How to Expand a Small Kitchen

Pushing back a kitchen wall just 2 feet gives lots of new room.

You can find additional floor space for a small kitchen by moving a wall or borrowing space from an adjoining room. Even if you have no existing space to use, you can bump out the kitchen to the end of the house eaves. By gaining just a few square feet of floor space, you can add larger appliances, more cabinets or an island.

Things You'll Need

• Sketch pad or graph paper
• Pencil
• Yardstick
• Cabinet brochures
• Wood flooring samples
• Window catalogs
• Appliance brochures
• Plumbing fixture catalogs
• Paint color charts

Instructions

1. Scout for more room. Look for space to incorporate into the kitchen from a nearby laundry room, the garage, back porch or a hallway. Select a few feet on the other side of a kitchen wall (preferably non-load bearing) to incorporate into the kitchen. If you decide to take out a load-bearing wall, enlist the help of an expert carpenter to build support side beams and a header into the wall. Keep in mind that load-bearing walls hold up the weight of your home.

2. Sketch your ideal kitchen to envision how to incorporate the new space. You may need to cut back to accommodate your budget, but always start off with the best kitchen you can imagine. Use graph paper to draw the new area from a bird's eye view, but also draw each wall in detail. Include appliances in the sketches that place the stove, sink and refrigerator just a few steps from each other. Draw cabinets, including an island if you desire.

3. Use every square inch of space to maximum benefit. Create a central island that includes a stove top, small sink and storage cabinets. Use additional space acquired from a nearby room to install floor-to-ceiling cabinets. Plan to utilize at lease one entire wall on the perimeter areas of the kitchen from floor to ceiling. Install cabinets with large drawers for pots and pans on that wall. Include a pantry cabinet and storage cabinets for seldom-used dishes.

4. Use light to open up the space. Installing larger windows or a skylight in the kitchen can expand the space visually. Light vinyl, tile or wood flooring will brighten the space. Choose one or more of the many shades of white, bisque or pale gray paint for walls. Select cabinets in a lighter wood tone or painted finish to reflect more light and make the kitchen seem bigger.

5. Incorporate storage space away from the kitchen. Select cabinets for storing little-used kitchen items. Locate these cabinets in a garage area off the kitchen or on a back porch area instead of consuming kitchen space. Removing clutter and extra cabinets from the kitchen itself will create a better traffic pattern and open the kitchen for cooking. Build a pantry that will fit into a hallway near the kitchen or in a laundry room closet to leave more kitchen space.

Tips & Warnings

• Use overhead space to expand storage room in the kitchen. Use ceiling pocket areas above cabinets to store baskets full of grilling utensils or seldom-used bowls. Hang a metal pot rack with storage shelves to hold items above an island.

• If you can't find interior floorspace, you can always bump out a kitchen walls to the end of the overhang in the exterior eaves area. Floor joists can be extended out without construction a new foundation. Gaining just 12 to 18 inches of space along one wall can provide lots of workable room. Taking space under an eaves area works best for masonry homes versus brick.

References

• This Old House: Expand a Kitchen
• Natural Home Magazine: No Remodel Expansion
• Home Decoration Collection: Expand Counters

Resources

• Remodel My Space: Blog on Expansion
• My Home Ideas: Garden Room off Kitchen