Is having a scullery or butler’s pantry essential in my kitchen renovation?

At Kitchen Express we are often asked this question & it depends on a few factors. If budget isn’t one of these factors in the decision, then the following points may be all you need to consider …

1 – Space

This seems obvious but can often be overlooked by renovators,  on both sides of the issue.

People are often amazed at what we can achieve with a butlers pantry in a very small area – you don’t need a huge space to be able incorporate a workable functional walk in pantry.  For example; the back door area by the laundry in the 1960’s era bungalows is a popular area to transform. Working with an experienced designer to establish if your area is large enough for a butlers pantry is key to getting it right. We can usually tell within a short time of looking over your house plans or measuring your area at your home whether we could make this work.

We will discuss with your main reason for wanting a scullery, such as solely food storage? appliance storage? Do you wish to work in the scullery for baking etc… These answers can give us an idea of whether it is feasible to achieve the outcome you want.

On the other side of the space issue, is that you do not want to compromise your main kitchen space, making it feel cramped or unworkable, at the expense of a scullery.

Kitchen Express will be able to explain the pros & cons to you, seeing a design/sketch up can help, or simply having them measure it out in our showroom to give you an understanding of how this can work – or not, is also useful.

2 – Re sale

If your house will be for resale in the foreseeable future and the space &budget allows then we would always say ‘Do it’. You won’t regret having the luxury of a separate area dedicated to food storage and appliance use & when looking to purchase a house it can be a BIG selling point for potential buyers… often even a  ‘must have’

3 – Building works

The building work to incorporate a scullery into your existing home must be factored into the overall cost. Although the work to build a scullery in is often quite straightforward & usually won’t require a building consent, it is still a cost to employ a qualified builder to carry out this work & the associated trades required to get the area or new ‘room’ to a painted finish ready to install cabinetry & benchtops etc., If you plan to have services in the scullery such as a sink and/or electrical points for appliance use etc… then we would also need our plumber and electrician to quote & carry this work out.

None of these jobs are suitable or recommended for the home handyman – they require qualified tradespeople to be engaged to carry this part out. We can usually give you an estimate on what you might be looking at overall cost wise … but to get a firm budget, all of these parts must first be quoted – as the design will depend on these overall costs as well. Having the above costs quoted Prior to a design being done is essential.

These 3 factors are a starting point in deciding if a scullery can be in your dream kitchen renovation – there are other factors to consider & the team at Kitchen Express can discuss these. With over 30 years experience in the renovation market we can confidently say we’ve seen most scenarios & are the experts at making your dream kitchen & scullery a reality.

©Kitchen Express 2021