Remodel my livingroom area into my kitchen to make it bigger.

By on March 17th, 2008

I want to remodeling my kitchen to make it bigger so this means turning my living room area to make my kitchen Then adding on to the back will be my living area. This means people will be walking thru the kitchen to get to the the livingroom. Does this sound good or should i get a interior designer to help out.or even go buy a bigger house. Any suggestions.

Opalescence Granite: Would you recommend it for my kitchen countertops.

By on March 5th, 2008

I’m looking at my options for granite countertops in my kitchen as I am remodeling. Opalescence seems nice and is on the cheaper end as well. Any thoughts on the value of that specific type of granite or alternative recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Tags: kitchen design, long island kitchens, remake kitchen, Kitchen Remodeling Advice, kitchen cabinets, countertops

Redoing my bathroom and other home parts.Remodeling my whole house.

By on March 2nd, 2008

First off if anyone has any good sites to go to let me know sites that include pics ect.
i live in a condo
Here is what I want to do
new bathroom.
i want a steam shower so fully enclosed
then vanity for my sink with really clean lines.simple
feung shui persuation
I want the sink to be a bowl with nice focit
any floor suggestions.
and wall colour.
my bathroom is small also
anyway does anyone know the cost of all that or approx cost ect

the rest of my house
scrap ceilings
crown molding
paint
carpet or stained concrete.who knows about that.
new kitchen floor
shutters for windows
i have this wood stuff in my den now that I want to paint or remove any ideas.
entire kitchen
oooh yea and patio.it’s just concrete and about 24 ft by 12ft
what should i do stain floor.
anyway give me ideas of stuff to do prices and websites with pics
thank you for the help

ps my condo is 1200 sq ft and it is in la verne california im trying to include feng shui to a degree

Kitchen Table And Chairs Every home has to

By admin on January 1st, 2008

Kitchen Table And Chairs

Every home has to have a kitchen table and chairs. The shape, size, and style you choose will depend a great deal on your dיcor, personal tastes, and the space you have. Take some time to figure out what’s right for your kitchen.

Have you ever stopped to really think about your table? Do you just assume it’s there and do you forget the role it plays in your home dיcor? Your kitchen table choice may be more important then you realized.

Start by determining what you use your table for. Yes of course you eat at it. But do you entertain? Kids do homework at the table? Do you use your laptop there? Once you outline what functionality is required from your table you will be in a better position to choose right.

Traditional shapes include round and rectangular. Both have leaves so you can increase the number of seating. You’ve all heard of the round table used for meetings and debates? That’s why a round table is the best choice for conversation flow. While a square or rectangular table is more formal.

When you choose your chairs the most important thing to ensure is that they fit under the table correctly. A wooden chair will look classic while an upholstered chair will look elegant and a cushioned chair oh so comfy.

There are also different types of wood used for tables. Hardwood which includes oak, cherry, ash, maple, mahogany, walnut, and teak, are all hard, strong, and dent resistant. It’s also more expensive.

Softwood includes fir, cedar, pine, and cypress which are all less expensive. Sometimes the two types are combined while other times they are used separately.

There are also laminates, veneers, and sold woods to choose from. Sold wood carries the grain of the wood through the core. Veneer is a thin layer of decorative wood that is bonded to a cheaper wood like particle board or plywood. Laminates are an imitation hardwood that is applied to particle board.

If wood isn’t your thing then why not consider a glass table. There are plenty of different types of glass to choose from including smoke or aqua. Of course you still have all the shape options and you can choose from a host of different bases including columns and legs.

And of course materials can be combined. A wood table top with chrome legs, intricately carved wood legs, plain wood legs, an ornate center pedestal, or the list could go on and on.

The chairs are the same. You can choose traditional wood chairs, contemporary leather chairs, upholstery chairs, or a host of other styles. High backs are always nice because they provide additional back support keeping your guests comfortable.

It’s a smart idea to shop online. When you shop locally you are limited to local stock which can be quite limiting depending on where you live. Never mind the hassle of driving from one place to the other.

But when you shop online suddenly the world is only a click of a mouse away. So whether you want to shop in Africa, Asia, or North America it’s all at your fingertips.

