The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a house. Families congregate and friends socialize there. The kids can do their homework at the breakfast bar while mom or dad cooks dinner. You’ll be spending a lot of time in your kitchen, and you’ll want it to be both functional and attractive.
Each kitchen has three main areas and functions. The first is food storage. Your luxury log home plans may have a separate pantry space, but storage also includes kitchen cabinets and your refrigerator. The second area is for cooking. The most important piece here is the stove with cook top and oven. You could consider a microwave over the stove. The third area is for cleaning and food preparation. This is where you have a sink and counter. You want enough counter space to be able to prepare food and still have room for any appliances you want to skip. Combined, these areas form the kitchen work triangle. An efficient arrangement of these areas facilitates cooking.
A U-shaped kitchen distributes the three areas on three sides. It can fit into small country house plans or larger houses. The central wall of the U is usually between ten and eighteen feet long, while the two legs can be almost any length. The sink should be easily accessible as it is the one that is used most frequently. Even people who don’t cook at home need to clean up after themselves. There should be two to three feet of countertop on each side of the sink, especially if you want to install a dishwasher. Stoves should preferably be on an outside wall for ventilation. Few things are as annoying as accidentally setting off your smoke alarm while cooking if you don’t have proper ventilation. The refrigerator should have enough space to easily open the doors without blocking the kitchen aisles.
Cabinets can be installed around all three sides of the U. If your raised ranch plans allow for longer sides, you can convert one side of the U into a seating space or bar. While the U allows for plenty of storage space, corner cabinets may not be very useful. Even with slider or lazy racks, those cabinets are hard to get to. Depending on the size, a U-shaped kitchen can become claustrophobic. This is especially true if you add an island to the center of the U for additional cabinet and counter space. Heavy cabinets can create a closed-in feeling. If you’re building or remodeling your kitchen, you may want to talk to a professional about the best way to utilize the space without overloading it.
