I doubt soil quality is as much a problem as compaction is a problem. Soil is clay, sand and organic matter. It is the ratio that defines good soil from bad soil. I would normally agree with TW (your first response) to not till, but if you have access to compost it is the only way to get it blended into the top 6-8 inches of soil. Tilling is not favored because invariably it will leave a lumpy lawn when it settles. It is difficult to till at depth evenly. The other approach is to add the compost on top of your existing soil. Since you appear to want to do a complete renovation I'd recommend adding a good inch of compost now and then core aerate the heck out of it. Yes, this is far more than the normal quarter inch, but you are going to mechanically incorporate it by aerating and giving it some time to heel into the soil. Water heavily for the next 2 weeks then roundup the weeds before seeding. You could core aerate again before seeding. I'd second the notion to get a soil test done before doing anything. Any amendments can be added before seeding. Do you have any worms in your soil?

(I think that some may not realize your exterior is mirrored to your floorplan, at least I think so--it isn't a direct match either way though, as I look at it more closely). LL's interior changes are better. So are yours--with the change of stair. I'm just not sure if that stair actually will work in the space (someone like Renovator will need to count them and tell you). But, you still have 3 ways to get from back hall to other places in the house: back hall, pantry, kitchen, out back hall, past fridge, past island stools, past dining chairs and out back hall, closet, utility, foyer, out. It is very circuitous. And, the most cramped option is probably the intended option (past fridge, past stools, past dining table). Just my observation.

Ok, so no floor plan. Brunch turned into a 6 hour mimosa-drowning. No complaints, but productivity suffered! The more I think about it, the more new paint and window treatments would greatly help. We would like to swap-out some of the appliances like the DW & OTR pretty soon, as they are not so great. The DW sounds like it’s trying to escape when it’s washing and the OTR is visibly cracked on the front. Oh, and the timer doesn’t work when the microwave is heating. It’s amazing I haven’t taken it out with a baseball bat yet. I’m unsure whether to vent this unit (or a replacement) as the future kitchen would certainly have a vented unit. How many holes do I need to cut out of the house? Really, with some new appliances & new paint, I think we could get by for a few years. And then knock it all down & re-use the appliances in a new kitchen. Maybe with the new Ikea kitchen line. Fun! Some tidbit responses (and thanks so much for the advice everyone!): -The 6” to the right of the range is just filler. It’s totally an empty space under the granite. We could move the current range over, but then a granite fabricator would have to come & chop it off & move it over. That sounds tedious. -The range is *pretty* close to that side wall, but not touching. There is something like 2” of space. I could easily mount a piece of glass on the wall as a precaution, but I don’t really fear the wall will go up in flames. @joaniepoanie - Thanks! I think we’d like to keep the breakfast bar even after a reno. We plan to buy some stools and like that guests really use that space while we are in the kitchen. But I like the idea of a pantry. That would be amazing. @mic111 - I hadn’t considered changing the pulls. Everything in the house is ORB, so if they are dark brown circles or squares, I’m not sure it really matters. But I could be wrong. I will say that working on the house is something we really enjoy, so sweating a kitchen remodel is really no sweat. It’s just a question of money and true need. @annkh - Wanda the corgi loves to photo-bomb. Does yours do that too? And she does match the floors! But of course, that doesn’t mean the tumbleweeds are invisible ;) Laundry in the kitchen is no biggie. It’s plenty convenient. We had a combo washer/dryer in the old condo, so the size of these units still astounds me. Just have to keep that washer door open. Mold/Mildew City! Also, good tip about the step-stool. We’ll get that stat. -@cluelessincolorado- Thanks for the shout-out! We do miss that small, cool kitchen! It was nothing fancy & it was a tight space. But it was a fun project and the functionality gained was glorious. Really, that one 30” cabinet of Ikea drawers held more than all the base cabinets in our new/big kitchen. Pics of the old kitchen:

The first one is the most expensive (of course) and it is the Atlas Shelley pull. I definitely agree that the 3rd one is just as chunky feeling - but since it was angled at the ends it felt visually lighter to me. I thought I would go with #1 at one point this morning - but I don't know if it is too "bathroomy". I would delay and just install myself - but I tried that a few years ago with an entertainment center and it was a disaster - doesn't matter how "easy" it is, my DH and I manage to botch any DIY type thing. :(