Comments on: The Kitchen Project: Maximize Space, Minimize Waste

By: Megan

Megan — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:32:19 +0000

Thanks everyone for all of the great comments. They have been extremely helpful. Zeke–thanks for the information on the Sun Frost Refrigerator–it looks awesome!

By: Megan

Megan — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:26:30 +0000

Thanks guys for all of the great comments. They are extremely helpful. Zeke–thanks for the information on the Sun Frost Refrigerator–it looks great!

By: Zeke Fox

Zeke Fox — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:55:53 +0000

Check out the Sun Frost Refrigerator, also consider recessing the framing behind the refrigerator so that it does not stick out past the cabinets.
http://www.sunfrost.com/refrigerators_main.html

By: steven leighton

steven leighton — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:37:37 +0000

A friend of mine has just got a 6v or 12 v DC chest fridge (not freezer) for his veggies and fruit. The power source is a small roof mounted PV module the back up battery is part of the chest;you can also recharge off the 120v if there is no sun. He put it in the middle of his kitchen with a nice hardwood top and uses it as his food prep island.
He has had a 6/12v freezer for a few years for meat (seasonal hunting).
The kitchen is and is becoming more important for us all.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ..innovate and keep it cheap.

By: jason

jason — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:09:10 +0000

Big fan of the foot pedal idea. i fantasize about that EVERY TIME i do the dishes. i waste a lot of water washing dishes.
i have seen fridges that are not so deep. i don’t keep much in the fridge myself and i can’t stand how they stick out so far.
with most cabinets i think they are also deeper than they need to be. if you plan not only the lay out of the cabinets but what is being put in them you can make some just deep enough for the larger plates. and shallower for glasses which for some reason many of us keep too many of. people just need to cut the clutter when it comes to the kitchen. if you have a deep fridge it makes sense to put a deep pantry next to it but have every thing else shallower. the counter should be on the high side with a pull out island/storage unit. i dig that.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:30:59 +0000

Thank you for all of your comments we will definitely take them into consideration as we move ahead.

By: Alison Moore Smith

Alison Moore Smith — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:53:35 +0000

Enjoyable to read about all your ideas here.

I’m wondering about the recessed cabinet idea–particularly how it affects noise in adjacent rooms. One of the things we are working toward is a quiet house. That’s important with six kids.

And, as you can guess, a small fridge would never work. When I was 19 I lived in England with my parents while my dad was on sabbatical at a university there. Even with the three of us, the small fridge was a challenge. With my brood, I’d never make it. In fact, I have (and will have in the new house as well), two full-size fridges and a large freezer.

I’m interested in how an automatic or pedestal sink functions. I especially like the idea of a pedestal, but would need the option of locking it on when necessary. Do you have any sources for these?

By: Jim Wild

Jim Wild — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:36:00 +0000

To kind of move away from the small fridge and consider those who want to store their home grown long term, and thinking about energy.
I’ve always thought of how to improve the old house pantry model with new technology. With this in mind the earth sheltered cold room at CAT is one model. http://tinyurl.com/npwr38. Though not good enough for me, i want it possible to do on the inside of a house, small enough, colder and more controlled. It must be possible.
Well with high levels of insulation and lots of thermal mass, a bit of electronics to control air movement and it should be easy to get below annual average temperatures, but how far is really only from experimentation.

By: Asa

Asa — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:31:44 +0000

I’d think that for shopping locally and seasonally you’d want a small fridge (because you’d be eating fresh, local stuff acquired within the last few days), plus maybe a separate small freezer (chest, not upright, for energy’s sake) for your 1/4 lamb, your stored bags of tomato sauce (made in season for enjoyment later), or whatever. I guess fridge use is something which has various patterns which vary widely across the population, and custom kitchen design should take into account the pattern of the occupants they’re designing for.

By: Chris Russell

Chris Russell — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:44:34 +0000

The tricky part with the internal storage idea is based on the floor plan. Being a passive house, you really would not want to cut into your exterior insulation. On the internal walls, I love the idea of reclaiming what is otherwise four inches of wasted space.

The rolling cabinets are a rather intriguing idea. The ability to create islands or move a cabinet over next to the fridge to get things out would really increase the flexibility and usability of kitchen space.

Being a CSA subscriber with hopes for my own garden, the refrigerator drawers would be a deal breaker. Even before I joined the CSA, I would (and still do) shop bulk stores which doesn’t work with refrigerator drawers. On the other hand, married with two kids does not seem to be your current market either. It so much depends or your buyer so I agree with working up the different options.

As you say, automatic faucets are really nice but quite pricey. I look forward to seeing what you find.

I have not seen a compacting recycling unit in my wanderings on the web. For composting, I am looking at using an automatic composter (http://www.naturemill.com).

The only thing I can offer (at the risk of starting a long discussion) is that for counters you look at a product called TrendQ (http://www.trendingreen.com/TRENDinGREEN%20USA/Touch.html). It has all the look of other recycled counter tops or quartz but is lower cost than even Corian because of its reduced thickness (which gets installed on top of a plywood layer).

Being in the midst of my own new construction, I too pondered long over the kitchen. I will keep watching to see if I can garner any more ideas. Good luck.