DIY Network

Building a Kitchen: It's Not Just Any Room From "Be Your Own Contractor" episode DBYC-110

In this episode of DIY's Be Your Own Contractor, our do-it-yourself contractors share with us the experience of getting the kitchen of their house done while acting as their own contractor. They give us advice about the importance of the kitchen in the home and in the overall construction project. Included are comments about planning, budgetary considerations, materials and selection of appliances.

In this first segment, the contractors talk about the significant role the kitchen plays in the overall design -- and budget -- for the home.

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	The kitchen is not just another room. In comparison to other rooms in the house, it typically takes up a disproportionate amount of the overall home-construction budget.
	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

It's Not Just Any Room

For most families, and in most homes, the kitchen essentially represents the "center" of the home. More than just a place to prepare food, the kitchen typically is one of the most trafficked rooms in the house, and often serves as an informal gathering place. For those building a house, planning a kitchen that is functional and inviting is one of the most important considerations in the whole process. This is especially true for those who are avid cooks or who do a lot of entertaining, but it is an idea that holds true even for others as well. In fact, our do-it-yourself contractors generally agreed that the kitchen is, in many ways, the most important room in the house.

• Early planning and budgeting of a kitchen is essential, as it's easy for costs to run up quickly in this process. Working out an overall plan, and developing sketches and floor-plans (figure A) will help you meet your needs and goals for a kitchen, and will help keep the process organized and on track.

• Skip Weahunt of Fair Oaks, California (figure B) emphasizes that, although finishing a kitchen is usually one of the latter stages in a house construction -- a time when budgets are often getting stretched -- the kitchen is not a good place to skimp on price. He feels that, though there are numerous resources to go to for pre-fabricated kitchen plans and architectural-design templates, it's best to come up with your own design based on your individual needs.

• Stanton and Terry Saucier of Tarzana, California agree. The Saucier's kitchen (figure C) was part of a major home renovation and expansion that involved removing the roof from the house. During much of the construction, they lived in a single room and even set up a tarp-covered makeshift kitchen on their patio. But in the end, they got the kitchen they wanted. Stanton advises: "Plan on having a healthy chunk of your budget available for the kitchen. Two things cost big bucks in projects like this: kitchens and bathrooms."

• For their home in Rockwood, Tennessee Fred and Nanita Samuels (figure D) had cooking in mind as they designed their kitchen. Nanita wanted a lot of counter space for food preparation (figure E) including counter space on both sides of the cooking surface. Fred emphasizes the need for careful consideration and planning of a kitchen based on the collective decisions of those who will be using it.

• Lifestyle is an important consideration in kitchen design. For Doug and Linda Kerr, the ability to entertain guests in the kitchen as food is being prepared was something the couple desired. They designed an open, spacious kitchen area that opens directly onto the dining room and that serves well for both family activity and entertaining guests.
  

In the segment that follows, the do-it-yourself contractors discuss choices and planning for the kitchen.