Add a pantry and cut out new entry into kitchen? Can this be done relatively easily?
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Anonymous
So here is my soon to be kitchen:
I would like to add a pantry where you currently see the entry/exit into the main hallway by putting up an additional wall and then installing a door and shelves. In order to compensate for closing off that entry/exit, I was thinking of cutting out a different entry/exit on the wall just to the right of where the existing entry is (caddy corner). You can see it from the other side in this picture; the new entry/exit would be around where you see the light switch (the one on the left): 
What do you think of this? Should this be something straightforward that a general handyman/contract should be able to do? How much do you think this would run? We are just in need of a pantry.... |
Anonymous
| Any feedback? |
Anonymous
| Pics no worky |
Anonymous
Strange because I can see the pics right now. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| I think it would work flow wise, but you might want to live with it a while. We don't have a real pantry either but have actually found that we have enough space in our cabinets. |
Anonymous
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The flow is arguably better without that little kitchen foyer and a pantry was a god-send in our small kitchen so I'd say go for it.
That wall is almost certainly load bearing so you really need to have a contractor or engineer look at where you can and cannot punch a door. Also you are looking at re-routing some electrical (which means permit) and patching/matching hardwood floors. Very hard to estimate costs but materials would be under $1.5K (guesstimate based on solid, pre-hung door, framing materials, drywall, paint, cheap shelving). Still, it shouldn't be a huge project- with an engineer's assessment I'd probably DIY, but I'm pretty handy. |
Anonymous
| I"m with 9:13. See how it works for your family, then tweak it if necessary. Not a big job, but may be worth paying extra for an architect to ensure you get it right. |
Anonymous
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the only downfall is that you wil be starting right into the kitchen when you walk in the house.
alexandria belle haven i take it |
Anonymous
Yes, Belle Haven. How in the world did you know that? Part of me is feeling rushed because the floors really need to be refinished prior to moving in and I keep thinking of stuff that should be done before doing the floors. Cause if I do the floors first and then end up changing the footprint of the kitchen a tad, then I'd end up having to redo some part of the floor. I would love to live in the house for 6 months before I do anything, but know that doing the floors after all my stuff in there that it would be a major PITA and a lot more expensive. |
Anonymous
| look upstairs and downstairs (if you have an open ceiling basement) to make sure there is no plumbing risers or hvac ducts) that might be running inside the wall. |
Anonymous
| What do you think about this idea instead; opening up the kitchen completely by taking down the upper cabinets on that wall adjacent to the stove (leaving the lower cabinets in place) and then only having the bottom half of the wall there, so when you are walking up the stairs, you don't see that wall except from the lower cabinets down? I hope I am articulating it right. |
Anonymous
| why oh why oh why would you cut off access from the kitchen to the dining room? i'd worry more about what those tiles are in your ceiling... |
Anonymous
I think you misunderstood the question. When you look at the photo of the dining room, she's trying to close off the existing door on the right, where the kitchen exits to the hallway. There is a small L jog there for the exit. She wants to close off the L and make it a pantry and then add a new archway. In the photo of the dining room, she wants to move the archway about 3-4 feet to the left so that it is directly opposite the stairway behind the couch with the brown blanket. On the photo from the kitchen, it would move the door way from the left-side of the corner to the blank patch of wall on the right side of the corner (immediately to the left of the counter with the six-plug adapter over it). It's not a bad idea, but depending on if the wall is load-bearing (looks like it might be) and the electrical (there is a light switch on the hallway side on that patch of wall) and ductwork (there is also a vent on the living room side of the wall), it could be expensive to adjust that wall. OP, you need to talk to a structural engineer and possibly an electrician and an HVAC guy to see how expensive this would be. Another alternative would be to close off the corner of the dining room where you have the little buffet table and put in a pantry there (if you are standing in the kitchen facing the dining room table, the nook immediately to the left on the dining room side). Depending on what is on the opposite side of the wall in the kitchen, you could have it open up on the kitchen side or you can have a thin slide out style pantry where the pantry shelves would slide out in front of the archway. Something like this, but you can get all sorts of finishes and styles: 
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Anonymous
| I would just get a nice floor to ceiling cabinet and put it in the space so you do not have to worry about structure. We keep a pantry in the basement - far better space wise if you have a basement. |