I don't know if $18k is realistic to take it down the studs and new appliances. Is this going to be a DIY? If so your budget might work. I think in any case I would wait until after the graduation party to begin anything. You need to really plan and with the holidays and the upcoming party it might be better to wait so you aren't pressured for time.

the first thing I would do is remove the entire wall of desk and bookshelf cabinets. Re-purpose those elsewhere...use baskets on the shelves to contain the misc items that are collecting. Each person can have a shelf or something. In the basement or a spare bedroom or in the family room? there is nothing kitchen oriented in its current use. Is there electrical on that wall. This wall could offer other possibilities...it's not clear if you want/need storage vs counter..or both....Get the fridge out of the garage...or get a new fridge.....figure out what you need to do about fridge...use the designated space which has nothing...maybe add a second freezer...or get a new selection. What fridge is in the garage? Crumbs may be in the floor because food is being eaten on the go/etc. I can understand an area that is prone to this...but you should be able to contain the issue. You may opt for a new floor...but that would be later. Get everything put away/start planning/look at an appliance package with layout in mind. You won't make your budget...but you can do something that doesn't break the bank. To save, keeping the cabinets might lead to refacing or painting by a pro....and appliances/floor/lighting/other things would be your focus. You have a few options.....but initially get things under control so the space isn't frustrating to you...make it work...don't start on expensive band aid approaches until you have a complete plan. Sometimes a bigger/well laid out plan can be done in phases.

You have a few options.....but initially get things under control so the space isn't frustrating to you...make it work...don't start on expensive band aid approaches until you have a complete plan.

I couldn't agree, more. I think it'd be in your best interest to get a handle on how your family is using the kitchen. Move non-essentials out and hand the stuff to whoever lays it down in there.

That entire wall with the desk has turned into a drop zone. That much flex space just ends up with piles of stuff. I had a buffet counter in mine that was the same way until I repurposed it with a toaster oven, so papers/bags would have been a fire hazard! Move the m/w and t/o over there to direct traffic away from your work areas. Shoot, I'd move all of the small appliances. I also became pretty insistant about people using my counters as storage space. You have to re-train everyone to put their junk away, including yourself.

Have you considered moving pantry items to the open shelves? You can utilize some boxes/baskets for bagged foods. After your kitchen is done they can be repurposed in the laundry and bedrooms.

Do you have a stick vacuum? Get one and hand it the nearest person/crumb-master when the floor needs swept. It's only a minute out of their day. Give the 3 yr old a hand vac and play Molly Maids, lol!

Why is your fridge in the garage?

Read this before you starting tearing out cabinets. Take your time and save your money so that when you're able to begin, you'll know how the new kitchen will function. [How to begin[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/new-to-kitchens-read-me-first-dsvw-vd~5500754?n=440), Plan for storage

Welcome, midwestmama! I’m sure you’ll hate to hear it, but from the pics, the floor is beautiful. Maybe a stick vacuum would make you happier with it since it Sounds like sweeping it is a pain!

I second herbflavor‘s recommendation to have a long term plan that you can work on in stages. $18k is not a tiny amount, but even with Ikea cabinets, I don’t think it’s enough for a gut remodel. We DIYed our kitchen and spent around $30k

Are you planning to DIY? It will affect costs drastically. I am making that assumption because you seem to have done some demo on the doorway by the fridge, you have removed the wallpaper yourself, and you’re a single mom with a relatively small budget.

If you are DIY, are there any jobs that you anticipate having to hire if you come across issues like plumbing, electrical, or HVAC?

Are you on a slab? If you are, your water supply lines Could very well be in your soffits.

Single or two story home? If two story, waste line from upstairs bathroom likes runs in the soffits as well. Soffits could also contain HVAC.

What condition are the cabinets in?

Is the fridge in the garage because thats where you keep it or has it just been moved while you take the wallpaper down?

What is the reason for the partially demo’d door by the fridge?

And finally, can you please add a general layout of cabinets and appliances to the floor plan?

Youve already removed wallpaper, and I don’t see a benefit to removing the drywall unless you have mold or horrible smells. Drywall is either time consuming to diy or expensive to hire out.

I am surprised to see 2 drawer banks and a lazy Susan in a 1981 home! That’s not a bad start. Rollout drawers can be added to standard cabinets (they are especially wonderful in drawers under a cooktop)

The shelves in the pantry could be cut down to 12” depth and racks mounted on the doors to make it more usable Or it too could be retrofitted with pullout drawers.

If you wanted to just buy doors and reface, I imagine you could also probably add doors to the shelves in the breakfast nook.

My only real issue with that kitchen is with the desk.

I agree that wall is just a mess. It currently holds a l the supplies I've been using in other areas of the house. The paint brushes and rollers, plastic tarps, and tools. They dontdon't belong there but I don't have pretties to display on the shelves so I've just used them for temporary holding. Everything there is irrelevant to what would stay in the kitchen. I do not want a desk or display shelves at all. We moved in recently though and it has made a handy storage spot for the items iI have been using on the rest of the house. I don't take the comments harshly, it is messy.

The refrigerator is in the garage because iI had two, a garage fridge and the kitchen one. The kitchen one died. I just got it hauled away. I don't want to replace it yet because I want one that is larger than my space currently allows. I will be moving it in today if the rain holds off.

