Main House Cogitating

Most stories encounter some problems in the middle. Promising start, not a bad ending, but nagging difficulties in the middle that we hope the reader doesn't get hung up thinking about. Robinson Crusoe--great beginning and he gets rescued in the end. The author has to work hard in the middle to convey the boredom and routine and yet be exciting enough to keep us from wondering why he couldn't have been rescued sooner, since it's just a story.

House designs are the same way. A single design can't solve everything without leaving some oddness that we hope people won't be too critical of. 

The house needs storage--entry closet (winter coats, umbrellas); linens (sheets, towels, comforters); vacuum, broom, mops; and pantry items.

I'm happy with the idea of a fairly formal room off the living room, convenient to the kitchen, to be used as an office for a family therapist, architect, lawyer, who sometimes sees clients at home. This room could be restaged for a party or even a couch surfer.

I like the idea of using the breezeway as the dining room. If we don't expand the breezeway (and new roof and foundation would be $$), then the path from the kitchen to the new dining area has to be through a dark inner part of the house. I think we need a butler's pantry there. Pantry shelves and a closet for mops and brooms. The tile floor of the kitchen would continue into it.

I think the remodel needs to end up with a tub, but I want a walk-in shower, darn it. This plan gives BR2 a full bath and lets me have a walk-in shower in the en suite. 

I studied how I use the laundry and concluded that it has only two deficiencies: I have no place to put soap, softener, bleach, and so on; and it could be closer to linen storage. The laundry is only related to the two bedrooms.

The problems I hope no one obsesses over are:

• The refrigerator has no counter adjacent and it's too far from the sink. This is partly mitigated by water in the door
• The butler's pantry is a little awkward, but I'm hoping that a French door-sized window will make it more attractive ("walk toward light," Sarah Susanka says) and I haven't thought much about traffic in the breezeway.
• For the bed to use that wall, I have to shrink the closet door. So, I made it an open alcove. Now I'm thinking a hinged bookcase might be cool for potential buyers--put your jewels here.
• I didn't worry about the TV in the living room for now; there are several good options possible.
• I'm not thrilled with looking directly into BR1 from the front door, but we can do things with the framed opening to make it clear that the bedroom hall is private space--dropped soffit, subdued lighting and I'm thinking of carpet or maybe a long runner.

Kitchen Scheme #2

Wing's Visual Handbook includes 21 of the 31 rules from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).

Sum of the work triangle is 14' (less than 26'). Sides are 6', 4', 4' (in range 4' to 9'). The tall cabinet next to the refrigerator does not separate work centers. No traffic crosses the triangle. The work aisle is 48". The traffic walkway is at least 36".

Clearance at the dishwasher is too tight--NKBA wants 21" from dishwasher door to center of corner sink.

Positives: 

• Tight work triangle, out of traffic
• Corner sink meets corner window
• Cantilever pop-out for refrigerator is clever; takes place of greenhouse window
• Coffee service (on right) and in refrig door water stays out of cook's way

Negatives:

• Open to Office, but only a doorway; no Living Room TV view
• Area to the right--the Laundry--still unresolved
• Moving the range means vent goes through roof, visible from street
• Dishwasher is tight
• Lots of unusable counter space in corners; too little where it's needed
• View from Office to Kitchen is of tall cabinet
• Cook at sink or stove with fan could probably not hear call from Dining Room

The struggle continues

Not on my watch

January 2015. I didn't like the juniper, but the yard looked okay.

2019: A gardener got agressive trimming it back

The street side was hacked

 

Hacked, see?

2021: I bought new clippers and finished it

I left some grips for leverage...

...but I didn't need all of them

Almost gone

This was the goal.

Strange Ideas

I feel like I'm kneading clay, or arranging and rearranging wildflowers. I'm not sure what this remodel should be.

Maybe I don't build a second floor apartment, just a real garage and move the dining room into the breezeway. Maybe I just rebuild the roof over the west wing to include a proper attic for storage. 12:12 pitch gable, for example. Pull-down stairs in the garage.

In Bath 1, I only showed a tub because, you know, resale. But I want a shower. It doesn't have to be curb-less--I could step over a 3" curb. I like a fixed glass divider instead of a glass door compartment.

