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Architecture/removing walls

Expert: Nazim Nice - 5/3/2010

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QUESTION: Hi there,
You were kind enough to answer a paint related question a few months ago. If you could spare a moment, I could really use a second opinion on a question that relates far more directly to the design side of your profession.

We own a 70's home in central Florida, single story, block built, with timber framing within. It's the usual boxy design, with a clear delineation between formal and informal spaces, the kitchen being the conduit between the two. The design has weaknesses, such as the fact that the family room is so centrally located that the only outlook it has is a couple of glass doors leading out to an enclosed Florida room, leaving it so little natural light that a skylight had to be installed to compensate. The kitchen is also a little boxy, and leaves little room to maneuver in terms of changing the layout of cabinets and appliance placement.

Of all the houses we looked at in fact when we were house-hunting this place had the least going for it aesthetically, but it put us squarely in the neighborhood we wanted for the kids schooling and is in a location to die for (a small estate of 26 homes on 1 & 2 acre lots with its own direct private access to one of central Florida's biggest lakes). Our own lot is beautifully wooded, and came with an enormous pool - something else we were looking for.

Slowly but surely I've been working my way through the house rehabbing it room by room, and it hasn't been easy. Some previous owner had a real ad hoc attitude to adding bits and pieces to the home and the workmanship was terrible and slap dash. At one point he added a prefabricated fireplace to the family room which necessitated the appropriation of a neighboring bedroom's closet, sealed up in the most appalling manner - it took me 3 days to get it all sorted out.

Now comes the kitchen. Despite my wife's protestations I would like to open the area up in a way that appeals to my sense of an open plan aesthetic, trying at the same time not to lose too much of the wall storage, which we have precious little of to spare.

The attached images give an idea of what I'm getting at. The entry area leads to the left into a sunken formal area, 20' long, which in turn leads to the dining area on the right at the end of the room. Inside this L-shape, on the other side of the wall, lies the kitchen, and it's this area I want to open up by taking out the corner from cabinet height upwards, stopping perhaps a foot from the ceiling to give the opening a framed effect. As already mentioned, the formal lounge is lower than the rest of the house by a foot or so, which lends itself well to the idea of extending the kitchen counter out through the new opening to create a breakfast bar without the need to step it up as is usually done. It turns an area isolated by traffic into something useful, whereas before it was a dead spot only really good for cabinets or shelving.

To do this means losing two 36" wide wall cabinets that would have been put in place if I stuck with the present layout, but I'm considering compensating for this by hanging two 36" wide cabinets at ceiling height over the counter facing the family room, making them only 30" in height to leave enough space between the counter to retain the sense of openness to the family room. The other wall cabinets in the kitchen, by way of clarifying the situation, are going to be 42" high, also set at ceiling height.

So the point is, am I heading down the right direction with all this, or am I breaking some sort of architectural cardinal rule by eliminating the barrier between formal and informal areas? It just all looks very conventional and constrained to me, yet my wife thinks I'll devalue the house by opening it up as I envisage it. What do you think?

From your perspective, would you suggest taking the wall out to ceiling height, or would my thought of framing the opening and keeping a sense of separation be the better option? If I do leave a foot or so to the ceiling, should I leave a small section of the corner to act as a support pillar, or could I leave the corner completely open and leave the trusses to bear the negligible weight of the remaining portion - it wouldn't amount to the weight of more than a few pieces of 2 x 4 and some small sections of drywall. Another thought might be to take the wall out completely to ceiling height and hang a couple of 12" high wine racks across the opening as far as the corner.

One last point, in case you're wondering about it. The walls aren't load bearing, so I'm not going to be compromising anything structurally by taking out the section mentioned. And apologies for the mess showing in the pictures - the house is rather chaotic at the moment while I'm working through all of the rooms and trying to store items of furniture wherever I can.

