[gcomstock]

First post howdy!

Tried last year to figure fitting an Ikea kitchen into my tiny space (7'8" deep x 9' across) and gave up. So this year...since my footprint nor the cabinet sizes have changed, LOL...I'm having one of the installers whose card I got at the Costa Mesa store come out to measure and "consult."

I know most of you are avid DIY folks, but even if I hire out installation they'll surely be hundreds of questions that you all have already wrestled. So....

*has anyone used "Ikea certified installers" or their quasi-design service?

I'm paying $125 today (or whenever the guy can come out) of which $25 goes to the contractor who measures and "consults," and the other $100 goes to "Walter" who is ostensibly an Ikea employee with access to their CAD system (the same one that until a couple years ago was widely used instore to help folks plan). Worst case, I guess, is that the resulting design still has the same frustrating blind corner bases, gaps larger than filler panels etc.

My current kitchen has custom cabinets...though "custom" applies only to the sizes. 20+ year old particle board. For instance: the uppers are 35" tall to the dropped ceiling @7'5". The sink base is 35"wide. The kitchen is U-shaped and open on the side that meets the dining room. So possibly the contractor will have some ideas about replacing the current 18" x 48" bar (which divides the open side from the dining room) with a row of base cabinets to grab some more storage. The other most hoped for improvement is moving the fridge so I can buy a larger one without paying the premium for counter-depth (and still be able to open the dishwasher, LOL).

Obviously this post is worthless without pictures...but the whole scene looks like something out of CSI right now (not sure if that's a crime scene or the autopsy room) so modesty prevents pics. Anyway, I've enjoyed reading your posts here and and at the Gardenweb Kitchens forum ~looking forward to sharing my own war stories. Full disclosure- I'm a sloppy old bachelor and never hope to have your discerning eyes for design and decor.

[GardenOfDarwin]

Welcome Sloppy Old Bachelor! No worries....have you SEEN LilithNS's before??? She's currently holding the prize for the worst Before(but I doubt she's holding tightly to it...)

Have you tried using the online planner? There's a link to it on the home page here. I think it's basically the same software that they use in the stores. I could be wrong. I just used graph paper and a tape measure, but I admittedly have a very simple design at this point. A couple of people have used it, and then saved the design as a .jpg and posted it for comment.

Hope thatit works out, and that we can help along the way. Pictures would be great, and we wouldn't laugh. I swear. Ok, I swear you won't hear us laughing. But no pressure....

Glad you joined us!

Susan

[LilithNS]

Susan's right. If you haven't looked at my before, it's worth a peek. I posted a link under "moving along" in the design category. That may help you get over your reluctance to post a pic. I posted mine in hopes it would inspire pity and I'd get lots of advice! It worked. I can't tell you how much help they are to the design challenged like ourselves. Gcomstock, you are not alone! Hope your consult goes well. Can't wait to hear what they say and see your pic!

Lisa (the other one)

[LilithNS]

So, how did it go?

[climber_grrl]

Long time lurker (on both the KF and here), first time poster. gcomstock you encouraged me to join. I live in OC and am glad to see that there are other OCers who are as Ikea focused as me.

My DH and I are DIYers, but if you need a local second opinion on the design, I'd be more than happy to lend an opinion. I used the online planner, as well as creating my own scale drawing using MS Visio. I'd be happy to help anyone w/Visio. Using it allowed me to create multiple view points (aerial and straight on).

FYI - We ordered our kitchen on 6/25 from the Costa Mesa store and got them delivered yesterday! I bought them now, even though we are months from demo/install, because I wanted to order before the new fiscal year. (I had stared at my design long enough to know that's what I wanted.)

[GardenOfDarwin]

climber_grrl

ooohhh! An IKEA fan, AND a computer geek! Can I borrow you? I'd love to get some tips on using Visio. My husband had a MS Developer's subscription for a couple of years, so I'm quite sure we have it. Somewhere.

Congrats on your order--what's your flavor? Looking forward to your input and your questions. I'm glad that you got brave enough to join...we're still a small group here, so I hope it's a little less intimidating. Plus, if any meanies come along, I can kick them out.

Susan

[climber_grrl]

Oh man. I just wrote a big long reply and it timed out when I tried to attach a file that was too big. Starting over...

I would be happy to help anyone w/Visio. It was an absolute necessity in my design since I stacked uppers in multiple rows along a wall that goes from 8' to 13'. I attached the designs in a zip (to decrease the file size).

We have Nexus Birch all the way. We're even using Nexus Birch in the master bath (we're remodeling the entire downstairs at once - what fun!). DH came up with the idea to use 2 36" x 24" x 24" over fridge cabs as floating vanities. We'll have a granite countertop bridge them andgo from the wall to the 15" shallow pantry at the other end. We're trying to get that Kohler Purist Suite look but at a fraction of the cost.

[GardenOfDarwin]

Climber_grrl

Looks great! I've got some comments, but do yourself a favor and start a new thread. That way, I think, you'll get emailed replies to the messages and you can title the subject lineto reference your kitchen.

