cpartist, I thought about that but was concerned about the pinched entry way created by the edge of the counter. However you inspired me to try again. I shrunk the linen closet and counter a bit and it seems workable. The opening is 2'10". Thanks for the suggestion:) mverb, no bonus room alas I have to keep my attic space relatively squat or it will count against my allowable floor area. You can see my first floor at the link below. I had a lot of great ideas from the Houzz experts (some of which I'm still working on) Let me know your thoughts. http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2951060/m=23/please-help-with-kitchen-floorplan.

Before my (late) DH and I embarked on a large renovation/addition, we did the math to compare what the addition would approximately cost (x), then added that cost to the approx. value of our home (y), and priced out homes in our area for sale at approx. x+y. For us it was worth doing the addition rather than buying a different house, even though ours ended up over $200/sqf, probably closer to $300/sqf. For comparison homes in this area are about $1.5+M for new builds; homes for teardown between $400=600k in very rough approximations. Some things to factor in: the cost of a rental when you move out during construction, including the cost of switching utilities to the rental then back (it's not so much the cost as it is the hassle. For example, keeping my same email address with Comcast required almost an act of divine intervention, not to mention about 20 phone calls.) Also count on scope creep. We were victims of our own enthusiasm and I can't tell you how many times we said, "While we're at it, we might as well do...." That's how we ended up going from the kids wanting a dog and me saying "no dog until I get a mudroom", to a 1000+ sqf addition with gutted kitchen and 4 gutted bathrooms, plus a new garage and a new roof. World's most expensive dog. (But Hendrix is worth it. :) ) Finally, there are compromises you will make that no one has to make with a new build from scratch, and there will be surprises. (Like when they cut an opening for my new office window and found a vent pipe no one knew was there. Or when they broke the sewer line while digging the new foundation.) I guess this is a long way of advising you to have a good contingency budget. For us it was totally worth it and I'm so glad we did the addition. And you have something in your favor I didn't know about at the time... this forum! I often wonder whether my layout and kitchen would be different if I knew about this forum and the kitchens forum when we did our work.

Thanks all for the replies. The floorplan/construction was already done by the seller, so I didn't have a say in the bathroom unfortunately. There are pantries and closets - just missing in the floorplan :) As for dining area - this is a good point.. I was thinking of just using the island for dining area for now since it's just me... maybe replacing the "media" area with a dining table instead? I was actually hoping to shy away from a TV in living room altogether.. so it could work! Thank you for all the suggestions.

@Virgil - Great questions. I don't see us building a fancy deck, just something that matches the house (beach style with hip roof, hardy board siding). Where could I do some research on building materials? For option 1, I would imagine a deck like this one, [https://www.houzz.com/photos/32nd-street-craftsman-exterior-los-angeles-phvw-vp~209718[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/32nd-street-craftsman-exterior-los-angeles-phvw-vp~209718). For option 2, I would imagine a deck like this one, [https://www.houzz.com/photos/630-b-beach-style-exterior-san-diego-phvw-vp~90504781[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/630-b-beach-style-exterior-san-diego-phvw-vp~90504781). For option 3, I would imagine a no-deck-look like this one, [https://www.houzz.com/photos/incredibly-green-home-of-chevy-chase-craftsman-exterior-seattle-phvw-vp~360047[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/incredibly-green-home-of-chevy-chase-craftsman-exterior-seattle-phvw-vp~360047). @kudzu9 - I live in San Diego (yes, I know, expensive). I wish it was like asking, "How much does a new car cost?" because I could go online and figure that out in 10 minutes. And I'd know that I'd never have to pay more than the sticker price! @Sophie - Thankfully, you're not the CFO of my company. ;) $68k is a trip around the world with my family.