@Lyndee Lee - At least where I am located, you cannot get your inspection approved unless each appliance is on a separate breaker. The older electrical work is grandfathered in but as soon as you touch anything, it needs to be up to Code.

@Eliza - this isn't intended to be pro or con your purchasing the house. As I posted, it's an economic decision in terms of what the FMV of the house in its current condition is.

And although there is a wealth of information on these forums which I have found to be extremely helpful during my remodel, there are also some posters who provide inaccurate information without any kind of disclaimers. I came across those kinds of dire statements from some theoretical pros when I raised questions and learned to ignore them after verifying their inaccuracy - and yes often intended to alarm as much as possible :-).

I am not a plumber or have any plumbing expertise so I don't know the pros and cons of PEX versus copper. However, I would suspect that Chicago is probably much like New York in terms of having some building codes written by the trades who want things to remain status quo. I believe New York City also has some arcane code requirements. I know at one time garbage disposals were absolutely forbidden anywhere.

We installed Pex instead of copper because the copper pipes were developing pin holes. Its fine in CA. Slightly less expensive than copper and less destruction to drywall for a repipe

I'm happy to say we got the house:)

My husband wants things fixed before we move in. I realize that's not possible in the kitchen. But we need a plan... do kitchen designers come out and look at the space and make recommendations? Do we get estimates that way, or do we go to them with pictures?

It seems like the oven to left of sink may not work, as the window overlaps right there and would make ventilation impossible? I guess we could have the window made smaller? But that's another expense.

Another idea is to search for an oven that could fit underneath the cooktop... but it is a gas downdraft cooktop and there is stuff underneath it, so I dont think theres room for an oven?

We could chop off the peninsula. Put a range against the wall towards the hutch. Plenty of room that way. Wed need new countertops, moved gas lines and to patch the floor. My husbands friend says the floor would probably never look right unless we redid the whole room. This is my favorite option, of course its the $$$ one.

We are leaning towards: 1. Upgrading the electric to 200 amp. 2. Removing the adventium 3. Replacing with electric wall oven. It seems more economical.

We have at most 15k to fix the kitchen.

Congratulations on your new house - I hope you and your family will be very happy there. I would have the electricity upgraded and then take a step back and live in your home for a while before making any further decisions. If you use your kitchen for several months, just how to modify it .becomes more obvious. Now you have the stress of purchasing and moving to deal with. Let the dust settle and go from there when things are more relaxed and you can think more clearly.

Congratulations! A kitchen designer will come to the home, do measurements, and talk with you about goals and budget. As mentioned above, there's lots of ways to work around the oven issue until you decide how to proceed.

Thanks for your advice Janelle. I think we may end up waiting... but we wont upgrade the electric unless we have a need to instainstall an electric oven. 100 Amps is more than nough for the current load.

I think the "live in it before you make changes to the kitchen" advise is almost universally agreed on. There's no real downside to it.

And congratulations on the purchase!

Congratulations!! Yeah I would wait. You could for real live like this for a while. But put that money aside now so you don't piddle it away at homegoods etc! My kitchen Reno layout was easy because I knew all of the things I liked and didn't like about the kitchen.

I know you likely can not put an oven under your stove, since I happen to have read the installation instructions for a similar one.

In the end if you were to cut the peninsula off and run the kitchen to and down the wall behind the peninsula that seems like the best bet. Maybe there you put a full range with exterior venting hood and keep the little oven thing where it is.

Congratulations, Eliza!

I'm happy to say we got the house:)

Yay, congrats! Now the fun begins. =)

But we need a plan... do kitchen designers come out and look at the space and make recommendations? Do we get estimates that way, or do we go to them with pictures?

There may be exceptions but in my experience KDs come to your home. They will measure and assess the space to determine what will and won't work. They will ask you questions about lifestyle (cook from scratch, entertain often, etc) and your goals and wishes.

If they work with a design/build firm, they can give you estimates but with only a $15K budget, I fear that most if not all design/build firms will be beyond your budget. At least that was our experience when we talked to a local, well-respected firm for help with a cosmetic face-lift: paint cabinets, new counters, new backsplash, new flooring, etc. We weren't changing the footprint at all. Their quote was more than we ended up spending when we did a complete remodel.

