Check with local code to learn about restrictions for vent hood positioning. We have one in middle of room, did a plan to vent it horizontally through attic to area along a walkpath to garage, and got stopped in our tracks by inspector. We had to work up a Plan B immediately, since the space was already roughed in and the design paid for...sigh.

Your first plan reminds me very much of a design that was posted on the GW kitchen forum some months ago, with smaller eating area in same general place (but awkwardly done) and porch in same position and dining space in same position. Did your DH post it?

The thing about either plan is that having a covered porch off the back will block a lot of natural light from the great room in either scenario. Plan #2 seems to have a lot more natural light coming into your eating area, which will then also come into your kitchen.

The thing about plan #2, though, is that your kitchen will, for all essential purposes, be open and visible as you walk in the front door. As long as you're aware and ok with this, then it shouldn't be a problem. I just don't want my entire living area open to the front door!

Good luck. I know this stuff is not easy!

Wow...2 very different plans.

How will the house be oriented...As in, which way is North, South, East, and West? The best light comes from the south, morning light comes from the east, and hot afternoon summer sun from the west can be warming or difficult in the summer, depending on where you live.

I'm not sure why plan 2 would be dark? Not only is the kitchen more open to a big room with its own windows, but the breakfast room is surrounded in windows and light. That breakfast room actually has room for a table, but I'm not sure Plan 1's breakfast room does, as the given dimensions are misleading, since part of it is walk-through area.

Plan 1 kitchen not only looks at the garage wall, but is hemmed in by another wall on the other side of the window. Could be OK if you planted a beautiful oasis type of garden to view out there, so you're looking at plants instead of walls.

Do you want your kitchen open to the big room or do you like it and any mess and/or noise tucked away a bit?

Thanks for the quick response!! Great feedback already!

If you read my first things, I asked that you don't look at the kitchen layouts as these are just stock plans. I will NOT be having the open plan on plan 2 if I go with this plan, it will be a more closed in kitchen. I'm really seeking thoughts on how much light plan 2 would let in the kitchen, vs. plan one. My kitchen will most likely be more similar to that of plan one - whichever plan I go with.

DH did post any plans here.

I should mention, we are building on a wooded 5 acre lot in SW FL. The back of the house will be North, so here, with the sun much lower in the winter... it will be the brightest at that time of the year.

You can make anything work. You can paint a beautiful mural on the garage wall, or do a wall garden with nooks for air root plants or succulents, and hanging baskets for drippy, trailing things.

You can make an interior kitchen light and bright with a skylight/solartube, or just light and glossy surfaces to draw sunlight from the adjoining room and good, color corrected artificial light.

Just in terms of flow of the house and gracious spaces, I like the second plan much better. There's better balance and flow for little things like the access to the powder room, to large things like the prospect through to the screen porch. I'm not all that big on open plan living, but Plan 1 is very choppy.

The advantages to plan 1 is that you can see out to the front from the kitchen window, which is good if you're watching for guests or wondering where your kids went (if it's the kind of neighborhood where kids are allowed to roam).

Plan 1 also has a bigger kitchen with more storage and a much bigger pantry, though Plan 2 has a much more efficient workspace which will save a lot of extra steps. Because there's that lovely breakfast room, I'd limit the island seating in Plan 2 -- no one wants to sit all in a line like that anyway -- and expand the island for more storage.

Because of all the windows, I think Plan 2 will probably be lighter and brighter than Plan 1, even though there isn't a window actually in the kitchen area.

I think they both will be bright b/c they're open toward areas with plenty of windows. However, I do have to say that Plan 1 has much more usable counterspace than Plan 2. Plan 2 is definitely short on usable space.

One note...if you're not necessarily going with the stock cabinet placements, then you could probably make either kitchen location work... Will you be willing to move/add/change walls, windows, & doors?

(Actually, Plan 1 would need the fewest changes to make it more functional.)

I think that Plan 1 has many more possibilities than Plan 2... That may be one of the reasons you instinctively prefer Plan 1.

A few side notes...

