I would want the dishes to stay near the dining area...definitely not on the other side of the cook. When your kids are setting the table, you don't want them shoving past you at the stove to find dishes. Your zones are set up well that way. Is that a double oven or a single under the counter? I just noticed the upper cabinets drawn over it. If it's under the counter, and you swap it with the fridge, you could do your baking on that counter, and put the fridge and microwave in the other spot. I think it's a minor difference and leaving it how it is wouldn't be terrible if you think you'll prefer it. I could see saving a nice baking space, since we do a lot of baking. I might actually consider leaving the door off the pantry, since you'd mostly see a wall when you look in. Then it'd be a snap to access the extra fridge or freezer. You'd really see nothing unless the light was on. Another option would be to have a pocket door, so it could stay open or be closed, without ever being in the way. OT: No heroics here. Having more than 4 doesn't change things much (except during a family bout of the stomach flu or something, which, thankfully, happens rarely)...The older kids get older and more helpful, so the stress on mom isn't that much more as the babies come along. :-) And babies bring out the best in everyone! Our youngest is 4 and I'm sad to be past the baby stage...the baby smell, those cuddly stretch terry jammies, the way they cuddle into your neck...Now I'll just have to wait for grandchildren! (That's why I designed our house so that the dining table can span 3 rooms when necessary...8 kids with spouses and kids could be a lot!)

I think you're asking too much of this small space. The house is 1200 sf ... with the addition, it'll be -- what? -- 1400ish? 3-4 bedrooms and 2-3 baths just don't fit into that space. To put this into perspective, my first house was a simple ranch in that same size range. We had 3 bedrooms (master was full with a queen bed and large dresser, our two kids had twin beds and plenty of play space in their rooms), 2 minimal bathrooms with no storage, a good sized living and dining room and a small kitchen. It was small but functional. You're trying to add another bedroom and another bath PLUS a mention of second living space, etc. ... AND have space for a wheelchair. Can't happen. Unless your addition is going to essentially double the space, it just can't happen. My best thoughts: - Focus on your bathroom space. Since your dad's wheelchair bound, you MUST allow him space to maneuver, and I often hear on this board that means a 5' radius. I'd ditch the tubs completely and go with walk-in showers; no barrier, roll-in type. Realistically, his shower will be huge. And your bathroom needs space for dad PLUS a caregiver. What storage do you need in the bathroom? I suspect he has a moveable shower chair? Do you need to store any type of lift for him? Do you store medications in the bathroom? - With space at a premium, do you necessarily need two FULL bathrooms? Could you go with a jack-and-jill ... something that'd place a LARGE shower in a room ... then two half-baths on opposite sides? Yes, it'd be better to have two full baths, but realistically, this might be a compromise that'd work. - Since Dad (and Mom?) will live in this house all the time, and they'll have their own rooms, I'd consider twin beds in SMALL bedrooms. I'd consider placing their beds up against a wall to allow maximum floor space in the room. I'd think this would be especially useful for Dad since he needs the floor space for the wheelchair. - How much "stuff" do Mom and Dad have to store? I'm thinking of my grandmother, who absolutely was never going to use all the cooking gear or her plentiful collection of evening gowns again, but who COULD NOT let go of them. - You say they'll have live-in caregivers, and they'll need space. I'm assuming these caregivers will also have other homes elsewhere? So they will need sleeping space but probably not a whole lot of storage space? I'd try to give the caregivers a queen sized bed and a small closet. And I'd try for a seating area in the caregivers' bedroom -- a loveseat and a TV perhaps? -- it's not a secondary living space, but it's what I think a house this size can support. - Will the caregivers have children in the house? If so, could you plan more of a bunk room for them? And/or for visiting grandchildren? I'm wondering if you could do a bunk "up" and a seating area, desk, or play space "down" for the kids? Again, this'd give them a space apart from the family, but it would allow it to be in a small space. - I suggest plenty of insulation between bedroom walls. If your parents are typical, they'll start playing the TV louder and louder and louder. That type of thing wears on people's nerves and makes them "snippy". Avoid it with a bit of insulation. - With family coming and going, you probably need a good-sized eating area. And if your family's like mine, people want to sit at the table and talk to the cook. I'd encourage you to think about placing the dining table at the far end of the house (so it's a quiet, restful space, not a spot that doubles as a walkway) and scoot it up against the wall using a banquette. This takes so much less space. And you can leave an empty spot at the end for Dad's wheelchair to scoot up to the table. Since Dad will probably sit at the table for long periods of time, I'd try to place this in a spot with good views. - With family coming and going, think through your parking. Again, this is the kind of thing that wears on people: Plan it so that you won't always be running out to move your car so your brother can get his out of the drive. - Leave an empty space in the living room for Dad's wheelchair. If the whole room is full of furniture, he will have no place to sit.

I have to say - we are in a new build with the 'fabulous open plan' and there are parts of it that aren't so fabulous. ;) I personally would prefer the somewhat separate spaces by a land slide. What's with the 'but then you aren't segregated and you can be together'. Are your truly together when you are banging pans and washing dishes and the other person is trying to watch TV? How is that 'together'? I miss having my radio on in the kitchen. I miss being able to say - 'go in the other room with that please'. They ARE in the other room! Ha! Or if someone stops by and you want to chat while the fam is doing something else there really is no place for that. I call the open floor plan 'all for 1 and 1 for all' living. Dh still loves it though.... Anyhow, I know many people love them but I was leery to start and after living here not so much a fan. I wouldn't do it again. Kitchen open to dining I can totally handle, kitchen open to family room I'll pass. Sorry I stepped onto that soap box so easily. :O What I really wanted to say was oh I am glad you like it because I like it for those reasons too and I really love the privacy it affords the master.

I'm a DIYer and am all for customizing Ikea as long as it doesn't end up costing more. The ease of installation of the drawer system is one of the draws. Replacing the interior and fittings would drive the cost up tremendously especially since most want all drawer kitchens. If I were concerned with lost interior space in drawers I'd definitely price out a custom kitchen and compare costs to the Ikea kitchen with drawer modifications. Both trash/recycle hacks I posted above I did with all Ikea parts. I did not have to purchase an additional insert system. An island can be configured to many different depths without cutting down cabinets. Add a 9", 12", 15", etc to the sides of the 24" with the large panels on the long end and you can attain many different depths (33", 36", 39"... -not including counter overhang). Yes, if a person must have exactly 36" and back to back, you'd have to customize. All depends on how much you want to spend. I use the rail system for mounting, except for islands and special circumstances. The feet aren't for support but do make fine tuning the leveling quite easy. Also, the toekick snaps onto the feet. Sometime I use Ikea toekick, other times I use base moulding or a combination. The bottom line is to be careful with your labor and material quotes for the custom work if you aren't doing it yourself as it can drive the price of an Ikea kitchen up tremendously. With careful planning you'll be able to have the kitchen you want without too many expensive changes since you're trying to save money. The easy hacks I've done and see called for frequently that aren't widely known are the trash/recycle pullouts, pulling the fridge cab forward and using a larger side panel for full depth fridges, alternate ideas for microwave spaces, installing a non-Ikea farm sink, adding drawers to pullouts and pantries beyond their suggested configs, and using kitchen cabs in other spaces. Buehl's FAQ thread is a compilation of these and many others.