An independent CKD (Certified Kitchen Designer) will draw up a plan that you can then shop to cabinet lines and present to a GC. They may be able to give you ballpark figures - as in this much counter in Tier 1 granite will cost approx $$ - but that's about it. Contact the Chicago chapter for the NKBA to get a list of CKDs in your area.

Another idea is to search for an oven that could fit underneath the cooktop... but it is a gas downdraft cooktop and there is stuff underneath it, so I dont think theres room for an oven?

As you suspected, there isn't room below the downdraft cook top to install an oven.

I would definitely upgrade the electrical to 200 amp whatever you do.

Take your time and get to know your new home. See my suggestions above for how to make do without a full size oven in the meantime. This isn't a process to rush if you want it to result in a regret-free kitchen that you love to cook in.

Good luck!

Eliza - that's great news. I've been reading along ever since you first posted. Who could scroll past that heading?

Let me add my congrats to all the others. I hope you and your husband and future family will have many years of happiness there.

Congratulations! I agree with others, live with it for a while. I've lived with my tiny, disfunctional kitchen for over ten years now. Will I remodel? Yes, but it'll be a big expense and I want to know what I want/need and have the money to do it. Do your research, find a designer you love and a contractor you love (you'll be married to them ;) ), save your money and do it right the first time. If you need more prep space or landing space from that wall oven, get a rolling kitchen cart. I love mine.

Congrats on the house! Upgrade the electrical service, move in, and take your time to explore your options.

As you explore whether it is feasible to use existing cabs to get a workable layout or get totally new cabs, remember that you have an Ikea in the Chicago area.

If reconfiguring the new cabs isn’t going to work, I would start at Ikea to look at their options. They get a lot of love here for the price point especially if you can time one of their kitchen sales, and they are designed to be DIY...but DH has construction friends! If you bring room measurements, diagram of the empty room, doorways/windowsdrawn in with measurements, Ikea planners will help plan a kitchen to get you a base starting point. They also have an online planner you can play with. That will be your starting point for costs...other cab options go up from there.

Best of luck on your new home!

Contrats! In the meantime ... I love my Breville smart oven! We have a 36" BlueStar range but the oven takes forever for the oven to heat up and it's huge, so we use the smart oven for almost everything. It won't hold a turkey, but it will do almost anything else, including your Thanksgiving side dishes. With a minor investment in small appliances, you will do fine! Enjoy the house!

Congratulations and as others have posted, wait a bit until you get a sense of how you want your kitchen to function - along with finding out whether there are any other surprises in store. When I moved into my first home, I found there were a lot of relatively small expenses that started adding up.

In terms of the process of kitchen design, you won't get a kitchen designer to come out and take measurements without payment of some kind. What I did was to take measurements myself and go to several designers myself to get a sense of what the costs would be for various lines.

Given that you don't really want modify but just want to retrofit your best person to actually hire to do the work is a good local cabinetmaker because they will be able to match the door; match the stain and provide custom stuff for what you want done. My friend is doing this because she has to replace her elderly 27" Thermador wall ovens with new ovens which are 30" so she is having a local guy come in and change the tall cabinet they are house in to widen it enough.

People on this forum talk about hiring designers and in my experience, it's almost impossible to find a designer for a small job - such as the one you have because there simply isn't enough profit in it to make it worthwhile. The designers attached to cabinet stores might be talented but they are there to sell cabinets and since you are keeping most of your cabinets are probably not willing or able to handle designs for what you need.

I would think your simplest solution would be to relocate the cooktop from the peninsula and replace with a regular stove - this simplifies electrical; provides venting to the outside and eliminates the hazard of the cooktop on the peninsula. The oven wall could then be easily retrofitted to more storage. I think - and this is not an expert opinion - that installing a gas oven on the wall housing the Advantium would be difficult because you would have to run a gas line to that wall which most definitely has to be permitted and inspected. And - at least most most people prefer electrical ovens rather than gas which is why more expensive ranges/stoves will be dual fuel - i.e. gas burners and electric oven. Of course once you move the cooking aspect, you could just go with an induction stove since that's safer and preferred to gas by many people.

Hi Helen, I'm a bit confused about "regular stove". You mean one without an oven? So: 1. Move the cooktop to another counter space, leaving the peninsula cabinets intact and replacing the countertop? I'm confused. Do you mean an oven? Like, use a full electric oven on the wall and take out the adventium?

