Need advice on open wall kitchen width.

mike44107

Hello,

I am remodeling my kitchen and just knocked down a wall. We are wanting to have a bar top style eating area and are a little torn on how wide to make it. I am pretty sure the height will be 42". There will be a counter top stove on the other side.

Now, I am having a hard time making up my mind on what the width should be. The full length would be 74" and the smaller opening would be 42". The only advantage for going smaller would be a taller cabinet behind the wall. However, the thought of it being open all the way to the other wall seems good also. I have attached a couple pictures to give you an idea.

Any input is welcome!

Thanks for your time!

Mike

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YesMaam27577

How confident are you that the wall was not a load bearing wall? Those doubled studs should be at least a little cause for pause.

mike44107

Very confident! LOL

That was our first major concern before we decided to do this. But we had the whole ceiling out of the Kitchen and could see what that wall was really supporting. That wall runs right between two joists. The only thing that was joining them was lathe. It looks serious because they doubled the studs. But out of the four. Only two of them run as high as the ceiling. Also, I have a friend from FOGG construction. He looked it over and felt around the joists and said it showed no signs of being load bearing. Plus, I am not removing those! I am just going to take Cherry wood and cover them with a nice finish. They are staying where they are!

Ron6519

Decide how many seating spots you want and leave at least 24" for each person. Having the stove on the other side of a seating area is not a good idea. Spilled drinks, kids climbing all over, etc... If you can offset the seats from the stove, I think it would be safer.
Ron