Geometry Equals Efficiency

Plan A Streamline Workflow Kitchen

Forget about the lack of color in the picture above of this perfectly streamlined and efficient kitchen. Just examine it. We want to focus on efficient workspace in your kitchen. Action Plumbing Heating Air Conditioning & Electrical, your favorite Madison plumber invites you to go back to school for a moment. As plumbers, HVAC guys, and electricians our job is to focus on the basic elements of every home we serve. From tip to stern if you will, making sure if you decide to renovate, remodel, or start from scratch; that you haven’t left something you need to have out. Pot fillers on the stove area, multiple sinks, spray faucets, efficient garbage disposers, enough electrical outlets in the right places, and keeping the changes organized are what we do best. Going back to math in school is just the beginning.

We need to ask first if you were good at math in school? If you were like me, then you may not be good in math at all, and geometry in particular was troublesome. Today’s kitchens can present challenges if Geometry isn’t used. Geometry equals efficiency in most cases, and these practical principles are used just as they have been in the picture above to make working in that kitchen a dream. Who knew right! As it turns out, a triangle design may improve your ability to have great workflow, on day-to-day chores, and more importantly when preparing everyday recipes and entertaining when others want to help.

Regardless of the shape of your current kitchen; U-shaped, L-shaped, galley shaped, or mostly straight lines; the work triangle is the central focus on the placement of cabinets, counters, islands, and appliances. Where they are with respect to workflow depends on shape, design, styles, and appliance sizes.

What makes a kitchen great for you in your home is the main focus Action Plumbing Heating Air Conditioning & Electrical is discussing in this article. The kitchen is most often a 3 item work area. The refrigerator, the sink, and the stove. Working with ease in the style kitchen you have, or are remodeling is all about the shape, the appliances you want, and then working out where each piece goes in relation to cabinets, countertops, and location. Meal preparation must include cleanup, number of persons who work with you, and entertaining if you have a lot of activities in the kitchen with friends and family. It has to be easy to use in any situation.

The Kitchen Angle

Will you be starting from scratch with a total remodel, building a new home, or renovating your existing style, finishes, and appliances? Here are some questions you may want to ask before you begin this project, then contact us here at Action Plumbing Heating Air Conditioning & Electrical to discuss the details like sinks, faucets, islands, electrical outlets, and countertop workspace. Here are some questions that may help you.

1. Who uses your kitchen?
2. You?
3. Your partner or roommates?
4. Teenagers?
5. Kids under ten?
6. Is this where everyone hangs out to eat, including the pets?
7. How do you spend your time in the kitchen?
8. Cooking or baking?
9. Entertaining friends and family?
10. Helping kids with homework or projects?
11. Merely passing through to toss takeout in the fridge and dishes in the dishwasher?

It is totally smart to plan at the beginning of any new project, and hopefully not wait till after everything is installed. Colliding with people, pets, islands, and opening cabinets and appliance doors is critical to its success in becoming a joy to cook in. We all need life’s little pleasures and cooking for family and friends should always be about that love. Take a look at the picture below.

Angles, Legs and Elbows All Play A Part

Successful work triangles for your new kitchen means you will be able to move quickly and without incident within the three key areas of concern. You won’t need to navigate around garbage cans or chairs while carrying a heavy pot of boiling water. This work triangle also gives you enough room to avoid bumping elbows with your cooking partner. In a perfect work area this work triangle will likely measure between 4 and 9 feet in length. The total length of all three legs should be between 12 and 26 feet.

Now comes the style of the new kitchen floorplan; and the discovery process on where it needs to be placed for maximum efficiency. A clear picture about this location of your kitchen’s work triangle definitely assures you will not have blocked paths and have a free workflow from one area to the next.

Kitchen Shapes

• U-Shaped – Great pathways with ample counter areas and helps food prep, plating, eating and cleanup in separate areas. An island works well as a bridge for clearing dishes, and storage in the frig for leftovers.
• Critical table placement is a definite consideration so it doesn’t block the triangle workspace you have worked so hard to create.
• L-Shaped – The refrigerator on one wall with the sink and stove on another, or the stove on one wall with the sink and refrigerator on the other is pretty standard here in this setting. Sink locations between the stove and fridge mean efficient work. The sink remains a focal point in prep and cleanup and stove and fridge are satellite workstations. Keep counter space on either side of the sink for all staging of any meal or entertainment yummy’s.
• Galley-Shaped – Depending on the width of the kitchen, the work triangle may be a little more compact in the pathway areas, but stepping side to side is usually only one or two steps in ease of use. No more wasted energy is a good thing at the dinner meal when you are tired at the end of the day.
• Limited to Straight Lines – If your kitchen can’t have a work triangle, and all walls are straight lines, consider other options. Multiple sinks, pot fillers on the stove, island sinks with dishwashers; and these options mean others can still work with you in prep or cleanup. If pot fillers aren’t going to work, consider extending your faucet reach by adding pull down faucets or pullouts which can assist with pitchers, coffee makers and espresso machines can be prepared with ease. Make sure additional accessories like cutting boards, colanders and trays on counters will add workspace and keep food prep separate and sanitary.

Love Your Triangle Space

Back to math for a second, considering all the above, can you say math is really for everyone and can be used in the most simple ways. And this applies to the style of kitchen in any setting. Keeping the work triangle intact means you are free to focus on the style and design. Streamlined kitchens that are modern, contemporary, farmhouse or minimalist modern, make it so easy to begin your project.

Want to create a special design look you’ll love and still have great workflow? Explore sink, faucet, countertops, wall color, cabinet options, and major appliances with the exact styles you need. Call today for your free estimate or to schedule service!

Get Inspired! When you are ready, call Action Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning and Electric, Inc.. We are experts offering the most reliable and trusted home improvement services in Sun Prairie, WI: 608-837-3638 Ask about all the cities we service in the Madison community. Call the Actionman today!

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