You could do either when taking out the peninsula: cooktop and then advantium changed to a regular oven or a range with the advantium staying, subbing a microwave there, or making the space storage.

I think Eliza meant something like this:https://www.homedepot.com/p/Samsung-5-8-cu-ft-Slide-In-Induction-Range-with-Virtual-Flame-Technology-in-Stainless-Steel-NE58K9560WS/207017989?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CBase%7CD29A%7C29-15_COOKING%7CMULTI%7CNA&gclid=Cj0KCQjwi8fdBRCVARIsAEkDvnK3tGKFe2hSewqe8mzcngm5yH_eFs87FzTfXPJuJJSoH6Ur-SzxMmUaAoWtEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CNfoib2R5t0CFcPdwAodONEHPw

In terms of getting a designer in, I’m sure you could find someone willing to give you a brief consultation if you were prepared to pay (on a hourly basis). That’s certainly the case for other designers; I’d be surprised if a kitchen designer would not be willing to consider that.

@Eliza - Sorry I was confusing. I meant that if you got rid of the peninsula, the simplest would be to install a "stove" along that wall. It's less expensive and gives you more space. If you want to retain the wall oven and separate cook top you could do that of course but the price of a good wall oven is about the same as a price for a "stove" of comparable quality plus you need to install on separate circuits - at least that was my experience - versus a stove which just needs the one circuit.

Also I think it would function well for your current needs. The wall oven has no landing pad on either side so you would be hauling stuff across the room. Also - again at least in my personal experience.

Also I think it would enable you to have enough room on that side to move the dishwasher next to the sink since everything could slide down a bit.

At least my personal experience is that not having a wall oven would be outweighed by the increased functionality of your kitchen with just a stove along the same counter run as the sink. I have lived without a wall oven for many many years and was completely able to bend down to retrieve stuff from the oven :-). Also you could always keep the Advantium oven as it's still a great small oven and microwave. From what I have read, it would be especially useful when you have children because it is excellent at crisping up chicken fingers - even the homemade variety :-). Most adults don't have the same type of cooking needs but families with children seem to get a lot of use from the speed cook functionality.

Congratulations! It is always tempting to make changes before you move in... I think in this case I would spend your time doing homework... finding a contractor who is skilled and reliable and then finding a kitchen design who is on the same page with you and how you want to live in your space. See how much you can use the existing cabinets - this will save greatly. It may not be easy to find a kitchen designer who will do a new layout with existing cabinets... get with a contractor first - they may have a connection who would be willing to come out, measure and do some preliminary plans for you.

You can get great help from people here on Houzz but now you really have to work with someone who can stand next to you in your space and try to reconfigure and meet your budget....

The best of luck to you!!!

Re: the above comment about not being able to get a designer out for such a small job, that wasn't our experience. The designers I interviewed worked on an hourly basis with a 2 hour minimum (to make it worth their while especially if they were traveling a fair distance). How much design help you need will depend on how much time and effort you're willing to put in to learning as much as you can beforehand. As Debbi Washburn posted, we can get you started when you're ready so that you can make the most of your design time and keep designer fees reasonable.

A new service pull, and new panel, and redoing some critically underserved circuits may eat up most of that budget. Make that happen first before planning anything else.

Hi Sophie, I've gotten a lot of great advice but yours has been really unhelpful. I realize you are a former professional but maybe you have been retired too long. The information you provided is inaccurate, which is a problem dealing with vulnerable people (eg 1st time buyers). In short, your warnings and advice dont carry water for me. I dont trust you.

Sophie has forgotten more than most of us will ever know. You've already shown your desire for validation over solid advice or feedback repeatedly in this thread.

Do the electrical and the plumbing first, and if you have any money left, do the kitchen - and I'd be surprised if those two don't use up most, if not all, of your budget. Otherwise it's just lipstick on a pig. Of course, I know nothing because, while I've only owned 5 houses over the years, all but one over a hundred years old, I am not telling you what you want to hear. But, best of luck anyway - you're going to need it.

Enough with the insults, already. There is a lot of opinion and advice here. Some here like Sophie's advice and presentation, some do not. But it is just advice. We can ignore it, accept it, reject it or argue against it or defend it without resorting to insulting each other.

