upper cabinets. You can install a GFI in a plugmold unit, but you can also make the whole circuit GFI.

Wiremold Corp. bought up most of their competitors, and discontinued most of the interesting colors, but I've heard that some more decorative ones are coming back. Home Depot carries basic white plastic plugmold. It can be mounted flat on the wall, flat under the cabinet, or on an angled wood strip. There's also "angle plugmold", which isn't really "plugmold" since that's a term like "Kleenex" that's a brand name. Tasklighting makes it. It's reputedly very expensive, but some people think it's worth it.

If you have some countertop appliances that are always plugged in, like a coffee pot, toaster, or microwave, you might also want a regular outlet so that the cords don't always wave in the breeze, and are more hidden.

NeverMT. Do you have a soap dispenser in your sink? Keep a gallon jug of soap or lotion under the sink and pump it directly from the pump that came with your faucet kit. That is, it replaces the receptacle that goes under the counter with a hose and jug. If you use your pump a lot it saves constant refilling.

I'll also give shout outs to some other things:

Demeyere cookware for induction. Great, no rivets cookware for anything, but they have some technically special features for induction. Some other manufacturers do too, though any cast iron, or stainless steel pot that sticks to a magnet, will work.

De Buyer Pro V mandoline. If you ever feed mobs, this can't be beat for making short work of all your knife tasks. This one has continuous adjustment so you can make any width in between minimum and maximum. The V keeps soft things like tomatoes from getting squished.

I hope the rest of you will chime in with the other received wisdom that so many of us are so familiar with here that we sometimes forget to say...

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages contain helpful information about how to navigate this site as well as the world of kitchen renovations.

The Kitchen Forum Acronyms will help you understand some of the acronyms used frequently in posts.

The Finished Kitchens Blog has pictures and information about many GW members' finished kitchens. Not only can you see them alphabetically, but there is also a category list if you're looking for specific things like a kitchen w/a Beverage Center or a kitchen w/a mix of dark and light cabinets.

The Appliances Forum is very useful when you have questions specific to appliances.

To start off the process...take the Sweeby Test. Then, move on to Beginning a Kitchen Plan.

Other topics such as planning for storage can be found by doing a search on the forum.

Tips:

• Before posting a question, search the forum. There's a very good chance someone has already asked the question.


• When using the "search" function, be sure to use the search box on the bottom of the page, not the top!


• In the Subject, the site changes the inches indicator (") to a foot indicator ('). We don't know why. To compensate, use two single qoutes and it will appear as a double quote in the Subject. Luckily, the double quote works in the message box.


• When composing a new thread, you have a couple of options:


• Have replies emailed to you: check the box offerring this option. However, you must have "Allow other users to send you email via forms at our site." box checked in your profile for this to work (see the "Your Profile" link at the very top of the page)


• Insert a link: When you "preview" your message, you will be provided with two boxes for a link...one is for the link itself and the second is for the name or description of the link.


• When using the "Clip this post" option (far upper right corner of each post, small print), remember that only the current post is clipped, not the entire thread. Also, you are allowed a maximum of 50 clippings. Once you reach this max, you will no longer be able to clip or email posts.

How are the home page and the Forum organized? (from the FAQs)

The Kitchens Forum home page lists 30 thread titles, starting with those that don't yet have a response. Then threads are listed in order of most recent response. That first page displays the last 2 hours or so of activity. (If there is no response to a thread in an hour or two, an unanswered thread starts to drop down.)

Below that are page numbers 1-67 for the total 67 pages of threads available -- capturing maybe 2 months or so of threads, less when the Forum is busy.

Below that (and at the top of the thread list) is a space for you to switch to the Conversations or Gallery "sides" - these are set up similarly but not nearly as active. Conversations and Gallery.

Next down is a Search button -- very important!

Next is a place for you to start a new thread. And finally are some instructions and links at the bottom.

Kitchen Forum "Sides"

Discussions: This is the "side" you are on. It's for on-topic discussions concerning kitchens...renovations, use of, etc.
Conversations: This is the "side" where you can post off topic threads such as regional get-togthers and non-kitchen subjects.
Gallery: This is the "side" where members often post pictures...especially if you're posting a lot or a finished kitchen.

