Hi John,

Ever since the article in the Globe a couple of weeks ago I have been following your site with devotion – I love it!

My partner and I are in the midst of a major renovation of our semi-detached home in downtown Toronto (we are doing a lot of the work ourselves), and I am learning a lot of helpful information by watching your videos.

In fact, I have watched all the archived videos, and that’s why I am writing. In a number of different clips you discuss a kitchen counter/eating bar, with stools, which is often used with the dual purpose of demarcating the end of a kitchen, while also bringing people back into the kitchen. Anyway, in one video you mention how deep the leg room under the bar should be, and I’m going crazy trying to find which video that’s in. Do you mind pointing me to the right video? Thanks so much.

Best,
Karyn

Karyn,

Thank you for the email – and to Louis for so quickly giving you a first response.

I am very glad that you find the Design School exercises interesting and useful. We are actually in the final process of publishing our first book that, among a lot of other useful things, will contain the critical dimensions and rules of thumb for residential design.

In terms of your specific question, as you probably guessed, I like to extend the counter rather than having a raised eating bar. It provides more work surface for the kitchen and is a nicer place to sit. Generally speaking I would say that 10″ is a minimum overhang. A really comfortable depth for your knees is closer to 14″. This would give you a counter depth of just over 3′. However, if you have a dishwasher in that section of the counter it is best to allow for a 3’6″ counter because of the additional cabinet depth for plumbing hookups. I also prefer that depth of counter when there is a sink so that someone sitting at the island isn’t too jammed up against the back of the tap.

It is also important to consider that the distance of the overhang can also be limited by the structural ability of your counter material to cantilever. Going out so far that you have to add struts or some other kind of support defeats the purpose I think.

As a final note, be sure and purchase counter height stools not regular ones. If you aren’t going to use an adjustable one, I always recommend trying the stool first to make sure it feels right with your counter.

John, I also have been following this site since the G&M article. My husband and I will soon be looking in the Lower Mainland for a condo, needing to downsize from our house since he has Parkinson’s and we can no longer handle the necessary maintenance. I am eager to pick up tips about what makes a good SLOW home. My question is this: you mention downloading the floor plans to work on them, and you have also mentioned downloading other details, but I can’t find any way to do this. Could you please point out what I am overlooking? Thanks.

Judy – You’ll find the PDF and JPG working files within the Video Frame along the bottom…(see attached screen capture) Place your pointer over the file name, right-click and select “Save Target As…” to save to your computer

Hope this helps!

[img]090430g.jpg[/img]

Judy,

I am glad that you are finding the site useful.

I hope that Louis’ post answered your question about downloading the files. Use the PDF file to print out and then draw over with some tracing paper. Use the JPEG version if you are going to use Microsoft Paint or Mac’s Paintbrush program. We are preparing a full tutorial on how to use these programs. In the meantime I give a short demo in the April 12 Slow Home Report.

Here is the link:
http://theslowhome.com/slow-home-report/week-of-april-12-2009/

I appreciate the situation that you and your husband are in. Finding a home that meets special needs can be a challenge.

For an example of how good design can assist people with disabilities or illness, I would recommend the Siple Residence by Acton Ostry Architects of Vancouver in our Project Catalogue.

Here is the link:
http://archive.theslowhome.com/projects/siple-residence/prodsipleresidence.html

The client is an independent filmmaker partially paralyzed as the result of an automobile accident and the architects came up with some very interesting details. These may not be directly applicable to your situation but they are a good illustration of how design can adapt to a variety of situations.

Erica,
Welcome to the site.

I am very glad that you find it useful. As a design student you have a great responsibility, and opportunity, to improve the future quality of our houses.

I encourage you to extend beyond the traditional realm of wealthy clients and develop a practice that can help a much broader segment of the population. As you can see from the examples we discuss on this site, everyone can benefit from thoughtful design.

John,

Thanks for your response. I checked out both the links you indicated and found them useful and interesting. I look forward to continued learning from your unique and valuable site. Can’t wait for more!