Meanwhile, back at the point -- which are the questions Eliza asked above --- seems to me that we're shooting blind here. Eliza has identified three options for a quick fix for what she wants in her kitchen.

One is clearly out -- can't put an oven under a down draft cooktop. I suppose the downdraft cooktop could be replaced with a regular gas cooktop and then a gas oven could be inserted into the cabinet space below it. The question that comes immediately to mind, though, is whether or not Chicago has adopted the new codes that require range hoods or other kitchen venting and, if not, whether you want to do without venting.

As an aside, maybe we can make a point on vocabulary. Maybe we can try to avoid some confusion by using the term "oven" to refer only to a stand alone-device for baking & etc?. Use the term "cooktop" for the kind of stand alone hobs currently sitting on the peninsula. Use the term "stove" or "range" for the kind of slide-in or freestanding thing that integrates an oven with a cooktop in one piece of equipment.

For the other two options that Eliza has identified, seems to me that Eliza might want to start by pricing out the equipment and work and then look at whether she and her husband want to spend the money to tackle them.

The first is what you thought would be the most economical "for the time being" fix. That was an electrical upgrade to 200 Amp service and running 240/208V line over to the wall so you can replace the Advantium with a regular electric oven.

Maybe you do not need to upgrade to 200A right away? If it were me, I would talk to an electrician about whether your existing panel will support another 20Amp or 30Amp circuit for an oven. If so, what will it cost to run an 30 Amp l line over to where the Advantium is. Then price an oven. Since this is meant to be a "for the the time being" fix, I might look for a pre-owned oven at places like the Habitat Restores. Then talk to one of y'all's contractor friends about an estimate for installing the oven and fixing the cabinet.

But maybe your existing service and panel are not adequate for that and will need an immediate upgrade to a 200 Amp service as you indicated you might want to do. Maybe you want to do that, anyway, even if you do not immediately need it? In either case, you contact the power company to get a written estimate for what they say you will need to have done and what they will charge you for a new service line, meter, or whatever else they say needs doing for the upgrade. Then you have an electrician give an estimate for additional interior work such as replacing the panel and other electrical fixes that you may need.

Untill you do that legwork, ther is no way to know if your particular house will need electrical work costing $10k to $14k as some here insist it will. Maybe it will be a lot less. Maybe not. Until this legwork is done for your particular house, we're shooting in the dark on the costs. (Okay, sorry for the pun.)

You also should get estimates on the alternative to the oven swap --- i.e., the idea of taking out the peninsula and countertops, taking out some base cabinets, putting in a gas range and getting new countertops that you like. Sounds like you got started on that by talking with some of your husband's contractor friends.

Again, you want to get some fairly firm estimates, as it may prove a lot less expensive than you might fear. Maybe not, but If this is going to be a "good enough for us for a few years" plan, I would seriously look at countertop estimates using off-the-shelf formica countertops. Much less expensive than materials like quartz. No regrets if and when you decide to replace them down the road. Lots of patterns and finishes available so you may be able to find something you like or at least can tolerate.

Getting a gas range will not require an electrical upgrade as gas stoves run on ordinary 120v current just like the existing cooktop. Depending on how the electrical was run for the cooktop, you might or might not need to relocate the electric line. You will likely need an outlet installed in the back wall. (I'm pretty sure most jurisdictions no longer allow hard wired stoves). Fortunately, converting the line to an outlet should be easy and inexpensive.

As you've already noted, you would need some plumbing services to revamp the gas line to accommodate a stove against the wall.

There are lots of competent gas stove choices at $1000 and under. Stoves can be had as freestanding ranges (basically meaning that the oven controls will be on a built-in backsplash/vent riser at the back of the stove) or as a slide-in range (meaning that all the controls are on a front panel with a short oven vent across the back.) If you want the slide-in style of range, be prepared for the price premium over freestanding ranges. If you go with a slide-in gas range, you'll also want some kind of non-flammable wall covering behind and above the range. Easiest option for that would be a stainless steel plate that can be screwed into place on the wall. (Maybe $30 to $50 if you buy one of the ready made panels from the likes of Lowe's and Home Depot.)) You also will want a range hood which can mount to the wall and and vent directly through the wall. You or your contractor should check to be sure that you can do the through the wall. IIRC, code requires that the exterior vent must be at least four feet horizontally from an operable window,

