Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a better idea - ignore people who insist that you have to live by *their* standards.
NEXT!
Personally tile countertops are an absolute dealbreaker for me and I would rule out house because of that unless I was already planning on changing out the countertops anyway. But I will never ever live with them again.
Tile floors are a different matter but completely dependent on what they actually look like, of course.
In my experience it's no more expensive (or intrusive) to change out counter tops as it is to change out flooring. Actually counter tops are super easy and can be reasonable price wise.
Yes, you worded that well. After I thought about it I have had two galley kitchens, not one. Both of them were so practical and loved by me.
*******************************************
I've also had the pleasure of pantries... realpantries. Not the kind that is essentially a closet or tall cabinet, but the kind where you walk into it and there are cabinets and counters, and a window, too! Some of the things that are called pantries now just aren't.
I have been living without a pantry for the past six years and while it's not my preference, I have come to grips with it. But I do have an otherwise large kitchen and lots of storage space, and I built in a lot of custom slide outs, racks, etc. It's been a challenge.
I much prefer a work triangle over a galley kitchen design. By that I mean easy access between the fridge, sink and stove/oven. NO IMPEDIMENTS. No fancy island in the way! Access! A kitchen can be small or it can be large as long as there is a good "work triangle" in place.
If you have ample and easy access like I'm describing, people can still even hang out in the kitchen if they like, but just outside that triangle. Best of many worlds.
I have been living without a pantry for the past six years and while it's not my preference, I have come to grips with it. But I do have an otherwise large kitchen and lots of storage space, and I built in a lot of custom slide outs, racks, etc. It's been a challenge.
I much prefer a work triangle over a galley kitchen design. By that I mean easy access between the fridge, sink and stove/oven. NO IMPEDIMENTS. No fancy island in the way! Access! A kitchen can be small or it can be large as long as there is a good "work triangle" in place.
If you have ample and easy access like I'm describing, people can still even hang out in the kitchen if they like, but just outside that triangle. Best of many worlds.
I like the work triangle also and usually have that. I have never had an island though. I don't like islands so I'm glad I never bought a house with one. Now watch, my next house will have one. Haha!
In the galley kitchens I had the fridge, sink and stove/oven were all easily accessible similar to a work triangle. The range and fridge on one side, turn around and there's the sink. It sounds like we like the same things in a kitchen... good flow.
Side note: I know someone who had her refrigerator in a separate room off the kitchen with the washer and dryer. Apparently that was done in many houses at some point. She lived in that house for over forty years and never changed the kitchen. I would have had to change it in the first year!
Last edited by geebabe; 08-08-2019 at 09:09 PM..
Reason: typo
I like the work triangle also and usually have that. I have never had an island though. I don't like islands so I'm glad I never bought a house with one. Now watch, my next house will have one. Haha!
In the galley kitchens I had the fridge, sink and stove/oven were all easily accessible similar to a work triangle. The range and fridge on one side, turn around and there's the sink. It sounds like we like the same things in a kitchen... good flow.
Side note: I know someone who had her refrigerator in a separate room off the kitchen with the washer and dryer. Apparently that was done in many houses at some point. She lived in that house for over forty years and never changed the kitchen. I would have had to change it in the first year!
Oh my gosh, yes, there WAS a stage where the fridge was put "off" the kitchen out of that room! WHAT THE HECK. I couldn't stand that for a minute!
KA, after reading my last post just now I saw I wrote this: The range and fridge on one side, turn around and there's the sink. This morning I'm thinking, well duh geebabe, that's a triangle, too.
Glad you know what I'm talking about with the frig in a separate room/area. It was weird and inconvenient!
In my experience it's no more expensive (or intrusive) to change out counter tops as it is to change out flooring. Actually counter tops are super easy and can be reasonable price wise.
I wasn't saying that, I was saying that I might be able to live with a tile floor, depending on what the tile looked like. It wouldn't be my preference, but if it was an attractive tile, I could deal with it if a house was otherwise what I wanted.
I would not live with a tile counter, and if I wasn't in a position where I wanted to replace the countertops, then that would be a dealbreaker for me.
I have a small island in my kitchen that houses the cooktop. When I bought the house, I thought, eh, not my preference, but I can deal with it. Then my son-in-law stayed with me for a few weeks and I realized how easy it was for two people to cook at the same time when you can move all the way around burners. I might still hesitate on this arrangement if I had small children, but it can be quite nice for adults. Same with the large single sink. I always had a divided sink and probably would have stuck with that if given a choice, but the prior owners had put in a large single-bowl granite composite sink and I really like it.
I have a small island in my kitchen that houses the cooktop. When I bought the house, I thought, eh, not my preference, but I can deal with it. Then my son-in-law stayed with me for a few weeks and I realized how easy it was for two people to cook at the same time when you can move all the way around burners. I might still hesitate on this arrangement if I had small children, but it can be quite nice for adults. Same with the large single sink. I always had a divided sink and probably would have stuck with that if given a choice, but the prior owners had put in a large single-bowl granite composite sink and I really like it.
I'm sure I posted this earlier in the thread, but yes, a single bowl sink is one of my deal breakers too.
I have this sink and I absolutely love it - I've always preferred a single bowl sink but this one is particularly large and deep and can hold my biggest baking dishes and my large commercial stock pot.
KA, after reading my last post just now I saw I wrote this: The range and fridge on one side, turn around and there's the sink. This morning I'm thinking, well duh geebabe, that's a triangle, too.
Glad you know what I'm talking about with the frig in a separate room/area. It was weird and inconvenient!
Yes! Regardless of kitchen shape, if I have a work triangle that's not impeded, I'm happy.
My favorite layout for a kitchen is U shaped at one end but with plenty of room for others to come into the kitchen at the other end.
I wasn't saying that, I was saying that I might be able to live with a tile floor, depending on what the tile looked like. It wouldn't be my preference, but if it was an attractive tile, I could deal with it if a house was otherwise what I wanted.
I would not live with a tile counter, and if I wasn't in a position where I wanted to replace the countertops, then that would be a dealbreaker for me.
LOL I didn't say you said anything, I was just stating that kitchen counter tops are often easier and less expensive to replace than a kitchen floor, even with a higher end sort of counter.
And I agree, I would not live with tile counter tops.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
She lived in that house for over forty years and never changed the kitchen. I would have had to change it in the first year!
