Hi Everyone, I thought I would post an update to our kitchen. Posting on here has been great and it has completely changed our minds about what we want to do. First, the mudroom is just a glorified porch. When we moved in, the outside door was actually in the kitchen (where the curtain is now). We took that door out and replaced the screen door on the porch with a real door. That made the mudroom. We insulated the floor from underneath outside, but the walls aren't insulated. Hence the curtain on the doorway. That keeps the heat in during the winter months. The mudroom is very small and there is no room for a fridge. We thought about the suggestions of putting the fridge in the mudroom and we decided that solution really wasn't much different than keeping the fridge in the dining room. It would still be in another room. And having it in the dining room is very convenient for meals with little kids. So, we talked with a carpenter friend of ours and we decided to do the following: -Rework the original cabinets under the low window to allow a dishwasher. Our carpenter friend insists it can be done while keeping most of the original cabinets. This involves raising them to standard counter height. It will block the lower few inches of the window, but I've seen pictures of it done before (some on this site) and I think it will look fine. -Keep sink where it is. -Fill in the 36x24 inch space between the sink and the wall with a custom blind cabinet (carpenter friend will also make this). -Keep stove where it is. -Replace portable dw next to stove with a 15" cabinet. -Install new cabinets above stove. -Keep large wall of cabinets. -Redo floor. Hoping the original wood under the terrible tile is refinishable, but if not, we'll lay another floor over it. -Add pendants and install the cool ceiling fan we have but have never put up. -Maybe put in cabinets on sink wall, but might just stay with open shelves. Again, thanks everyone and we'll post pics when it's done. My goal is by my son's 1st birthday in July and since we don't have to move any plumbing or do anything major, I think it can be done. Amanda

I have a split style home with a planned layout similar to your last one on 3/31. Looks similar except I have about an extra 6' in the length (kitchen to DR) as well as no door to the garage on that side. I think ideagirl2 has good ideas. You will want an opening on either end for easy access into the kitchen or DR side. If the basement is unfinished, then swapping the steps might be a practical solution. A contractor can order a prefabricated set of steps to put in. If the closet in the hall is basically useless then this might be a good idea. Since its a ranch, then you should be able to flip it since there isn't another set of steps going up to a second story where then it would be impossible to flip them. However, this would mean you could not overlay another staircase on top of this one to expand for a second floor one day. You then would have to add another staircase somewhere else in the house and loose space. Moving the utilities can be expensive and it can affect headroom or remodeling plans for the basement. It depends where the waste lines are located in the home more then anything, since they need pitch from the sink to the waste stack. If that waste stack is located where the steps are then the pipe will have to drop below the floor joists below, since they will run front to back, and you will loose headroom. Not a big deal if this ends up in a utility area. Does the garage run all the way front to back? If so I would do the following to the plan noted above. 1) Move the garage doorway more to where the table is on the LR side. Thus, the door would start roughly where the table ends need the opening between the LR & DR. You then will be flipping the DR table and the door. This way when you come in from the garage you can enter into the LR or walk through the kitchen with Groceries. I would make the back window a sliding door. So the table is looking out the sliding door. It will make the room feel much bigger. I am putting in a nice 10' 4 panel sliding glass door for this very reason. If in fact no furniture could be placed between the right side of the fireplace and the wall as you drew it, my last recommendation is more structural and one I am grappling with now in my own home. That would be to make the opening even wider between the LR and DR table area. If you look at your pic you posted of the fireplace. I would take that opening and open the fireplace side all the way to the wall. This will make it more open and feel less cramped. You could even have them cut the ceiling joists and put the beam up so that you have a flat ceiling in the opening. This is what I am contemplating now. You then can see the fireplace for the DR table and the kitchen area, when facing the peninsula. You also can extend a table out into the LR if you have larger company at holiday times.

Here’s design 3. Downfall is the designer didn’t add a pantry cabinet Or a microwave. Two massively important items. Also concerned with the sink in the island. To me an island is for entertaining and laying out food, not for a main sink with washing drying etc. also the small space/walkway in between work area and around the island.

Maybe, push peninsula even further back to give more space within. keep chairs with people out of walk way. need panel on right side of microwave hood. Keep same spacing on both sides of window to keep balanced symmetry around window. Stoves that close to corner is not ideal. make sure fillers in corner are wide enough so drawers don't hit handles