And you can save a lot too! And when you are on a budget that’s important. So what will your kitchen table and chairs look like?

Tags: kitchen photos, appliances, kitchen planning, kitchen new design, kitchen islands

Down the Drain-Installing a Dishwasher Drain When installing

By admin on December 23rd, 2007

Down the Drain-Installing a Dishwasher Drain

When installing a built-in dishwasher, you will have a couple of options for the drain hose configuration. The instructions that come with the new dishwasher will explain both options in detail; however, this general description can help you to understand why there are two options and which one you should use for your dishwasher drain installation.

The first configuration uses an air gap. Whether you connect the drain hose to the garbage disposal or directly to the sink drain above the trap, you do not want the sink’s wastewater to be siphoned back into the dishwasher. The air gap prevents drain water from doing this. Basically, a small piece is attached to the sink or countertop to interrupt the drain water’s flow as it comes from the dishwasher into the drainpipe. It does this with two small pipes that come from the fixture acting as an inlet and outlet hose. The dishwasher drain hose is attached to the inlet pipe while the outlet pipe has a hose from it to the garbage disposal or drainpipe. If it goes directly to the drainpipe, the outlet hose must connect in above the trap. Air gaps are the best preventative method against wastewater siphoning back into the dishwasher, but if you use too much dishwasher detergent you may get bubbles coming out of the air gap.

In certain situations you may choose the other method to install the dishwasher drain. First, you should check with your local building codes to find out if an air gap is required. If the sink you are using does not have a hole for an air gap and you do not want to drill a hole in your countertop, you can use a loop method instead of the air gap as long as the building codes allow it. In this method of dishwasher drain installation, you will have only the one drain hose. As you run it from the dishwasher to the drainpipe, you will create a large bell-shaped curve in the hose. Try to run the top of the curve as high up in the cabinet as possible and attachž it with clamps to hold it in place. This upward curve will keep draining water from the sink from backing into the dishwasher since water will not run up the curve without some type of pressure forcing it. The loop method does not work as well as the air gap, but it can suffice if you are remodeling and do not have a hole for the air gap.

If you are installing a new dishwasher with a new sink, it is best to use the air gap fro the dishwasher drain installation. Building codes may actually require an air gap, so always check those codes before completing your dishwasher drain installation. The loop method can work easily in a pinch, but it may not give the same protection against drain water siphoning into the dishwasher as the air gap method.

Tags: kitchen interior, kitchen remodeling ideas, Kitchen Appliance Trends, kitchen remodeling, interior design

Kitchen Design Practice Introduction It is still quite

By admin on November 22nd, 2007

Kitchen Design Practice

Introduction

It is still quite common practice to estimate exhaust
air flow rates based on rough methods. The
characteristic feature of these methods is that the
actual heat gain of the kitchen appliance is neglected.
Thus, the exhaust air flow rate is the same: even
when a heavy load like a wok or a light load like a
pressure cooker is under the hood. These kinds of
rough estimation methods do not produce optimal
solutions; the size of the whole system will be
oversized and so the investment costs and running
costs will increase.
The layout of the kitchen ventilation design was
complex due to the provision of a logical structure
combined with good air flow distribution and
performance.
Technically it was a question of designing and
providing an air conditioning installation offering
conditions and a minimal variable temperature in the
surrounding area ie: 23 C, 0/3 C whilst also keeping a
negative pressure between the kitchen and all
adjacent areas.
The most sensitive space to be handled turned out to
be the working zone, where the airflow to extract heat
and steam produced by ovens or cooking pots were
important.

The steam emitted in the opening of cooking pots or
the brat pan should also be captured immediately.
In this case of providing sufficient efficiency in
capturing polluants, the necessity of having the lowest
energy consumption for the end user had to be
considered.
In tackling these constraints, it has been decided to
select a model of hood using high technology offering,
for the same connecting power installed in the
kitchen, maximum efficiency and important energy
savings.
Kitchen Design Process
The design of the professional kitchen environment
follows the methodology of the industrial design
process.

