Guidelines for Kitchen Design Part 3

Kitchen And Bathroom Renovation : Guidelines for Kitchen Design Part 3

Door Guidelines

Exterior entry doors should be at least 36 inches wide and 80 inches high. Interior passage doors between
rooms must be at least 30 inches wide. A kitchen must have at least two points of entry, arranged so traffic
patterns don’t intrude on work areas.

Guidelines for Electrical Service & Lighting

Most major kitchen-remodeling projects require some upgrading of the electrical service. While your old
kitchen may be served by a single 120-volt circuit, it’s not uncommon for a large modern kitchen to require
as many as seven individual circuits, including a pair of dedicated 20-amp small-appliance circuits. In a few cases, the extra demands of the new kitchen may require that the main electrical service for your entire house be upgraded by an electrician. By comparing the electrical service in your present kitchen with the
requirements described below, you’ll get an idea of how extensive your electrical service improvements will need to be. Your plan drawings should indicate the locations of all the outlets, lighting fixtures, and electrical appliances in your new kitchen. Many areas enforce kitchen codes that are based on the National Electric Code (NEC) standards. Among the more important NEC requirements are:


• Two small-appliance circuits (120-volt, 20-amp) to supply power for the refrigerator and plug-in countertop appliances;
• Wall outlets spaced no more than 12 ft. apart;
• Countertop outlets spaced no more than 4 ft. apart;
• GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) protected receptacles installed in any general use outlet, whether above the counter or at floor level, including receptacles that are mounted inside cabinets;
• Dedicated circuits for each major appliance. Install a 20-amp, 120-volt circuit for a built-in microwave, a 15-amp circuit for the dishwasher and food disposer. An electric range, cooktop, or wall oven generally requires a dedicated circuit with service ratings of at least 50 amps and 240 volts.

The electric code only requires that a kitchen have some form of lighting controlled by a wall switch,but kitchen designers have additional recommendations:

• A general lighting circuit (120-volt, 15-amp) that operates independently from plug-in outlets;
• Plentiful task lighting, usually mounted under wall cabinets or soffits, to illuminate each work area;
• Decorative lighting fixtures to highlight attractive cabinets or other features of the kitchen.

Plumbing Guidelines

Minimum plumbing requirements for kitchens are enforced by your local code agency and many times are based on the Uniform Plumbing Codes (UPC). Like the NEC, the UPC is updated every three years, so make sure you are working with current information (the best way to assure this is to involve your local
building inspector). Most codes relate to the size and material of water supply lines, the amount of pitch on branch drain lines, and venting of drain lines. The types of fittings and transitions that may be used also are closely watched by inspectors. For example, old-style saddle valves that pierce supply lines to feed an auxiliary fixture, such as an icemaker, have been disallowed by virtually every municipality.

Heating, Ventilation & Air-conditioning Guidelines

Detailed plan drawings should show the locations of heating/air-conditioning registers or fixtures in your
kitchen. If you’re planning a cosmetic makeover or a simple layout change, there is a pretty good chance
you can get by with the same registers, radiators, or heaters found in your present kitchen. But if your new kitchen will be substantially larger than it is now or if the ratio of wall space filled by glass windows and doors will be greater, it’s possible that you’ll need to expand its heating and cooling capacity. Unless you happen to be a mechanical engineer, you’ll need to consult a professional to evaluate your heating/ ventilation/air-conditioning (HVAC) system. The code requirements for room heating are quite simple, but the methods used to calculate required energy needs of a room are fairly complex. Finally, your cooktop should be equipped with an electric vent hood to exhaust cooking fumes, smoke, and moisture from the kitchen. The minimum volume of air moved by a vent fan is specified by code, so you should always check with a building inspector before selecting a vent hood.

Guidelines for Kitchen Design Part 1
Guidelines for Kitchen Design Part 2