Here's a link to your .zip files so that you don't have to upload them again: www.ikeafans.com/images/climber_grrl_kitchendesign1.zip. Just link to that in your new post.

Alternatively, here are the two image's locations: www.ikeafans.com/images/climber_grrl_aerial1.jpg and www.ikeafans.com/images/climber_grrl_elevation1.jpg. Hope I didn't make any typos there! You can add those as inline images so that anyone reading the thread can see them without downloading files.

See you on your new thread! Oh--did you see louisekw's Nexus Birch bathroom? Just posted today. I'm really excited about the floating cabinet idea--I was just thinking about that the other day. Wouldn't work in my house, but I'm not above designing vicariously.

Susan

[gcomstock]

Good news, bad newsand so-so news, LOL. How the heck can I get a nice double bowl sink into a 30" cabinet?

The "good" is that I've finally got a layout that will fit without unreasonable gymnastics. The bad news is that I came up with it myself, after spending the $125 for the installers consultation. The "so-so" news is two parts:

The installer guy indeed came out and measured and offered some ideas, but the second part (an official Ikea design) hasn't been completed yet. The installerguy's idea to solve my space dilemma was frustrating. He immediately glommed onto "a solution" which caused way too much collateral grief: first, his plan involved flipping the stove onto the other side of the kitchen, moving the sink into the corner, and the dishwasher onto the other side of the sink (with I figure pretty significant plumbing costs involved in moving services). Second...he bumped the kitchen way too far into my small dining area and placed the fridge on the extreme end...totally visible from the living room and loft. Ugh. I didn't like the glib way he kept reassuring me "people do it all the time, you'll like it..."

Anyway, I spent a hour or three at the Costa Mesa store on Sunday working on their computers and grabbing at the various kitchen staff in the area, and came up with a much better plan on my own. The 9ft. back wall (where the plumbing and window reside) will accept a couple 45" corner units (with the cool Rationel lazy susan doogies), my dishwasher and a 30" sink cabinet. All my other heebie jeebies about picking finishes, countertops etc. are just minor (and kind of fun).

Somy questions to the group now surround "the sink issue." I really want a good old full-size cast iron double bowl job with a buncha holes (one for my Grohe faucet and the others for dishwasher airgap, drinking water spigot and soap dispenser). But the hole drilling is the least of my confusiions (since the extras can usually be made in the countertop if need be).

1. Any experience modifying cabinets to accept sinks whose nominal rough-out dimensions are too large? Or...how can I squeeze a 36" sink cabinet in? The darn catalogue doesn't mention the corner unit *actually* having 27" depth, the the computer tool is actually showing a gap. But the Ikea folks told me repeatedly: the corner unit requires 27"...

2. can I live with a single basin sink? My garbage disposal has a decent stopper, but no strainer...I really try to put as little solid waste into the plumbing as possible. Kohler *does* make a compact cast iron sink (Urbanite http://www.needplumbingsupplies.com/...mp;NpsRfrMfg=6 ) that has one good sized bowl and tiny one for the garbage disposal...but it's sized for 24" cabinet, which feels like lost opportunity, LOL.

3. can I live with a stainless steel sink (assuming that would get me more options)? My town has super-hard water, and I'm not the sort to wipe up the sink everytime it gets wet. Plus, I'm a cheapskate and there's no way I'm going to pay the price for those luxury SS sinks, even if they do fit, don't make too much racket or instantly chill the hot water in them.

Sorry for the overlong yammering...I guess this isa roller coaster many of you have already ridden. *smile*

[Tigratrus]

Hey there!

Don't worry about the design esthetics, the design police here will be happy to provide more finicky color/decorating "advice" than you probably want... ::grin::

About the sink, given the overall size of the layout I'd probably go for the smaller sink, as long as it's DEEP. The major thing I've seen that needs a big sink is rinsing/washing large items like roasting pans etc. For those, depth can often be a good substitute for sq footage. The smaller footprint sink would give you more counter space, something that you canNEVER have too much of in a small kitchen!There's an absurdly expensive combination sink/dishwasher (I think it's like $2000-$3000, made by kitchenaid?)that can work in a space pinch, though I don't think I'd ever be able to justify the cost for a SMALL dishwasher.

On the subject of dishwashers, something we found out in our project is that the dishwasher is probably the easiest appliance in the kitchen to relocate if you need to, second only to therefridgerator (just needs space and an outlet!) as all youdo is run longer water supply/drain hoses from where ever the new Dishwasher location is over to the main plumbing stack under the sink.

You might try the online version of the IKEA planner software,http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/rooms_i...download1.htmland see if you can do a screen capture (I'm guessing your're pretty computer savvy given that you found this group of online IKEA fanatics?) and post the image? That would help a lot in letting folks visualize your actual layout/space issues. I'mmore the tech and engineering kind of person (I think it's a sex-linked characteristic)but there are plenty of design deva types around(GardenofDarwin, the Lisa twins)to "consult" on the aestheticsside of the house.

In any case, welcome and good luck in your remodel!