Can you draw can you post what the existing layout looks like? Are you eliminating a dining room?

Well, right off the bat the distance between your island and range/sink/DW is too narrow. You need a bare minimum of 36", ideally 42" or more. The end (side) of my island is 38" from my dishwasher and it's barely adequate to pass through comfortably and when the dishwasher is open no one can really pass through (I mean, they can, but they must contort to do so).

What challenges are you encountering with your design? Everything? Or are there certain things you're having trouble with?

personally, I would want an area in front of either the large window or patio door for a table...perhaps a walled in dinette has had the walls removed, but I would want a table area. Just off hand, I think I'd place range and fridge on back wall, shrink the island and place sink there. Shift your serving/buffet section with it's bev fridge to left wall where big fridge is shown, ....place a table at patio door end. No need for a 13.5 by 4.5 foot island-way out of proportion......

This is the plan drawn on a graph where one square = 6 inches. It makes more sense when it's drawn to scale, but the island would be 13.5' long with 'stadium seating'--all in a row. One stone slab will not cover that distance.

@benjesbride - The existing layout is currently tore out! The sink and dishwasher where I have it above is where it currently is (and where the current plumbing is). The area where the big window on the left is is a dining room but we've never had a table in there - it's just been empty with a desk along the wall. We currently have a kitchen table in the area where the sliding door is, but it's small and won't fit with cabinets along the wall.

@lisaG - Good catch with the narrow walkway - I know about the minimums, I must have accidentally shifted something to make it closer. Thanks for the input. I guess my main issue with the design is everything. The layout above looks like it has a lot of wasted space. I'm terrible at these things.

@herbflavor - I had layout similar to that drawn out and then I decided to try to keep plumbing, etc. where it is to possibly cut costs. I may try it again - thank you.

@mama goose_gw zn6OH - thank you so much for your design. It really puts things in perspective. My issue, again, is the distance from the fridge to the island. Also, I'm a little leery of looking at the fridge from the couch (part of my hesitation with the design.

I appreciate everyone's input! Please feel free to keep providing!

Where do you plan to put a table? I think it would help if you could tell us more about what you're trying to do with this remodel. The Layout Help FAQ provides a list of questions that will help you give us the information we need - including asking for a whole-floor sketch - which you may have already done if that's your entire floor in the original post.

Regarding table vs counter seating - table seating is much more comfortable for full meals and is more conducive to family bonding than counter seating. Counter seating is fine for quick snacks or meals, parties, and for sitting while working. Just keep in mind that straight-line counter seating is like ducks sitting in a row.

How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include?

• http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767033/how-do-i-ask-for-layout-help-and-what-information-should-i-include

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Are you on a slab? Or, do you have a full basement or crawl space? If a slab, it may be expensive to move the plumbing - but I would check to be sure (get 3 estimates). If you have a crawl space or basement, moving plumbing is relatively easy and usually inexpensive.

Have you thought about changing the slider out for just a swinging door? The old breakfast nook would make a great wall for your pantry-fridge-microwave-beverage. If you widened your sink window in the process, you could skooch your sink and dw to the right and increase your valuable prep space between sink and range. A quick and rough example of what I mean...

Hi - I have a similar layout to yours - with a sliding door and a window. Our sink and DW had to stay. We kept the wall between the LR and kitchen but busted out the wall between the DR and kitchen. That left us with an awkward space of 11.5 ft by about 22 ft. I wanted an island but went with a peninsula. We did not change the slider because we had just sided the house a few years before the kitchen reno. So it's not ideal, but it works well for us. So just to give you some more ideas here are pics.

Dear Kim,

You are frustrated because to are trying to win
at a game but, you don’t know the rules or how to play.

If you keep trying the same things you’ll never
get different results.

If you allow the architecture of your building, your
window, and door locations to limit your creativity you’ll continue to produce
similar results.

Because you become fixated on what’s not working - and blind
to other layout possibilities.

This is when you’ll need persistence to keep
sketching until you finally run out of things that don’t work. Then you’ll
discover what does work and a whole new set of possibilities will open up to
you.

But you must not quit!

I can guarantee you haven’t tried every
possible combination of appliances and cabinetry that will meet your criteria (what
you expect to get from your new kitchen) and perform well for you aesthetically &
functionally. So you can get the most value within the space you have available.

Our Kitchen Design Ground Rules:

The Purpose Every Residential Kitchen is Designed
For Is to Provide Food and Beverage Service As Efficiently As Possible….to make
your like in your kitchen easier and save you valuable time.

All Kitchens Perform These 5 Basic Tasks

Storage – Preparation – Cooking/Baking – Providing
Service – Clean Up

Rules For Kitchen Space Planning If You Want
Your Kitchen To Perform Efficiently & Work Intuitively

1. The
   Appliance dictates the Task & Its Location
2. The
   Task dictates the Kitchen Items you’ll need to perform that Task
3. The
   Kitchen Items dictate the best cabinet configuration and accessory to
   store and retrieve your Kitchen Items most efficiently.
4. Store
   your Kitchen Items used frequently as close to the Appliance as possible
   to increase efficiency.

Understanding these rules and how to apply them
is how you Evaluate how well or poorly your kitchen layouts work once you
create them.

I like to start with the existing kitchen
layout – because kitchen space planning is an evolutionary process – and evaluate
it. To discover clearly with proof, Exactly
where we’re starting from. What problems this layout has, and what can be done
to improve its performance.

This initial Evaluation will supply clues to
help you resolve the problems your kitchen layout has - leading to other layout
possibilities. In my experience Never less than 5 - as many as 12 to 20
different kitchen layouts.

Providing you Very Different Results than, “ Here
are 2 or 3 similar options pick the one you like best.”

As an example of what's possible doing this Kitchen Planning Analysis, these clients of ours got to decide from 21 different kitchen layouts.
Resulting in 6 very different kitchen possibilities!

And yes you should do the work necessary. If you really want to make the best decisions possible in investing. Both in making this kitchen home improvement last, and making your life in it better for as long as you live here.

New Kitchen = New Life...if you do it right.

It’s shameful but in most cases you’ll wind up
with a kitchen not much different than the one you so desperately wanted to
replace...just a new version.

I wish this didn't happen to anyone...but this is not the world we live in. Thorough kitchen space planning is how you avoid this from happening to you.

Having no conversation with you I have no idea
of what you really want to accomplish or what appliances you would love to have in a perfect world.

But to get you to keep going I have
attached 4 different kitchen layout possibilities 5 layouts in all.

Also, You can take pieces and parts of these plans
and Frankenstein them together to create still more possible layouts for you to
consider.

Good Luck!

Demand Better Performance

Joe Brandao

Kitchen Performance Consultant

Are you sure you want a totally open kitchen?

Maybe something like this may work better for you.

Wow! You guys are really amazing! You've definitely given me something to think about! Once I get some more thoughts I'll update and maybe you all can weigh in again. Thank you so much!

Also, what do you all use for making these mockups? They're fantastic.