I've been focused on the kitchen recently, and it could not be more obvious--a range saves money and cabinet space compared to a cooktop and a wall oven. On the other hand, the cooktop and wall oven...what? What the heck is the advantage? The fact that the oven is at a more convenient height just isn't compelling. Then there's the microwave drawer. I like the new new thing, but an OTR (over-the-range) microwave, like I have now, saves money and cabinet space. Wall microwaves waste a lot of space and you end up with a weird aspect ratio to the oven volume. I really like the sink I like (or something like it)--Kohler Prolific Workstation Sink (K-5540), so we'll use that.

The new kitchen has a lot going for it:

• Kohler Workstation Sink
• Induction Cooktop
• Counter at corner window
• Full-depth refrigerator doesn't protrude
• New stainless steel range, microwave, dishwasher
• Coffee, soda, ice and water in door, all out of the way of cooking
• Quartz counter wall-to-wall at the sink
• 12x24 slate-like porcelain tile floor
• Framed view of living room TV; open to home office

Pretend the broom closet is more flush with the refrigerator

French door refrigerator with extra drawers

Samsung NE63B8611SS

Handle design matches refrigerator

I'm thinking we could use matching Ikea wall cabinets and reuse the existing base cabinets, doors, drawers , and cup pulls below the counter.

Kohler K-5540 Prolific Workstation Sink

IKEA Kitchen

IKEA generally offers smart, clever solutions for household problems. On the downside, with kitchens in particular, home buyers tend to see "dorm room cheap." So, we may not end up with an Ikea kitchen, but from an efficiency perspective, the slightly smaller European sizes might suggest better designs, and the lower cost allows us to do a studs-out remodel rather than trying to reuse existing cabinets.

Cabinets are generally SEKTION system with a wide choice of doors. ENHET is the new system.

There are lots of door/drawer styles, so we'll organize by the cost of a 15 x 30 door:

HAVSTORP "Turquoise" $21 for 15x30

Lower Cost - $21-$57 for 15x30

VEDDINGE Flush White; HAVSTORP Beige/Teal Flush; ASKERSUND Flush Horiz Grain, like plywood, light/dark; ENKÖPING White/Wood Frame; BODARP Flush Green; STENSUND Bead Board Like, KUNGSBACKA Black Flush

BODARP "Gray-green" $47 for 15x30

Mid-Range - $70-$90 for 15x30

JUTIS Frameless Clear/Tinted Glass; AXSTAD White/Gray/Blue Frame; SINARP Flush Walnut; BODBYN White/Gray/Green Wood inset (like existing cabinets); LERHYTTAN Dark Wood/Gray Frame; HASSLARP (18" @ $102) Wood Herringbone

ENKÖPING "white wood effect" $33 for 15x30

High End - $97-$156 for 15x30

RINGHULT Gloss White; VOXTORP Gloss White/Gray/Horiz Washed Wood; VEDHAMN Vert Wood Frame; VEDHAMN Glass (3 lite)

AXSTAD "matte blue" $74 for 15x30 (also available in "matt white" and "dark gray"

Appliances & Fixtures

Sink: I like a square-cornered single bowl stainless steel undermount, like the Kohler K-5540 Prolific Workstation. Ikea seems to be phasing out the NORRSJÖN, Ikea's only sink like that.

Dishwasher: They are all the same size, so I can put off the Consumer Reports of it until later.

TVÄRSÄKER range with induction cooktop ($1400). Controls on back (not my preference). 30" W, 26-3/8" D. Controls are 11" H

TVÄRSÄKER

Or, Cooktop and Oven. SÄRDRAG induction cooktop ($950). 30" W. ADRÄTT wall oven ($1830), true convection and self-cleaning. Clearly, cooktop and oven in a range is $1400 and as separates it is almost twice as expensive at $2780. The oven is 30" W, 29" H. Looks like floor to oven top is 48" or so.

SÄRDRAG

The HUVUDSAKLIG microwave oven ($750) is designed for installation above the ADRÄTT oven. It's 30" W, 18" H.  

HUVUDSAKLIG above ADRÄTT oven

The UPPSEENDE microwave ($650) is an over-the-range model. 30" W, 16-3/8" H, 15-3/8" D. True convection. Lights and fan on the bottom. Stainless steel look interior.

