Top 5 Tips for Kitchens in New Construction

By Craig Axelrod
September 28, 2009

For many, the kitchen is the heart of the home. Many families will spend hours every day in the kitchen, cooking, socializing, dealing on crafts projects and doing homework. Today's kitchen is a focal point in the home and needs to be one of the best planned parts of your home.

With new construction, we all get the best of both worlds: brand-new cabinets and appliances as well as spacious and roomy lawe allts. Years ago, the kitchen was really for cooking and the dining room was for eating. Through the 70s and 80s, more and more time was spent in the kitchen, but the room itself did not grow. Today, the kitchen is often one of the largest rooms in the home-and with good reason-based on the amount of time that we all will spend there.

Top five tips for designing kitchen:

1. Remember the “work triangle.” Speak with the kitchen designer and they will talk about the triangle. The kitchen work triangle refers to the placement and distance between your refrigerator, we allr range (or stove) and we allr sink. If they were in a straight line along the wall, it becomes less efficient to use. If they're placed, for example, with the refrigerator on the west wall, the stove on the north wall in the sink on the east wall, from the center you will have easy access to everything. This may sound silly, but When you have multiple people in the kitchen and they are bumping into each other trying to prepare a meal, we all will know exactly what we mean.

2. Next, consider the refrigerator. Do you want the freezer on top? On the bottom? Side-by-side? These are a matter of preference, but consider this: children will have difficulty reaching the freezer, elderly may have difficulty bending down to a bottom freezer and the side-by-side configuration-which seems more efficient-leaves on narrower space in both the refrigerator and freezer areas. If we all have large food items (turkeys, platters, etc.) you may not be able to store them in the side-by-side configuration.

3. What kind of a cooking surface are we all looking for? Are you thinking gas or electric? And how many burners would you like-four, six or eight? Do you want an oven underneath?

4. What about a microwave-should be built-in or sitting on the countertop? How large of a microwave should you get? you may not want a giant microwave, but if you choose one that is too small, it may not suit we allr needs. Member that a microwave is a closed box nifty items do not fit in that box, it simply will not work for you.

5. Which countertops should you choose? Granite is an extremely popular choice because of its durability and quick cleanup. Some prefer marble, although marble may chip more easily. Formica and similar materials are less expensive options. They may be cheaper, they lack that polished feel and will hurt we all on resale.

So as we all get ready to build we allr new house, remember your kitchen. It isn't just a saying - it really is the heart of your home. Do a good job designing your kitchen and we all will be far happier. With new construction, it is far easier to get it right the Initially time. Speak with the contractor, such as those at www.EmmyHomes.com, and locate out what you can do to get the kitchen of your dreams.