How important is a kitchen anyway?
May 22, 2010 8:41 AM   Subscribe

Should we move into this apartment, or stay where we are?

I'm completely torn, and am hoping maybe mefites will offer up some wonderful advice that I haven't even thought of!

Details: We have to give our current landlord 2 months notice to move out, which would be... tomorrow. We were almost resigned to staying in our apartment another year, but yesterday I found a new apartment in a neighborhood we've been dying to move into, and we toured it and liked it, although there are some drawbacks.

Pros for the new apartment: it's in a neighborhood we really want to move into (Del Ray, for you DCians), it has hardwood floors (my boyfriend has allergies and carpet aggravates them), the apartment community seems very close-knit and friendly, it's slightly closer to my work (I would shave about 10 minutes off my commute) and his school.

Cons for the new apartment: It would cost us roughly $3,000 for security deposit, movers, current apartment damage, etc. The kitchen is REALLY small (like 1 person at a time small) and I cook or bake something every single day. No washer/dryer in the apartment. The apartment is slightly smaller than our current apartment.

The town we live in now is a commuter town, and there's no real sense of community here, nor is it very walkable. The apartment we live in now is sort of nice, but kind of dark and it has carpet. Big kitchen and decent storage, though. We've lived here for awhile and if we stayed another year, we wouldn't be too upset about it, although we do actively want to move.

So really, boiled down, should we pay $3,000 to move into a slightly smaller apartment that's in a great, walkable neighborhood and slightly closer to our work/school? We do have that money in our savings, so we can afford it, but it's our savings, and $3k is a big chunk out of it.

Any advice is appreciated. I am absolutely terrible at making decisions.
posted by kerning to Home & Garden (22 answers total)
 
You should consider somewhere else since $3K is a lot of money. You should tour a few more apts with bigger kitchens before you give notice.
posted by anniecat at 9:01 AM on May 22, 2010


Dont think of it currently as 3k, because next year you'll have to pay some of that (you mentioned movers, damage, etc) - if you have the money now, you can't really consider it a "savings" unless you're planning on staying there forever. The money will be spent either way. I've lived in quite a few places and I constantly lament my favorite place (don't live in the same city) - it was my favorite not because of the apartment but because of the location - walking, neighborhood, etcetera. So I find a lot of value in the neighborhood.

Personally I know that I wouldn't even question this. Just do it if you have the money and are ready to go. You'll regret it if you don't - also it seems to be in a place hard to find an apartment, so doubly so next year when you inevitably will have a problem finding one.
posted by debaser42 at 9:02 AM on May 22, 2010


I'd say to move, but there is one factor. If you loooooove cooking, a small kitchen will drive you insane. I have a small kitchen (with about one foot of counter space for use) because I hate cooking, but my previous roommates--all of whom like it more than I do, obviously--have all been driven crazy by it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:06 AM on May 22, 2010


The kitchen is the thing that jumps out at me. I would ask yourself if the small kitchen is going to be a source of constant irritation. Many years ago, a friend and I who'd been living together for years moved to a new apartment in a slightly better location. It was technically bigger than our old apartment, but laid out differently--more space in the kitchen, less in the bedrooms, smaller closets. We could never make it work for us. It was a miserable year; the way the space was arranged just didn't fit our needs at the time. It always felt cramped even though it was bigger than our old place, and we were constantly re-arranging to try to make it work, and failing.

Other than the kitchen, it sounds like a much better location and apartment, so that's what I'd focus on.
posted by not that girl at 9:08 AM on May 22, 2010


I would rather live in a neighborhood that i liked. You like the new apartment better. You like the new neighborhood better.

$3k is a lot, sure, but sometimes money CAN buy happiness. Would you be saving money on gas or car wear and tear? Would you now be close enough to ride or walk to your destinations? If the new community gets you outside and moving, and makes more friends, well.. seems like a good use of $3k eh?

As for the small kitchen, do you normally cook with your SO? Mine and I both cook, but not usually the same meal. One person sized kitchen may be different and may not be a problem, at the same time.

The washer/dryer may be a big deal to you. In my last place we had a stacked unit in the apartment, but if you wanted to wash what I would consider a "load" of laundry, you had to go downstairs to the full size units near the office.
posted by phritosan at 9:11 AM on May 22, 2010


Not having a washer & dryer in the apartment isn't so bad if there's at least one on-site. If that's not available, it could create a new set of tasks for which you'll have to make time, and you'll have to put up with other people's laundry habits & products (since product residue remains).

Tiny kitchens can get oppressive and frustrating really fast, especially if you're used to having freedom of movement. It could impact how much you're willing to do in the kitchen, perhaps even increasing costs if you choose to eat out more (easier to do in a highly walkable neighbourhood).

If you think those are dealable, move.
posted by batmonkey at 9:12 AM on May 22, 2010


Moving to a smaller (but nicer) space isn't such a bad thing, especially if your current place is (as my last one was) in that strange middle ground between "big enough" and "too big."

My girlfriend and I recently moved from a huge (by NYC standards) 2br in Harlem to a much smaller 1br in Brooklyn, and we actually much prefer the smaller space. We had to get rid of some things, but overall the new space is a lot less cluttered and more homey.

