Is Your Kitchen Designer going to kill you? – Digital Digest

Security must be paramount for all kitchen designers. This is the reason we repost this weblog each few years.

An edited model of this text appeared first within the Might 2011 concern of the nationwide publication of Kitchen & Bathtub Design Information.

One of many best challenges for a kitchen designer is to create a design that the client appreciates aesthetically and concurrently offers them with a functionally well-designed kitchen.  It’s equally tough to not make any errors.  Sadly, that’s one thing only a few kitchen designers can really accomplish.

When prospects present me kitchen designs performed elsewhere, I can normally rattle off 10 blatant errors. Much more alarming, many designs even have the potential to kill. And these identical deadly designs have even received awards!

In the previous few years, most kitchen design commerce magazines function kitchens having main errors. Usually, they possess one of many presumably deadly design flaws listed under.

Right here is my record of the 8 lethal kitchen designs that I see over and over.

1- Wall cupboard, spice pull out or an equipment storage too near the cooktop or vary

Kitchens with hearths or grottos are the most important culprits. Skilled excessive BTU burners dangerously solely inches from the perimeters of the wooden cabinetry creating a hearth hazard. A very good kitchen designer would by no means do that.

2- Vary too near the window

Most constructing codes require a variety to be a minimal of 12 inches away from a window for quite a few causes.  A fireplace on the range can bounce to curtains on the home windows. A breeze from an open window can blow out the flame on a gasoline burner. This permits gasoline to build up presumably unnoticed previous to a possible explosion. I’ve seen many, examples of kitchen designs with the vary really beneath the window. A very good kitchen designer is aware of this.

3- Vary or cooktop on the top of the run

Handles of pots and pans may be left extending out in area to be flipped onto owners or their youngsters. That is normally subsequent to doorways the place persons are getting into the room unprepared for the kitchen design flaw.

4- The lethal cousin or quantity 2 and three. A variety subsequent to the outside kitchen door for all the explanations listed in 2 and in 3.

5- Wall cupboards extending out over the place there is no such thing as a countertop or by themselves with out protecting bases under them.

Often this tends to be buyer pushed. Out of the necessity to create space for storing actually all over the place of their kitchen, cupboards get put in locations the place somebody leaning or bending over unsuspectingly can get up and fracture their cranium.  I really know of a contractor that fractured his cranium this fashion and is now blind.

6- At present many youngsters and adults have respiratory points similar to bronchial asthma, extreme allergy symptoms, or emphysema.

Putting cupboards with moldings approaching however not reaching the ceiling can create an area that’s not possible to wash. Over time it accumulates inches of mud, useless pores and skin, and dirt mites.  This might trigger probably deadly well being reactions to these delicate. I’ve seen the place that is performed deliberately to create a “shadow line” on the ceiling. When you get 3 or much less inches from the ceiling, you need to go all the best way.

7- One of many greatest points is that today’s highly effective hoods coupled with tightly sealed power environment friendly houses create destructive stress inside the house.

When the home windows are closed within the winter and the exhaust fan is on. With no warmth/air exchanger or a heating system designed in opposition to destructive stress the exhaust fan will pull carbon monoxide again down the water heater exhaust, the furnace chimney, or extra dramatically pull the smoke proper out the shoppers hearth into their house. Almost all kitchen designers and equipment salespeople by no means even contemplate this and solely in the costliest and normally colder local weather neighborhoods like Jackson Gap, Wyoming are there any constructing codes concerning this.

Only a observe: 12 months after this was revealed Pennsylvania turned one of many first States to manage this very concern. Presently all 50 states require substitute air programs for all hoods over 400 CFM.

8-This one is sort of not a problem however does nonetheless exist.

Prospects will need to have GFCI retailers inside 4 ft of their sink but when they’ve an electrical vary with spiral coil heating parts and the kitchen designer locations the vary too near the stainless steel sinkthe 110-volt outlet concern might be benign compared to the 220 volt vary, sink, and water shocker.

Kitchen design is a career I like for a lot of causes. The explanations embrace the creativity concerned, the individuals you meet, and the sense of accomplishment whenever you do job. The largest motive I like designing kitchens is that it’s an unbelievable problem.

To reply any questions concerning the importance of at present’s date.

“Beware the ides of March”

Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

Hoping you don’t have any of those points. Extra importantly in case your kitchen designer proposes any of those harmful errors defend your self and your loved ones and discover one other designer.

Take heed to elements of Paul’s speech on the subject under:

Speech – Homicide By Kitchen Design | From NARI Chapter Assembly (mainlinekitchendesign.com)

Homicide by Kitchen Design!

Take heed to one in all Paul’s podcasts and discover out a few of his pet peeves.

Is he a curmudgeon?, cranky however humorous? You be the decide!

Calls with Paul: The Kitchen Design Podcast. Episode 33 Paul’s Pet Peeves