kitchen design

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KITCHEN DESIGNKITCHEN DESIGNKITCHEN DESIGNKITCHEN DESIGN

TIPS FOR A BETTER DESIGN OF KITCHENS

Compilation by: [email protected]

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The Thirty-One Kitchen Design Rules, Illustrated

• Home

• Planning

• Cabinets

• Counters

• Flooring

• Lighting

• Structure

• Space

• Measure

• Pantries

• Budget

• Guidelines

• Ergonomics

• Design Process

Starting in 1944 the University of Illinois conducted a number of studies of kitchen design and

developed the fundamental design principles that are still very much in use. These days the National

Kitchen & Bath Association updates and publishes these basic design standards.

Methodology & Overview

The NKBA Kitchen & Bathroom Planning Guidelines with Access Standards is a collection of

illustrations and planning suggestions to aid professionals in the safe and effective planning of

kitchens and bathrooms. These guidelines are excerpted from the National Kitchen & Bath Association

Professional Resource Library Kitchen Planning and Bath Planning volumes. Designers and those

interested in becoming kitchen and bath design professionals benefit by studying the complete body

of knowledge found in the NKBA Professional Resource Library.

These flexible and easy-to-understand guidelines were developed under the guidance of the NKBA by

a committee of professionals. The committee completed in-depth historical reviews of planning

guidelines dating back to 1920. The guidelines published in this booklet reflect a composite of the

historical review, current industry environment, future trends, consumer lifestyles, new research, new

building codes, and current industry practices; as well as a Kitchen Storage Research Project

conducted by Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

The "Universal Design Guideline Access Standard" is a relatively new addition to the guidelines.

It defines the rules for kitchens intended for use by persons with less than full physical abilities.

A kitchen that follows all of these rules is almost guaranteed to be both functional and safe. See how

many rules your existing kitchen violates for a better understanding of why it may seem awkward and

hard to use.

While these guidelines are a good start, they do not substitute for competent kitchen design. Design

encompases these rules and much more. It's the "much more" part that gets novice designers in

trouble. A new kitchen is a major investment, and not something you are going to want to do over

because the first design was not quite right. So, invest in a good design. It's money well spent.

Legend

Code Requirements: Refer to national building and access codes. Your local code authority may

have modified or added to these national requirements.

ADA/ANSI Guidelines: Refer to Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines and recommendations

published by the American National Standards Institute for universal design. These may or may not

be mandated by local building codes, but are required in some federally subsidized housing.

Notes: Remarks by the publishers of the rule or standard.

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Comments: Our own observations and clarifications. We use comments to introduce rules and

guidelines from other sources as well as discuss our own experience with and application of these

guidelines.

Other Guidelines

These are not the only kitchen design "rules". Designers and carpenters have worked out some rules

of thumb over many years that do not arise to the level of "standards", but represent accepted

industry practice. We have included these in notes and comments where applicable.

Rule 1 - Kitchen Entry Doors

Guideline: The clear opening of a doorway should be at least 32" wide. This requires a minimum 34"

or 2'-10" door.

Code Requirements: No national code requirements.

Universal Design Guideline: The clear opening of a doorway should be at least 34’’. This would

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require a minimum 36" or 3’-0’’ door.

ADA/ANSI Guidelines:

• Clear openings of doorways with swinging doors shall be measured between the face of door

and stop, with the door open 90 degrees. (ANSI 404.2.3)

• When a passage exceeds 24" in depth, the minimum clear opening increases to 36". (ANSI

A117.1 404)

Comments:

• Standard door widths include 18", 20", 24", 28", 30", 32" and 36" doors. Any other width and

any door wider than 36" is generally made as a custom door.

• Since a 34" (2-10) interior door is typically a special order, custom door, this standard is

usually met with a 36" (3-0) standard door. A 36" opening for a narrow passageways requires

a 38" door to meet the requirements of ANSI A117.1 404. These are not available except as

custom doors — so narrow passageways should be avoided where possible.

• These standards have been around for a few years now, and the door industry has been slow

to respond to the new door width requirements. The effect is minimal, however, since most

kitchen designs are open plans with doorways, not doors, connecting them to adjoining

rooms.

Rule 2 - Kitchen Door Interference

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Rule 2: ADA Guideline

Guideline: No entry door should interfere with the safe operation of appliances, nor should

appliance doors interfere with one another.

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Universal Design Guideline: In addition, the door area should include clear floor space for

maneuvering which varies according to the type of door and direction of approach. See ADA/ANSI

Guidelines below.

Rule 2:Kitchen Door Interference


• For a standard hinged or swinging door, the clearance on the pull side of the door should be

the door width plus 18” by 60”. (ANSI A 117.1 404.2.3.1)

• The clearance on the push side of the door should be the door width by 48”. (ANSI A 117.1

404.2.3.1)

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Comments: Door interference can be subtle. For example, we like to locate refrigerators and

pantries at the edge of the kitchen so that snack-seekers can get what they want without crossing

into the main, working part of the kitchen. However, there is a good risk that the door of a

refrigerator located next to an entry door will block entry when the refrigerator door is open. If

cabinets are improperly spaced, the doors of two adjacent cabinets may strike each other. In kitchen

remodels, working within an existing space, such problems may be unavoidable. But, they should be

avoided if possible.

Rule 3 - Distance Between Work Centers (Kitchen Triangle)

Guideline: In a kitchen with three work centers the sum of the three traveled distances should total

no more than 26' with no single leg of the triangle measuring less than 4 feet nor more than 9 feet.

Universal Design Guideline The kitchen guideline recommendation meets Universal Design

Guideline standards.


Notes:

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• A major appliance and its surrounding landing/work area form a work center. The distances

between the three primary work centers (cooking surface, clean-up/prep primary sink, and

refrigeration storage) form a work triangle.

• When the kitchen plan includes more than three primary appliance/work centers, each

additional travel distance to another appliance/work center should measure no less than 4'

nor more than 9'.

• Each leg is measured from the center-front of the appliance/sink.