Your big concern should be the kitchen (which you've noted) and the lack of washer/dryer (especially if there isn't one in the building). Schlepping to a laundromat every week *will* kill at least one weekend afternoon.

If it wasn't for the kitchen, I'd say go for it, but maybe you can make it work anyway.
posted by dantekgeek at 9:13 AM on May 22, 2010


Having recently moved from a tiny apartment in a fun/trendy/exciting neighborhood to a much larger one in a dingier and less interesting neighborhood, I have to say that I really underestimated how big of a difference it would make in terms of our household expenses.

Our old apartment had a smaller kitchen, but that was fine because we didn't use it very much -- we were surrounded by excellent restaurants and sandwich shops and cafes, and since I worked from home I used eating out and coffee as an excuse to go and work in other locations pretty frequently. As such, while our rent for that tiny apartment was actually only about $100 more a month than our new place, we spent much MUCH more money on eating and drinking outside the house.

Our new place is bigger, has room for cooking and for eating dinner without having to clean the whole living room every time to make space, and while there are cheap food options around they aren't nearly so tempting, as most are fast food and greasy take-out joints. We cook almost all of our food, now, and it's made a HUGE difference in our overall cost of living.

But you know. I still visit my old neighborhood a fair amount, and I miss it something fierce. It was fantastic to live around the corner from one of the most pleasant avenues of retail and dining in Brooklyn, and while our apartment was tiny the neighborhood is beautiful and a joy to walk around. We couldn't afford to live there anymore, but our circumstances changed dramatically enough that I could afford to live there comfortable, I'd probably move back in a heartbeat.

Of course, I'm not familiar with the neighborhoods of DC, nor do I know the details of your budget and lifestyle. Just offering one perspective, is all. Apologies if it isn't helpful!
posted by Narrative Priorities at 9:15 AM on May 22, 2010 [1 favorite]


Moving is a pain in the ass. It doesn't sound like you love the new apartment and you're not screaming "omfg get me out of here now!" about the old one. Keep looking. The right apartment will come up in the neighbourhood you want to be in.

The tiny kitchen and no washer/dryer are dealbreakers for me. I've had enough of laundromats and takeout.
posted by futureisunwritten at 9:35 AM on May 22, 2010 [1 favorite]


Best answer: How long do you anticipate staying in either apartment? If it's only a year, either way and then you anticipate leaving the area entirely, or else buying a house or something, then I'd stay put.

If you anticipate renting for at least another 2 or 3 years or longer (and don't want to spend another 2-3 years in your current place--i.e., you plan to move in summer 2011 if you don't move this year), then you're going to be out the money for moving/damage/etc. next year anyhow, and so it doesn't really weight into the equation. For me, personally, the pros strike me as more genuine quality-of-life matters, while the cons are minor annoyances.
posted by drlith at 9:42 AM on May 22, 2010


I think the tiny kitchen issue is all about how you use your kitchen. Are the appliances large enough? We don't have a tiny kitchen, but we do have a tiny apartment stove with the tiny oven, and that is a problem. Our last kitchen was bigger, but didn't have any more counter space. Aside from the appliances being helpfully normal sized, it was kind of a pain to work in, with the stove across the room from where we would cut and chop things.

So examine the layout of the kitchen, and think about workflow. Sometimes smaller kitchens make more sense, and sometimes they don't.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:45 AM on May 22, 2010


For making the financial part of the decision, why don't you look at total occupancy cost over a series of years, rather than the immediate cost of moving?

For instance, you've already paid a deposit presumably on your current department. So you need to factor what part of that you'll get back, taking into account your "current apartment damage" (!??).

So break it down into two columns (one for your current apartment and one for the proposed new one) and work on projected costs for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, by taking your monthly expenses and making them yearly, and include:

cost of move (that goes under 2010);

cost of security deposit;

difference in transportation costs;

difference, if any, in utilities etc;

and difference in rents.

$3000 sounds like a big outlay but sometimes surprises happen when you run the numbers.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 10:06 AM on May 22, 2010


Best answer: You might be able to work with the kitchen. My friend was in your situation - moved to a great walkable interesting neighborhood, into a tiny apartment with a tiny tiny kitchen. She loves to cook, so they Ikea-ed the shit out of that place. Vertical storage to the ceiling, every pot, pan, knife, spatula - everything used frequently - is stored on a wall-mounted rack. Nothing sits on the precious counter space. It's impressive and according to her, far more efficient than her previous larger kitchen.

They still love their situation so much after 7 years, they never want to move...
posted by jenmakes at 10:12 AM on May 22, 2010


For what it's worth, my sis in law lives in DelRay and loves it. It is a charming community. They have great neighbors, walk to dinner and shopping and completely love it, (weather excepted, of course.)

However, this can't be the only apartment in DelRay, can it? Won't something come along later that has a bigger kitchen? If the market is really tight, this may be the best you are going to find. If there are other options there, then look for them.

