Have you had tile in a kitchen before? I have had it in rentals and it is my least favorite because it makes my back hurt to stand on it for long periods (like assembling a couple of trays of lasagne) and because I have found the grout challenging (there are new grouts that do not stain but the slight dip still tends to collect dirt and crumbs). Lots of people love it though and it is very durable.

With open rooms, I think a continuous flooring looks better.

Yup.

Edited to add: there is also the breakage problem with tile flooring, similar to what I mentioned above with countertops : ) . We've always had vinyl flooring, in the old house and new one (new one has vinyl plank), and back when I had a 3yo, 4.5yo, and 6yo helping to load and unload the dishwasher and set the table, we were lucky that almost every dropped dish/glass virtually bounced and didn't break.

How much food and water do you have spilling with a 3yo and 9mo? With a good polyurethane finish, you can damp mop if necessary and it shouldn't be a problem. Talk to your flooring guys.

Hardwood throughout would be my choice too. I've have it, have a 90 lb lab and am helping raise a toddler who scoots a stool all around the kitchen to help cook. The messes clean up fine. The lab creates more drool mess than any of the humans!

Ikea would be a great choice for DIY. I've built 4 IKEA kitchens and the last one my daughter and I did almost the entire build ourselves. Do you have an intention for the small breakfast area yet?

Don’t do formaldehyde laden cheepchinesecrapola for your family. Just don’t. That’s wasting what little money you have. It will not last. And you’ll have to redo soon.

Do IKEA on a limited DIY budget. But if you have to pay labor, you're outside doing IKEA. There are better options if you have to pay labor.

Absolutely do hardwood! My DD has had two boys (now 16 & 18) since they bought their house nearly 20 years ago, and has 3 indoor/outdoor house. And a very messy husband. Her hardwood floors still look great! And believe me, if it can be spilled, it has been spilled on those floors!

I concur with other that since your husband is handy and can assemble and install the cabinets, IKEA is the way to go. Their quality is very good. If your budget is really tight, use their butcher block countertops. If you can afford it, get Glacier White Corian for your countertops and also a big Corian single integrated sink. You will love them and they are about as bullet-proof as one can get. They have survived my two grandsons and DSIL (SAHF)!

If you can swing it, get a counter-depth refrigerator and build it in with panels and a deep cabinet above. It will make your kitchen look SO much nicer!

It looks as if you need a "landing zone" in your kitchen. Yes, islands are VERY expensive and you might not have room anyway. But you DO have room for one of IKEA's many island carts. I used the https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80035920/. I painted the base black to make it disappear, and used lots and lots of mineral oil on the top to give it a nice rich color and protect it. I love that the drawers open to both sides, and the shelves are great for storage of things that would clutter up your countertops.

Good luck with your project!

Watch your corners, and avoid ANYTHING and EVERYTHING on the diagonal.

@becky can you explain what exactly you mean. I’m sorry I’m having problems following. There is so much to learn.

Tara, corners are awkward. You want to maximize the efficiency of every space in your kitchen, including the corners. And sometimes you'll see islands or kitchen or dining room entryways set on the diagonal; it's almost always a poor use of space and it hinders proper flow.

Sometimes upper corner cabinets or corner sinks are suggested, but they usually aren't very efficient. For example, an upper corner cabinet as in the sketch above by your husband has LOTS of lost, wasted spaces at the edges.

This thread might help explain some of this,

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2472094/corner-cabinet-space-calculations-and-analysis#n=62

You will also find that Lowe's plan pretty pricey with hardly any drawer stacks and no pantry.
Here's a start on some Ikea ideas. I would substitute a single apron sink for the Ikea one. This is just an idea of Ikea possibilities and associated cost. The first plan below has a cabinet cost of $6900. Did you want two sinks? What is your plan for the breakfast bumpout?

Galley style.

@bbteix! You are amazing. Thank you so much. I really do love the first layout. I have just sent my husband he link to this thread!

For the breakfast nook we really are still trying to figure that out.

Bbtrix's first plan is along the lines of what I was thinking (though I would skip the island sink since you are on a budget). Corner sinks are evil, so moving that would be a priority for me, and the plan get's you to ice-water-stone-fire.

I didn't read the entire thread, but moving plumbing can be crazy expensive if you are on slab, or not all that expensive if you are above basement or crawlspace. I had a gas line moved from one side of the kitchen to another, and I think it was only about $300 (as one item in a 3 part gas plumbing project that included earthquake shutoff valves and a leak repair as well; that's why I'm not 100% sure what share of the total was due to the gas line).

cawaps, moving plumbing is doable according to the OPer.