Grease Extraction The convection plume from the cooking

By admin on November 19th, 2007

Grease Extraction

The convection plume from the cooking operation
underneath the hood contains grease that has to be
extracted as efficiently as possible. The amount of
grease produced by cooking is a function of many
variables including: the type of appliance used for
cooking, the temperature that food is being cooked at,
and the type of food product being cooked.
The purpose of a mechanical grease filter is twofold:
first to provide fire protection by preventing flames
from entering the exhaust hood and ductwork, and
secondly to provide a means of removing large grease
particles from the exhaust stream. The more grease
that can be extracted, the longer the exhaust duct and
fan stay clean, resulting in better fire safety.
From a practical standpoint, grease filters should be
easily cleanable and non-cloggable. If the filter
becomes clogged in use, the pressure drop across the
filter will increase and the exhaust airflow will be
lower than designed.

What Is Grease?
According to the University of Minnesota, grease is
comprised of a variety of compounds including solid
and/or liquid grease particles, grease and water
vapours, and a variety of non-condensable gases
including nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and carbon
monoxide. The composition of grease becomes more
complex to quantify as grease vapours may cool down
in the exhaust stream and condense into grease
particles. In addition to these compounds,
hydrocarbons can also be generated during the
cooking process and are defined by several different
names including VOC (volatile organic compounds),
SVOC (semi-volatile organic compounds), ROC
(reactive organic compounds), and many other
categories.
Grease Emissions By Cooking Operation
An ASHRAE research project conducted by the
University of Minnesota has determined the grease
emissions from typical cooking processes. Figure 7
presents total grease emissions for several appliances.

It appears at first as if the
underfired broiler has the highest grease emissions.
However when examining the figure closer you see
that if a gas or electric broiler is used to cook chicken
breasts, the grease emissions are slightly lower than if
you cook hamburgers on a gas or electric griddle. This
is the reason that we are discussing cooking
operation and not merely the type of appliance.
However, we can say that, for the appliances tested in
this study, the largest grease emissions are from
underfired broilers cooking burgers while the lowest
grease emissions were from the deep-fat fryers. The
gas and electric ranges were used to cook a spaghetti
meal consisting of pasta, sauce, and sausage. All of
the other appliances cooked a single food product. It
is expected that the emissions from solid-fuel (e.g.,
wood burning) appliances will probably be on the
same order of magnitude as under-fired broilers, but in
addition to the grease, large quantities of creosote and
other combustion by-products may be produced that
coat the grease duct. Chinese Woks may have grease
emissions well above under-fired broiler levels due to
high surface temperature of the Woks combined with
the cooking medium utilised for cooking (e.g. peanut
oil, kanola oil, etc.) which will tend to produce extreme
grease vaporisation and heat levels.

The components of grease were discussed earlier and
a breakdown of the grease emissions into the
particulate and vapor phases is shown in figure 8.
Upon examining figure 8, it becomes apparent that
the griddles, fryers, and broilers all have a significant
amount of grease emissions that are composed of
particulate matter while the ovens and range tops are
emitting mainly grease vapour. If you combine the
data in figure 7 with the data in figure 8 it becomes
evident that the broilers have the largest amount of
particulate matter to remove from the exhaust stream.
The final piece of information that is important for
grease extraction is the size distribution of the grease
particles from the different cooking processes.
On a mass basis, cooking processes tend to produce particles
that are 10 microns and larger. However, the broilers
produce significant amounts of grease particles that
are 2.5 microns and smaller (typically referred to as
PM 2.5) regardless of the food being cooked on the
broiler.

Sociable Floor The floor is the architectural surface

By admin on October 26th, 2007

Sociable Floor

The floor is the architectural surface that receives the most
physical interaction. By monitoring use of the floor and
projecting onto it, many useful functions can be played out.
We use a modular tile floor with capacitive sensors under
the 12 x12 raised modules. Ceiling-mounted projectors
paint the floor with information gathered from where and
when people stand on the various tiles.

Sociable Floor can augment the sensing already discussed
by judging exactly where different users of the kitchen are
standing. The system can warn users when they are working
too close and allows for projected information to accurately
follow an individual user as their tasks carry them through
the kitchen.