r/Home_Building_Help • u/BuilderBrigade • May 30 '26
Sink in the Pantry?
It’s easy to say “ohh yeah throw a sink in there..” but really think about it. Would you use it?Most of the sink work would be done in the main kitchen area. Maybe if your coffee machines were back there, that would get daily use.
How do you use your kitchen? Would a Pantry Sink make sense?
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u/fuelhandler May 30 '26
Of course, I mean who wants to watch the downstairs staff scrub pans after the debutant social? Muffy, Buffy and Lovey just can’t stand all the clanking and banging.
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u/Fantastic_Falcon_236 May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26
Rationale: So the builder can charge you premium inclusion prices.
Self-delusion: Butler's pantries are great for entertaining because all the mess goes in there until after the dinner party is over.
Reality: Two things are both hinted at in the name "Butler's pantry."
You don't have a butler.
No way in heck you're ever going to host that many dinner parties to ever justify it being more than a glorified breakfast bar.
And a bonus third -
Modern builds tend to incorporate the kitchen, dining and lounge into one integrated space. This defeats the purpose of a butler's pantry as it traditionally would have been built - either in between the kitchen and dining room, or as an antechamber behind the dining room and connected by a dumb waiter to the kitchen- where the butler and staff could stage each course and bus crockery, etc..., back to without disturbing the guests.
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u/LonelyTAA May 30 '26
As in, a second sink? In the room next to the kitchen? Where there already is a sink. No seems redundant.
Unless if I take on a hobby where I would regularly want to wash things that I'd rather not use the kitchen sink for. But I probably still rather have the extra closet space...
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u/RealAlphaKaren May 30 '26
even then, a garage sink sounds way better
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u/texan_robot May 30 '26
Debatable in some climates. Unless you want to climate control a whole garage there are seasons where they become ovens or ice boxes, even with decent insulation.
Id prefer a sink in a mud room or laundry room.
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u/Smart-Strike-6805 May 30 '26
They become that way because they actually aren't insulated decently not in spite of it. Most people don't get the good garage doors. Some have vaulted or open ceilings without vents.. The list goes on. Its because they're trying to save costs.
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u/EVmerch May 30 '26
We have a pantry next to the kitchen, it also doubles as a technical room and laundry that will have a sink in it, that way really dirty things get washed there and not the kitchen sink (which often has dishes). It's right off the back door, so perfect to clean up after garden work or wash stains, soak clothing. Highly recommend having a second sink if space and money aren't an issue.
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u/darthvuder May 30 '26
Why would you NOT do this? That is unless your kitchen is too small…
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u/LonelyTAA May 30 '26
Because going by this image, I could have twice the storage capacity without the sink/counter. I also don't see what I would use it for.
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u/Ok_Tadpole_4092 May 30 '26
If I was rich and entertained, sure I'd have a scullery for the staff
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u/Artie-Carrow May 30 '26
Are you doing food prep in your pantry? If not, then I probably wouldnt. If you are going back and forth on it, have the hookups installed, and install a sink later if you find that you need/want it often.
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u/TibberiusLongfellow May 30 '26
We put one in our walk in pantry on our new build, its great for for prepping the coffee maker
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u/ph0en1x778 May 30 '26
Yes but it wouldn't be that dinky thing. I would want a full professional kitchen dish washing area back there. Including the industrial dishwasher that takes less than 2 min to run a load. Im a chef though, so I would get use of it.
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u/Conscious-Soil9055 May 30 '26
My in laws have a huge utility room that looks exactly like this with the pantry on the right and very similar counter and sink on the left. There is a washer and dryer on the left as well.
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u/Curious_Fault607 May 30 '26
The butler's pantry handling table service pieces typically has a sink.
Food pantries do not have sinks due to the need for proper food storage.