That leaves what to do about the floor under the present peninsula. If the kitchen floor extends under the peninsula, all you would need to have patched would be the hole for the downdraft ducting and maybe the gas and electrical lines.. Rather than go into a whole kitchen floor replacement at this time, I'd be inclined to just try to patch those holes and lay a kitchen mat over them in front of the stove. Maybe a gel mat for added comfort and ease of cleaning) and place that in front of the stove. (The house doesn't have radiant floor heat, does it?)

Then, as several others have suggested, you leave the Advantium in place for use as a spare oven and for microwave duties.

Whichever approach works out for you, I'll second the above suggestions for getting a rolling cart. Use that for schlepping dishes to and from the dishwasher, extra counter space and etc.

Price those options out and think about how long it may be before you will be financially and otherwise ready for a full on-renovation. That's how I would go about deciding between the two options -- assuming I did not prefer to use roasters for a work around and live with the existing set-up while maybe planning better options for more permanent (and possibly more preferable) remodeling or renovation of the space.

The ONLY thing that Sophie is incorrect about here is the Chicago specific odd and arbitrary PEX plumbing codes. And even professional plumbers adjacent to Chicago are known to have difficulty with what municipality allows for what. All national plumbing codes accept PEX. Which makes Chicago that much more odd and arbitrary.

Ignore her at your peril. She is right 95% of the time. And she is correct in the rest of her assessment here. Because the other oddity about Chicago is their odd and arbitrary electrical codes. A 3K panel upgrade elsewhere is likely to be double there, due to the requirements for conduit and unions.

Congratulations! I would agree with those that said to live with it for a while as you may figure out your traffic patterns in and out and what works in there and what doesn't beyond what has been pointed out. In the mean time I would go and research and read as much as you can here.

Your budget is pretty small for your area so the more work you can put into it yourself the more money you will have towards the remodel. I think if you are capable of measuring properly and accurately, post a plan here to get input and then can go the IKEA route your budget will be doable, but it may still be tight. I’m in a fairly low cost area and 15K would be tight here too.

As much DIY as possible would be needed to make that budget. All I know about DIY came from learning the hard way as a newly divorced woman living in what turned out to be a major fixer upper – never use the realtor’s inspector. I’ve done electrical, plumbing, framing, sheetrock, built cabinets, installed cabinets, insulation, ducts, stone work, French drains, trim work, and more. Read, read, and read some more. Watch youtube videos as well.

I’d start right now and read some of the old help with my kitchen plan threads. Maybe go at least a year back or further and then find the reveals from those same posters if they posted one. I think you’ll learn a lot of what is needed to create one and what is a good flow etc. just from that. Then you might be able to save some on a kitchen designer, by mostly coming up with a plan and then hire someone to do the final measure and fine tuning of your plan. Less hours needed to pay for then.

As to the floor yes it will be harder to match, but consider it something that can be fixed at a later date and try for close so it doesn’t stick out too much. Rugs are great at hiding the worst and it is an old house so some variation is to be expected.

Also look for used appliances listed to find an oven or a range that you can use. If you are taking your time you also have time to shop for this as well as scratch and dent places so if something you want comes up you can be ready.

GreenDesigns, my expectation for a professional is that if they are uncertain about something, like, the notorious Chicago code, to express that uncertainty even if its it's in the context of a strong recommendation. She urged me to fire my plumber! Implied he was incompetent. She felt comfortable recommending another professional lose their job - Because of her misplaced confidence in herself. Hopefully you as a tradesman / professional are never on the wrong side of people spreading that kind of thing on the internet. I think its reckless.

Eliza - if you do need to patch the floor in some areas you can check under those rolling pantry units to see if they ran the wood floor beneath them. You might be able to remove enough pieces to patch the floor. Of course you'd probably have to place some plywood or other material under the rollouts to make that area level. But it wouldn't be seen when the rolls outs are back in place.

When we remodeled our kitchen we removed a cabinet and needed to patch that area. We were able to remove enough oak floor boards from inside a bedroom closets to patch the area.

