Kitchen Design Requires Careful Planning

Kitchen Design Requires Careful Planning
Kitchens are a numbers game.

Standard base cabinets are 36 inches high, wall cabinets, 30 inches.

A typical single-door refrigerator is 30 inches wide; the usual four-burner electric range the same.

Window illumination is recommended to be not less than about 10 percent of the floor square footage. Hanging lights should be no lower than 30 inches above a dining table; 36 inches over an island, so you don't bump them with your head.

Perhaps the most important number is the so-called work triangle between your stove, sink and refrigerator, which should be reasonable to save you steps. It can vary from what could be called a compact 10 to 12 feet on a side to 25-plus feet on a side in larger home cookeries. The shortest distance should be from stove to sink.

It boils down to feet and inches whether you can make only a little kitchen improvement, do minor remodeling or undertake an outright rebuild or addition.

Your budget is the prime factor, influencing function, form and eye appeal. If your wants outstretch your resources, changes can be made in stages.

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) estimates a new kitchen will cost $10,000 and up, if you do some of the work yourself. Comparing that cost for the most popular room in many houses to what you paid for your last new car sort of puts it into pers