Very often when your family expands or when you spend a lot of time inside, your home no longer meets your needs. The kitchen is usually the most congested area. A kitchen bump out is sometimes seen as the solution.
So, What Is A Kitchen Bump Out?
This renovation extends, or “bumps out,” the kitchen into the existing yard. Kitchen renovations that take existing home space are not considered here. Obviously for most people the part of the yard that is taken depends on where the kitchen is. If one’s kitchen faces two parts of the yard, either could be used. One could also bump out the kitchen area into the yard, move the eat-in portion of the kitchen into the new area and expand the cooking area into the current eating area. So, options abound for what part of the kitchen is expanded but a bump out expands the physical footprint of the kitchen into the yard (and of course increases the house’s square footage). If your kitchen cannot be expanded outside the house (for instance, a townhome, or if your kitchen abuts your 1 car wide driveway), this is not for you.
The Second Question Is “Why?”
A bump out solves several problems. If you find your family bumping into each other every day, a “bump out” removes that issue. Many people like to entertain and that involves preparing in the kitchen (at the very least) and probably gathering there also. This congestion is draining, not entertaining, if your kitchen is too small. People also, especially recently, have rediscovered cooking and not having enough space to work on complex dishes is maddening. One might wonder why renovate out into the yard rather than into the house. If the kitchen is too small, the house might be as well. If the house has to be expanded, expanding it where you need it, rather than shifting everything, is usually best.
Now, How: And What To Include?
Obviously, this renovation requires outside help in terms of the building usually and often the preparation. Consulting with Commonwealth Home Design is critical as one doesn’t want to have their kitchen torn up for months (or years) and then not have a good result. The second issue of what to include should be tackled early on, after one is sure that the kitchen can be built out into the yard. Drawing up a dream list of appliances and features (and reviewing kitchen bump outs and renovations online with those features) gives you a sense of what is possible. Very often a good place to start would be taking a virtual home tour, fast forwarding to the kitchen and then listing everything that kitchen has that you do not. Then you should communicate with us so we can draw up a budget.
Finally: Who?
If you need the room and have the space outside well then it is time to start a project!