UPPSEENDE

If we have a wall microwave (HUVUDSAKLIG), we need a hood. There is a basic, GENOMDRIVA ($100), and a mostly hidden in the cabinet version that I prefer, the UTDRAGBAR ($430), with a pull out shelf to keep steam off the cabinet. 30" W, 13" D, 11-3/4" H, but only 1" or so below the cabinets.

UTDRAGBAR

Two alternatives: 

• Range with microwave above (TVARSAKER, UPPSEENDE) $2050
• Cooktop, oven, built-in microwave, hood (SARDRAG, ADRATT, HUVUDSAKLIG, UTDRAGBAR) $3960. This would be more expensive electrically and for cabinets, as well.

Compare Ikea to the "Real" World

Range: KitchenAid KSIB900ESS $3400

Microwave over Range: KitchenAid KMHS120KPS $650

Cooktop: Samsung NZ30A3060UK $1300

Wall Oven: KitchenAid KOSE500ESS $3100

Wall Microwave: KitchenAid KMBS104ESS $1850

(Combo Oven/Microwave: KOCE500ESS $4600)

Hood: KitchenAid KVUB400GSS $900

Alternatives:

• Range with microwave above: Ikea $2050; Real $4050 +98%
• Cooktop, oven, bi microwave, hood: Ikea $3960; Real $6800 +72%

Kitchen Appliances

For a long time, I thought the kitchen appliance lineup was settled:

• 30" Range
• Microwave/Fan above range
• Refrigerator
• Dishwasher

That's fine, but there are other possibilities for the cooking appliances, thanks to my visit this morning with Jeff Blum of Albert Lee (Jeff.Blum@albertlee.biz, 206-282-2110 x5082). I think he expects color to come back. Everything is stainless steel these days due to supply chain issues, he said. Miele has some nice matte white and white glass finishes.

Jeff was very strong on induction cooktops--gas is a 19th-century fuel, you're either waiting for electric to heat up or to cool down. He likes a cooktop, oven rather than a range. Drawers and cabinets conveniently under the cooktop, oven at a more workable height. He doesn't think French door ovens are worth the premium; a regular door keeps you a better distance from the hot stuff.

• 30" Induction Cooktop
• Hood and Fan
• Oven/Microwave

Cooktop

I liked a Wolf Transitional 30" Stainless Steel Induction Cooktop (CI304TF/S) for $2840. It's 21" x 2" x 30". Samsung had an unusual burner pattern for $2600. I think my favorite was the KitchenAid Architect Series II 30" Black Induction Cooktop (KICU509XBL).

KitchenAid $2250 (21.31" x 3.13" x 30.75"

Hood and Fan

Well, sure. The microwave-over-the-range thing I've got now basically does nothing except make it too noisy to converse. Something simple like this, perhaps:

ZLINE 623-36 36", 4-speed ducted hood. ($900, Lowes)

KitchenAid has a much cleaner design (the fan hides in the cabinet above).

KitchenAid KXU2836 ($1300, Lowes)

Oven and Microwave

Do they make such combinations? They do.

GE Profile 30" JT3800SHSS ($4560, Albert Lee; $3400, Home Depot)

A microwave could sit on an open cabinet shelf just about anywhere. Peggy recommends the Sharp Microwave Drawer, which is designed for either a base cabinet or under a wall oven. You place food in and lift it out. Like a CD player, it opens and closes the drawer for you. Stirring is trivial and they say that liquids won't spill. The specs are only 1.2 cu ft (if that) and 1000 watts.

Sharp 1.2 cu ft Microwave Drawer ($1300, Lowes)

Compare and contrast the GE JES1657SMSS: 1.6 cu ft, 1150 watts. $186 at Lowes. The GE controls match what I'm used to (current model is a GE) and I could sprinkle six around the house for what the Sharp drawer costs and still save money.

Your basic oven. KOSE507ESS (MSRP $3100) The handle will become significant.

 

Refrigerator

I like a French door over freezer arrangement (cold air falls, so it makes the most sense thermodynamically). I like this extra drawer model in particular.

KitchenAid KRMF706ESS ($4050 on sale at Albert Lee).

With this KitchenAid model, the drawer on the left can be set for a number of functions, and the one on the right is the produce drawer. 70.125" H, 36" W, 36.25" D. MSRP $4500, $4015 at Home Depot.

Fetishize your appliances much? Wolf and Viking do it, why can't we?