• No work triangle leg may intersect an island/peninsula or other obstacle by more than 12".

Comments: The concept of a kitchen work triangle was developed in the early 20th century, and

has now been superseded by more modern concepts such as integrated work zones. It does not work

in every situation. For example, in a Pullman kitchen where the sink, cooking surface and refrigerator

are on one wall, no triangle of any kind is possible. Nonetheless, for most kitchens, it remain a

valuable preliminary gauge of how well a kitchen design is likely to function.

Rule 4 - Separate work centers

Guideline: A full-height, full-depth, tall obstacle should not separate two primary work centers. A

properly recessed tall corner unit will not interrupt the work flow and is acceptable. (Examples of a

full-height obstacle are a tall oven cabinet, tall pantry cabinet, or refrigerator)


Universal Design Guideline: The kitchen guideline recommendation meets Universal Design


Rule 5 - Work Triangle Traffic

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Guideline: No major traffic patterns should cross through the basic work triangle.


Universal Design Guideline: The kitchen guideline recommendation meets Universal Design


Comments: Clearly this rule is an ideal standard for new kitchens. But, a great many existing

kitchens are arranged so that back door or basement access is straight through the kitchen work

triangle. Unless significant alterations are made to the structure of the house, there is little that can

be done about it. If possible, however, locate the sink and range or cooktop out of the traffic path. If

the refrigerator is in or adjacent to the path, it does little harm.

Rule 6 - Work Aisle

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Rule 6: Work Aisle

Guideline: The width of a work aisle should be at least 42” for one cook and at least 48” for multiple

cooks. Measure between the counter frontage, tall cabinets and/or appliances.


Universal Design Guideline: Kitchen guideline recommendation meets Universal Design

recommendation. See Code References for specific applications.


• A clear floor space of at least 30” by 48” should be provided at each kitchen appliance. Clear

floor spaces can overlap. (ANSI A 117.1 305.3, 804.6.1). (ANSI A 117.1 404.2.3.1)

• In a U-shaped kitchen, plan a minimum clearance of 60” between opposing arms. (ANSI

A117.1 804.2.2, 1003.12.1.2).

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• Include a wheelchair turning space with a diameter of at least 60”, which can include knee*

and toe* clearances. (ANSI A117.1 304.3.1).

• A wheelchair turning space could utilize a T-shaped clear space, which is a 60” square with

two 12” wide x 24” deep areas removed from the corners of the square. This leaves a

minimum 36” wide base and two 36” wide arms. T-shaped wheelchair turning spaces can

include knee and toe clearances. (ANSI A117.1 304.3.2).

Notes:

• Knee clearance must be a minimum 30” wide (36” to use as part of the T-turn) and maintain

a 27” clear space under the cabinet, counter or sink for a depth of 8”. The next 3” of depth

may slope down to a height of 9”, with a clear space of at least 17” extending beneath the

element. (ANSI 306.3).

• Toe clearance space under a cabinet or appliance is between the floor and 9” above the floor.

Where toe clearance is required as part of a clear floor space, the toe clearance should

extend 17” minimum beneath the element. (ANSI A117.1 306.2).

Comments: There is a great deal of confusion over the distinction between a walkway and a work

aisle. A work aisle is where a person stands while working in the kitchen. A walkway is the passagway

through the kitchen. Especially is older kitchens, the work aisle and walkway may be combined and

be used both for work and for traversing the kitchen. In such case the minimum width of the

combined walkway/work aisle should be 48", where possible.

Rule 7 - Walkway

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Rule 7: Walkway

Guideline: The width of a walkway should be at least 36”.


Universal Design Guideline: If two walkways are perpendicular to each other, one walkway should

be at least 42” wide.

Comments: There is a great deal of confusion over the distinction between a walkway and a work

aisle. A work aisle is where a person stands while working in the kitchen. A walkway is the

passageway through the kitchen. Especially is older kitchens, the work aisle and walkway may be

combined and be used both for work and for traversing the kitchen. In such case the minimum width

of the combined walkway/work aisle should be 48".

Rule 8 - Traffic Clearance at Seating

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Rule 8: Traffic Clearance at Seating

Guideline: In a seating area where no traffic passes behind a seated diner, allow 32” of clearance

from the counter/table edge to any wall or other obstruction behind the seating area.


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Notes:

• If traffic passes behind the seated diner, allow at least 36” to edge past.

• If traffic passes behind the seated diner, allow at least 44” to walk past.

Comments:

• A 32" clearance is almost never appropriate. It can be appropriate in a seating area that has

just one seat. If there are two seats, however, then the user of the second seat will have to

pass behind the user of the first seat to get to the second seat, and the 36" clearance rule

applies to allow the second person to edge past. A 44" clearance is better, if room is

available.

• A seating area should never extend into a work aisle, but may extend into a walk area if a

minumum walk space of 44" is provided. This allows a walker to pass behind the seated

diners. A 60" space is better, and required for wheelchair access.

Universal Design Guideline: In a seating area where no traffic passes behind a seated diner, allow

36” of clearance from the counter/table edge to any wall or other obstruction behind the seating

area.

Notes: If traffic passes behind the seated diner, plan a minimum of 60” to allow passage for a

person in a wheelchair.

Rule 9 - Seating Space

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Rule 9: Seating Space

Guideline: Kitchen seating should be a minimum of 24" wide for each person and,

• For 30" high tables/counters, a minimum 18" deep clear knee space for each seated diner.

• For 36" high counters, a minimum 15" deep clear knee space for each seated diner.

• For 42" high counters, a minimum 12"deep clear knee space for each seated diner.

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Universal Design Guideline:

• Kitchen seating areas should be 28” – 34” high x 30” – 36” wide x 19” deep to better

accommodate people of various sizes or those using a mobility aid.

• Recommended minimum size for a knee space at a table or counter is 36” wide x 27” high x

19” deep.

Comments:

• Measure knee space from the front edge of the table or counter top.

