ᐅ Pantry vs. Larger Kitchen vs. Utility Room

Hello,

we are currently planning a single-family house without a basement. Since we have never lived without a basement before, we find it difficult to determine the space needed for the kitchen. Specifically, we are considering whether to plan a separate pantry (3-4 m² (32-43 sq ft)) versus a larger kitchen that is about the size of the pantry with more cabinets, or a larger utility room (12 m² (129 sq ft) instead of 8 m² (86 sq ft)) that is easily accessible from the kitchen.

What are your experiences with this? What has proven to be practical?

Thank you for your ideas.

You get used to everything.
And without a floor plan, it’s hard to say what makes more sense. However, I prefer a pantry rather than a larger utility room to separate laundry, cleaning supplies, and food.

This is how we built our house. We have a fairly large 12 sqm (130 sq ft) kitchen, with an adjacent utility room of about the same size, which has a door leading to the parking area. This room accommodates the heating system, washing machine, and dryer, as well as a pantry cabinet and a coat closet. The freezer is located in the kitchen. We have been living here for four years now, and this setup has proven to work well. There is no basement, but instead a garage without a car, smile, and a walk-in attic that is insulated and accessible via a fixed staircase instead of a hatch. This provides plenty of storage space, and when it comes to storage, having is always better than needing.

launy10 schrieb:

we have difficulties determining the space requirements in the kitchen.

Have you already assessed your space needs in the kitchen? Countertop length, number of cabinets, etc. Some people buy every electrical appliance, others have three different sets of dishes in the cupboard. Then it depends on household size, whether a utility garden for preserving fruits and vegetables is planned, and whether the overall property size and budget allow options for the house. Should a closed or open kitchen be planned? Open kitchens often offer less storage space. Are there alternatives like a garage, etc., for waste storage? And so on…
Usually, the secondary rooms have to be subordinate to the main living areas. Ultimately, it is impossible to give general advice.
Use the list above as a guide.

If you have the budget and space, there is nothing against including a pantry. Usually, these are planned here so small and impractical that leaving it out would be beneficial. The utility room tends to be warmer due to heat from appliances and can be humid from laundry. The pantry is better kept cooler and drier. For drinks and canned goods this does not matter, but it does for other food items.

I don’t have any personal experience yet. We previously had a basement, but it was only a small one. Before planning the new house, I calculated how much storage space we had and how much we would need again (some items, like spare tiles, will be stored in a garage in the future). I then included that in the plan for the new house. We will have a small pantry and a large shelf in the utility room. Expanding the kitchen to increase storage space wouldn’t have worked for us, and I can’t imagine it would either (I always buy many items in bulk).

Therefore, if I were you, I would first consider how much space you need or want, and where in the house it can actually be planned.