Posting a link

There are two ways to post a link:

Using the provided boxes below the "Message" box:

1. Insert the link in the Optional Link URL box


2. Type in the description or name of the item being linked int the Name of the Link box


3. If this is a new Post, then you won't see these two boxes until you "preview" your message.

To insert a link inside the "Message" box,

1. Copy the following into the "Message" box where you want it:
   <a href= http://www.XXX/>Description</a>
2. Next, replace the http://www.XXX/ with your link


3. Now, replace the Description with the description (words) you want displayed with your link.

With either method, you will see your link when you "preview" your message

Posting a picture from your photo hosting account (e.g., PhotoBucket)

FAQ: Adding Pictures and Links [Note: If using PhotoBucket, copy the code from the line/box labeled "HTML Code"]

Posting a picture from somewhere other than your Photo hosting account

1. Copy the following into the "Message" box where you want the picture to be:
   <img src="http://www.XXX/image.jpg">
2. Next, replace the http://www.XXX/image.jpg with the address of the image.


3. When you "preview" the message, you should see the picture

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Layout Help

We often get requests to help with layouts. Many of us enjoy doing this but it would help if you can post a copy of your layout, preferably to-scale.

• The best place to start is to draw up your kitchen (to scale, if possible) either without cabinets & appliances if you don't know where to start or w/your proposed new layout if you have something to start with. Regardless, measure and label everything...walls, ceiling height, widths of doors & windows, distances between windows, walls, doorways, etc.
• If you cannot move plumbing or gas, mark them on your drawing as well.
• Mark all doorways & windows (w/dimensions) and label them as to where they lead. If they're actual doors, mark how they swing.
• It also would be helpful to see the connecting rooms, even layouts so you see how they interact with the kitchen and/or extend the kitchen feel and flow.
• Make note of traffic flows in and out of the kitchen

Make a list of things like:

• What are your goals? E.g., more counter space, more storage, seating in the kitchen (island? peninsula? table?), etc.
• Do you plan to merge two rooms/areas (e.g., Nook and Kitchen into a Kitchen only)
• Where are you flexible?
• Can windows or doorways change size?
• Can they be moved?
• Can windows be raised/lowered?
• Can any walls come down?
• Does the sink have to be centered under a window?
• Does it have to be under a window at all?
• Do you bake? Do you want a coffee/tea/beverage center?
• What appliances do you plan on having (helps to figure out work flow, work zones, and types of cabinets...upper/lower vs full height, etc.)
• Range or Cooktop?
• Single or Double or no Wall Oven?
• Warming Drawer?
• MW? (Advantium, drawer, OTR, countertop, built-in, shelf?)
• DW? Standard or drawers? If drawers, 1 or 2?
• Refrigerator CD or standard depth?
• Vent Hood?
• Other?
Sizes of desired appliances (e.g., 30" or 36" or 48" cooktop; 36" or 42" or 48" wide or other Refrigerator? Counter depth or standard depth refrigerator, etc.)
• Pantry: Walk-in or cabinets?

***** Very Important *****

Is there anything you:

• Can't live without?
• Definitely don't want?
• Would like if you can find a way?

This information will be valuable to not only you, but also any Kitchen Designers you may hire or talk to. Additionally, if you've been haunting the site, you'll notice that we also help with almost all aspects of the remodel, including layout help.

If you do ask for help, then all of the above information will help us help you. Sometimes we stray from what you think you want to give you some ideas that you might not have thought of, but it's your kitchen and you can veto anything...we may argue for something (we're good at that!), but in the end it's what you want. And remember, we are just giving you ideas and possible layouts, in the end when you finalize your design it's whatever you want and decide on! After all, this is your kitchen! [Keep this in mind if/when you use a Kitchen Designer--it's your kitchen, not his or hers...don't let them talk you into anything unless you're sure it's what you want!]

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When your kitchen is complete, please submit it to the Finished Kitchens Blog! This way your kitchen will join others in inspiring and helping newcomers!

Add your kitchen to the FKB!

Again, welcome and good luck! The journey is wild, sometimes bumpy, but fun!

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Links from above:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): http://kitchenforumfaq.com/
Kitchen Forum Acronyms: http://starpoohonline.com/wordpress/forum-acronyms/
Finished Kitchens Blog: http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/

Sweeby Test: http://starpoohonline.com/wordpress/2007/07/31/the-sweeby-test/#more-6
Beginning a Kitchen Plan: http://starpoohonline.com/wordpress/2007/08/03/beginning-a-kitchen-pla n/#more-34/

Appliances Forum: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/appl/

FAQ: Adding Pictures and Links: http://starpoohonline.com/wordpress/how-to-use-the-kitchen-forum/addin g-pictures-and-links/

Add your kitchen to the FKB!: http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/2005/10/faq.html#Adding