• While a 24" wide space for each diner is workable, it is not very comfortable. A 28-30" wide

space is better and should be considered the minimum where space is available.

Rule 10 - Cleanup/Prep Sink Placement

Guideline: If a kitchen has only one sink, locate it adjacent to or across from the cooking surface

and refrigerator.


Universal Design Guideline: Plan knee spaces at the sink to allow for a seated user.

Recommended minimum size for a knee space is 36” wide x 27” high x 8” deep, increasing to 17”

deep in the toe space, which extends 9” from the floor. Insulation for exposed pipes should be

provided.


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• The sink should be no more than 34” high or adjustable between 29” and 36”. (ANSI

117.1.1002.4.2).

• The sink bowl should be no more than 6 1/2” deep (ANSI 117.1 1002.12.4.3).

• Exposed water supply and drain pipes under sinks should be insulated or otherwise

configured to protect against contact. There should be no sharp or abrasive surfaces under

sinks. (ANSI A117.1 606.6).

Rule 11 - Cleanup/Prep Sink Landing Area

Guideline: Include at least a 24” wide landing area [Note C] to one side of the sink and at least an 18”

wide landing area on the other side.

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Rule 11: Cleanup/Prep Sink Landing Area


Notes:

• Note A: If all of the countertop at the sink is not the same height, then plan a 24” landing

area on one side of the sink and 3” of countertop frontage on the other side, both at the

same height as the sink.

• Note B: The 24” of recommended landing area can be met by 3” of countertop frontage from

the edge of the sink to the inside corner of the countertop if more than 21” of countertop

frontage is available on the return.

• Note C: Landing area is measured as countertop frontage adjacent to a sink and/or an

appliance. The countertop must be at least 16” deep and must be 28” to 45” above the

finished floor to qualify.

Comments: In Universal Design, it is not uncommon for the cabinet containing the sink to be lower

than the adjacent cabinets. Hence the standard in Note A that allows the landing area to be at a

different level than the sink countertops as long as there is at least 24" of same-level countertop

space on one side of the sink.

Universal Design Guideline: Kitchen guideline recommendation meets Universal Design standards.

Rule 12 - Food Preparation Work Area

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Rule 12: Food Preparation Work Area

Guideline: Include a section of continuous countertop at least 30” wide x 24” deep immediately next

to a sink for a primary preparation/work area.


Universal Design Guideline: A section of continuous countertop at least 30” wide with a

permanent or adaptable knee space should be included somewhere in the kitchen.

ADA/ANSI Guidelines: In a kitchen, there should be at least one 30” wide section of counter, 34”

high maximum or adjustable from 29” to 36”. Cabinetry can be added under the work surface,

provided it can be removed or altered without removal or replacement of the work surface, and

provided the finished floor extends under the cabinet. (ANSI A 117.1 8.04.6.3, 1003.12.6.3)

Comments: There are very limited circumstances under which the countertop next to a sink should

be less than 30" wide. If the countertop is deeper than the standard 25", the minimum width should,

nonetheless, remain 30". As a practical matter, it is sometimes necessary to decrease the depth of

the countertop (never to less than 21"). If this is the case, increase the width of the countertop work

area to 36".

Rule 13 - Dishwasher Placement

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Rule 13: Dishwasher Placement

Guideline: Locate nearest edge of the primary dishwasher within 36” of the nearest edge of a

cleanup/prep sink.

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Notes:

• Note A: Provide at least 21”* of standing space between the edge of the dishwasher and

countertop frontage, appliances and/or cabinets, which are placed at a right angle to the

dishwasher.

• Note B: *In a diagonal installation, the 21” is measured from the center of the sink to the

edge of the dishwasher door in an open position.


Universal Design Guideline: Raise dishwasher 6” – 12” when it can be planned with appropriate

landing areas at the same height as the sink.

ADA/ANSI Guidelines: A clear floor space of at least 30” x 48” should be positioned adjacent to

the dishwasher door. The dishwasher door in the open position should not obstruct the clear floor

space for the dishwasher or the sink. (ANSI A 117.1 804.6.3, 1003.12.6.3)

Comments: The modern dishwasher is an ergonomic disaster. It's much too hard to use. You have

to bend and stoop a lot to load and unload it. You have to spend a lot of time opening and closing the

top tray to reach the bottom tray. The bottom-hinged drawer gets in the way of people moving

around the kitchen and makes it much harder for mobility impaired users to load and unload. It is not

a very user-friendly or efficient appliance.

The solution is to raise the dishwasher off the floor so that the center of the appliance is about waist

high. In kitchens where it is possible, that's what we do. The new drawer-style dishwashers are a

vast improvement, but as of yet, very pricey. For more information of dishwasher placement, see

Mise-en-Place: What We Can Learn About Kitchen Design from Commercial Kitchens. For more

information about ergonomic kitchen design, see Body Friendly Design: Kitchen Ergonomics.

Rule 14 - Waste Receptacles

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Rule 14: Waste Receptacles

Guideline: Include at least two waste receptacles. Locate one near each of the cleanup/prep sink(s)

and a second for recycling either in the kitchen or nearby.


Universal Design Guideline: Kitchen guideline recommendation meets Universal Design Standard.

Comments: The best location for the trash and recycling bins in most kitchens is under the sink.

This placement makes the best use of a cabinet space that is otherwise hard to use because of the

piping and disposer

Rule 15 - Auxiliary Sink

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Rule 15: Auxiliary Sink

Guideline: At least 3” of countertop frontage should be provided on one side of the auxiliary sink,

and 18” of countertop frontage on the other side, both at the same height as the sink.


Universal Design Guideline: Plan knee spaces at, or adjacent to, the auxiliary sink to allow for a

seated user. Recommended minimum size for a knee space is 36” wide x 27” high x 8” deep,

increasing to 17” deep in the toe space, which extends 9” from the floor. Insulation for exposed pipes

should be provided.


• The sink should be no more than 34” high or adjustable between 29” and 36”. (ANSI

117.1.1002.4.2).

