Green Kitchen Remodel

Project: Remodeling the Kitchen

The kitchen is the very heart of your home. Humans love food and naturally congregate in the kitchen to celebrate the joys of cooking, eating, and good conversation. We spend more waking hours in the kitchen than in any other room so a remodeled kitchen can easily breathe new life into your entire house.

Step One: Asking the Right Questions

Designing and building a new kitchen requires you to make countless decisions. Yet what will you use as criteria for those choices? We find that the most successful remodelers take the time before they begin the project to get in writing what they want to get out of their new room. It’s best if each household member answer these questions individually. The whole house should then have an informal meeting to share answers and create a shared vision for the new kitchen.

Here are some questions to get you started:

Users

On a typical day, how many cooks work together in the kitchen? On special occasions?
Do any kitchen users have physical limitations (height, difficulty bending over, need for wheelchair access, etc.)?
Should the kitchen accommodate children (low countertops, etc.)?

Functions

Food Preparation
How much counter space do you need for chopping and preparation?
Are specific areas needed for frequent projects (e.g. bread or pastry making)?
How many and what size sinks are needed?
Are the stovetop and oven spaces adequate?
Is space needed for dirty dishes or are dishes washed immediately?
Storage
How much storage space is needed for kitchen equipment and utensils?
How much refrigerator and freezer space do you require?
Are there special storage needs (dry goods, wine storage, etc.)?
Are there seasonal uses that might require additional storage space (e.g. canning)?
Have you allocated space for recycling and/or compost collection?
Is there cookbook storage space?
Dining
Do you want to accommodate informal dining in or near the kitchen? If so, how many people should be able to eat at once?
Special Uses
Is the kitchen used for other activities (TV, homework, gardening preparation, or other projects)?
Entertaining
How often do you entertain?
Do you like guests in the kitchen?
How formal are your parties?

Feel

Consider both the kitchen and the dining area(s): How formal do you want these spaces to feel?
Do you want an intimate or more open dining experience?
How do you want to feel when you are in the kitchen? What qualities of light do you want to experience? What sounds?

Access and Flow

The kitchen should be easily accessible. Consider the flow between other important areas of the house – dining room, family room, bathroom, outdoor cooking/entertaining space
Should the cook be able to see activities in other areas (children playing outside, for instance)?

Lighting and Electrical

Where are the windows? Do they take advantage of the eastern morning sun?
Do you want to be able to look out the window while washing dishes? Chopping vegetables?
Can new windows be accommodated?
How well do the existing artificial light fixtures serve your needs?
Is there ambient and task lighting?
Are there enough electrical outlets, and where are they located? Are they designated GFCI (Ground Fault circuit interrupter) as they should be in kitchens?

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning

How does your kitchen feel – too hot? Too cold?
Are you ventilating the range?

Finishes and Flooring

How are your current finishes performing? Is the wallpaper peeling?
Are there any places of water damage?
How easy is it to clean countertops and flooring?

Anticipated Changes

Do you anticipate changes in the family structure?
Will you live in the house when you retire or at another phase of your life?
How important is resale value?

Step Two: Setting Goals

Remodeling a kitchen can be both an exhilarating and maddening experience. We want you to avoid as much trauma as possible and here’s how: get your goals on paper.

Kitchen Goals

Using the answers you and other household members gave to the design questions, draft a one to two-page summary of your goals for your new kitchen. Be sure to include major categories including:

Who will use the kitchen and dining area
What activities will take place there
The feeling you want to have when in the kitchen and dining area
Any aesthetic or architectural preferences you have
Ways you expect your kitchen to be easily modified for future use

Sustainability Goals

You should also write down your green goals. Going green means you will be more comfortable in your kitchen yet you will also:
Save energy
Use fewer resources
Enjoy healthier indoor air

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