Well Eliza, Sophie can be a little adamant and sure of herself, but even an expert, is not expert in every quirky local code. There is a universal building code that is widely adopted in most places in the US and many places internationally, in which PEX is allowed and has been in use for many decades. It is up to the homeowner and their contractors, to determine what is and is not allowed in their particular area by reading the code and contacting the building permit agency. Forums like this are for more general advise and you should not rely on what anyone says here about your local requirements, unless they are an expert in your area.

I dont think its it's too much to expect experts to be grounded in humility before calling for the firing of another professional. For example, I think most experts are aware that city codes, especially chicago, nyc, can be unusual and arcane. I think most experts are aware that codes at the city level prevail and that their Google results of state policy are not a sufficient basis on which to declare whether something is a go or not. I think most experts, aware of their limited knowledge of arcane city code and irrelevance of Google results would thus express some agnosticism before urging that the local plumber be put out of a job.

Anyway! That's my piece. I think my feedback is valuable to Sophie and anyone reading. People trust experts who are not afraid to admit what they dont know.

"Forums like this are for more general advise and you should not rely on what anyone says here about your local requirements, unless they are an expert in your area."

If that's the case, then maybe people on here shouldn't be giving specific advice unless they are an expert in that area.

Eliza P

Wow.

Girl... you got some serious response on this one!

Congratulations on the house, and please come back & post. You obviously have thick enough skin to handle whatever comes at you!

Shew... I need wine.

ETA:

greenfish1234 this:

Why I comment on Houzz, if I really had to be honest:

I'm nosy. When I lived in (and now when I visit) the city, I love peeking in windows I pass if only to grab a glimpse of wallpaper and crown molding! Here on Houzz?? Folks swing their doors wide and shout, "come on in!!"

I'm opinionated. I have strong beliefs about pretty much everything, and what is the point of that if it is the sound of one hand clapping?? I can't very much go around telling friends and neighbors how I feel about arborvitae and vinyl windows, now can I??

I'm procrastinating. Bad. Almost any time I am on here it is because there is something much more important I should be doing.

Ok, yeah. I sometimes feel like in my small way I can give back. My stressful build was riddled with worries and disasters that were lessened or even solved here on Houzz. At its best this community is absolutely amazing and was a life saver for me. After the build I got to decorate with some fabulous new friends on here who helped me find my style and gave me ideas I NEVER would have dreamed of.

So, for each of us there is more than pure altruism in every post, often there is alarmist grandstanding but maybe just as often if not more often there is wisdom. Eliza seems to be taking it all with a gracious and appropriate grain of salt.

is spot on why I'm here. LMAO

Except our build when glowingly well, which also makes it the reason I'm here. (we did all the "wrong" things right...if you catch my drift) :)

Eliza, with all due respect, would you seriously fire your plumber or any other contractor based on free advice you received from an internet stranger? I should certainly hope not.

This site is for learning but also to encourage you to do your own research. If I were to buy an old house and take on the giant task of having plumbing and electrical upgraded, I would not freak out if one person told me to fire my plumber. But I would absolutely look into why that was suggested. I have found myself from interviewing various contractors for my project that many do not know what is code from even one suburb to the next. It can be very confusing and overwhelming, but the fact that your plumber also gave you a low ball bid made many people question his knowledge, even if they didn't outright say fire him.

Chocolatbunny, she didn't say she fired or considered firing the plumber. She said it was irresponsible for someone she should "ignore at her peril," who has "forgotten more than [Eliza] will ever know," to ever suggest, based on perusing a few photographs on the internet, that she do so. Or that she request a $50k price reduction for a new kitchen because the dishwasher is in the wrong place.

Eliza - One last comment. You are not the only person who has been put off by Sophie's heavy handed opinions and gruff pronouncements. Many have had reactions very similar to yours. She is however consistently knowledgeable and draws from many years of experience in design and construction. If you check her profile, you will see that she is retired and that she lives in Mississippi. So she is not actively seeking new clients or advertising, like some "Pros" on this site. She is simply emphatically sharing her passion, experience and advice here. Take it or not, but take it all with a grain of salt. Most advice is worth exactly what you pay for it.

OP - first, congrats on the house!