• The sink bowl should be no more than 6 1/2” deep (ANSI 117.1 1002.12.4.3).

• Exposed water supply and drain pipes under sinks should be insulated or otherwise

configured to protect against contact. There should be no sharp or abrasive surfaces under

sinks. (ANSI A117.1 606.6).

Rule 16 - Refrigerator Landing Area

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Rule 16: Refrigerator Landing Area

Guideline: Include at least:

15” of landing area on the handle side of the refrigerator, or

A. 15” of landing area on either side of a side-by-side refrigerator, or

B. 15” of landing area which is no more than 48” across from the front of the refrigerator, or

C. 15” of landing area above or adjacent to any undercounter style refrigeration appliance.

Universal Design Guideline: See ADA/ANSI Guidelines.

ADA/ANSI Guidelines: A clear floor space of 30” x 48” should be positioned for a parallel approach

to the refrigerator/freezer with the centerline of the clear floor space offset 24” maximum from the

centerline of the appliance. (ANSI A 117.1 804.6.6, 1003.12.6.6)

Rule 17 - Cook Surface Landing Area

Guideline: Include a minimum of 12” of landing area on one side of a cooking surface and 15” on

the other side.

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Rule 17: Cook Surface Landing Area

Notes:

• Note A: The 12” and 15” landing areas must be at the same height as the cooking surface.

• Note B:For safety reasons, in an island or peninsula situation, the countertop should also

extend a minimum of 9” behind the cooking surface if the counter height is the same as the

surface-cooking appliance.

• Note C: For an enclosed configuration, a reduction of clearances shall be in accordance with

the appliance manufacturer’s instructions or per local codes. (This may not provide adequate

landing area.)


Comments:

• Note A is ambiguous. Surfaces adjacent to a cooktop or range are almost never exactly at the

same level as the cooking surface. The guideline is met if the adjacent surface is roughly at

the same level as the cooking surface.

• The purpose of the guidelines for cooking surface landing areas is not just ensuring enough

working space on both side of the cooking appliance, but to ensure that there is a sufficient

space between the cooking appliance and any combustible cabinet materials for safety.

• Most safety codes require that a cooking surface next to a door be separated from the

doorway by at least 12" of countertop. We have always interpreted this to mean 12' from the

flammable door trim.

Universal Design Guideline: Lower the cooktop to 34” maximum height and create a knee space

beneath the appliance.


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• When a forward-approach clear floor space is provided at the cooktop, it should provide knee

and toe clearance and the underside of the cooktop should be insulated or otherwise

configured to prevent burns, abrasions, or electric shock. (ANSI 1002.12.6.4)

• The location of cooktop controls should not require reaching across burners. (ANSI

1003.12.6.4)

Rule 18 - Cooking Surface Clearance

Guideline: Allow 24” of clearance between the cooking surface and a protected noncombustible

surface above it.

Code Requirements:

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• At least 30” of clearance is required between the cooking surface and an

unprotected/combustible surface above it. (IRC M 1901.1).

• If a microwave hood combination is used above the cooking surface, then the manufacturer’s

specifications should be followed. (IRC M 1504.1)

Comments:

• This rule must be coordinated with Rule 19. Most often, the item installed above a range or

cooktop is a range hood or microwave/hood combination. In all cases, the minimum

clearance specified by the appliance's installation instructions should be followed rather than

this rule if the manufacturer's recommend minimum clearance is greater.

• If the manufacturer's clearance guidelines are less than the clearance required by this rule,

the conservative, and better, approach is to use the greater clearances specified here. The

exception occurs where the clearance specified here exceeds the manufacturer's maximum

clearance, in which case the manufacturer's clearance specification should be used.


Rule 19 - Cooking Surface Ventilation

Guideline: Provide a correctly sized, ducted ventilation system for all cooking surface appliances.

The recommended minimum is 150 cubic feet of air per minute (cfm).

Code Requirement:

• Manufacturer’s specifications must be followed. (IRC G 2407.1, IRC G 2447.1).

• The minimum required exhaust rate for a ducted hood is 100 cfm and must be ducted to the

outside. (IRC M 1507.3).

• Make-up air may need to be provided. Refer to local codes. (IRC G 2407.4).

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Comments:

• Formerly it was permissible in most jurisdictions to recirculate vented air back into the

kitchen. The air was drawn into the ventilating device through carbon filters, then blown back

into the kitchen. Recirculation is now not allowed in most jurisdictions. Air must be vented

through and wall or the roof to the outdoors. The earlier practice of venting into the attic is

also no longer allowed due to the risk of fire.

• Generally the specifications provided by the manufacturer of the ventilation device or system

must be followed, even if they conflict with other building code requirements. Where the

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manufacturer's specifications are silent, then guidance is to be obtained from the applicable

building code requirements.

• Typically make-up air is required when the capacity of the ventilation system exceeds 300

cfm. The belief is that at this capacity the house can no longer provide enough air and there

is danger of backdrafting gas appliances. Makeup air is merely aid drawn from outside the

dwelling through ducting that is installed by a mechanical contractor.

Universal Design Guideline: Ventilation controls should be placed 15” – 44” above the floor,

operable with minimal effort, easy to read and with minimal noise pollution.


• Operable parts should be operable with one hand and not require tight grasping, pinching or

twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate operable parts should be 5 pounds

maximum. (ANSI A117.1 309.4).

• Where a forward or side reach is unobstructed, the high reach should be 48” maximum and

the low reach should be 15” minimum above the floor.(ANSI A117.1 308.2.1 and 308.3.1).

• Where a forward or side reach is obstructed by a 20” – 25” deep counter, the high reach

should be 44” maximum. (ANSI A117.1 308.2.2)

Rule 20 - Cooking Surface Safety

Place your extinguisher in plain view or in a clearly marked cabinet.

Guideline:

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A. Do not locate the cooking surface under an operable window.

B. Window treatments above the cooking surface should not use flammable materials.

C. A fire extinguisher should be located near the exit of the kitchen away from cooking

equipment.