Sincerely.........Tim Wilde

PS - If I could really have my way, I'd go ahead with the proposed plan, also completely remove the wall between the dining area and kitchen, move the kitchen completely to what is now the family room (I can easily connect plumbing to a neighboring bathroom) put the dining area where the kitchen presently sits, and turn the present dining area into an extended part of the lounge area. In addition, the aforementioned breakfast bar could simply be turned into a bar. It would thus eliminate what I always consider a dead zone, dining rooms that get rarely used, and concentrate all the living spaces in one area - it would be an entertainers delight. Still, I think my wife would divorce me if i went ahead with the plan!

ANSWER: Hi Tim,

Unless your home is very traditional in style, most homes designed today are more open concept, and don't necessarily incorporate 'formal' living/dining spaces. These spaces rarely get used, so I'm all for integrating them into the design and getting more use out of them.

I'm not sure I completely understand your 'grand plan' at the bottom of your message, but it sounds a bit like what I did in the condo I live in now. I moved the kitchen into an overly large living space and then turned the old kitchen into more useful space (in our case, a small office and walk-in closet for the master bedroom). Sometimes a home does need a complete rethinking to 'make it right'. But it should be the right plan that actually fixes things, rather than creates a host of different problems. Perhaps hiring an architect to look at the plan and help you out would be worthwhile if you decide to pursue this option?

Regarding some details you mention in the email. Keep in mind bar heights tend to be 36" or 42" high. You may find that a bar this is 48" high or so a little too high (and may not work well with standard bar height stools). Also, if you hang cabinets between two rooms, consider having glass doors/panels on both sides to maintain the openness. I generally don't love cabinets like this, but the glass does help make them feel lighter. There may be ways to eliminate them, like finding an area to stack floor to ceiling cabinets to make up for 3 upper cabinets. I've done a few kitchens with no true upper cabinets . . . it can be hard to plan these, but usually there is a way, but you have to be very creative.

Regarding keeping a foot of the wall at the ceiling or not, if your wife still wants some definition of the rooms, this may be a good way to achieve this. I wouldn't leave the foot and have cabinets hanging down, though. I'd keep it clean and leave the foot of wall, or have cabinets, but not both.

Be careful about going too far. No remodel project is worth getting divorced over!

Nazim Nice
Principal / Architect
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---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

layout

QUESTION: Hi Nazim,
Thanks for the quick response.

I should have mentioned that I was thinking of double glassed cabinets for the very reasons that you mentioned.

I'm glad to see you like the idea of rationalizing the house into a more open plan. The more I think about it the more I want to go that way, and surprisingly my wife actually likes the idea more and more.

As far as the confusion, I would have sent a detailed plan but the site in question would only allow me to upload one image. I've included the rough sketch of the living space layout this time around for your interest. As I mentioned, the living room will become the kitchen area, the former kitchen will be turned into the dining area, the former dining room will become an open space adjoining the dining area and will be turned into a cozy family area leading out to the main living room. The wall between the new dining area and the lounge is where the wet bar will go. I like the concept because it centralizes all the living spaces, removes the dead zones, and turns the home into a great place to entertain. Plus it will give us a great kitchen area nearly 50% larger than the old one.

Thanks again............Tim

PS - I took note of your point regarding bar height, and will make the appropriate adjustments.

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Nazim Nice

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I am a Seattle Architect and can answer architecture and design related questions. Ask me about material suggestions or usage. Ask me about design options - what is good design and what is bad. Ask me about choosing exterior house colors and furniture layout options. Ask me about detailing and assembling houses or components in the home. Ask me about green design or materials. Ask me about choosing an architect, the architectural services, basement remodels, second story additions, and whole house remodels. Ask me about garage design, bathroom remodels, laundry and mudroom design, family room additions, and roof deck additions.

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Over 12 years of practice in the Architectural field including three years of internship plus 5 years of school. I have taught at the Knowlton School of Architecture at the Ohio State University and lectured at Carnegie Mellon University. I currently own and run the Seattle Architecture Firm, Motionspace Architecture + Design PLLC.

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