Tara, you’ve had a lot of experienced folks chime in. I just threw a few ideas out so you can see the possibilities with Ikea. There’s plenty of room for improvement if we know more of your wants, needs, and restrictions, They really are perfect for your budget and DIY. It will allow for money to shift to plumbing, electrical, countertops, and additional cabinetry in the nook area. In order to refine and get more ideas rolling, you need to give us more parameters and must haves. Do you want table seating in the nook area or a casual seating area? For kids or adults? Do you entertain? Need an area for bar/beverages? Is there space in the laundry for additional pantry storage if needed? Will there be a lot of traffic through the laundry room door? Where will everyday meals take place, DR or kitchen? How do you access the garage? A whole main floor rough layout will help as traffic flow is important.

You have an interesting project with great possibilities. My husband and I have been doing a similar DIY project, a foreclosure with water damage do I fully understand what you’re dealing with. I again want to emphasize hard wood throughout. You won’t be sorry. We have many rentals and are constantly dealing with broken tiles (we only do commercial grade tile). It looks like you have a great space so please take the time to read through the many links that have been shared and use all of our collective experiences. Don’t rush the kitchen. It’s the heart of your home.

Regarding Ikea, the time involved to put those cabinets together is minimal to your project once you’ve done the first one, one to two days. It may sound more appealing to get ready made, but I’ll wager you’ll lose many features to get in a reasonable price range, Please let us know how we can help.

I do not know what brand of cabs Cabinet King sellsell. But do yourself a favor and research the issues with Chinese kitchen cabs (formaldehydeis a big one) ; then pin down Cabinet King on the source of their cabs.

Met with a designer last night and this is what he came up with. I am going back to meet with him Thursday morning after i have thought more about it and show it to my husband who doesn’t return home until tonight. Everything in this picture was quoted to me at 11,000 just for the cabinets and they are Americans woodwork.

@bbtrix def casual seating Is what we are looking for.

We are a very laid back family who does like to entertain friends and family.

We barely every use our current dining room- only for entertaining but not for our family of four. The formal dining room in the house is about 12x12 I am thinking it will be used for holiday dinners and when we have dinner guests over only I highly doubt our family will have dinner in there at their

**side note- my husband is a firefighter and is normal gone for days at a time since we moved about 2 hours from where he works and he works 24 hour shifts a lot of the time it is just me and the boys for meals unless he is off work and he is the one cooking for us all **

Currently my 3 year old sits at our counter top seating and his brother is in a high chair next to the him. The counter seating in our current kitchen is where we do everything.

I am working on gettjng the layout of the first floor but haven’t seen my husband in a few days. The garage entrance runs along the outside of the laundry room. We will probably not be parking in the garage and will use the front door entrance to get into the house so I don’t think traffic will be heavy in that area.

There is a closet outside of the dining room that I think was used as a pantry prior but it looks more like a linen closet. It is near the half bath also.

One thought: back at my previous home I got a new range by going to the local "Scratch n Dent" place, for considerable savings. You can barely find the two minor dings and only if you know you should be looking for them. Something to consider for budgetary reasons. They are installed by the store (at least the one I went to) for no extra fee, and there is a warrantee on functionality.

I'd definitely move the sink from the corner, for reasons others have stated above.

That is basically a cramped, small 10 x 10 kitchen in a beautiful, large kitchen space. I'm not a kitchen designer nor do I have fraction of the experience of many here, but I can see that doesn't work. I only see a few drawers for $11,000. With drawers it will end up $14,000 to $15,000. That amount of cabinets would be about $3,000 to $4,000 from Ikea. It looks silly to have 2 similar eating spaces of four chairs each next to each other. It also looks very dated. This is just someone who knows how to use the software, not a desiger. When you open the oven door you will right up against the island. Your designs are better. I would look elsewhere. You can do so much better and fill the kitchen with cabinets for that money if you would consider IKEA. Look at the white Bodbyn doors and the one that looks like beadboard for the look you want. If you want a more high end look later you can easily swap out the doors for those from Semi Homemade as they are made for IKEA boxes.

If you want a more high end look later you can easily swap out the doors for those from Semi Homemade as they are made for IKEA boxes.

Definitely think about what you can do now and then upgrade later, in order to save money now.

I realize now I forgot to mention that that in my Formica countertop post -- you can get Formica/laminate now and upgrade later on when you've had a chance to save up.

