First of all, THANK YOU for taking the time to read this, look at my plan, and assist me. In response to some of the questions/comments... The right side that desertsteph mentioned not being able to see/read on the drawing - right now there is a large old butcher block table there, with 3 wall cabs and some shelves above. We do not use the table - it basically collects junk. I think that area could be used much more efficiently. Yes, this is mostly "steamlining and prettying up"! I'm not opposed to changing things *if* it really makes sense to do it but am not looking to change things just for the sake of change. I think I have a good base and there is no need to tear it all out and start from scratch. I just want to be sure that I am making the most efficient and effective decisions. I was thinking of putting another oven beside the refrigerator; it seems like the easiest place for a new appliance. I do have a floor-to-ceiling pantry that holds a ton of stuff. If I don't put in a second oven, the space beside the refrigerator would probably be a combo of deep drawers and a good sized pantry cabinet, and/or some kind of built-in microwave as right now we have a countertop MW that just sits on an old dresser! The floor is pine planks - very pretty, warm color - all the first floor floors are the same material, and it will remain. The hall door sees the least traffic, so it seems like the cook center is already in the best place given that I need to keep 5 doors into this space. The space between the island and the kitchen table is basically a corridor to the living room, so that needs to stay clear. I briefly considered a new countertop with an overhang on that side but the overhang would make my existing top drawers unusable, so I ruled that out. We do not have an entry room or mudroom at this entrance to the house; there is a brick patio outside this door. Our laundry room is as long as the kitchen but about 6 ft wide; part of this is a half bath, some is laundry, and the rest is storage and "mud room" functions. There is a lot packed into that little space but it works pretty well. I have aspirations of building a covered stoop at the back since we do use this entrance all the time, but that will be a few years away. I don't think our site setbacks would allow a full mudroom or entry here. I like the shelf above the cabinets too, although I'm not much of a collector, so I don't know what to put up there. I'm short so it is too high for me to access for storage, and works as display only. I'm having outlets installed above the shelf as part of this project so I can install lighting up there to light the ceiling. My finish plan is: *keep the floors *cover the ceiling with an anaglyptic wallcovering that looks like tin tiles which will be painted white *install crown mold all around, painted white *paint the cabinets white, add a "light rail" piece of trim to the bottoms, switch out the hinges with something less obtrusive, change the pulls on the drawers to bin pulls, and change the door pulls to new ORB/white porcelain pulls *paint the wainscot and trim (now blue) dark brown, picking up on the darkest brown tones of the floor and the dark brown fleck in the laminate countertop *paint the walls a very light cream/yellow (BM Pearly Gates, I think) *I'd hoped to replace the countertop to the left of the range with Corian to match what's on the right. It's probably 20 years old and it looks great, but this CT is so old that I am having trouble matching it. I am still looking at options here - would like to use something white/light colored but have also considered the Ikea butcher block for economy reasons, although I am not sure I am up to that DIY project *I bought subway tile for the backsplash at the range, but I have to replace the CTs first because they are not currently at the same height (only a fraction of an inch off, but against the lines of the tile it will be really evident) I guess my biggest question is - is it worth it to consider moving the sink? Would I gain the same benefit by undermounting a new sink at the existing location on the island and having a butcher block piece made to cover half of it to expand the prep area? That would certainly be less expensive, but would it be as effective as the combination of a main sink and a prep sink? I appreciate your time and your thoughts. Thanks for your help!

buehl... just wanted to say that the 30" back counter is going in the plans today! That is brilliant for alot of reasons, as you mentioned, but also for safety when little ones, or distracted mamas, walk by and bump the cookie sheets right off the counter! So thanks for that! Also I'm bumping the sink cabinet out a little bit, but leaving the DW counter runs 24", to create a little space behind the sink as you showed. It's not quite as good as en entire bumpout, but it will give me a little space for plants and a cake stand with my dish soaps towards the back. Still working on the rest (I ran out of energy about 1am last night and decided to buy some more time), but those 2 are for sure in the plans. laughable! I love your internet name. I'm so glad you like it. I've been gathering ideas here for a while, so really it's a hodge podge of great ideas from other people. Lot's of homeschoolers on these boards too! Thanks for a link to that beautiful kitchen...

"I would love to have a central hallway or something that opened up to the back of the house from the entry, just not sure how to do that with my rear garage". Solving these kinds of apparent insolvable conflicts is exactly what creative thinking is. A creative designer, when given the chance, will provide a design that can give a client nearly everything, or in some cases all, of what they want but often in ways completely unexpected. And I've written here before to please note I didn't say "architect", I said "creative designer". Don't know how creative your architect is but if a garage/view conflict can't be resolved on a 5 acre level lot I can't help but question his/her ability to BEST spend a healthy six figures of your hard earned money in an endeavor with no "do overs". And I don't have a horse in your race either as I do all my design face to face with the client present but I might suggest getting someone with a "fresh set of eyes" to sit down with you and any other decision maker to look at your house. As a model I posted a summary of one way here, not my first post with the colored drawing but my second post 11 down: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3178541/question-for-architectrunnerguy-or-others Another item I'd look at is the stair. I haven't seen the second floor but the stair appears to wind around with close walls on three sides, a minimal landing and likely no natural light. Simply just a way of getting to the second floor with no other qualities. Great stairs connect a house while poor stair dissect it and interestingly, both cost the same to build. The staircase is often the most under designed space in a house so your designer needs to pay careful attention to it. Look at the stairs in those houses in my "ideabook" again to see what I'm talking about.

Hi Kim. This one is really bothering me. You've invested a ton of time and probably a fair bit of money and you're not where you want to be. You fell in love with a plan on the internet and thought by taking it to a local pro to make a few changes to fit your family you'd have the perfect home. I can see why you based the design on the Modern Farmhouse. It's very pretty and has a ton of charm. Unfortunately your designer doesn't really understand what makes it charming. In my opinion you've skipped some very important steps: Context: The fact there is no site plan is a huge red flag for me since understanding the context of the building is critical for a successful project. Unless you're in a perfectly flat forest without a single special tree, you always need a site plan. The other aspects of context are time and place, the surrounding region, your neighborhood etc. Lifestyle: A deep understanding of your family's lifestyle and how that will change over the years. How does your lifestyle interact with the home and the 8 acres of property you have? What are your hobbies and interests? What are your needs for privacy and togetherness? How do you like to entertain if at all? On and on.... Spirit: What is the mission statement of the home? What is it's message? You will wake up here every day for decades hopefully. How do you want to feel about where you live? BTW.. this is actually where you started by selecting "modern farmhouse". Deep inquiry into these questions will elevate you from mere building to art you will love for years to come. Numbers: Budget, number of bedrooms, size of the home, organization of the rooms etc. Don't neglect the extra volume the building will create. It appears there is some extra room on an upper level. How are you planning to use it? Will there be a basement or lower level? A purely practical plan comment is that two bathrooms can fit in the space of the single kid's bath and cost just about the same.