ForResidentialPros.com QR April 2014 21
gives the team a chance to scope
out the project's broad outlines
and offer some ideas. Then once
a design retainer agreement is
signed, the team can put pen
to paper (or electrons to a dis-
play) to create a formalized
proposal. Having the project
manager involved from the start
helps ensure the proposed costs
accurately reflect construction
as well as countertops.
The added input on the
construction side was particu -
larly important in this project,
given the need to remove the
load-bearing wall dividing the
kitchen from the adjacent util-
ity/laundry area. This move cre-
ated elbow room for Wilkins
and Ignacio to widen the over-
sink window and the back door,
and add a three-quarter bath,
without sacrificing a dedicated
laundry room.
But it was the kitchen's signa-
ture design element, the angled
wall, that puts a chef's dream
of a Wolf range center stage,
which proved the project's big-
gest decision (and arguably its
biggest success). "We deliber-
ated quite a lot on that — when
you angle the wall, you lose a
little space, but we all agreed it
added a nice flow," Wilkins says.
To help assuage any lost-space
worries, she did some math to
compare the resulting cubic feet
of cabinet space and square feet
of countertops still would be
sufficient. As it turned out, the
owners now have cabinets they
aren't even using — a result they
couldn't have imagined before
the project began. "They were
kind of astonished," Wilkins
says.
Providing this surfeit of
storage was enabled through a
rethinking of the back half of
the home's floor plan. Although
the original Craftsman-style
builders were aces at detail, their
room layouts can seem choppy
and disconnected to today's
homeowners. In this house,
for example, the back door, a
utility area and toilet room (the
closet-sized space included,
COMPANY INFORMATION
Custom Kitchens by John Wilkins Inc.,
Oakland, Calif.
customkitchens-ca.com
Full-time employees: 16
Average annual revenue: $3-5 million
Annual remodeling projects:
150-200
Residential: 95 percent
Commercial: 5 percent
Single-family: 100 percent
Design-build: 100 percent
PROJECT INFORMATION
Date completed: July 2013
Square footage: 352
Project cost: $205,000
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Kitchen
Cabinets: Bentwood Kitchens
Countertops: Natural stone
Sink: Elkay
Faucet: Grohe
Range: Wolf
Exhaust hood: Zephyr
Refrigerator: Sub-Zero
Dishwasher: Bosch
Washer/dryer: Maytag
Microwave oven: GE
On-demand water heater: Rinnai
Bath
Cabinets: Bentwood Kitchens
Toilet: Kohler
Shower faucet: Kohler
Sink: Kohler
Sink faucet: Kohler
Floor: Marmoleum
Interior
Doors: Medallion
Flooring: Dal Tile
Flooring: Natural
hardwood
Lighting: Juno,
Rejuvenation, Tresco
Home Technology
Lighting control system: Lutron
QUR_20-23_KitchenSol414.indd 21 3/28/14 10:12 AM