Comments: While there are no national building code requirements, it is very likely that a fire

extinguisher in your kitchen is mandated by your local building or fire code.

Universal Design Guideline: Place fire extinguisher between 15” and 48” off the finished floor.

Comments:

• Put the fire extinguisher in plain view even if you don't like the "industrial look." National Fire

Prevention Association (NFPA) Guideline 10, Paragraph 6.1.3.1 states, "Extinguishers shall be

conspicuously located where they will be readily accessible and immediately available in the

event of fire." Paragraph 6.1.3.3.1 states, "Fire extinguishers shall not be obstructed or

obscured from view."

• A kitchen fire extinguisher must be rated for class B fires. These are fires fueled by flammable

liquids and grease. Most fire extinguishes are rated for class B fires, but check to be certain.

• When you install your fire extinguisher, read the instructions for using it to fight fires.

Stopping to read the instructions while a fire is blazing is not a good idea, but using it without

reading the instructions is an even worse idea.

• Test your extinguisher at least every 6 months, more often if the manufacturer recommends

a shorter interval, to make sure it is still charged and functioning.

Rule 21 - Microwave Oven Placement

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Rule 21: Microwave Oven Placement

Guideline: Locate the microwave oven after considering the user’s height and abilities. The ideal

location for the bottom of the microwave is 3” below the principal user’s shoulder but no more than

54” above the floor. If the microwave oven is placed below the countertop the oven bottom must be

at least 15” off the finished floor.


Comments:

• The current guidelines do not address drawer-type microwaves. These are intended to be

mounted under the countertop and are accessed from the top, not from the front. Until

guidelines are developed, the best course is to carefully follow manufacturer's instructions for

placement and mounting.

• Over-the-range micro-hoods will need to follow the guideline for locating a range hood in

Rules 18 and 19 above, as well as this rule. If there is a conflict, the guidelines of Rules 18

and 19 supercede this rule.

Universal Design Guideline: Locate the microwave controls above 15" and below 48".

Comments: This guideline is a little vague when it comes to controls that have a vertical dimension,

such as a keypad, but the illustrations that accompany the guideline seem to suggest that the entire

pad should be below 48".

Rule 22 - Microwave Landing Area

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Rule 22: Microwave Landing Area

Guideline: Provide at least a 15” landing area above, below, or adjacent to the handle side of a

microwave oven.


Universal Design Guideline: Provide landing area in front of or immediately adjacent to the handle

side of the microwave.

Comments: Typically there is a countertop near the microwave that will serve as a landing zone.

However, if the microwave is located in a tall oven cabinet, it may be necessary to provide a landing

area. If necessary, a pull-out shelf located under the microwave will work provided it is strong and

stable enough to hold a minimum of 25 lbs.

Rule 23 - Oven Landing Area

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Rule 23: Oven Landing Area

Guideline:

• Include at least a 15” landing area next to or above the oven.

• At least a 15” landing area that is not more than 48” across from the oven is acceptable if the

appliance does not open into a walkway.


Comments: An oven in a range has to share the landing zone on one side of the range. One

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interpretation of Rule 24 (see below) is that the combined landing zone has to be 27" or larger. We

think the proper interpretation is that the range/oven is one appliance, so the Rule 24 combination

guideline does not apply. Landing zones surrounding range/oven combinations is adequately provided

for by Rule 17 which requires a minimum of 27" divided between both side of the appliance, with a

minimum of 15" on one side.

Universal Design Guideline: See ADA/ANSI Guidelines.

ADA/ANSI Guidelines: For side-opening ovens, the door latch side should be next to a countertop

(ANSI A 117.1 804.6.5.1)

Rule 24 - Combining Landing Areas

Rule 24: Combining Landing Areas

Guideline: If two landing areas are adjacent to one another, determine a new minimum for the two

adjoining spaces by taking the larger of the two landing area requirements and adding 12".



Comments: An oven in a range has to share the landing zone on one side of the range. One

interpretation this guideline is that the combined landing zone has to be 27" or larger. We think the

proper interpretation is that the range/oven is one appliance, so this guideline does not apply.

Landing zones surrounding range/oven combinations is adequately provided for by Rule 17 which

requires a minimum of 27" divided between both side of the appliance, with a minimum of 15" on one

side.

Rule 25 - Countertop Space

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Rule 25: Countertop Space

Guideline: A total of 158” of countertop frontage, 24” deep, with at least 15” of clearance above, is

needed to accommodate all uses, including landing area, preparation/work area, and storage.

Notes: Built-in appliance garages extending to the countertop can be counted towards the total

countertop frontage recommendation, but they may interfere with the landing areas.


Universal Design Guideline: At least two work-counter heights should be offered in the kitchen,

with one 28”– 36” above the finished floor and the other 36”– 45” above the finished floor.

Comments:

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• Any countertop at least 24" deep can be counted. Almost all standard countertops meet this

requirement — most are 25" deep. If a countertop is shallower than 24", then, according to

this Rule, it does not count toward the 158" of countertop frontage. However, in remodeling

older kitchens, shallow countertops are often required to meet the 42" and 48" work-aisle

requirements of Rule 6. This is where the designer's experience and good judgment comes

into play in making the trade-off. We generally count any countertop at least 21" deep but

less than 24" as 2/3rds. So, 3' of 21" countertop would count as 2' of countertop frontage.

• Countertop is measured at the front edges, so inside corners do not count toward the

minimum counter space specified in this guideline.

• The guideline allows counting the countertop in front of appliance garages and other similar

storage that rests on the countertop, even though this reduces the usable countertop area to

as little as 13".

• The guideline is not clear how island countertops are to be counted. Do you count just the

one side or both sides. If the countertop is accessible from both sides, we count both sides,

but not the ends.

Rule 26 - Countertop Corners

Round or chamfer outside corners for safety.

Guideline: Specify clipped or round corners rather than pointed corners on all countertops.

Comments:

• Although the guideline does not distinguish between inside and outside corners, it is clear

that the recommendation applies only to outside corners.