Also, depending on where you live, you might want to take a look at

https://greendemolitions.com/

Home Depot has cabinet sellers. Not Kitchen Designers. You can do much better than that awful design, and cheaper too. If you’re going to go with budget choices, there’s zero reason to ever set foot in a box store other than IKEA.

Avoid almost all RTA cabinets though. They are 99% cheepchinesecrapola that you shouldn’t allow in your house.

Sophie is flat out wrong in this instance. There are quality RTA cabinets made in the US, including Barker’s and scherr’s.

And Sophie, I really wish you would stop using “cheepchinesecrapola.” It offends me.

I agree with crl about Barker's and Scherr's, which are highly rated by Kitchen forum members. Worth a search in the archives.

Another area to save money is with lighting. You can use a "barn" style metal pendant, like this

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Globe-Electric-1-Light-Matte-Black-Barn-Light-Pendant-65155/206160552

in the kitchen, over the sink, island, and also the kitchen/dining table. You can upgrade eventually if you want. But they cost about $30 each : ) , are rated for 100W, and take incandescent or LED, so lots of bang for the buck.

It is amazing how helpful everyone here is but equally amazing how much there is to know about kitchen design. I really have a great respect for those of you taking the time to post and offer advice. I am slowly reading through all the archives, searching pictures and trying to fully utilize the space in the best way; which after reading your comments i realize is not what was drawn up by Home Depot. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Barker and Scherrs are part of the 1%. The other 99% is import dreck very deserving of the term cheepchinesecrapola. Because that is what it is. Import cabinets don’t originate from Indonesia or Sri Lanka or Brazil. They exclusively come from China.

There is so much more you can do with your space than the two home improvement sales people came up with. They really are problematic. I'm glad you are able to see that now.

You haven't mentioned whether you will consider Ikea or if you've ever seen their cabinets in person. This is my Ikea kitchen.

GW · More Info

I hope you're thinking beyond that corner window and jamming up your corners as Becky pointed out and those last designs you shared have.

Going with the comments that you made about being casual people that like to entertain and eat regularly at the counter (we do too), I've expanded on that idea. This plan has tons of storage, open counter workspace, casual seating, toy storage?, open floor area for the kids to play, extra seating for mingling while entertaining, and plenty of space to perch while dad is cooking.

Edited to add: Cost of this configuration is $7,577 for Bodbyn cabinets.

DIY banquette ideas. Would be great in your nook for toy storage and extra seating.

Cooperstown Farmhouse · More Info

@bbtrix. Wow. Just wow. I have sent the thread to my husband who was very “no IKEA” just based on things he has heard and other furniture we have bought from IKEA in the past. He loves your design and we are going to seriously consider using IKEA!

By the way your kitchen is gorgeous.

Here's one of my all-time favorite GardenWeb kitchen forum Ikea kitchens, and it's a reno, not a new build,

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2678448/finished-kitchen-circa-1840-working-farmhouse-ikea-budget-reno#n=107

Becky, funny you should bring this one up! This was the reveal that inspired my IKEA kitchen!

Hey, Tara! Another happy IKEA user here. We’ve DIY’d three projects (well, currently working on our third) in the last 4 years.

We did this kitchen in our previous house for under $8K (used our existing fridge/range, but a new dishwasher and range hood). It uses Bodbyn and their butcherblock counters, which we stained darker:

We also did a basement kitchenette in our new home, using Torhamn and their concrete-effect laminate, as well as the (now discontinued) sink, for under $1K total:

Our current project is our kitchen in the new home, which is about 95% completed. We still need to do crown molding and toe kick, and install backsplash and door handles. Our price on this one is about $22K, with $10K of that being appliances. IKEA boxes and interior fittings with fronts by Barker Doors, and Ceasarstone quartz countertops, which we purchased through IKEA. These photos are from a couple of weeks ago, before we installed filler pieces:

We have at least one more IKEA project planned (laundry/mud room) but, since we are DIY renovating our whole house, things go slowly.

I highly, highly recommend IKEA.

Hey guys so the first set of good news is we are doing hardwood in the kitchen. My husband gave in and called our floor guy and he will begin the installation next week. second set of good news is because of this post my husband has agreed to look into the IKEA cabinets. So I am one happy camper right now.

Is your "very handy husband" capable of plumbing work good enough to pass inspection? If not, moving the sink will be very expensive and could eat up a good chunk of your $15K budget. IME, it can quickly approach if not surpass $1K to move plumbing. In that case, the most cost effective approach is to leave the sink where it is or very close to its current location.

