*
…for interior work: I
i need
an island, a big one. Big enough to sit at all around the island and big enough for a professional chef to prep on. No sink, no nothing. My DH thinks I should have drawers all around and I don’t even care about that, really – he does. I just want the space to prep food on. It would have to be in the center & the room is approximately 11 1/2′ x 17 or 18′.
Our house is cantilevered (?) on 4 sides, the foundation being much smaller than the house itself. The only area I can put the island will be in the dining room, where it hangs out from the foundation. Is weight a problem, do you think? Our house has never shifted more than 1/8th inch…
Any ideas of cost (I would like to use wood for the top, pine or whatever for the island. Drawers, etc. I would get from Kraftmaid at one of their awesome sales (they are based here) that they have a couple times a year.
Replies
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Unless you intend to load the crap out of the island (ten inch thick granite top, etc) you
i probably
be ok. If something starts to happen (cracks) deal with it then. The house isn't going to collapse, unless it's already going to anyways...
blue
*No, no granite here. $$$$ is an issue!
*Note that electrical outlets are required on islands like they are on other kitchen counters. You might get out of that if it is a dining room island instead of a kitchen island, but there is a logic to the rule. Without outlets on the island, you will be running extension cords to it to run mixers and cuisinarts, etc. and those cords can be overloaded and will be trip hazards. Spilling hot puree onto your legs is bad enough. Worse is a child is down there.By far the easiest way to go (especially if DH pevails in his request for drawers) is to use standard kitchen cabinets and get some 1/4" plywood from the cabinet maker to match so you can cover the sides and back. I'd put butcherblock on it, unless you are short of other types of surfaces elsewhere (bread kneading/pasty rolling, hot pot safe, easy wash-down, etc) then maybe you want 2 or 3 surfaces on the island. -David
*If all you're looking for is space, then have you considered a large work-table ? You can get a trestle base, or a couple of pedistals from a paint-your-own furniture place or one of the component shops and have them make up a top the right size. Make the top to base connection 'knock-down' in case you ever want to move it. you can put in flush-mounted floor outlets and a short HD extension up to outlets built into the top - in some restaurants we've put in a 220v 4-prong in the floor and a distribution box under the table to service outlets along an apron under the top surface; this was to facilitate a demonstration preparing/cooking service at lunch that had to be cleared away for dinner service. (the biggest challenge was putting a 48" gas stove onto a mobile base)
*use 2 ( 24 deep x 30 wide drawer base) put 'em back to back.. but hold them 3 inches apart.. cover the sides with the 1/4 inch panels (as per Dave),, and install your outlets in the 3 inch space..your base is now 51 long and 30 wide with the drawers facing out on each end..get a butcherblock top 4 inches longer and two feet wider (so 55 x 54 ) the overhang will be on the sides for seating.. with only a two inch overhang over the drawers..the 12 inch overhang should be fine for unsupported butcher block.. especially if you keep the grain running with the overhang..if you have a longer overhang over the drawers you either have to abandon the top drawer or get double-extension slides...you need a minimum of 30 inch clearance all around to make this work...one of the problems of islands is the amount of sea-room they need...so 110 x 110 inches.... mark it out let us know how much room you really have to work with.. i don't think you have enough room..b but hey, whadda i no ?
*GH,Here is a pic of island I did last fall. It is 4'x8' with a 2' overhang. Seats 5 easy.Get a sheet of plywood and set it up in the room to see what size you want.KK
*KK,Nice looking work. A while back I read a thread about site built cabinets. Did you build these on site?
*Mad Dog,Thanks. These were built on site from bandsawn cypress that the owner supplied. I don't do alot of cabinets but these were fun cuz I got to teach some rookies.Would love to see some of yours.KK
*Look around Cleve for a salvage yard or maybe a bowling alley going outta business. Find a pc. of lane for your top. Or maybe a shuffleboard from a game shop. On the side closest to the stove, ohang the top enough to scrape all that chopped brocoli into the pan rather than dropping pcs on the floor carrying it over to the stove. Put an iron pot holder thing about 5" below the top to rest that skillet on while you scrape. Slip on a pc of marble for rolling that pastry dough. Maybe some ceramic so hot pans aren't a concern. Your top can be whatever you want and need not be just one surface. Mix and match for a truly working top for the cook you are. Suggested min. between island and any other counter top - 38", more for a seating area. Have fun.
