I am currently redesigning my kitchen in a 1930’s Midwestern USA house. The kitchen has a decent floor area but the floor plan is oddly restrictive.
My space next to the sink is such that I can either have a standard 24" dishwasher next to the sink and a slightly weird cabinet adjacent to it, or I could have an 18 inch dishwasher at 45 degrees flanked by two small but reasonably sized cabinet doors (or drawers), although the 45 degree plan would dictate a somewhat shallow custom counter depth on the flanks (like 18-20 inches).
I think I would be more proud of the accomplishment of building the angled design, and I think the ergonomics would be optimal.
But I’m not sure about the smaller dishwasher. I have never used a smaller one. It seems like it would be enough for my small family and still plenty helpful for gatherings.
If it was me, I’d go with a cabinet install that allows for a 24" dishwasher. That’s the standard size, and you might have trouble replacing a broken 18" dishwasher in the future.
I’ve gotten some good deals on lightly used 24" dishwashers. I’ve never seen an 18" come up, though I’m sure they’re out there. I think I paid about 50% of MSRP on my current one that has been very good to me.
I see lots of people saying there are plenty of 18"s, and I’m sure that’s true if you buy them new. I guess I just wanted to agree with you and share my experience.
We are two people and run the dishwasher every 2-3 days, but it’s really nice to go lazy and throw a pot or pan in there, along with a few plates. You’re not gonna get away with that if you go with the little dishwasher.
Also, you’re basically using the same amount of energy and water either way. Probably less for the larger one if you compare them full.
If you choose any dishwasher, spend the extra money and get one that’s quiet. The cheapest ones are so loud that you can’t really enjoy anything else while they’re running. I’m willing to bet that quiet 18" dishwashers are pretty hard to come by.
I recomend going with standard sizes. Take a quick look at local 2nd hand marketplaces. I have a hunch it would be harder to replace in a pinch
We’re only two people in our household… We we easily run the full size dishwasher every two to two hand a half day. When we have gatherings of friends and family here, we often have to do two if not three loads. YMMV
I think I imagine myself running the washer daily, and washing a couple oddball dishes here and there.
I’m in my 40s and I’m getting my first dishwasher, so I’m used to needing to do a load at the sink for a half hour a day.
If I understand things right, my drying rack seems like it would be smaller than an 18" washer, so for the day to day operations (the time that really stacks up fast), running daily would still be a major improvement.
That said, I know how convenience is compelling, so the big question is do I want the added luxury of 6 inches wide haha… I don’t know.
The apartment we bought came with an old 18” dishwasher.
We run it daily with two adults and it works great. Even though you need to run it more often, it’s takes less time to empty than a full size.
For our current layout it makes a lot of sense but would want a full size if the family grows.
If I was single I would prefer the smaller format. I find it kinda nasty to have my dirty dishes standing for many days.