help me plan my addition/renovation

[Anonymous]

We want to push out the back of our house, which includes a mud room/laundry, kitchen and breakfast area, and dining room. I think we want to push it out by about 5 feet. What I really want is help designing the kitchen. It's a kosher kitchen, and I want 2 sinks and dishwashers, and a double oven.

Should I just say that we're pushing out 5 feet and work with a kitchen designer on that size kitchen, then find an architect for the rest of the addition and then a general contractor to do the work? I'm unsure of where to start with this whole process, and since this is our forever house, we want to do it correctly.

TIA for any advice you can give me.

[Anonymous]

You need an architect is anything is load bearing.

[Anonymous]

A double wall oven is pretty standard. What you may also want to consider is that you can have a second kitchen but it doesn't necessarily have to be full size, e.g.:
http://tinyhousetalk.com/japanese-tiny-home/

Pretty much anything from refrigerators to dishwashers can be done in a drawer or can be in a compact space yet still functional.

[Anonymous]

Architect

- will design kitchen
- will tell you what's load bearing
- can give good ideas

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for the replies. So I guess I can skip the kitchen designer, which should help us keep our costs down.

Any recommendations for architects? We're in Silver Spring.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for the replies. So I guess I can skip the kitchen designer, which should help us keep our costs down.

Any recommendations for architects? We're in Silver Spring.

Thanks!

Depends on style and budget.

Expect to pay 10 to 15 % of construction costs to architect.

[Anonymous]

Another option is to look into a design-build firm. This kind of firm would not only do the architectural piece, but also the actual construction. A popular one in our close-in SS neighborhood is Merrick (out of Kensington). They have done nice work for several of my neighbors on their moderately-priced homes.

If you go with an architect, make sure you find one that you like and that has plenty of builder contacts in your area so they can put the firm out for bid, act as your consultant, etc.

Some folks feel like an architect helps keep the builder honest, while others feel more comfortable with the design and construction being done by the same company.

If you already know what you need in your kitchen for kosher purposes, either an architect or the design-build firm can take your requirements (2 ovens, 2 sinks, etc.) and design around them. I would suggest that a kitchen designer is only necessary if you're changing within the same footprint or borrowing a small amount of space from an existing room.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Ileana, thank you for the offer but we're in Silver Spring, MD.

PP, thanks for the suggestion. I'll look at Merrick and Case, too, I guess. But aren't they much more expensive than using separate architects and builders? We're on a limited budget here.