WIP - Ridge Meadows Reno Part 2 / Design Tips - Clearance at Seating

Earlier this week the homeowner sent us this email:
I was thinking about the right hand side of the bay window (the side by the patio door) and was wondering if we could now fit a small cabinet there, perhaps a corner style one now that we have more room as the stairs are wider. Is this possible? What do you think?
As much as we try to anticipate every design question in advance, sometimes ideas pop up as the renovation unfolds and we have to make some design decisions on the fly.  In this situation we were able to relocate a support column making our stairs into the dining room quite a bit wider.

The area where the customer would like to add cabinets is the blank area to the left of the cabinet labelled BEA1215R.  As you can see there is definitely space available, about 5 feet to be exact.  So we can order more cabinets, right?

Courtesy of NKBA.org
Before we answer that, let's examine NKBA Kitchen Guideline #8 - Traffic Clearance at Seating.  In a seating area where no traffic passes behind a seated diner, allow a minimum 32” of clearance from the counter/table edge to any wall or other obstruction behind the seating area. If traffic passes behind the seated diner, allow at least 36” to edge past and at least 44” to walk past.

This is a wider view of the area in question that shows the island that sits in the middle of the kitchen.  Across the back is a raised eating bar, and with this family of 6 the bar will definitely be used.  The distance between the bar and wall is shown as 60".  If the guideline says we need 44" then we should be able to put cabinetry up to 16" deep along that wall.  Order more cabinets already!

Courtesy NKBA.org
Guideline #8 continues, stating that if traffic passes behind the seated diner, we need to plan a minimum of 60” to allow passage for a person in a wheelchair.  This addresses "Universal Design".  We'll deal with Universal Design in detail in another post, but for now it refers to making a room as accessible to as many people of as many abilities as possible.

In this situation, nobody in the homeowner's family is in a wheelchair.  In fact they're all very fit.  But there are 6 of them (4 active kids), and they also enjoy entertaining.  The staircase (directly behind the island) is the only access into the living room and the back patio and pool.  In other words, it's going to be a very busy staircase.

While adding cabinetry to this design would fall within the basic guidelines, the more stringent Universal Design guidelines seem to be a more prudent course of action.  In the end, it's the homeowner's decision.  But for this situation we suggested not adding cabinetry.  We'll keep you posted as to what the decision was in the end.

Note from Paradigm:  We spent some time with the client today (10/29/10) mapping out the cabinets on the floor and actually standing in the space.  With the Christmas party season fast approaching they saw this area as a potential bottleneck and decided to leave the cabinetry as planned.

Links to other entries in the WIP series on the Ridge Meadows Reno:

Part 1
Part 3

Gallery - Hotel Spa Chic

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The residents of this Dunbar area home wanted a high-end hotel spa feel to their new bathroom. From the roomy walk in shower to the luxurious finishes used throughout this reno would have you wondering, "Why go anyplace but home?"

Crema marfil sets the scene from the shower walls to the floor, vanity countertop to funky accent tile with glass. The contrast of the Hoisin stained Shaker cabinetry and streamlined chrome fixtures pulls the whole look together. Added details include a separate toilet area, continuous tile into the shower area, an over-sized rain shower head and linen towers flanking the vanity.

WIP - Ridge Meadows Reno - Part 1

There's a saying that goes:  "Misery loves company" and while we hope that any project you'd do with us wouldn't be classified as misery, we thought that we could help with the "company" part of that equation by sharing a renovation project with you in real time.  The is WIP (Work in Progress), and for the next few weeks we'll looking at a project in Ridge Meadows.

The interesting thing about this project is that we've been here before.  Paradigm did the first kitchen renovation for this client back in 2000.  At the time it was quite an extensive remodel, but 10 years and 2 (additional) children later the space didn't quite meet their needs any more.  What was needed was more room for the family, and the guests they entertain. 

The new kitchen design is an even bigger departure from the original kitchen than the first renovation.  In fact it's almost 180 degrees different since the entire kitchen is switching places with the dining room.  This means all the services have to move to the other side of a very large room!  In addition we're also removing a wall to make the new dining room even larger, and we're making the access into the living room a little wider.

This is our original renovation just after it was completed back in 2000 ... and the site of the new dining room.  The wall behind the refrigerator is the wall we're removing, which will add another 48" to the room.  All the cabinetry you see in the room has found a new home, something we try to do for every old kitchen we remove.

Here's the room now.  The black pipe you see on the right is a drain stack from the upstairs bathroom.  We knew it was there before we took out the wall, but our hope was that we were going to be able to relocate it.  However, until the drywall came off and we looked at things close up we couldn't be 100% certain we could do it.  This is a very important thing to remember when you renovate.  Plan ahead whenever possible, and when you can't you have to choose between making a design decision on the fly, or anticipating a "worst case scenario". 

For us, the worst case was not being able to remove the wall.  Would the design be possible even if the wall couldn't be removed?  For us it was and we were able to proceed without waiting.  But if it hadn't been we would have been forced to do some pre-design demolition, or to wait until the phase we're at now.  Of course the sooner you can be certain the better, but sometimes it's just not possible.

