 Kitchen
The kitchen along with the bathroom are the two most important
rooms of a house. The kitchen should be looked over carefully
by the person who will be using it the most, the cook. As in the
old seafaring lore, "in a ship, next to the captain, the cook
is the most important person" so goes for a home. To avert
possible talk of mutiny, the kitchen requires a strong approval
rating from the cook.
You can’t have too many kitchen cabinets so more the better.
You will want to make sure they are of decent quality and not made
of composite materials like particle board. They do not last long
and replacement cost will be high.
Be sure to take a peek under the sink to make sure there are no
tell tale signs of leaks in the past and present to portend a wet
surprise.
Appliances that are built into walls and counters, like some dishwashers,
ovens and ranges, are considered part of the real estate
and stay. Items that are moveable are considered personal
items, like the dining table and chairs, microwave oven
and so on and they are not included in the sale unless stated as
such in the contract. Free standing refrigerators, in many cases,
are left by the sellers due to their bulk and weight and the fact
that they can be used advantageously as a sales perk.
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A large kitchen, often touted in home ads,
can be great if designed properly. There are set guidelines
for the distances between the major appliances (range, fridge.)
and the sink. The idea is aimed towards usage efficiency.
You don't want to walk from the sink across a room to the
range.
See details at "Kitchen Planning Guideline
3" National
Kitchen & Bath Association. |
A range or an oven should not be placed next to the refrigerator.
Ideally no closer than four feet from one another. Heat from the
oven may affect refrigerator efficiency.
Gas ranges are preferred by cooks over electric. If the home has
one, it's a big plus. Heat is easier to control
with gas, you can see the flame size as opposed to an electric heating
element where it is either red hot or it's a guess to the temperature.
They can also be dangerous since a hot element is not visually identifiable.
All ranges whether electric or gas should have an exhaust
fan, usually placed directly over head. Some built in ranges
have fans that draw exhaust downward and out of the house.
Putting too much water vapor in the air is not good as it may condense
inside attics and walls causing moisture problems. A boiling stock
pot of beans for instance will put gallons of water in the air.
Burning frying pan content can waft smoke through out the house
triggering smoke alarms and scaring everyone.
If a kitchen does not have an exhaust fan, it is usually because
the range is in the wrong spot and cannot be vented easily. A flawed
layout design can be difficult to overcome without extensive remodeling.
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