Can I Have Two kitchens In My Single Family Home?
So what’s the big deal about having a 2nd kitchen in my home? Sounds simple enough until you talk to the “Zoning Department”, that’s when the drama starts. Most zoning departments won’t approve building plans for a singe family home that contains a second kitchen because the property is zoned for a single family residence and not multi family. Many, Zoning Departments rule that an additional kitchen signifies a multi family residence.
Breakfast bars are allowed, so are wet bars, craft centers that have a sink and a kiln are allowed and even summer kitchens are permitted. So what’s wrong with a second indoor kitchen? Some cultures even request a dirty kitchen and a clean kitchen. A clean kitchen that is open for guest viewing and a dirty kitchen that is not. The dirty kitchen is normally where spices are prepared.
If you want a second kitchen in your single family home it’s like threading a needle. It’s a careful process. It may depend upon who reviews your building plans down at zoning or what you call the kitchen. If you ask our local Zoning Department for a set of guidelines that you can follow before you design your new home or remodel they’ll tell you they don’t exist and decisions are made on a case by case basis. That really makes the idea of a 2nd kitchen even more difficult.
Hiring the right building team can make all the difference! A Builder and Architect that are used to working with that Zoning Department will know how to present your plans. Sometimes just labeling the second kitchen as a craft center is all that it takes to be approved. In other instances, that just won’t fly.
I’ve seen the Zoning Department approve the 2nd kitchen as long as it doesn’t have upper cabinets, go figure. In other instances, a 2nd kitchen is ok as long as it doesn’t have a cooktop. A microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, garbage disposal and a sink will be approved but not a cooktop. Frankly, it’s a crazy set of circumstances!
So when Homeowners tell me they want a 2nd kitchen for their mother-in-law I have to tell them it depends. It’s not what they want me to say but that’s reality. I tell them, let me know what features you would like included in the 2nd kitchen and I’ll see what I can do.
Can I Have Two kitchens In My Single Family Home? Well, yes and no.
Have an awesome day!
Mike
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