I like the pulls. They are knurled stainless steel with distinctive red ends. One could pull a kitchen design together just using KitchenAid refrigerator, dishwasher, and wall oven. Let the cooktop be black and the microwave drawer be Sharp.

Dishwasher

Matchey-matchey.

KitchenAid KDTM404KPS MSRP $1350.  44dBA, FreeFlex third rack. $1214, Home Depot

Quick Costs

Scheme A - $7200

Cooktop, Oven, Microwave Drawer, Hood

Scheme B - $4909

Cooktop, Oven, Microwave w/Hood

Scheme C - $6000

Range, Microwave Drawer, Hood

Scheme D - $3709

Range, Microwave w/Hood

Cooktop - KitchenAid KICU509XBL ($2250 at Lowes)

Oven - KitchenAid KOST107ESS ($2350 at Lowes)

Range - KitchenAid KSIB900ESS ($3400 at Lowes)

Microwave Drawer - Sharp ($1300 at Lowes)

Hood - KitchenAid KXU2836  ($1300 at Lowes) - many are cheaper

Microwave w/Hood - Samsung ME19R7041FS ($309 at Lowes)

 

Past blog posts

• Storage-based Kitchen Design
• Kitchen Deja Vu
• The Ikea Kitchen

Living Room Sketches

The plan has shown two door-sized window units flanking the TV, but the one in the northeast conflicts with the existing brick veneer. So I moved the TV north and added back the French doors.

I like my ultra-low-profile crown molding, but Sarah Susanka suggests that running a headband all around the room and painting the upper wall to match the ceiling makes a room feel taller, so I thought I'd check it out. I kind of like it.

A frameless mirror, unlike the current one, really expands the room

Susanka also likes the idea of frameless mirrors to expand a room. 

By the way, moving the TV north seems to make it easier to see from the desk in the office and from the kitchen.

The Dining Room that wanted to be an Office

Sarah Susanka (on looking for her second husband: "Not So Big") likes soffits for defining activity spaces. This caused me to rethink the coffer grid I had been proposing. Maybe something like this:

Pretend the chairs in the office are Brno. The painting is Kathy Beal's, let's say.

New glass front cabinet at far right

I'd like chrome/rattan Brno chairs, but Chief doesn't have them 

Wouldn't that be a riot?

Sarah "Not So Big" Susanka touts the benefits of "visual layering, created by framing the view between spaces, helps the whole interior to feel larger than its actual square footage would suggest." Then she describes shaping space with color. The examples show the value of more punchy, intense colors in the distance, so I thought I'd mockup a deep green on the kitchen cabinets and an intermediate blue in the office, along with the white/gray living room.

Just doodling.

Color layering, created by framing the view between spaces

Coffee station on left; not sure what goes on right counter

What's everyone else doing for interiors?

I checked Zillow and found 8 houses currently for sale in my zip code, ranging in price from $1.1 to $6.7 million.

Every one had stainless steel appliances in the kitchen. Many had marble countertops.

$6.2M

$1.45M, note wood floor, laminate?

$1.35M wood floor; cool oven

$1.1M

$1.4M, marble floor and counter

$2.5M 2022 construction

Living rooms are all Coastal, if coastal means plain white walls and ceiling and cheap sisal rugs. There's a lot of white gloss woodwork out there, too. Light blue throws on white leather couches.

$6.7M

$1.9M, same house as next

$1.9M, same house as previous

$1.35M, not the same as the other pale green

$1.4M

$2.5M 2022 construction

In addition to these critical rooms, I got three more takeaways from the active listings:

• Gloss white woodwork is attractive to me and is not rare around here
• A room with clean white walls and ceiling and redone wood floors needs no moldings or accent walls to stage an open house, at least as far as realtors are concerned
• Carpeting in bedrooms has a cozy, quiet appeal that comes through in photos

$6.7M bath

$6.7M gloss white woodwork, that's the ticket

Finally, here's what Trees House looked like on the market in 2014:

White appliances. How 2010s.

Reference

• $1.1M - 11897 9th
• $1.35M - 11414 8th
• $1.4M - 12021 12th
• $1.45M - 797 Culbertson Dr
• $1.9M - 10036 Valmay
• $2.5M - 13755 1st; new 2022 construction
• $6.2M - 190 Madrona
• $6.7M - 645 137th
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