*David - Fortunately 1999 NEC rescinded some of the rules for outlets on islands - the outright requirements aren't as bad as they were. That being said, working them into the design is always a little tricky, since they can't face up.Jeff
*Grasshopper, It's my wild guess that you are teaching cooking in your home. If so, I knew someone with the same needs many years ago. I remember some suggestions I gave that she really liked: 1. Put it on wheels. Heavy duty locking casters to be exact. This helps the space be more flexible.2. Check out some kitchen cabinet supply places for showroom demos. They often have just a couple pieces that will do the trick.3. Make that top freakin' solid! The butcher block mentioned above is a great idea. You need to be able to work without flimsiness.
*Calvin - I bought a piece of salvaged bowling alley lane for my workshop. The guy selling it said not to use them for food surfaces as they were treated and would leach toxins into the food. He talked like that was standard treatment for lanes, so one should use caution when using salvaged materials for kitchen surfaces.
*Thanks, Casey, good tip. I never thought of outlets for the island; I just figure I'll do "electrical" things in the kitchen itself, and anything non-electrical on the island. I need to do that, though, so I don't limit myself so much. I was trying to be real cost-conscious, as well as husband-conscious. My guy has been thrilling me with his talents but I was trying to keep it simple to spare him. Oh dear, this isn't coming out right... Food for thought. Keep the ideas coming when you think of them. When I think of other things I need for it, I'll ask. I truly appreciate your input, everybody. Who else is going to be totally honest with me???
*I don't have a picture of the island that I built, but consider this - find a nice, but heavily-built table that you like (we found one at a thrift shop), and take the top off. Use the maple butcher block, or similar top and attach it as the new work surface. I agree with the item about not using the bowling surface for food prep, but you can look around your area for a shop that has a stroke sander, or a large abrasive planer (really just a b-i-g belt sander), and take that stuff off, then re-finish it with something more kitchen-friendly. Actually, you probably don't want to be cutting on your nice counter top anyway, so you might want to use a smaller piece of butcher block just for a cutting surface.Before you attach the top to the table trestle, if you want power to it, you can drill a hole up through one leg, and pull wire to a couple of boxes mounted under the overhang (if your building code allows this). You can pull the wire back to your main panel and run it into a GFCI breaker, or use a GFCI outlet as the first one on the circuit.To satisfy your need for drawers, you can look for a table that already has a couple, or find cabinets that will fit under the table.Because the butcher block will be a nice solid surface, you can rout out a nice square area about 16 3/16" x 16 3/16" x 3/8" deep, and go to a tile store and see if they have any discontinued marble tiles to set into your top. I've been able to find them for as little as $3-5. You need the 3/16" or so to allow for expansion and contraction of your top. The tile won't shrink! Viola' - a surface for baking or for hot pots.My wife is also a professional chef, so every kitchen we've had has been prep and cleanup friendly. The island on heavy duty casters is also a great idea if you don't need electric or plumbing, and your building codes permit it.
*ah, you mean we need building codes? hehe
*
...for interior work: I
i need
an island, a big one. Big enough to sit at all around the island and big enough for a professional chef to prep on. No sink, no nothing. My DH thinks I should have drawers all around and I don't even care about that, really - he does. I just want the space to prep food on. It would have to be in the center & the room is approximately 11 1/2' x 17 or 18'.
Our house is cantilevered (?) on 4 sides, the foundation being much smaller than the house itself. The only area I can put the island will be in the dining room, where it hangs out from the foundation. Is weight a problem, do you think? Our house has never shifted more than 1/8th inch...
Any ideas of cost (I would like to use wood for the top, pine or whatever for the island. Drawers, etc. I would get from Kraftmaid at one of their awesome sales (they are based here) that they have a couple times a year.