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• The guideline does not provide a minimum radius for rounded corners. On a 1" overhang

countertop, the typical overhang, the largest radius is about 2".

• Corners may be clipped (the more common term is "chamfered") or rounded ("billeted").

Both options meet the guideline.



Rule 27 - Storage

Guideline Distribution of Shelf and Drawer Space

Location Small Medium Large

Wall

Base

Drawer

Pantry

Miscellaneous

300”

520”

360”

180”

40”

360”

615”

400”

230”

95”

360”

660”

525”

310”

145”

Guideline: The total shelf/drawer frontage is:

A. 1400” for a small kitchen (less than 150 square feet);

B. 1700” for a medium kitchen (151 to 350 square feet); and

C. 2000” for a large kitchen (greater than 350 square feet).

Notes:

• Shelf and drawer frontage is determined by multiplying the cabinet size by the number and

depth of the shelves or drawers in the cabinet, using the following formula: Cabinet width in

inches x number of shelf/drawers x cabinet depth in feet (or fraction thereof) = Shelf/Drawer

Frontage.

• The recommended distribution for the shelf/drawer frontage in inches is shown in the table at

left. The totals for wall, base, drawer and pantry shelf/ drawer frontage can be adjusted

upward or downward as long as the recommended total stays the same.

• Do not apply more than the recommended amount of storage in the miscellaneous category

to meet the total frontage recommendation.

• Storage areas that are more than 84” above the floor must be counted in the miscellaneous

category.

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• Storage/organizing items can enhance the functional capacity of wall, base, drawer and

pantry storage and should be selected to meet user needs.

Comments: The whole notion of minimum shelf/drawer frontage is an attempt to quantify

functionality that is not readily quantifiable. While the calculation may serve the need to have some

math problems on the various NKBA certification examinations, it has little real world utility because it

does not distinguish between accessible and inaccessible storage.

We treat the following as inaccessible storage:

• The back of a base cabinet shelf behind the first 12",

• The part of any upper cabinet or tall cabinet shelf behind the first 16", and

• Any storage above 74" from the floor.

To illustrate how differentiating between useful and inaccessible storage makes cabinet storage

calculations more accurate, consider the following comparison:

• A 24 inch-deep base cabinet with two shelves has the following frontage: 24" x 2' x 2 = 96

inches.

• A 24 inch-deep base cabinet with two drawers has the same frontage: 24" x 2' x 2 = 96

inches.

All of the drawer space is accessible storage. To reach the back 12", just pull the drawer out. But,

only the front 12" of the shelves is useful storage, the back 12" is inaccessible. To treat the two

storage modalities as if they provided the same amount of useful storage is misleading and not

useful. The drawers are more useful storage and their higher utility should be accounted for in

calculating minimum frontage.

In our calculations we score inaccessible storage at only 1/2 the value of accessible storage.

The formula for the accessible part of the shelf remains the same: (width in inches) × (depth in feet)

× (number of shelves), but it applies to just the front 12" of the shelf. So using the above example,

the frontage of the accessible part of the base cabinet shelves is

24" × 1' × 2 shelves = 48" of frontage.

The revised formula for the back 12" of shelf is (width in inches) × (depth in feet) × (number of

shelves) ÷ 2. This gives the back half of the shelf a frontage of 24", calculated as follows:

24" × 1' × 2 shelves ÷ 2 = 24" of frontage.

The total frontage for the base cabinet with two shelves is 48" + 24" = 72". The base cabinet with

drawers retains its original frontage of 96". Now the comparison of frontage scores clearly shows the

drawer cabinet to be more useful storage.


Universal Design Guideline: Plan storage of frequently used items 15” to 48” above the floor.



the low reach should be 15” minimum above the floor. (ANSI A117.1 308.2.1 and 308.3.1)

• Where a 20” – 25” deep counter obstructs a forward or side reach, the high reach should be

44” maximum. (ANSI A117.1 308.2.2)

Rule 28 - Storage at Main Sink

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Guideline: Of the total recommended wall, base, drawer and pantry shelf/drawer frontage, the

following should be located within 72” of the centerline of the main sink:

A. at least 400” for a small kitchen (less than 150 sq. ft.);

B. at least 480” for a medium kitchen (150-350 sq. ft.);

C. at least 560” for a large kitchen (more than 350 sq. ft.).


Universal Design Guideline: Plan storage of frequently used items 15” to 48” above the floor.

Rule 29 - Corner Cabinet Storage

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Guideline: At least one corner cabinet should include a functional storage device

Notes: This guideline does not apply if there are no corner cabinets.

Comments: Corner cabinets are not required in a kitchen. The guideline recommends that if corner

cabinets are used, they should contain usable storage. For much more information on making the

best use of corner space, try this article.



Rule 30 - Electrical Receptacles

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Guideline: GFCI (Ground-fault circuit-interrupter) protection is required on all receptacles servicing

countertop surfaces within the kitchen. (IRC E 3802.6). Refer to IRC E 3801.4.1 through E 3801.4.5

for receptacle placement and locations.

Universal Design Guideline: Lighting controls should be placed 15” – 44” above the floor, operable

with minimal effort, easy to read and with minimal noise pollution.









Comments: For more information on the structural components of the kitchen; the piping, heating

and cooling, electricity and lighting, see Behind the Scenes - The Hidden Kitchen.

Rule 31 - Lighting

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Photo: Merillat

Guideline: In addition to general lighting required by code, every work surface should be well

illuminated by appropriate task lighting.

Code Requirements:

• At least one wall-switch controlled light must be provided. Switch must be placed at the

entrance. (IRC E 3803.2).

• Window/skylight area, equal to at least 8% of the total square footage of the kitchen, or a

total living space which includes a kitchen, is required. (IRC R 303.1, IRC R 303.2)

Universal Design Guideline: Lighting should be from multiple sources and adjustable









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Comments: For more information on kitchen lighting, see Designing Efficient and Effective Kitchen

Lighting.