Second, I'm going to reiterate what I said earlier. Don't get into a kitchen remodel at this point. Your prime focus should be on making doggone sure the plumbing and electrical are up to scratch before worrying about the Christmas turkey. Take your time, get to know the house, find out where the problems are (and there will be problems, even with a brand new house, never mind an older one). You've identified some issues and there probably will be more, besides which, if you're anything like me, you underestimate the "peripheral" costs of moving in - new window dressings, lamps, a rug here or there, perhaps a bathmat or two, some furniture, home insurance, cable, etc etc. I know it took me about three months after I moved into my first home to get a handle on my finances. And that was with no repairs required! So, don't get involved in a major kitchen revamp until you know exactly where you stand financially.

Jmm that is such good advice. I have convinced my husband to try getting by with roasters. Thank you times a million for those who suggested them. We'll have 2 of them 1 to cook and 1 to keep warm. Wed never heard of them before. Maybe home depot was pouring on the sauce but if its as functional as they say it is we might not need to remodel at all. So THANKYOU!

So, do you have a move-in date yet?

Re the roasters --- dunno which ones you saw at/on Home Depot, but several friends have happily used the Nesco brand models. Some of my friends still use theirs post-remodel, too. They bought the steam pan kits. These turn the roaster into a pretty decent buffet server that keeps food hot for parties and large holiday gatherings. (Here is an example of one of the Nesco kits.)

Congrats on the house and my sympathies on the upcoming stress of getting packed to move out of the old place and into the new.

I thought of you today when I got my Dec/January copy of Cook's Illustrated magazine. They gave rave reviews to the June Intelligent oven. https://juneoven.com/ It's a countertop one. At $1500 it's not cheap, but much less expensive than a renovation.

Oh I have an electric roaster from when my oven broke... I love it! Be aware - it does cook faster so keep an eyeball on it and lower then temp from what you would do in a regular oven. Buy a small roaster chicken and practice first... I also have friends do their turkey on the grill! So that's another option...

Enjoy the excitement of your new home and ease into the rest - it will work itself out in the end...Folks on Houzz are very passionate and are coming for a place of trying to help!

Good luck

Congratulations! The only thing I would do right now is live in it for at least 6 months. See how it lives. How the light enters the house and kitchen. What the house and kitchen traffic patterns are. Get a feel for what you really need to do with the kitchen.

I know that there's that want to get it all done at once, but when you live with it for a while, you learn what it really needs and not what you think it needs. Once you've lived in the house for a bit, put together a to scale rendering, or work with a KD and then post here. Best wishes on many happy years in the house. I know you'll do great because you went into this house with your eyes wide open!

The Juve oven looks fascinating. I'd love to know how it compares to my (beloved) Breville toaster oven.

Congratulations on your new home. I advised against it. But, Cpartist gives you good advice when she says to live in it a little while before you start changing things. I have always found that sitting quietly and staring at the space helps me with my planning. The first plan is rarely the final plan. Give yourself some time to reflect.

Eliza, first let me say I think you handled all the suggestions well. You seem to be calm, cool and collected. l wish you all the best in making this house your home! Now is the time to start a notebook and using Pinterest and this site for ideas on how you may want to fix up your home - from the small to the big details. You'll really know what you want when the time comes. Also, I'm like you - I like the sound(s) of children. May there be lots of kid noises to come in your new home!

I'd think the easiest thing to do would be to replace that unit with a wall oven.

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Wow! You have gotten so much response!

i have only one thing to comment on and that is about that dishwasher. By what ever convoluted and flawed logic did a dishwasher end up on the other side of the room from the sink? WTF!!!!!!!!!!! What ever were they thinking??????

I did get a lot of good advice here. The house is serving us well. We had it repiped in 2 days. $7500, including putting the drywall back and a new boiler, which we didnt absolutely need, but why not.

The dishwasher does not bother us. The trashcan is directly across from it, and pulling that out its possible to scrape dishes into the trash and then put them in the dishwasher without moving. The manual said not to rinse them.

The oven, on the otherhand, will need replaced. Although sometimes it does amaze me with the speed ... I am not comfortable with it. We arent going to let it hold us back from hosting holidays. We werent ready for Christmas or Thanksgiving but we are on the schedule for Easter!!!!

Yay! Congratulations :)

I do hope you come back and show us what changes you eventually make -- and I am glad that you got the house!