Interesting Buffettgirl. Post Cocoanut Grove fire, swing-out is mandatory on all public buildings, nationwide I believe. (In 1942, hundreds of people fleeing a fire in an elegant Boston nightclub crushed up against inward-swinging doors that then could not be pulled opened inwards against the crush. Nearly 500 people died. Accounts are absolutely horrific.) Why then should it be against code in Massachusetts on private residences? (I'm not doubting that you are correct, I just think it curious, even ironic, that it should be so. A puzzle.) It's probably not the primary exit anyway though, so that should probably not be a problem for Huango. I think, Huango, if you have a storm door, that pushing two doors outward wouldn't work (from inside you have to push the inner one open to get to the outer one, but there's no room ...). And depending on where the snow drifts, the door might get snowed in (or maybe that's not a problem if you don't use the deck much in winter). Or you could build a wind screen or overhang to divert the drifting snow. But otherwise? Obviously, check the code, but if it's the only reasonable solution, even if it's a bit odd, do it.

I do. Here's a pic of mine.It's a Rev-a-Shelf 4WCSC-1835DM-2. My sink has an offset drain so the garbage disposal is on the right, couldn't have made this work if my sink had a center drain. I have 2 of these units in my kitchen. The other one, slightly larger, is across the way in the island. I love having receptacles for garbage, glass recycling (behind garbage), mixed recycling and returnables! I did a rough estimate by subtracting the thickness of the counter, the exterior depth of the sink and the depth of a drawer bottom from the interior height of a cabinet (same cab maker made our bathroom cabs but you should also be able to get these measurements from your cab maker and/or GC). I was pretty sure there was enough room but since my GC has the same sink, I asked him to measure the distance from the bottom of his sink to the floor of his cabinet (I was within 1/2"). I just measured: we have 1 1/4" to spare between garbage can and sink bottom so even if my sink were up to an inch deeper, we would have been fine.

"...do you think I should put the sink across from the fridge?" I wouldn't because you'd lose counter space directly across from the fridge and pantry. That's where I set groceries down to put them away and where I set items I've just taken out of the fridge and pantry. Plus that aisle is less generous because of the fridge so you could be doing more butt bumping when you're at the sink and someone wants something from the fridge. And yes, definitely consider a single bowl sink for your clean-up sink. I went from a double bowl to a single bowl and I love it! I'd never go back to a double bowl again. I have a very large sheet pan soaking in my sink right now (roasted veggies for dinner last night). It would never have fit inside one side of my double bowl so I'd have to soak it on the counter. Since you prep at your island, it makes sense to have your trash at the island, too, unless that means that you're giving up much needed cabinet space in your island. If you got a single bowl with an offset drain for your clean-up sink, you'd have more than enough room for a larger trash bin under your clean-up sink. Something to consider: put your trash on the left and your sink on the right. That moves your sink away from the edge and moves the trash closer to the clean-up sink. You'd still have quite a bit of room to prep at your island, plus someone could prep on the short end, too. I needed 4 bins: trash, glass recycling, mixed recycling and returnables. My trash and glass recycling is under my sink and my mixed recycling and returnables are in a pull-out in my island across from my sink (my sink is diagonally across the aisle to the right). I prep between sink and cook top (to the right of my island) and at the island. These trash pull-outs are convenient to prep in both locations. Hope the above makes sense. Still fighting this bloody cold.

An update: We are DIYers, I'm capable of a lot of things. In-fact, I just pulled up the vinyl flooring in our RV and replaced some worn sub floor. Then repaired the vinyl. I brought the tools to the marriage..DH brought the nerdy tech :D We are fine taking on reasonable projects. I research, ask questions, and practice before going crazy. My background is in making technical drawings for wood/metal/acrylic fabrication (anything from something small to structures over 50 ft tall), so my brain is they type that just likes to know how things work. I'm also an artist of sorts. My creations are edible (cakes), but I am methodical and pay attention to detail. My mom is an amazing woman and taught me how to do a lot of things, but mostly she taught me to research, follow instructions and to do things right- which is probably where my frustration when people don't follow rules comes from! I follow best practice when I can, and over engineer when I can't. My dad funded the projects and provided heavy lifting.. let's just say I one time watched him cut the same piece 4 times over for LVP install. But he eventually got it and to his defense, it was cut around an angle and heating floor vent.:D I was just sent over the pool permits and plans, as well as the permit on the patio, and for good measure the fence. Everything has passed inspections. The shed and extended driveway are the only things left. As most of you pointed out, they are pretty "worthless" on paper. They are in good working order. They appear to be free from defect and in good shape per our independent inspector. After seeking outside council, reading on Houzz, talking to our parents, grandparents, other home buyers, and the city, we have decided to take a concession from the seller to negate our risk and we will remedy the issues at some point. In the mean time we will enjoy these features of the home for how ever long we get to. IF/When the time comes where we must remove/modify, we will. I have no problem with this now. I know me, I know what to expect. I don't like surprises (Diamonds, Lottery Winnings, Chocolate and Flowers are exceptions). I know those of you who think I should have ran without further investigation may think I'm out of my mind, I still appreciate your comments. You helped me look at all angles. But I had to look at the whole picture-- and you know, include my husband in the decision. No home is perfect. No home will have no issues. No home will ever be built to 100% of my satisfaction (even if we built new). At least with this home, I feel like we have a good idea of what is wrong-- I know things will still pop up and surprise us :D Thank you to those who said it's not the end of the world...those who thought it was no issue at all, and those who said to proceed cautiously. I know I can't please everyone on the forums, but I am grateful for the general feeling of "we want to help," and I want to let you know I weighed everything heavily and feel content with our decision. Where we are ending up is FAR better with the guidance of Houzz than where we started 9 months ago an first time buyers. Sometimes the advice is hard to hear, but I know we need to hear it. Thanks again and Cheers!