If I am going to delay renovations to save more money, I am ok with that. I have been working at thinking up a layout etc... I cannot put in new appliances early though as I want a traditional stove and a larger refrigerator. My current kitchen will not accommodate either. The cupboards are not in good shape or in the location I would want. I would like remove the uppers that hang down over the cook top. They are damaged from 35+ years of steam and cooking underneath them. However, there is a soffit above them connected to the soffit in the rest of the cooking area.

As for DIY, I am very comfortable with doing demolition. I am fine with wiring, I would paint and can put together and install cabinets. I would need to hire a plumber, counters, flooring would depend on the material, and all trim work I would hire. I was tgethe general contractor on my previous house. It had the kitchen of my dreams and I designed thanks to GardenWeb. I have been fixing up the project house I bought room by room. I have many more projects to do and am trying to order them in my head. The kitchen bothers me the most, but is most important to me to do right.

If I do not redo it yet, and it looks like I should wait, do you have any CHEAP ideas that I should do after I clean up my clutter? I was thinking about painting the backsplash and walls. I still have to host tgethe graduation party. I can use the shelves to display photos, awards, and trophies for the party... At least it is a use for them.

Can you add a sketch showing how the kitchen and the rest of the rooms around it?

You have a large space to work with but the bay window with its longer windows is “throwing a wrench” into your options.

If you don't have venting over the cooktop, I'd remove the cabinets above, repair the drywall, and paint the walls. You'll have instant gratification!

For the desk wall, I was thinking of something like this. Personally, I wouldn't mind having an open pantry near the eating area. It makes it easy for kids to grab snacks. Keeping cutlery and dish ware over there, along with the small appliances, makes the area much more functional.

Pantry · More Info

If the idea of an open pantry doesn't sit well with you, try to find some doors to use over in the display area, painting that entire cabinet to blend it all. You might find what you need at a place like Habitat ReStore. Then, the deep pantry can hold bulk items that utilize the depth better and you can add some after-market pull-outs.

Here is an example of a remodeled kitchen where the soffit goes all the way around, more like a bulkhead. This one has pendants installed, but I also found some with recessed lights when we weren’t sure we would be able to raise our entire ceiling due to a waste pipe from the upstairs bath right above

I have really appreciated the honest feedback here. My friends all tend to say "It looks GREAT!" no matter what I suggest and my dad continues to advocate for leaving it alone... but he is my helper. (More accurately, I am his helper)

I am considering a lot of your suggestions. I think I became overwhelmed by how many things I DISLIKED about the kitchen that all I could see was it all going away and starting from scratch. The only kitchen I have done before was a new build so I did get to start from scratch, which was fun! :)

I have included a drawing of what is current and what I am proposing. The current one includes neighboring rooms. The proposed ones are just the kitchen.

One thing that is really stumping me is my uppers. Currently the soffit sticks out in front of the cabinets 12 inches. It is why I dislike it. It feels so crowded and closed off. I was thinking, if I could cut them off flush with the front of the cabinets that would help a lot. My dad said that would be very difficult and I'd need to remove the old ones and just build new ones. He suggested just removing the soffit and having it open above them at that point. My original plan was to purchase new uppers to go to the ceiling, but I am trying to use what I have instead. I have included another picture that looks in towards the sink where you can see the depth of the soffits and where I was hoping to shrink or remove them.

I would still need to purchase cabinets to go where my desk currently is to surround the refrigerator. I was thinking about possibly having them VERY different so they look like an accent instead of trying to blend them in with the existing ones. Perhaps painted ones, glass doors, or some other unique look. (I do not prefer glass though) I do have the same doors on uppers in the laundry room and also lowers in my bar and master bathroom. I would not be opposed to taking any of those doors and replacing the doors in that area with something different as they're not visible from the kitchen.

1st - Find out if the flooring is under existing cabinets

2nd - ask a contractor to inspect inside the soffits to see if their hiding duct work, electric, plumbing, etc.

A hole can be drilled into soffit & a camera probe with light can help see what's inside. The holes will need to be repatched & painted.

As for the island idea. A prep island, but it appears no room for seating.

A U shaped floor plan may be a more functional option with seating. Right now the cabinets above stove is making the U shape option claustrophobic & the room look much shorter & smaller.

Right now having the wood color upper against the painted soffit, appears "smushed". Hopefully the soffits can be removed for cabinets with crown to touch ceiling, however, If you have to keep soffits, then getting painted cabinets close in tone to soffit color will give illusion the ceiling is taller. like townlakes photo

other soffit with cabinets similar colors helps keep the ceiling appearance taller

For now, until a full remodel is attainable, I would...

remove cabinets above peninsula

if possible, remove soffit there, too.

I would remove backsplash above desk and paint the whole area same.

maybe add shelving or art where yellow squares are.

So far, I was only able to verify that the soffit over the cooktop is empty. For sure it can come down. It is likely the rest can as well.

I do not want to have seating at the island as I have a dining room next to the kitchen and a 6 top table in the kitchen.

The flooring does not continue underneath the current cabinets.

I have finished my kitchen so thought I'd show you what came of it. :)

Here is the thread

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5711368/kitchen-before-and-after#24195499