This is a 90% done picture. Mine is caddy corner and was the only logical spot for the sink due to space and layout. I have 3 seats at the peninsula which are used for just about every meal. my kitchen has been in use for almost a year and so far I have no complaints about the sinks location. In fact I find it rather convenient as I just push the dirty dishes right up to the sink after dinner. The cabinet to the right of the sink is a pull out trash/recycle bin which works out well. The only negative I have is the last wall cabinet above the sink, Im only 5'1 and I have a very hard time reaching to access the right side of the cab but that would hold true whether or not the sink was there. I should have put either a single door/smaller cabinet or an open decorative shelf, this may not be a factor for you and your new kitchen but it's something to think about. I hope the pictures help and good luck with your kitchen! From Kitchen 90% here is overall view to give perspective From Kitchen 90%

DNA, regarding making your laundry larger, a question that occurs to me is what would that allow you to do there that would be worth the cost to you? Where would you be folding your clothes as it is now? Where if it were 2' longer? I don't see you ironing in there in either case, or would you if it were larger? Regarding a screened porch, that's a very site- and lifestyle-specific question. Also climate. Not off the north side of the house in almost any climate because it'd be too cold and gloomy much of the year. Important to remember, by the way, that the north exterior of a building in almost all climates is not inviting and people tend to avoid it. Since most people in this country don't use front yards for enjoyment, and people are drawn to comfortably sunny areas, having the back yard to the south and front to the north works well. However, how much do you hope to use that front porch? In any case, sunshine will be blocked on the front of the house by the porch, no matter how oriented, making sunshine into the rooms at the back especially precious, and whereever you put a screened porch on the back would make the adjacent room a shadowy interior space. Inviting much of the time anyway, but where's your bright sunny spot to relax in? Screened porches are wonderful, though, and if it were my home, and ignoring critical but unspecified site and neighborhood factors, the two places I'd like it would be off the master bedroom wall in back, with doors somehow from the living room and from the bedroom (how about sleeping out there in summer or just sitting and listening to the crickets before bed?) OR at the end of the front porch with inside access created from the entry (do you really need that big closet? :). I can see spending long hours there enjoying the views out across our graciously sized front garden and neighborhood. Maybe not so much if our neighbors' boat and trailer are parked 10 feet away, though. A third possibility depending on site, views, space, and whether my cars could be kept from view might be off the kitchen side. A very attractive corridor inviting people out from from the center of the house and the kitchen could be created there with some thought. On the right site, that could be ideal, taking advantage of whatever views/assets there were, or could be created, on that neglected side and making the house feel very large. The patio's easy. I'd have it right where I could stroll out the kitchen in the morning with a cup of coffee. If that were the north side, I'd put some attractive plantings by the house to admire and shape the view from inside (with birdbath?) and set the actual sitting area in the sunshine a bit farther out. Hope my fancies spark some of your own.

I love your idea photos! Your list looks a lot like mine did, minus the basement and the 4-season porch, which sounds lovely. I looked everywhere for floor plans, and I couldn't find anything in that square footage with 4 bedrooms upstairs and the kind of downstairs you are talking about (den/office nook, mudroom, walk in pantry,etc.). We can't do basements easily here, so that wasn't an option, but even breaking up the square footage between 2 floors, vs. 3 - all the plans I found were much larger than you are hoping to back into. It was so frustrating. I'm fine giving up space in certain spaces to allocate it where I want it, but things like a walk in pantry & mud room take up as much or more room than a bedroom can... so in essence you'll have a 5+ bedroom house, with an office nook and a large island kitchen (our house designer explained that the island alone was like adding another bedroom because of the aisle space required :)). So...You will be hard pressed to find that in a standard plan around 4000 sf. without a basement. We have 3 children as well, and all our family is out of town & will be staying in our home for holidays... so your basement I'm sure will be well used even for daily visits! Maybe you can have a smaller basement and add some square footage to the main floors since you use that more often? Maybe there is some plan out there, but I haven't seen it. Ron Brenner homes are super cute though. Going with a 1 1/2 story will give you a more cottagey look to your exterior. A pure 2 story plan stacked perfectly will look like a box or a rectangle ( found this out the hard way). It limits light and just isn't as appealing visually imo. But the problem with a 1 1/2 story and your list is that you want 4 bedrooms upstairs with bathrooms/closets & that will be tricky to get in 800-1200 sf. If you hire an architect though, and are willing to give up space elsewhere kitchen, living rooms, fewer bathrooms, small closets, small bedrooms, few hallways... it might be doable. Allison Ramsey has some really great plans though that utilize space better than any pre-designed plans I've seen before. I wish I'd found her site before we had our house designed! You might be able to glean some space-saving ideas from your upstairs areas especially. http://www.allisonramseyarchitect.com We are almost done with our build and it has been 2.5 years in the making. Maybe it's not too early to start planning? The pantry & mudroom areas are some of my favorite spots! Also the big island in the kitchen. Be prepared to have everyone try and talk you our of that island. But it functions as another table/workspace for so many things without eating in to my perimeter.counter space. And the porch. Don't give up on the porch. :)

Well, blow me down, I just checked and there IS a bubble thing only on the washer door!!!! Who knew?!!! (ok, so you did!!! :) I think I may be the only one in the world who doesn't use a basket to unload the dryer. I pile it up in my arms and then shot put it onto the counter (which is why I'm thinking having the counter closer works better than the sink, for me. Actually, if I can get around the open dryer door, it's closer to get to the counter from the dryer if it's on the right side too. If not, I'll use a nifty cart that I learned about on here. I don't use a basket because I have a bad back and don't want to bend down to pick it up.. the w/d will be as high as possible. Now I just need to make sure if the dryer is moved to the right that it isn't too far for venting. The vent is going to be coming out of the top left of the closet (it can get through the left side of the laundry room because there is a barn door covering that whole wall. So close but yet so far!!!