Pantry Design Rules

Do you know the pantry design guidelines?

Every kitchen needs a pantry. These Guidelines recommend between 180" and 310" of pantry

storage. Whatever the size of your kitchen, it should include a convenient place to store groceries,

and this critical storage requires careful thought and planning. It should be large enough to hold at

least a week's worth or groceries, and close enough to the food preparation…more »

Are you ready for your own dream kitchen?

We can build one just right for your budget. Contact usE-mail us at

[email protected] and let's get started.

StarCraft Custom Builders • P. O Box 80265, Lincoln, NE 68501 • 402-871-5301

Copyright © 2001-2013. All rights reserved..

These articles are written by carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other tradesmen and women who

are neither writers nor editors. So, any help with correcting typos, grammar or spelling is gratefully

appreciated. Just drop us a note. You will get a very warm thank you in return.

Need to know more about kitchen remodeling? Try these articles:

• Adapting a Kitchen to a Budget — A Case

Study (Sidebar)

If you feel you cannot afford a great

kitchen, think again. A terrific kitchen

does not have to break the bank. You

may have to get creative and even make

a few compromises in your original grand

design, but you will end up with a

wonderful kitchen that will look good and

serve your needs for years to come.

• Adapting a Kitchen to Human Dimensions

and Movement - A Case Study (Sidebar)

Few homeowners are of average height,

average girth; have average reach or

average range of motion; or use their

kitchens in an average manner. Yet

almost all kitchens are arranged and

sized using standards written for the the

mythical average person. Unless you

happen to be that perfectly average

person, standard kitchen dimensions and

• Flooring Options for Kitchens and Baths

Wood, stone, vinyl, ceramic tile,

laminated flooring. What are the pros and

cons of each? Learn the fundamentals of

kitchen flooring.

• Guide to Nebraska Hardwoods for

Cabinetmakers and Woodworkers

Most of the fine native American

hardwoods commonly, and uncommonly,

used in cabinetry grow and are milled

into lumber in Nebraska. If you were not

aware that hardwood is a Nebraska crop,

read this detailed guide to Nebraska

hardwoods.

• Kitchen Ergonomics (Sidebar)

The kitchen — unlike most other rooms

in the home — is a workplace. The job of

preparing and serving meals gets done

there. Making that environment fit you is

a most critical factor in your satisfaction

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arrangements may not be right for you.

Here is how we adapted one kitchen to

the physical characteristics and

limitations its owners.

• Behind the Scenes — The Hidden Kitchen

Behind the beautiful new cabinets, under

the sparking countertops, beneath the

gleaming tile floor are the invisible bones

and sinew that make the kitchen work -

electricity, venting, heating and

plumbing. Find out all that's needed

behind the scenes.

• Body Friendly Design: Kitchen

Ergonomics

Planning for efficiency and ease of use

are more important than ever in kitchen

and bath design, and in the context of

universal design has become the hot new

topic among kitchen and bath designers.

Every aspect of kitchen and bath design

is being given a new, hard look, from

countertop and toilet heights to the

optimum placement of the microwave

and dishwasher and the best depth of the

kitchen sink.

• Cabinet Basics

Oak, maple, hickory, ash, cherry. Faced

and unfaced. Framed and frameless.

Custom, semi-custom and manufactured.

MDF, Melamine, Thermofoil, even steel.

So many choices. How do you pick the

cabinets that are just right for you? Click

here to find out.

• Cabinet Door Styles

There are an almost infinite number of

cabinet door styles available. Here is a

chart of just a few dozen of the styles we

build. We could not possibly show them

all. There are too many. Since we are an

entirely custom cabinet builder, we can

make any door you can describe.

• Comparative Kitchen & Bath Cabinet

Construction

with your kitchen.

• Kitchen Remodeling on the Cheap:

Simple, Practical Ideas for Creating Your

Dream Kitchen on a Budget

If you feel you cannot afford a great

kitchen, think again. A terrific kitchen

does not have to break the bank. You

may have to get creative and even make

a few compromises in your original grand

design, but you will end up with a

wonderful kitchen that will look good and

serve your needs for years to come. Here

are a few practical ways of reducing the

cost of your new kitchen.

• Mise en Place: What We Can Learn from

Commercial Kitchens

Organized to prepare a large variety of

appetizing meals at a moment's notice,

we can learn a lot about kitchen

efficiency from studying commercial

kitchens.

• New and Traditional Countertop Choices

Exciting changes are happening in the

world of countertop materials. Options

that simply did not exist 10 years ago are

in every home store today. Is solid

surfacing, laminate, stone or tile your

best choice? Or maybe something more

exotic. Take a look at the incredible

selection of modern counter top

materials.

• Off the Wall Kitchens: Living Without Wall

Cabinets

Wall cabinets are unquestionably useful

storage, but with drawbacks. A major

disadvantage is that wall cabinets make a

kitchen seem smaller by closing in the

space at eye level — which is where we

subconsciously judge how large the

space around us is - and limit the number

and size of windows in the kitchen. Can

your new kitchen do away with wall

cabinets? Probably. Find out how.

Saving Household Water

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Some cabinets are made better than

others. Learn the differnce between a

cabinet that is solid, well-built and will

last a long time, and all the others.

• Designing Efficient and Effective Kitchen

Lighting

The kitchen is more than just a place to

cook and eat. It usually serves as the

administrative and the social hub of the

home. The kitchen uses a lot of energy

for lighting. That makes this room an

important place to use efficient lighting.

While remodeling your kitchen, you have

the perfect opportunity to create a highly

efficient lighting system. Find out how.

• Distributed Cabinet Manufacturing:

Today's Cabinet Making Revolution

Local and regional cabinetmakers are

catching up the the factory

manufacturers in creative technologies to

make custom cabinetry that rivals factory

cabinets in price, but exceeds factory

cabinets in creativity, construction and

finish.

• Finding Some More Kitchen Space

In many cases, existing kitchens are just

too small for any real improvement in

space management. Learn where to get

more space, or at least the illusion of

more space for your new kitchen.

