I just want to thank everyone for the help and advice. Dh and I have decided to go ahead with the full re-model. We won't be changing the layout but we are going to replace flooring, cabs and counters. I've decided NOT to use the maple slab from my barn. I'm going with granite all around. I REALLY want to remove the soffits but I took a peek today and there is duct work through out! I'm really having a hard time with this.. just looking at them makes me want to cry. I just don't know what to do to make them blend in. They aren't just typical soffits that are near flush with the cabs.. they come out almost 2 feet from the wall, and 10 inches from the cabinets. They also have some funny angles that might make crown molding around the cabinets look odd? I'm going to post over on the kitchen forums to try to get more feedback on the soffits. Thanks again.. you all helped me with the motivation to for the 'real' makeover!

We have just finished exactly this scenario. Forgive the self-referential length, but it may give you some ideas. Scenario: opening up attic as extra living space created knock-on effect of HAVING to move the kitchen out of the way of new stairs, which also meant opening up a loadbearing wall to allow sufficient space for access. ULTRAtight budget. The process for us: I started playing 'what if?" with some design software almost as soon as we moved in 3 years ago (we knew from the get-go this house would only work for us if we expanded into the attic and bought it with that in mind - location, location, location!) and was tweaking it right up till the end. Once I had a design I thought "could" work - all highly dependent on the realities of what might be behind the walls, structural loads etc (all of which I knew NOTHING about) - I started talking to people. Friends who had recently remodelled, friends who were architects, friends who were builders. Just to try and learn what some of the terms I'd heard bandied about meant so I could understand exactly what might be going on. Then, we started interviewing contractors. I got a lot of interesting information in the course of htat, most particularly about the load-bearing wall etc etc etc. It also inspired me to come up with 3 "final designs" which approached that wall differently - one framed a doorway through it leaving much of it standing, and one opened it out entirely (the third was terrible, but I did it anyway - it's easy when you have your own software!) Once we found our contractor, I got as much info from him regarding that wall as possible so I could continue to refine my design (with his help). He absolutely refused to give a firm answer either way until he was inside the wall. While a little frustrating at the time because I wanted to finalise and get cabinets, I realise he was ABSOLUTELY right to do it this way, as it avoided any misunderstandings or complications until he KNEW what was in there. In the end, it turned out that a previous owner's addition to the back of the house had already beamed the span, resulting in TWO sets of supports for that ceiling and the roofline - all he had to do was reinforce it (didn't even need the metal flitch beam he'd originally suspected would be required). There was no way of knowing that until they got inside the walls and could really look at it. This is how the floorplan changed: original layout my first "final" design (keeping a chunk of wall and using it to build one side of a pantry) the final layout: And the almost finished kitchen (I've since replaced the table and we've added some more details, but this shows the layout). Despite the fact that I've historically preferred formal dining rooms, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the open layout. We never entertain formally, we have a young child, and in the event a future owner ever DID want a formal dining room they could transform the room we are using as a separated music studio and use that. So... we couldn't be happier. I agree that even if you hand off your job to a designer, stay invested in the details. I can't BELIEVE how well this job has come out. Sure, I took loooadddsss of advice from folks and needed tons of help (which I got from many sources, not least of which the amazingly generous and talented people in here who are directly responsible for many of the final layout ideas!), but it is MY kitchen. It works for us. There were very few "whoopsies". I mostly credit my wonderful GC with that, but I also suspect that the fact that I was VERY involved with it all and didn't just hand off a drawing and say "do that" really helped. It was a very collaborative project which not only means I got something that really works for us, but that communication stayed excellent and thus... fewer mistakes. Good luck with your remodel!

Hi Buehl, Here are the answers to your questions: "Has the garage door been moved in your layout (1st pic)? Your DH's drawing has it in the kitchen but your layout has it in the DR..." Yes, in Plan B - expanding into the dining room -- one of the proposed changes we depicted is moving the door to the garage a few feet over into what is now the dining room. That would free up space for a 36" fridge. Currently the door is still in the kitchen. "Can the wall b/w the Foyer and the table space be moved? Maybe 2' into the Foyer??" No because that wall extends well into the family room. There is also a hallway closet in the foyer that is right off the kitchen and behind our current pantry closet. "Would you consider switching the Kitchen & DR? Maybe make the table area the DR and then have a big kitchen? I don't know if it would work...I'm just throwing ideas out there! (I suspect those tall windows will be a problem, so probably not...but you never know!) BTW...the reason I asked in my previous post about expanding into the Foyer is that your first "IKEA" layout says the table area is 11'0" yet your 2nd layout & your DH's show 8'6"...so it looked like you expanded into the Foyer." Hm...switching the DR and kitchen..I don't think it would work since the eat-in area is right in the middle of the house and open on all sides. However, (now you've got me thinking!) I guess you could leave the table where it is right now in the eat-in area and then focus on expanding the kitchen area into the current DR by taking down part of the wall that separates them, maybe filling up the space in the DR with a butler's pantry along the one solid wall (as I have depicted in the Plan B layout), a larger island than I have depicted with some bar stools, and maybe some armchairs on either side of the tall windows and a small desk in the corner (depicted in black in Plan B). But would that look natural or totally contrived to fit the space? That's my worry...that if we make these changes it will look like some amateurish DIY job rather than something that fits the house organically. I just remeasured the table area and it is indeed 8'6" not 11'. Sorry for the discrepancies...the numbers may have changed a few times since I started this process! I hope I haven't confused you even further. It's frustrating that we live in a home that is plenty big for our little family (just the 3 of us) but that is so oddly configured that the space doesn't work for us. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me so far.

If what you like is a one-wall kitchen with an island, that is possible. You'd have a super long island that is 3' deep and way roomier walkways (4') around the island. If you did that, I'd just make the nook a straight windowseat. Like this: The island has legs on one end for seating like this: The bay window provides extra space needed to walk comfortably behind the island seating. I'd add another doorway into the dining room, since that is now your primary eating area. You want non-cooking traffic to be able to get back and forth without entering your kitchen work zones. And I think you'll generally like the greater visibility and circular flow between rooms. If you orient the island drawer stack closest to the dining room so it opens toward the dining room, you'll be able to unload the dishwasher directly into that. And glasses can go in the pantry, which is just a step or two further. The pantry is floor-to-ceiling cabinets and around 12" deep. That's great pantry storage - stores a ton, and it's easy to see everything with nothing lost in the back. Note that the downsides are: - You lost a hallway closet and deepened the other hallway closet in order to elongate the one-wall part of the kitchen. You wouldn't have to do this if you lose the wall ovens, but I assume you don't want that. - It's going to be complicated to vent the range hood. - You'll need to get a fridge with one door and drawer freezer so they don't bang the open dishwasher. Or make peace with not opening the fridge and dishwasher at the same time.