Good luck!
posted by SLC Mom at 10:16 AM on May 22, 2010


Whether the kitchen is livable really depends on how it is laid out. If there is enough counter space and cabinet space, smallness can be dealt with. I've lived in a series of apartments with smaller and smaller kitchens and I'm really surprised at how well it's worked out. (Not sure what tiny means to you, but our current kitchen is 49 sq ft - but with full sized appliances, good counter space, decent cabinet space.) I'm starting to think that once the kitchen is small enough that you can't fit a table, going even smaller can actually be better, because it's more efficient in terms of being able to quickly go between stove, fridge, and sink.

Anyway, one more data point - I cook a lot, was worried about moving to a place with a small kitchen, and have been surprised by how little it has bothered me.
posted by yarrow at 12:03 PM on May 22, 2010


Don't do it. A year with a tiny kitchen was one of the most miserable years of my life. It will turn cooking from something you love and look forward to doing to the most onerous of chores.
posted by srrh at 1:31 PM on May 22, 2010


For the kitchen, think about the room immediately next to it. Is there space you could put a big heavy table against the wall, install some shelves above/below it and use it as an additional work area?
posted by CathyG at 1:31 PM on May 22, 2010


My inclination would be to go for the new place. More light, in a more walkable neighborhood, closer to your work and school — those sound very attractive. And, as was pointed out above, you'll need to spend the money to move eventually, so it's more a question of when than whether. The small kitchen would be a challenge but could probably be worked with — for example, since our kitchen is fairly small, my cookbooks now live on bookshelves in the living room rather than in the kitchen. It might also be possible to move the pantry and tool/bakeware storage to just outside the kitchen, which can help a lot.

If you wanted to, you could look at it as an interesting constraint to help you become more aware and mindful of how you cook. A fair number of restaurant cooks work in microscopic kitchens (I've seen restaurant kitchens 1/3 the size of mine, and mine's a smallish apartment kitchen) and still manage to turn out tens or hundreds of meals a day. Advice about galley cooking on boats and ships can also be helpful. My own experience has been that I have to be more organized and systematic when I cook, and I need to plan ahead and have a good idea of the sequence of steps before I start.

Practical tips: Get your cookbook/recipe up off the counter — it doesn't need to be taking up precious counter space. A small shelf above your main prep counter can be useful as a place to stage prep bowls for your mise en place. (And doing a mise is essential when cooking in a small space.) Doing dishes as you go along makes things a lot easier.
posted by Lexica at 3:11 PM on May 22, 2010


I think the tiny kitchen is a dealbreaker.
posted by Perplexity at 3:44 PM on May 22, 2010


Tiny kitchens come in all different flavors. Is there very little space to walk around in but plenty of counter space? Are there lots of kitchen cabinets or only a few? Can you imagine where you would put all of the stuff you want easily accessible while you're cooking? Is the fridge big enough to store your usual batch of groceries? Is the oven big enough and does the stove have enough burners that you could cook your customary dishes in/on it?

If your answers to all of those questions are negative, I would keep looking. A tiny kitchen that can't accommodate your basic needs gets really frustrating really fast. But a tiny kitchen that works can be really homey.
posted by colfax at 7:38 PM on May 22, 2010


Wait, is there a washer/dryer in your complex, or not at all whatsoever? The latter would definitely suck. I have one in my complex down the hall, so at least I don't have to stand there watching the clothes for 3 hours. That's livable, I kinda doubt laundromats are.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:17 PM on May 22, 2010


Response by poster: Thanks, everyone, for answering! A few things:

1. The kitchen is quite small - I would estimate maybe 60 square feet. It does have a stove, full-size refrigerator, dishwasher and a sink, plus maybe 2.5 blocks worth of counter space. Only one side of the kitchen has cabinets, but the landlord said we can install wall shelving on the other side for storage.

2. There is a small dining room off the kitchen I will probably use for kitchen storage - I bake a lot, and have a lot of different pans (loaf, muffin, springform, pie, cake, etc.).

3. There are laundry facilities in the apartment complex with a sign-up sheet, so while I'm not too concerned about doing laundry, I am quite used to being able to immediately pop in a shirt when I spill tomato sauce on it. Also, we have to pay, and we're not used to that either, but I'm sure it will be a fast transition.

4. We've been searching for apartments in our price range in this neighborhood for 2 years, and this is the first one that has been available in conjunction with our ending lease date. So we feel if we don't snap it up now, we'll never find one again. The person whose apartment we are taking has been living there for 7 years! And the average length of stay for these particular apartments is 2-3 years.

5. There was no deposit on the apartment we currently live in. There's not much damage except to the blinds (our cats think blinds are toys) and 1 sugar-free Kool-Aid stain on the carpet. :) But we still know we will be charged for these things, and hopefully they won't charge us a bajillion dollars for them.

After much much discussion, we've decided to take the apartment, mainly for a change in our surroundings, partially for lots of windows. The comment about us being out the $3k for moving next year was a really good point, and one we hadn't thought of. But really, every comment helped, especially those of you with anecdotes about tiny kitchens. Thanks again.
posted by kerning at 8:49 PM on May 22, 2010


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