Dishwasher versus cabinet storage?

I have a really old house. I have the vintage kitchen remodel from 1949. Original cabinets, tile, sink , etc. I've done a little updating but pretty much kept it vintage. I did put a Dishmaster faucet in for washing dishes.

Now I'm considering putting in a compact dishwasher. I don't have space for a 24" but I do have one cabinet between the sink an stove for a compact 18" dishwasher.

But I have to consider....do I want to give up that drawer and the two shelves in the cabinet for a dishwasher. Storage is already tight. I'd have to find another place to store my pots and pans and they'd be farther away from the stove. And I'd have to knock out the back of the cabinet down to the studs and the dishwasher would still stick out a bit, requiring some creative framing to hide the gap. My cabinets are only 18" deep withe another 1" of plaster behind before you hit studs. Most of the dishwashers are about 22" deep. Not a danger in that the stove also sticks out right next to it, but there would be a gap to disguise.

But my main concern is:

What is worth more in a kitchen? A dishwasher or storage? I know storage is always at a premium. Is that storage drawer and cabinet worth more or less than having a compact dishwasher in the kitchen?

I've been hand washing for 20 years. But I'm thinking of something that would be a small expense but make my house more valuable. I don't want to put in a dishwasher and end up lowering the value of my house because I did away with kitchen storage.

So.....thoughts anyone?

Here's a pic of the cabinet. It's between the sink on the left and the stove on the right. BTW that stove is history. I have a vintage white enameled O'Keefe and Merritt now.

 

The apartment sized counter top models won't fit on my counters.

All of the counters are about 18" deep. Very shallow compared to modern. The space between the counter and the upper cabinets is also low, about 12". No counter top dishwasher would fit. There's also no space in the kitchen for a portable. The upper cabinets are shallower than the lower, maybe 12". Actually really nice not to have deep cabinets where I can't reach anything.

The space above the stove now had a cabinet with a microwave/hood combo. The small cabinet to the left is very shallow (sized for spice tins) and contains all of my spices. If I completed gutted that kitchen and remodeled the entire thing....*that* cabinet would still stay.

Whatever I do, I have to do with the current counter in place. I can gut underneath, but won't be removing and building a new cabinet. I'm not looking for a complete kitchen remodel here, just installing or not installing a dishwasher.

So...do I rip out the drawer and cabinet underneath with a reciprocating saw and install the 18" dishwasher? Or do I keep the vintage cabinets and continue to wash by hand? What makes my house worth more?

 

I don't plan to sell.

No telling if at some point I may have to move in with them but not any time soon.

No room for a portable.

It's just me, so size is not a problem. Although it would take me less time to fill a little 18" than a full size, even if I *had* room for a full size, which I don't.

I'm just thinking about what would enhance the value of my home. I know now seems a stupid time to think of improvements, but I've gotten 100-200% value back on every improvement I've made. So if I spent $500.00 to put in a dishwasher, I'm mostly concerned about if I've increased it's value by adding a modern appliance, or decreased it because the kitchen now has less cabinet stace.

 

No. I would be using the cabinet with the existing between the sink and stove. So that door and drawer would be removed and the insides gutted using a reciprocating saw.

So I would gain a dishwasher but lose a drawer and two shelves of cabinet space.

That cabinet opening is 18". Just large enough for the dishwasher.

Height is fine. My counters are actually a little taller than normal as the previous owner's wife was 6 feet and had them built taller for her comfort. The depth is a problem but I have a work around. I'll be removing the plaster behind the cabinet. That will gain me another inch. And I have the stud space for running electrical and plumbing.

If there is a bit of a gap between the face of the cabinet and the door of the dishwasher, I think I can get a little creative with some molding and frame it so it doesn't look too stupid.

There is plumbing and electrical under the sink. I have a garbage disposal and there is a box I can tie electrical in to. It was done with the possibility of a future dish washer.

No problem with the hardware aspects. I just want to make sure if I refinance in the future, I'll increase my home's worth with a dishwasher instead of decreasing it by using cabinet space to do it.

But I think the comment previously was valid. There's never enough storage. If you're already short, losing a little more isn't going to be that much more of an impact.

 

Yeah, I looked at the drawers. They're 24 " wide and 24" deep. I have the same depth problem as with the compact. I do have a place where I have a column of drawers and could lose a couple drawers for a dishwasher. But it will still stick out. I think solving the depth problem for the slimline in the cabinet next to the stove is easier than for the drawer area.

My Mom and I are going to go to a few kitchen places and see if there's any european design that is shallower than standard. If not, I may go to Home Depot and take some measurements of a GE Spacemaker. It's energy star rated.

If not, I have a work around if I really want to go that route. I'd have to knock out the plaster behind the cabinet (all the time working inside the cabinet, fun stuff) and then I might have to take out a stud, putting in a crosspiece and two sister studs on the side; like framing a window. I'm not looking forward to this. I believe the plaster in the kitchen is on metal mesh, not wood lathe. So it will be a real b¡tch. But it will gain me 5 inches. That gives me 23". And running everything through the wall is easier than cutting through cabinets and such. Cleaner too.

I need to consider this seriously. Once I start cutting into the cabinet there's no going back.

 

(My Dad owns the reciprocating saw but I can borrow it any time I want.)

Yeah, if I ask for girlie stuff from Santa the most I can expect is maybe a sweater. But if I ask Santa for power tools, they're under the tree.

Last Christmas I got a Craftsman three-fer, cordless drill, saw and flashlight. I've got drill bits up the whazoo; wood, masonry, chisel. I've got socket wrenches, sanders, jigsaw. I have a dual action polisher for detailing my car.

Right now I'm coveting a compound miter saw but I'm not sure how much use I'd get from it. If the Porter Cable compressor with three tools goes on sale at Home Depot, I'll probably ask for that instead.

I also know how to sweat copper pipe and do PVC. I did all of the sprinklers for my yard. I can reseat a toilet and hang a ceiling fan. I've hung a slab door using a hand plane and chisel for beveling and mortising. I just finished building a replacment gate for my fence to the alley. 8 ft tall with a deadbolt lock. (this is so SDG&E can access my meter because of PV) You can check out my bathroom remodel HERE.

I'll be doing the dishwasher install myself but I've read the PDFs and it doesn't look too complicated. The only labor intensive thing is going to be knocking out the back wall inside the cabinet. (The plaster is on mesh instead of lathe, damn.) Yes. The cabinets were stick and frame built on site. The back wall inside is the exposed plaster. But they have some nice little details I don't want to give up. The countertops are NOT level intentionally. They slant towards the sink. Spills automatically move that way and clean up is so much easier. There is also a lip so it doesn't spill onto the floor. I prefer to do work myself if I feel I can handle it because I am a lot more careful and fussy than some installers, contractors, workmen. After all it's MY house so I care more about what it's going to look like and how it's going to work in the space with daily living.

My Mom and I are going to a kitchen store today to look at options, although it looks like all dishwashers are pretty much a standard 22-24" deep. I'll probably have to take out a stud and sister in a header.

I'd love a Miele or Bosch but will probably end up with a GE, Frigidaire or Kenmore. Yes, it is for me and I don't plan to sell. But it doesn't pay to put in real high end in my neighborhood. If my home was appraised, I wouldn't get any extra value from a Miele over a Kenmore.

And I'm single. Interested parties may send resumé, copies of your last three years tax returns and high quality jpeg of power tools.

 

Hey! I asked for tax returns!

Got back from Kitchen store. Consensus is I'll put an exploratory hole in the back of the cabinet to see what's back there and how deep I can get it before I decide.