Tannantok, you're describing my DH's place when I met him! He also had a beer can collection growing on his back patio. He owned virtually no dishes (eating out of the pan was the norm). When you walked in the door you were greeted by a picture of a big haired blonde wearing suspenders and not much more. Laminated to a piece of charred wood. Given to him by his mother. Current decorating would be blankets tacked up to the windows, but he'd also have 1000 watt lights all over the place. I tell him the sun would not provide enough light for him. Clothing would adorn all the lamp shades (if he used lamp shades at all...probably adorn the curtain rods. Bathtowels would be the floor mats. Steak knives would pin up things to the walls, and EVERY wall would have something pinned to it. He'd have a ginormous sofa with blankies and his dogs. No pillows, except for what was on the floor. And every cupboard would be doorless and the drawers self closing.

cpartist - Point taken on the patio above the bedroom. However one of our neighbors did this when remodeling a similar floorplan and it has worked out well. (Plus we are in Northern CA so haven't seen rain in a very long time.) When you say they need "lots of work" give me a teaser...what's wrong? omelet - I am really torn about having a family room connected to the kitchen or separate. I love the concept of having a whole family space to hang out in. Right now I'm stuck cleaning up the kitchen while everyone hangs out watching a game or starting a family show downstairs. I think the room would be used 70% of the time for family activities (hanging out, ballgames, movies, reading) and 30% of the time taken over by tweens and teens after school/on weekends. What kind of third option do you mean? Livewireoak - cpartist is correct. There is no room for rebuilding the garage further to the left. There is just a 6 foot gate/tiny sideyard then the neighbors (visible on the left).

I love your current kitchen so much I just want to come to your house and chain myself to your cabinets so when the demolition crew shows up, I can scream "NO!!!!!!". If you like the cabinets and if they are still in great condition, why change them all? Of course, it's your decision and I won't hunt you down if you decide to make a total change. But be aware there is a market for used vintage cabinets in good condition so, if you do decide on a to-the-studs remodel, please have those cabinets carefully removed and either donate them to something like a Habitat for Humanity store or sell them. The RetroRenovation.com website is one place to visit and post about them where you might find exuberant buyers. And, of course, Craig's List. So I came up with a plan with minimal changes, allowing you to keep most of your cabinets. Notes on the plan. It should get bigger if you click the photo so you can read it better. Basically, the only thing that changes is the stove wall. You could easily have a good cabinet maker make the additional cabinets you need to match the current cabinets. You may, however, need to paint all the cabinets to get a good paint match if just painting the new cabinets doesn't result in a good match. I didn't figure out how far down you can shift the stove but it looks like you could get a good 12-20" of extra prep space there. That increase should give you a nice prep corner with enough space to spread out. I would keep the charming countertops you have for all but the stove wall and splurge on counters that are cooking/hot pot friendly on that wall. Stainless would be great there and will really compliment what you currently have so it doesn't look odd or like a thoughtless add-on. Soapstone would also look great. Since you're done doing a lot of counter, these higher-priced tops would still be a minimal expense. The yellow is for a cart idea, similar to what MamaG came up with, but not inside the bottom of a wall cabinet. It is simply there so it can be moved to block access for visitors. A flip-up counter can be installed that hangs down the side so there is a place there for chairs and for someone to sit and visit with you while you cook and have a place for their coffee, appetizer, dessert, etc. It can also be used to help with food service at the table for items that might not fit on the table with people eating there. You say you like the peninsula because it does provide that barrier and place to sit but, really, it is the only real obstacle you have to an efficient kitchen that feels spacious. Removing it and just moving the stove down as far as possible to the end of that wall, even to the edge of the wall, should give you good prep space and make your kitchen far more enjoyable to work in. Anyway, just a thought, if you want to preserve what you have and just improve it. Of course, a good, well-designed and executed to-the-studs remodel would also be super-awesome. I just wanted to give you an alternative to consider.

Okay @thinkdesignlive, a quick Chief Architect trail version download and below is the floor plan for the first level. By no means perfect, but should get you the general gist of the space we are working with. @hu1967910 you make some very good points with what we would use the space for 95%+ of the time and I think I let that be overshadowed by wanting an enough sit-down dining space for the few annual occasions we would use it. With seating at the peninsula, I think we would find that the table would get used much less for everyday use anyway, so would be able to either have a bench on the the wall side or use the chairs and keep it pushed over enough to allow for ample walkway space to the deck/backyard, which is highly used by us and the dog. Let me know your thoughts after seeing the layout. As someone mentioned, might be able to keep that load bearing wall and just widen opening to keep some separation between the spaces. Thanks!