When we remodeled, we swapped out the corner sink for one right next to the corner; plumbing costs were very minimal to do this. FYI, my kitchen footprint is similar to yours. If it would help you to see my before and after lay-out, here's the link to my [kitchen reveal[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/50-shades-of-gray-tko-version-dsvw-vd~3447557?n=113) (scroll down to see the floor plans).

Moving from a corner sink to one next to the corner did require replacing one of the corner windows with a new, slighter wider window but this change might be more within your DH's skill set and comfort zone than plumbing work.

Moving a gas line is not a DIY project so keeping your range where it currently is will also help the budget. That said, the quote to move the gas line about 6 feet was fairly reasonable. IIRC, our quote to move plumbing about the same distance as the gas line was 3xs as expensive.

If you haven't, you need to get quotes for the work your handy DH can not do. That will tell you what you can and can't change with your lay-out.

Do you have a walk-in pantry that I don't see in the above photos? If not, I think you will want more pantry storage than any of the above plans offer. Kids' appetites grow along with them. Ask me how I know, lol.

Also, with little kids, I think you'll want to include table seating not just island seating for some years to come.

It sounds like you intend to stay put in this fixer upper. If so, definitely make sure you get the lay-out right. Spend your remodeling dollars where it counts and on things that can't easily be changed out later. For instance, upgrade from base cabs to drawer bases. You'll gain much more efficient storage in the same amount of space. We gave up 69" of upper cabs when we remodeled but because we went from
base cabs with ROTs (roll out trays) to drawers, we have room to spare.
Drawer bases cost more but they are worth every penny.

Choose a stained wood finish over painted cabinets (these will nearly always cost more than stained wood). Stick with a simple door and drawer profile and overlay over inset cabinets.

Opt for DIY butcher block counters now. You can upgrade them to granite or quartz at a later date. This houzzer installed India ink stained BB counters in her [farmhouse style Ikea kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/finished-kitchen-circa-1840-working-farmhouse-ikea-budget-reno-dsvw-vd~2678448) (same kitchen becky linked to above).

Here's my idea, keeping the sink and range in their current locations to save $$.

Ikea, Scherr's or Barker's RTA cabinets do not offer corner sink cabs, AFAIK, so this would be a cabinet hack. Hopefully your DH has the carpentry skills to do that.

NKBA recommends at least a 12" cabinet between corner sink and DW so that you have room to stand at the sink when the DW door is open. You should aim for at least that much between range and corner sink, more would be better.

btw, if you aren't familiar with NKBA's guildelines, you should read up on them before proceeding. Learning when to follow them and when it's okay to bend or break them will make the difference between creating a kitchen that's a joy to cook in and one that you curse on a regular basis.

Back to the above plan....

I moved the fridge - a 36" wide, counter depth model, to the right wall, giving you the most efficient path for cooking: fridge to sink to range (read this humorous [reason[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/looking-for-layout-help-memorize-this-first-dsvw-vd~2699918?n=95) why this works best).

I added several 15" deep pantries for food and small appliance storage on the left wall.

I added a 27" wide (24" deep cab with 1 1/2" standard counter overhang on all sides) x 120" long island, giving your DH loads of prep space.

I created a seating area at the bottom end. It would be similar to this but with a BB top at the seating end. (BB doesn't require the additional costs you'd incur to support granite or quartz over the same area.)

Red Bird · More Info

Here's another example:

Vanessa Francis · More Info

The seating aisles are a smidge under the recommended 44" (seating on one side only) and 60" (back to back seating) to allow people to walk behind seated diners but I doubt this will make a significant impact on function. btw, 36" is the recommended minimum aisle to slide past seated diners so you can add chairs at the top and bottom end of the table when needed and still be okay.

HTH!

Okay, here's my take. I realize, looking at it now, that I basically recreated the kitchen in my old house! The layout worked well for us, so I guess there's that! LOL! The cost for this (cabinets with Torhamn fronts/side panels/toekicks), is about $7600.

It's sort of along the same lines as lisa_a, but I moved the sink around the corner. I prefer this layout to the one bbtrix posted, as I think that the range/hood provide a nicer focal point wall from the living room than the sink/fridge, although both follow the ice>water>stone>fire layout, just in reverse directions.

The range is moved slightly to the left to center it along the wall, so the gas line would have to be moved. I'm not sure what that means cost-wise... Is moving it a foot the same as moving it around a corner? That's something to keep in mind.

There isn't an island, but I think a free-standing one could work here, if you really wanted extra prep space. I just felt like it threw off the traffic from the laundry room.

