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evenedan
Need a little sunshine
Member since 9/05 3843 total posts
Name:
D
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I need help!
My brain hurts.
I have to decide if I want to squeeze a 1/2 bathroom into our kitchen renovation and I'm about to have a meltdown over it. We have a galley kitchen that would be beautiful and spacious without the bathroom. With the bathroom, things feel tight. I'd have to sacrifice quite a bit of cabinet space and counterspace and my farmhouse sink (not to mention my recycling center, which is HUGE because my husband is a recycling nut and I cannot deal with collecting the crap on the countertop!)
I don't really mind not having a bathroom on the first floor right now, but I keep worrying about the future... things like, what if one day my mom can no longer walk up stairs, will she not be able to come over? If we have kids, will I regret not having the extra bathroom? What about resale? Arggghhh!
Then again, I really feel the kitchen is the heartbeat of the house and I really want mine to be the most spacious and efficient it can be.
Any words of wisdom?
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Posted 12/21/09 11:10 PM  |
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JldDolphin
Member since 1/07 6929 total posts
Name:
Jen
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Re: I need help!
I would go for the bigger kitchen. GL with your decision.
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| Posted 12/21/09 11:12 PM |
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SummerMom
Now a mom of 2!
Member since 6/07 4970 total posts
Name:
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Re: I need help!
Your question sounds to me like, "I really love my kitchen and want it to stay big and beautiful but I feel like I have to put in a half bath even though I don't want to." So... I think you're answering your own question!
Go with your heart, and make your room the way you want it. You can always add a half bath somewhere in the future, right?
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| Posted 12/21/09 11:20 PM |
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rileysmama
needing a vacation..!
Member since 10/09 2162 total posts
Name:
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Re: I need help!
an extra bathroom is always nice..but a bigger kitchen is better, i think, especially for re-sale value...unless you're not a big kitchen person...but i also feel, like you, that a kitchen is a big focal point of a home.
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| Posted 12/21/09 11:21 PM |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
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Re: I need help!
Posted by rileysmama
an extra bathroom is always nice..but a bigger kitchen is better, i think, especially for re-sale value...unless you're not a big kitchen person...but i also feel, like you, that a kitchen is a big focal point of a home.
I know I often don't think the way most people do, but for me, I wouldn't even look at a house if it didn't at least have a half bath on the main floor. No matter what size kitchen you have, it's a kitchen, and you can make it work for you. However, if there is no bathroom, absolutely everyone has to run upstairs to use the bathroom. That means when you run inside after a long trip and HAVE to go.... when you have a party, everyone is running up and down the stairs the entire time. If a guest comes over who has a hard time with stairs, they will be in a predicament. If someone in the house is in a leg cast temporarily, they will have to deal with the stairs several times a day. Etc, etc.
Yes, a big kitchen is great, but I think practically, a .5 bath downstairs is more important.
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| Posted 12/22/09 7:17 AM |
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KittyGags
LIF Adult
Member since 7/09 5614 total posts
Name:
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Re: I need help!
Posted by GoldenRod
Posted by rileysmama
an extra bathroom is always nice..but a bigger kitchen is better, i think, especially for re-sale value...unless you're not a big kitchen person...but i also feel, like you, that a kitchen is a big focal point of a home.
I know I often don't think the way most people do, but for me, I wouldn't even look at a house if it didn't at least have a half bath on the main floor. No matter what size kitchen you have, it's a kitchen, and you can make it work for you. However, if there is no bathroom, absolutely everyone has to run upstairs to use the bathroom. That means when you run inside after a long trip and HAVE to go.... when you have a party, everyone is running up and down the stairs the entire time. If a guest comes over who has a hard time with stairs, they will be in a predicament. If someone in the house is in a leg cast temporarily, they will have to deal with the stairs several times a day. Etc, etc.
Yes, a big kitchen is great, but I think practically, a .5 bath downstairs is more important.
I love a big kitchen just as much as the next gal but I feel absolutely the same as you.
I wish I could see how the room is laid out to try to help you find more creative solutions?
I know our garbage and recycling are in a cabinet, hidden, one can for garbage and one for recycling. The next thing we have thats super helpful is the trash disposal in the sink. It really cuts down on the amount of garbage we have...
Do you have pics or a rough floor plan?
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| Posted 12/22/09 9:38 AM |
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MrsSteflily
I love chocolate
Member since 4/06 2047 total posts
Name:
Stef
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Re: I need help!
Where do your guests go to use the bathroom? How many bathrooms do you have in your home?
