Could You Use a Second Kitchen?
One way we solved this problem is by installing a second kitchen, or “kitchenette” in our home. The kitchenette wasn’t anything fancy; in fact, it was carved out of an old basement storage closet but it was adequate enough to provide me with eight extra feet of counter space, additional outlets and a second refrigerator. If you could use a second kitchen yourself, here’s how it simple it can be.
Prioritize what is needed. My goal in having a second kitchen installed was to create more counter space, more electrical outlets, additional cupboard space, and a second refrigerator to store extra beverages or platters of food for entertaining. What I didn’t need was a prep sink nor a second oven. Prioritizing what was important and what we could do without helped us determine where the kitchenette could be built. Not needing water, for example, meant that we weren’t limited to building our second kitchen close to a water source.
Find the space. The most basic style of kitchenette is a “galley” style which is long and narrow. The basement is probably the more obvious place to install a galley kitchen although a back porch, breezeway, laundry room, unused closet, or even the back of the garage would also work. Any place where a four to eight foot kitchen counter can be installed is an ideal location for a kitchenette.
Buy prefab. Since my second kitchen wasn’t designed to impress anyone, we were totally OK using prefabricated counter tops and kitchen cupboards. Prefab is not only half the price of custom fabricated counters and cupboards, they are easy for a DIY homeowner to install which is another big savings.
Careful selection of appliances. To finish up the kitchenette, we installed appliances that would work well with the available space. A small microwave was purchased for reheating prepared foods, an under-the-counter 6 cu. ft. refrigerator worked for cold food storage, and a hot plate took care of my surface cooking needs. I also had extra outlets installed to handle Crock Pots and electric skillets.
The cost of installing our kitchenette was $800 which included the cabinets, counters, electrical wiring, and the refrigerator. For this kind of cost, installing a utility kitchen is an affordable way to double existing kitchen space.
Related content:
How to clean and organize cluttered kitchen cabinets
Winter cleaning tips to brighten your home.
How to speed clean your home