I've got 6' of pantry cabinets between your doors, which would provide PLENTY of storage. You could also store small appliances there (crock pots, etc.), as well as table linens, etc. You could also add upper cabinets if you prefer a more traditional look, but I left it with open shelving.

I think that the breakfast nook lends itself well to a banquette, particularly since the opening between the kitchen/living room doesn't extend all the way to the side wall there. Banquettes can be great, but they can also be a big pain... You can squeeze lots of people there, and they're great for kids, but you have to slide in, which isn't awesome for adults. Since you have a separate dining room, though, it would be a nice addition here.

If you want to mess with this plan in the planner, you can access it by clicking here.

Lots of great advice here!!

Great stuff! Gas line change, you will need a pro for, I don't know if it gets more expensive the further you move it, but something to consider. If your DH can move the plumbing for the sink, that's all to the good. You're getting some great suggestions here.

Go to an actual IKEA and look at the cabinets. Some of their products are indeed shoddy, some lines are excellent, and you should be able to tell in person which are good and sturdy for your needs. While I don't have IKEA cabinets, I did go in person to pick out IKEA furniture which are things I remain totally satisfied with.

Countertops: friends in my new neighborhood recently remodeled their kitchen, and while I KNOW they put their range in a truly stupid spot (they didn't seek anyone's advice...) they did go with laminate countertops which look awesome. Yes, they could have afforded granite.

Both Formica and Wilsonart have wonderful selections to choose from, and it's no longer your grandmother's formica… you don't have to have those seams anymore, you can have a variety of edgings without any seams. Well, maybe not triple ogee with summersaults, but you get the idea. And they're pretty hardy surfaces... even the stuff in my old home with the seams that dated from the late 60's only have two unremovable stains at this point in their lifespan. Something to consider, and easy enough to replace when the time comes, should you choose.

Best of everything on pulling your kitchen and your house together!

and please make certain your lowers contain as many drawers (rather than door type cabinets) as possible.

@lisa_a

"Ikea, Scherr's or Barker's RTA cabinets do not offer corner sink cabs, AFAIK, so this would be a cabinet hack. Hopefully your DH has the carpentry skills to do that."

We absolutely CAN make corner sink cabinets. :) We had one ship out this past month (though they aren't all that common.) In addition to making doors and drawer fronts for IKEA cabinets we are also a full custom cabinetry shop and have very few limits to what we can do if you have the budget to do it.

Good to know, Scherr's Cabinets & Doors Inc! I couldn't find one on your website but I might not have used the right search parameters.

Apologies! :) Our website does, and probably always will, fall short of describing all that we can do. It has certainly been a challenge to design and present any sort of display as to what we are capable and willing to build, especially on a website. We have a re-design/overhaul of the cabinet portion of our website in the works... though there is a LOT of work to be done on that end.

Tara - When we re-did our main kitchen, my husband was also anti-Ikea. We spent nearly $20k on cabinets, which were very nice and quality construction. Then we decided to finish our basement and I insisted on Ikea. The cabinets were around $6k by the time we finished up with all the end panels and such, and it's a lot of cabinets. Now my husband says he was mistaken about using Ikea for the main kitchen. We could have saved probably over $10k. We did put them all together and we're not particularly handy. Even the drawers were simple. Our contractor is going to adjust the doors and drawers, though. He is meticulous and we are not!

Hey all. Barkers and Ikea both do offer corner sink cabinets. It's not a popular option because a lot of people find washing up in a corner awkward but most kitchen lines offer them including Barkers and Ikea. However Ikea does not offer an *angled* corner cabinet, which is what most people prefer for corner sinks because it allows the use of a regular sink basin and avoids the awkward two bowl sinks that you have to use in an L shaped corner cabinet. They only offer an L shaped corner sink cabinet.

Now as to whether a corner sink is a good idea.....probably not. If you can't put a sink in the island then the first design BBTrix did with a regular sink on the back wall under the window is better in terms of functionality.

-Attached is a pic of the angled corner sink cabinet option Barkers offers and you can see how a regular sink basin fits nicely inside it.

-Attached is a pic of the L shaped corner sink ( known as a "butterfly sink") you would have to use if you don't use an angled cabinet and instead use an L shaped corner cabinet ( the only kind that Ikea offers). As you can see it's awkward and people don't usually like them. So even though it's a possibility to have a corner sink when using Ikea you will likely want to avoid it.

(PS I love the designs BBTrix did)

Here's a pic of an Ikea kitchen with one of the two basin butterfly sinks in their

L shaped corner cabinet. I don't think it's a good idea. I just wanted to show you what it looks like.