House plans, home builders & dreams

The kitchen can be one of the most expensive areas of the house, so it is good to know how to reduce construction and outfitting costs.

You have to think about whether you are the type of family that spends a lot of time cooking. If you are, you might think it is worthwhile investing in a large kitchen. If you only cook for the bare minimum of time, then why spend a fortune on your kitchen? No matter how many gadgets you put in it, they won't cook the food for you!

The design of your kitchen should suit the style you have chosen for the house. Generally, properly made kitchen cupboards have kick boards that are approximately 100mm (4 inches) wide at the bottom. But there is nothing to stop you leaving this open and having your cupboards up on legs or on movable wheels even. The only drawback is that you have to clean underneath then. I have even seen one house which had little windows below the benches so that air came in to make the kitchen cooler (it was a house in the tropics).

Think about the cooking process and how, firstly, you get vegetables out of the fridge; you wash them in the sink and then you carry them to the bench and cut them up and, lastly, you take them to the stove. I think things should be arranged in this order – fridge, sink, counter/bench-top and then stove. But you can also place things behind you – it doesn't have to be linear. Some people recommend a triangular system.

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Man-made products generally emit gases a lot more than natural products and these may prove to be toxic in the long term. The manufacturers certainly aren't spending money on researching the long term health effects because they want to keep producing them. Do you really want to risk your own health and the health of your family? The main problems are the glues and the formaldehyde in the chipboard, especially if it gets moist and the cupboards are closed. Then when you open them, you get a face full of fumes. Some people use natural products and then coat them in polyurethane or other toxic products!

It can be a lot more expensive to go for a timber kitchen, but that is why I would urge you to shop around. They are really nothing more than a bunch of cupboards and benches. Try and find someone who makes cheap pine timber cupboards and other furniture and get him to make your kitchen cabinets rather than a kitchen specialist. If they are part of the building industry rather than the furniture industry they tend to charge like wounded bulls for basically the same materials.

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If you go to a kitchen specialist they will try to talk you into man-made products arranged in what they call a "kitchen system" which basically means that everyone gets cupboards made the same heights so they can manufacture the bits and pieces en masse.

Ideally the height of the kitchen counter/bench should correspond to how tall you are and the height you like to work at. Most manufactured kitchen counter-tops are 900mm high (36 inches), but if you get it made, you can have it any height you want. Some people like high, laboratory-type counter-tops because then there is less bending down to work. Although you do have to consider that if you sell the house, the height of the counter-tops could make it harder to sell.

In manufactured kitchen systems there is a set height for the tops of the upper cabinets of around 2100mm (84 inches). This lines up with the tops of the normal doors. But really you could even have the cabinets going right to the top of the wall so there are no gaps and places to have to dust. Although you might need a small step ladder to reach these top cabinets.

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The sliders for drawers have become more sophisticated. You can get large drawers that you can put pots and other things in. The drawers seem to be able to take more weight than they used to. In fact, it is a trend to only have drawers under counter-tops and not to have any lower cupboards.

Island benches have become very popular. You can build cabinets underneath them, have drawers underneath them, have the sink in them, or use them as an extension of the counter-top, etc. They can also be at different heights (eg a higher part to work on and a lower breakfast bar part to sit down and eat at).

When you do the plan for your kitchen, make sure you leave enough space for your appliances. Work out which appliances you are going to get and get their specifications. For example, leave space for the fridge and for the dishwasher and decide where the oven will be and the cooktop cutout etc. A stand-alone stove is often cheaper than a cooktop and it may be a good choice if you are putting in separate cabinets, as you won't have to have one made to house the oven etc.

Nowadays kitchen sinks are getting smaller and smaller. But our pots and plates haven't gotten any smaller and you still have to rinse off the toxic detergents – so I have a full double-sink with stainless steel drainage areas on both sides. New sinks are sometimes made of plastic. Then you have nowhere to put a hot pot in a hurry!

You can have bins hidden inside cabinet doors, extra cutting boards that slide out, daisy wheels inside cabinets, herb and spice holders just inside the pantry doors, paper towel holders and other wrap holders inside the pantry doors. You can also have walk-in pantries, stunning glass splashbacks, brightly colored walls. So many possibilities!

Water is precious in the world today, so I would strongly recommend you install water saving devices in your taps/faucets so that you use less water. Depending on your local authority, this may also save you money. In some places, it is a requirement that you install such water saving devices. Your new house may not be approved unless they are in place.

Lighting is critical in a kitchen as you have to be able to see what you are doing with things such as knives!

It is important to have strong light over the main work bench area and sink. You can include a light in the range hood over the stove. It is also good to have a softer ceiling light which you can switch on when strong light is not needed and a softer mood is desired.

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