I would not look at a house that didn't have a full bath on the first floor. It's extremely important if you are having guests.
I think the sacrifice for a 1/2 bath is your best bet.
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| Posted 12/22/09 10:14 AM |
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pinkandblue
Our family is complete, maybe
Member since 9/05 32436 total posts
Name:
Stephanie
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Re: I need help!
Posted by GoldenRod
Posted by rileysmama
an extra bathroom is always nice..but a bigger kitchen is better, i think, especially for re-sale value...unless you're not a big kitchen person...but i also feel, like you, that a kitchen is a big focal point of a home.
I know I often don't think the way most people do, but for me, I wouldn't even look at a house if it didn't at least have a half bath on the main floor. No matter what size kitchen you have, it's a kitchen, and you can make it work for you. However, if there is no bathroom, absolutely everyone has to run upstairs to use the bathroom. That means when you run inside after a long trip and HAVE to go.... when you have a party, everyone is running up and down the stairs the entire time. If a guest comes over who has a hard time with stairs, they will be in a predicament. If someone in the house is in a leg cast temporarily, they will have to deal with the stairs several times a day. Etc, etc.
Yes, a big kitchen is great, but I think practically, a .5 bath downstairs is more important.
I agree 100%, I would not even consider a house without a bathroom on the main level, it is a must, IMHO
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| Posted 12/22/09 10:16 AM |
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DiamondGirl
You are my I love you
Member since 7/09 18802 total posts
Name:
DiamondMama
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Re: I need help!
How many bathrooms do you have?
We are in a 2 bdrm co-op and have one bath..I would kill for another, even a half so I would probably do it..although I love a big kitchen also 
Tough decision BUT if I had only one bath in the house I would do it
Good luck
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| Posted 12/22/09 10:16 AM |
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Blu-ize
Plan B is Now Plan A
Member since 7/05 32475 total posts
Name:
Susan
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Re: I need help!
add the bathroom. If you can't add it to the kitchen add it somewhere.
It really is worth it.
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| Posted 12/22/09 10:31 AM |
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danielleandscott
My new 71 Super Beetle
Member since 5/05 13476 total posts
Name:
Scott
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Re: I need help!
I would go with the bigger kitchen
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| Posted 12/22/09 10:31 AM |
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Cpt2007
A new love!
Member since 1/08 5946 total posts
Name:
Liz
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Re: I need help!
I would do whatever I could to work a half bath into the layout of the main floor, even if that meant sacrificing a small section of my kitchen.
Our friends have a brick colonial with 2 full baths-- one upstairs on the second floor, and one in their basement. There is no bathroom on the main level of the home. It is a problem for them, and they don't even have children yet.
There are lots of options for half baths-- corner sinks, smaller toilets, etc. Is there a closet you could potentially sacrifice instead on the floor?
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| Posted 12/22/09 10:54 AM |
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MrsMerlot
Unconditional Love
Member since 4/06 6005 total posts
Name:
Chrissy
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Re: I need help!
go with the bigger kitchen...you can always add a half bathroom at a later part of your life when needed...using a closet!
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| Posted 12/22/09 10:58 AM |
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Re: I need help!
If i were planning on moving in the near future i would choose the bathroom. Resale value $$$ and you also reach a broader lot of buyers, like someone said, when house shopping i didn't even look at homes without at least a 1/2 bath on 1st floor. You don't want to be overlooked for that reason.
Bedrooms and our bath are upstairs and when we have a house full of people, i like that people have NO reason to be up there :)
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| Posted 12/22/09 12:08 PM |
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Cheeks24
Living a dream
Member since 1/08 8589 total posts
Name:
Cheeks
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Re: I need help!
I would go for the bathroom on the main floor. My uncle's house doesn't have one and it is a big problem for them. As much as I would love to make my kitchen bigger, I would never give up my 1/2 bath.
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| Posted 12/22/09 12:37 PM |
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evenedan
Need a little sunshine
Member since 9/05 3843 total posts
Name:
D
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Re: I need help!
Thanks everyone, I'm going to come back and post pics of the design layouts with and without the bathroom soon (so far I only have a layout that includes a bathroom) and ask for all your opinions again.
I really want the bathroom, but I just feel it's going to make my adequately sized kitchen very tiny. It's not as if I have a huge kitchen to start with and will still have a big kitchen when it's done.
Sigh.
To be continued....
Message edited 12/22/2009 5:57:40 PM.
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| Posted 12/22/09 5:57 PM |
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