This is the wall that used to house a pantry, desk area and wall oven.  In the new design it will be home to the fridge, microwave and a long run of pot and pan drawers.  Directly opposite this wall will be the new island and the 48" professional style range. 

This is the same wall now.  We've furred out the wall to even it up from some previous framing.  You'll notice another black drain pipe to the right of the ducts.  This was relocated from it's original home on the opposite side of the room something we were able to do since we'd added some extra depth to the new wall.  We are fortunate that this kitchen also has a crawl space beneath, making the majority of the mechanical (plumbing, electrical, heating) work much simpler.

This is where the new kitchen will be.  Cabinetry and countertops will run beneath all 3 windows providing a very large work surface.  The sink will be situated beneath the middle window and the aforementioned island and range will be in the middle of this space.

Something else of note in these pictures are the pot lights in the ceiling.  Whenever we are involved with a complete renovation like this, we work out a lighting plan to go with the layout of the kitchen.  However, until the ceiling is explosed we have no idea if what we have planned will actually work with the framing in the room.  In this case, the lighting plan worked about 75% from what we had planned.  The designer and the electrician met on the job site to discuss the required changes.  These changes were then discussed with the client to be sure they met everyone's expectations.

Coming up next:  drywall, floor prep and cabinets!

Links to other entries in the WIP series on the Ridge Meadows Reno:

Part 2

The Village - Halloween Hunt 2010

The Cambie Village Merchants Association organizes many family friendly events around the holidays.  For Halloween, visitors to The Village can participate in another edition of Halloween Hunt

From noon to 3:00pm on Saturday, October 30, 2010, ghosts and goblins can pick up a treasure map at Cambie & 18th and visit Village merchants for treats and treasures (stickers & stamps).  There will be face painting, magic shows and pumpkin decorating at City Square.  In addition, The Park Theatre will be hosting a "by donation" viewing of some family-friendly cinema!

For more information check out the Cambie Village Merchants Association web site.

Gallery - Klassic Kerrisdale

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This stunning kitchen was recently installed in a new Kerrisdale home. Our recessed panel wide-rail door in our painted and stained cherry combination fits this craftsman decor beautifully. Features include 2 different colours of engineered stone countertops, integrated appliances, furniture base and posts, leaded glass doors and decorative hood fan shroud. Over-height cabinetry and tall crown moulding with matching ceiling soffit fill the space and make a grand statement. Watch for a future blog post featuring the rest of the cabinetry installed in this home!

Choices - Countertops Part 2 - Solid Surface

Next in the Choices countertop series we’re going to take a look at solid surfacing. Solid surfacing covers a wide range of products that share the following characteristics:
  • Man made
  • Non porous
  • Repairable
  • Post-formable

Probably the best known brand name of solid surfacing is Corian, which has been around for over 40 years. Today there are many others on the market: Avonite, Gibraltar, Hi-Macs, and Staron to name but a few. Colour and composition are what differentiate these manufacturers from each other, but for the end user they all behave more or less the same.

Composition is typically acrylic polymers and alumina trihydrate, but polyester and other resins are also used. Colouration comes from other minerals, pigments and even ground up bits of solid surface itself. From personal experience, we look for the acrylic based products. Most manufacturers that once used other resins are switching to acrylic as well which is a good indication of the direction to follow. Bottom line: acrylic is more colour stable and maintains its strength longer than the other resins.

What makes solid surface most appealing is the fact it’s non-porous. Many solid surfaces are acceptable for use in commercial food prep areas because they do not absorb bacteria. Non-porous also means stain resistant, so if you forgot to wipe up the red wine you spilled the night before, you don’t have to worry about it staining.

The colour of each sheet of solid surface is continuous through the thickness of the sheet giving solid surface the benefit of being repairable. A Corian rep we know tells a story about a massive fire in the bar at the Sydney Yacht Club in Australia. The Corian bartop was recovered, and although warped and burned, fabricators were able to straighten it, clean it up and re-install it as though it were brand new.

Of course, most home-owners don’t have to deal with repairs of that magnitude. But for minor scratches and abrasions, solid surface performs equally as well. A little bit of buffing will get out most minor damage, and most can be handled without professional help.

Another attractive feature of solid surface is “invisible” seaming. While it may appear that a solid surface countertop is made from one piece, or even that it was formed from a mould, the fact is there are going to be seams. However, because of the adhesives used and the nature of solid surface these seams are practically invisible to the naked eye. Invisible seams also means there’s nothing for dirt to catch on. In the case of a solid surface sink this is a real benefit; countertop messes can simply be wiped straight into the sink with no ledge to catch on.

To take advatage of the post-formability of solid surface, fabricators apply heat, bend the material into whatever shape they'd like, and allow the material to cool. A little creativity allows fabricators to bend sheets of solid surface into furniture, sinks and even lamp shades.

For more information on solid surface check out The International Solid Surface Fabricators Association web site.  As always you can also contact one of our designers for an appointment, or drop by the showroom.