I like the Master Bath better in Plan 1 as well as the garage. The garage is big enough to allow you to create a true Mudroom, if you want one. I'd love to have that garage so I could add a true Mudroom!

You know, you could extend the Porch as a deck to the Master Bedroom and add a door to the outside...

The net space of the Great Room is also bigger in Plan 1. In Plan 2, you need to subtract off approx 3' of that length b/c of the seating at the Kitchen's island. So, what you really have is:
* Plan 1: 18' x 15' = 270 sq ft
* Plan 2: 17'10" x 13'6" = 240.75 sq ft
(I also like the FP wall better in Plan 1)

Overall, I prefer Plan 1! I see a lot of possibilities in that plan!!

I don't think plan 2 will be dark with it open to rooms with so many windows. If it is, you could add solar tubes or skylights to bring in more natural light.

All that's needed to address your concerns about plan 1's kitchen sink window view is a lovely scene outside. You can break up that long garage wall with plants, trellises, perhaps a water feature mounted on the garage wall ... the possibilities are endless. Definitely fixable and not a deal breaker, IMO. If you lack the vision or knowledge, hire a garden designer. Just be sure to find one who knows what he or she is doing. I've seen many bad plans, which means money wasted. Ask for references, check their record with your state's licensing board, BBB and Angie's List. You can also check professional organizations, such as APLD.

However, since your hubby's not keen on that plan, resolving the window view might not be enough.

Here is a link that might be useful: APLD, Association of Professional Landscape Designers

If you're changing/adding walls, then it's difficult for anyone to give you an opinion....b/c now the light flow changes. You cannot just look at one element, you need to look at everything together...ultimately, that's what makes a plan "work"...regardless of kitchen location.

BTW...your first post implies you are planning to use one or the other...

I know you said not to look at specific cabinet layout, but didn't realize we were to disregard the general room layout. We can't judge, as Buehl said, if you're changing the walls and overall shape and feel of the kitchen. That will definitely affect how much light and what kind of light that room gets. Because of the walls hemming the window in Plan 1, they're both, basically, interior kitchens and you'll have a challenge to get much natural light. I see now why you thought Plan 2's would be dark. Plan 1 has the advantage of southern exposure, but when the sun is at any angle, the walls will create shade.

I also did not understand that you'd change walls as well as cabinet lay-out.

Plan 2 has many features that appeal to me more than plan 1 - better room lay-out, less choppy, as plllog pointed out (although I love plan 1's walk-in pantry) - but my gut reaction to having a kitchen wall added is that it takes away from the nice flow and definitely would reduce the amount of light that would reach the kitchen.

One other thing to consider for plan 2 is that kitchen noise will pass through the shared wall with the MBR. You can minimize this with a staggered stud wall, sound-proofing insulation (not the pink stuff, that doesn't work at all) and QuietRock sheetrock. You'll lose a few inches from your kitchen and/or MBR but I think it would be worth it.

Are there other plans you can consider that have the attributes hubby likes about plan 2 but give you the more enclosed kitchen you prefer?

In plan 1 the back wall of the garage is a rather significant elevation that faces the front door. It really should have windows in it so it is not a blank wall.

Thanks so much.. all this info and feedback gives me a LOT of food for thought.. I think I need to ponder on this more!

I have a little bit of the same thing going as plan 1, but my window is wider; it's about 8 ft, I think. Maybe 9? Which makes the little garden area about 12 ft wide. I'm not sure how wide yours is. Here are a few pics:

We added those two windows on the long wall.

The other thing we did is add some dormers on the other side to add light:

Can you do something like that?

segbrown.. I LOVE what you have done!! I need to see more exterior photo's too.. as DH didn't think it would look as nice, and I clearly can see - it does! Love your garden area, love the dormers too!

OK, here is my 2 cents. As one who has a house with that funny inset (or "U") between the house and garage, I can say after 25 years it is way more trouble that it's worth. For that reason alone I would go with Plan 2. Also Plan 2 has your plumbing on more inside walls - I don't know where are located and if you have to worry about freezing pipes in the winter. Depending on the orientation of the house, I would think that you would get alot of sunlight in the kitchen with all of the windows in the eating area.