• Fine Furniture and Built-Ins

We craft fine furniture and built-ins to

match any decor or preference. From

traditional to avant-garde, from Chinese

to French Provincial, there is no look we

cannot reproduce.

Fifteen billion gallons of fresh, treated

water are used in American households

every day. It not only deletes our water

sources to waste this water, but costs a

fortune in electrical power to treat and

pump it into our homes. Find out what

you can do to reduce your impact on the

environment while saving 33% of your

water bill.

• Solving Corner Cabinet Woes (Sidebar)

Corner base cabinets are notorious as

dark, difficult-to-reach storage space.

Useful corner storage requires some

pretty fancy hardware to make the space

work. There are a variety of solutions,

some better than others. But is is

possible to make a corner cabinet

effective storage with just a little prior

planning.

• Sources of Supply: Faucets

Thinking about buying a faucet? Before

your do, see our list of major faucet

manufacturers with ratings and

guidelines on what to look for and how to

select a good, lifetime faucet.

• Using Toe-Kick Space (Tips and Tricks)

The toe-kick space under your cabinets

can be effectively used for extra storage,

to store kitchen and bathroom

accessories and for truly dramatic

lighting.

For more good reading, check out the complete Articles Index.

Continue to Body Friendly Design: Kitchen Ergonomics

Are any links on this page broken? Please report broken links.

Did You Find What You Were Looking For?

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No? Then Let Us Help You.

Our site contains over a hundred articles on remodeling, renovating and updating your home, so it is

not always easy to find all the articles that contain the information you are looking for. This is

especially true if you reached our site using a search engine like Yahoo or Google. Search engine

indexing robots are very fast, not very smart. They do not understand synonyms or know when two

or more terms or phrases mean the same thing. Nor do they have the foggiest notion of concept

searching. They look only for specific word groups. If the search words you use do not closely match

the words appearing on a web page, the search engine will probably miss it entirely. Even less helpful

is the fact that if a web search engine finds more than one relevant page on a web site, it will

probably display only the first page it finds — which may not be the best page for your purpose.

I would like a new…

• Kitchen

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To overcome the limitations of the major search engines, we have provided navigation tools on our

site to help you find the information you are looking for. So, if you did not find it on this page, do not

give up just yet.

• Main Topics. At the top left of the page you will see the main topic menu. If you are looking for

information about, for instance, kitchen remodeling, select "Kitchen" to go to a gateway page that

introduces the topic, but also leads you to many more articles on various aspects of kitchen

remodeling. From the Kitchen page, you can, for example, go to articles on selecting cabinets, cabinet

construction, countertops, design concepts, flooring, lighting, architectural integration, and structural

issues.

• Article Indexes. We maintain two indexes to articles, one by topic and a second by title. They

contain a summary of the content of the article to help you locate the one that contains the

information you are looking for.

• Site Search. The information on a particular topic you are looking for may be spread across

several articles. For example, if you want to know all about countertops, there are separate articles

on countertop materials, appropriate countertop materials for various styles of kitchens and baths,

setting the proper countertop height for maximum comfort, and so on: all in different articles. The

best way to find all of the articles that deal with countertops would be to search our site for the term

"countertop". This will lead you to every article in which the word "countertop" is used. Our site

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search utility does this for you. The search box is located at the top right corner of this page. Enter a

search term, and click the "site search" button to display all of the articles containing the term.

Search Terms Related to the Content of this Page.

Knowing the right search expression to use is somewhat of an art. There are lots of terms used in

construction and remodeling that may not be familiar to you. And, search engine indexing robots do

not look at language the way you do. So you may search for "kitchen remodeling" and miss a great

article on strategies for updating yor old kitchen because the article talks about "kitchen renovation",

but never mentions the words "kitchen remodeling". So, to help you identify possible search

expressions, we have prepared a list of search terms that, according to Google's wearch words utility,

relate to the content of this article. It is, of course a very limited list, but it should at least get you

started. If you discover a search expression that leads to exactly the information you are looking for,

tell us about it. We are always looking for good additions to our list.

About StarCraft Custom Builders

Preserving the Past, Building the Future, Since 1996.

StarCraft Custom Builders is a design/build remodeling company located in Lincoln, Nebraska, serving

Lincoln, Omaha, Bellevue, Papillion, Seward, Beatrice, Wahoo, and Fremont, Nebraska. We specialize

in heritage homes — generally, homes built before 1970 — including Victorian, Arts & Crafts,

Bungalow, Craftsman, Prairie and post-war modern retro houses. We emphasize remodeling to

conform to the architectural period of the home. Over the years we have become the experts at

building heritage bathrooms and kitchens, with all the modern conveniences, into the small spaces

typical of older homes.

We also design and build decks and porches, garages and outbuildings, and home additions. Our

interior design/build team can help you with the interior remodeling of any room in your home,

including walls, ceramic and porcelain tile, hardwood flooring, painting and finishing, or renovation of

any kind. Need to remove a load-bearing wall to enlarge a room? We can do that. We can also work

with you to update the outside of your home whether it needs siding, roofing, windows, doors,

gutters or all of the above. Our designers are very skilled at matching exterior renovations to the

historic period of your old home.

Our Design Service features the very latest architectural CAD software that allows us to plan your

project and show you in full-color, photo-realistic images what it will look like when it is finished. You

can view it from any angle, get a detailed look at any feature, and examine it from every imaginable

perspective to make sure you love it before we build it.

Our Construction Management Service relieves you of the worries of supervising and managing a

complex remodeling project and places the responsibility and the risk where it ought to be — in the

hands of trained and experienced professionals.

We stand behind our workmanship with a written three-year limited warranty, the longest in our

business, and three times longer than our competition. If any of our work is defective in any way we

will remedy the problem quickly, and at no cost to you.

For any remodeling or renovation need, big or small, StarCraft Custom Builders if the first choice of

seasoned professionals in south-east Nebraska. Find out why, and what we can do for you. Contact

us at your convenience.

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