Program development with kitchen-first thinking

Why kitchen-first

On a DADU or second-story project, the kitchen is one room among many. On a whole-house remodel, it's the room. Three reasons:

1. The kitchen is where you spend the most money. Cabinets, counters, appliances, fixtures — easily 25–40% of the project budget.
2. The kitchen drives MEP rough. Where the range goes decides where the gas line goes, where the hood goes, and where the structural beam can or can't be. Where the sink goes decides the plumbing rough. Where the refrigerator goes decides the dedicated 20A circuit.
3. Open-plan layouts radiate from the kitchen. Once you decide the island is here and the range is there, the dining and living layouts fall out almost automatically.

What the program covers

A working program is a 1–2 page document that names:

• Kitchen — galley, U-shape, island-centered, peninsula. Approximate footprint. Whether it opens to dining, living, or both.
• Primary suite — bedroom size, en-suite bath, closet. Most whole-house remodels add or substantially upgrade the primary suite.
• Secondary bedrooms — count, sizes, shared or split bath.
• Public spaces — living, dining, family room. Whether they're open to each other or separated.
• Mudroom / entry — where the family actually enters and where the gear lives.
• Laundry — main floor, basement, or upstairs (if attic conversion).
• Storage — pantry, linen, mechanical, garage.
• Outdoor connection — deck, patio, slider doors, screened porch.

How to do it

The designer will run a programming meeting (or two). Bring photos of kitchens and houses you like. Bring your scope memo from feasibility step 0.3. Don't bring floor-plan sketches — those come later. The job at this stage is to articulate what before where.

What to push back on

• Adding rooms you'll never use. Most owners over-program at first. A second home office for a single-WFH household is expensive vacant square footage.
• Inflating room sizes. A 12x14 primary bedroom feels big enough; a 16x18 starts to look like a hotel.
• Adding scope from "while we're at it" thinking. Scope memo from step 0.3 answers each one.

When this is done

When you have a 1–2 page program both you and the designer can read back without surprise. Schematic design starts from this document.