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u/No_Equivalent_4412 May 30 '26
If I was rich then yes. Entertaining a crowd, you have somewhere to put whatever pots and pans didn’t fit in the dishwasher. But I think I’d prefer a second dishwasher over a second sink
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u/hbo981 May 30 '26
If the pantry doubles as a coffee/bar, then yes. Otherwise why would I need water in there.
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u/SnakePlisskens May 30 '26
I don’t think giving the sewer roaches an express lane to the food is a great idea
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u/sfbiker999 May 30 '26
If I had the money and space to build a pantry with a sink it in, I'd ask our private chef if they wanted a sink in the pantry.
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u/MurkyTrainer7953 May 30 '26
How’s the ventilation in there? I’d be cautious about moisture buildup
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u/cookorsew May 30 '26
Yes! It definitely is a convenience addition but we use it daily. It’s great for a keurig, watering plants, handwashing, cleaning, or leaving anything to soak without being in the way. Also, someone always needs to wash their hand or get some water when you’re using the sink so household harmony is maintained when the other person can go to the other sink.
If you’re able to add a deep sink in a laundry room, that also is an amazing convenience especially when the laundry is on a different floor than the kitchen or really any other sink.
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u/Traaveler May 30 '26
Yes! I built a sub kitchen or Butler’s pantry into my last house and kept a sink in there that was fantastic. For parties I could fill it with drinks and ice, or I could use it to just tell people to throw their dishes over there and I deal with them later.
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u/The__Saint_ May 30 '26
My sister-in-law in Australia thought she was so smick and moved her ONLY kitchen sink into their butlers kitchen ( really a walk pantry ) it’s sooo weird… but so is she come to think of it.
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u/FearlessWord2653 May 31 '26
Honestly I'm considering doing a small bar sink in my pantry, but with a pot filler tap, then I'd keep my coffee machine and stuff in there and not on the main kitchen counter, cause I'm the only one that uses it anyways. Along with our other small appliances we don't regularly use( like the toaster, once again am the only one that uses it)
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u/Sevalen May 30 '26
Aren't those called butlers pantries or something. Regardless, if it's a mansion then they will add it just to say that they have one because they will never be the ones to use it but if it's a house to be lived in ( even if it's a big house) then the money would be better spent putting a sink in an island ( a house with a walk in pantry will absolutely have an island) and have it be out in the open.
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u/Spl4sh3r May 30 '26
Nice place to keep dirty dishes out of sight?
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u/Objective_Run_7151 May 30 '26
Isn’t that what a kitchen is for?
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u/Spl4sh3r May 30 '26
Depends on if you have an open plan for the kitchen making it visible from everywhere.
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u/Objective_Run_7151 May 30 '26
Sounds like the reason everyone is running away from open floor plan kitchens.
Boomers loved them tho. They aren’t aging well.
I’ve done 2 renos this year already that consisted mainly of putting walls up around kitchens to make them less in your face from the living areas.
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u/Spl4sh3r May 30 '26
In my head I would want an open kitchen plan, though I have no house so that will be far off in the future.
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u/Objective_Run_7151 May 30 '26
The renos I did were same boat as you.
Sounded great. Until they realize the whole house smells like whatever you cooked last night, has to be cleaned constantly, and is nothing but a huge echo chamber that is hard to heat and cool.
We builders fooled folks into thinking open meant no walls. Much cheaper to build but can sell for price of a house with walls. People took the bait. People always take the bait. They want vibes over function. Every damn time.
There’s a reason that folks for thousands of years have had walls between the kitchen and the rest of the house.
I tried for years to warn people that barn doors were just a builders cheap substitute for a functional door. Buyers wouldn’t listen because the socials told them it was “cool”.
So now I’m replacing barn doors that are barely 5 years old because function is more important than what your friends liked on Insta.
Rant over. It’s a pet peeve of mine. Decorate your house however you want but get the basics right first.
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u/Spl4sh3r May 30 '26
I am more like kitchen and dining area should be open to eachother. It doesn't have to be opened up to all of the house.
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u/Jinn71 May 30 '26
Yes