Buying your kitchen in Birmingham – avoid the pitfallsKitchens Birmingham

Buying your kitchen in Birmingham – avoid the pitfalls
Posted August 23, 2010 By rob.warner in Kitchens Birmingham With | No Comments
This article gives a quick overview of the things to look out for when considering planning or buying your new kitchen in Birmingham. It is by no means an exhaustive list; however I hope that it gives you some interesting things to think about and avoid the worst problems that can happen.

Workflow

Too many homes have been built with badly-planned kitchens. One I encountered recently had an over-sized central island unit, which awkwardly cut off the sink from the fridge and ovens. Preparing a meal in that environment involves unnecessary steps that could have been avoided had the kitchen designer planned for two reasonably-sized islands with a work aisle between them. Another home had the fridge at one end of the room and pantry in the opposite corner, doubling the amount of work required to prep food or to pack away the shopping. A proper food storage zone would have put the two together.

Poor Ventilation

In the past kitchen designers weren’t too bothered about ventilation, but as our homes have become more eco friendly and better able to keep the warmth in, they have by default become good at keeping in bad smells, grease and dirty vapours. Today there is no excuse for not having an efficient ventilation system in your kitchen. A good designer will be able to provide a solution in even the trickiest of environments.

Poor Storage

Most clients tell me that they lack sufficient storage in their kitchen. This typically results from two problems. One: The builder failed to take full advantage of the storage space built into the kitchen. Replacing base cabinet half-shelves with roll-out trays, adding drawer organisers, backsplash systems and pot racks can alleviate that problem to a great extent. Two: The homeowners want to store items in the kitchen that don’t factor into daily meal preparation. I recommend that these should be stored elsewhere.

Insufficient Light

This is a problem I see frequently, that’s easy and helpful to address when redesigning your new kitchen. Older homes often have one light above the sink, a light for the vent hood and a central strip light in the middle of the ceiling. Overall lighting is called for, and can be achieved with well-spaced recessed lights. Task lighting can be improved by adding lights under all the wall cabinets for better-lit countertop work space. Additional task lighting should be factored in for islands, bars and peninsulas where prep, serving, eating and homework can be illuminated.

Insufficient and badly placed electrical sockets

This is a common problem, particularly in older properties, which were built in a time when we didn’t use quite so many electrical appliances in the kitchen. With the help of your kitchen designer you should think carefully about your present and future needs. It is always advisable to replace single sockets with doubles and to place more than sufficient under worktop or cupboard based sockets to cater for your large domestic appliance and built in needs. For part 2 of this article with another 4 potential pitfalls – check out “Buying your kitchen in Birmingham – avoid the pitfalls part 2″ quick overview of the things to look out for when considering planning or buying your new kitchen in Birmingham. It is by no means an exhaustive list; however I hope that it gives you some interesting things to think about and avoid the worst problems that can happen.

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