Take a look here, this transformation is perfect for your son's kitchen. http://www.remodelaholic.com/update-builder-grade-cabinets/ Other suggestions- 1) find someone like Trebuchet to change out your double sink for a large single sink (perhaps the same manufacturer will have one that perfectly fits the existing cutout). 2) add pullouts to your base cabinets. Ideally change them to drawers with new drawer fronts that match. 3) change stove to slide in style with stainless hood. The counter is beautiful and likely cost at least $4k installed. Not worth changing if it is not his forever home. I love my sink on the peninsula, and do think it would work well for you if the space between the arms of your "U" is about between 5- 5 1/2 feet, but changing that is not within the possibility of your budget. I like the wood flooring but that decision can be deferred if you are not changing the cabinet layout. Also the upper cabinet opening from the center over the peninsula sometimes works in in these older kitchens because the hinges allow complete 180 degree swing. In my kitchen, I deliberately added inset pin hinges to my cabinets in that location to get the 180 degree swing, and tested my reach physically so that the contents could be easily accessed. I have hidden Euro hinges with soft close on the rest of my uppers, but they only open 135 degrees. I will bet that even here at GW, nobody has ever noticed that my hinges are different in that location (benjesbride kindly linked my reveal above, the pin hinges are on the mirrored upper cabinets over the peninsula). HTH

I've been quiet but busy and wanted to thank everyone again for the floor plans. algeasea, my husband said some tankless heaters can be mounted outside, but not the one he bought. I have spent countless hours trying to research refrigerators and freezers and don't feel that I have gotten very far. Same with ranges - but at least I have been able to channel some of that frustration into demolition (which has uncovered some old termite and water damage.) I have followed cpartist's advice in another thread and sat in the kitchen with all these plans and tried to picture how they would work. Sena01, I moved all that junk off the wall so I could try the refrigerator over there, then realized the water hook-up for the ice-maker was still attached, so still working on it. benjesbride, I have tried to open up to losing the built-ins, but just can't bring myself to do it. cpartist, the bricks could probably be taken out, and I would love to do it, but the fireplaces haven't been used in years and the tops are actually now taken down to below roof level. Plus, other nasty surprises keep knocking that as a project lower on the list. mama goose, I did some research on how cold the GF flours need to be kept, and while a lot need to be in the freezer, some of the starchier ones would be fine in the refrigerator, and some in the cupboard. I'm glad you asked because I threw them all in the same place to make things easier at the time, and any less freezer space used will help me get closer to getting rid of the chest, which I agree is ugly and a space hog. Caligirl5 , I'm going round and round with the same problem of wanting to separate the laundry but not wanting to sacrifice the extra light and space. cpartist posted some photos of people that handled it well. Has anyone done a study on the emotional stages of kitchen renovation? So far mine have been (sticker) shock, confusion, frustration, panic, anger, and depression.

Is the sink actually in the bay, or in front of it? Would this work? New to Kitchens? Read me first.

First find out if the walls have already been moved/added and that is why your windows are not centered. Find out what walls are weight bearing walls and which are not to see if you might remove all or part of some walls -- opening pass thru windows or full doorways or even if you could move enough wall(s) to walk around a center wall (with wiring and duct work within it) -- and then decide if you want to do so. Like the idea of fencing in your yard, both for privacy and an added level of security -- solar lights and/or brackets for hanging baskets can be added to the fence posts where you might want to create a patio or other indoor/outdoor living space. IF you can leave open to the road your driveway and parking space(s) and front walk to your front door but enclose the rest of your yard -- side yard and back yard -- consider doing that. You might also consider what fence posts would be good places for solar lights -- both where you want light and where the lights would get the sun to charge the. Adding brackets to posts in a planned way -- where you may want a hanging basket or bird feeder or bird house or a wind chime -- depending upon how you plan to use your yard. If possible, fence in both your back yard and both side yards, leaving only the front open to the road by connecting the side yard fence to a post beside the house. Then add a gate on at least one side of the house to lead from the side yard to the front yard -- paying attention to how you will be using the spaces, including where you will be leaving your trash cans. As you decide how you will be using your side and back yards, pay attention to which side (or if it is the back) of the yard that gets the most or least sunlight. Plan any porch or patio or plantings taking into consideration both the space available and location (near the door -- proximity to neighbor... sound/line of sight ... privacy): also, do take into consideration the amount of natural sunlight and shade from the house itself (if any) ... and the heat from the sunlight, of course. As to planting grass -- definitely do not plant fake grass. Better to create a patio and have large pavers with spaces between them and pebbles or sand in those spaces. Locate and create a shape to your patio that works for how you will be using it and where your rear and/or side door(s) are located -- including where you might want to replace a window with a patio door. One caveat on planting the grass ... and whether or not you can do this might be limited to local building code (and/or whether it is a DIY project or you're hiring someone to do it for you": What is outside your kitchen window? Is your kitchen sink and/or dishwasher at or near a window and/or is it facing a private side or the back of your yard ... or is it against the front exterior wall of your home? IF it is possible to separate your kitchen sink and/or dishwasher drains from the rest of your plumbing/sewer system, you may be able to use that water to provide the water needed by the grass on that one side of the house. It may be that there is some code that either prevents that or that allows it but requires you add some kind of separate tank to catch the water (to act as a septic tank) before the water from it drains into the yard to water the grass.