Cotehele - Wow... what a gorgeous kitchen! Thanks for posting the eye candy as well as your layout. There sure is a lot of storage space in the shallow cabinets. Right now (depending what we find after we take down the drywall), we are planning a shallow cabinet facing the walkway, not in the kitchen per se. I hope we will be allowed to do that! Lynnski - I can easily see how the short pull outs could be really useful for cans. I have seen something similar to that idea with all the cans laying flat so that you could read the labels. Marcolo - Now you are just scaring me! LOL Especially that last photo! But it does give me pause... if I had two doors covering the base cabinet, maybe having two pull outs side by side, one behind each door, would be a better way to handle it. That way, you didn't have to open both doors to pull out one shelf. Hmmmmm Oh no... I just looked back at that last image and they have toe kick drawers! Might have to think about those little buggers :) Fori - Yes... you are correct. I am definitely on the short side. Livewireoak originally suggested the 30" deep cabinets and 15" uppers... I didn't even think of another option. But sure... add 6" here, add 6" there, is there any reason why not to go to 18" deep uppers? Sounds good to me! Of course, now I might have to use one of Marcolo's contraptions posted above to enjoy all that space! As for the dry cereal... what else is for dinner in a minute or less minutes when you haven't gone shopping! I have already measured the cereal boxes... did you know they are not all the same size? LOL Good idea bout the spice drawer. I should do some planning there! I love the input and all the creative ideas. Thank you!

Microwave pasta, courtesy of Pbrisjar... Take a large microwave-safe lidded dish and put in some water (maybe about 1/3-less than 1/2 full) and salt and / or spices if you want. Place in microwave and cook until hot (about 5 minutes for the size I cook). Take out of microwave and add pasta until the water just covers it. DO NOT overfill your container. Leave room for the bubbling/boiling action. Cook for about 18 minutes. The water should become completely absorbed by the pasta. If it's not quite cooked enough, you can add a little more water and cook for about 4-5 minutes more. Here are some useful threads: Wish you had not packed away Tips for living without a sink for a week? What/how do you eat when you have no kitchen? temporary kitchen must-haves Demo Now Days Away--Getting Cold Feet Thread: Great ideas for coping during construction (it's no longer available on GW, so I copied & pasted it from my files) Posted by imrainey (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 14:21 We're getting close. I've got appliances in but not their front panels and handles. Yesterday the counter went on and we could no longer wedge our fingers between the door of the dishwasher and the gasket to open it and use it. My daughter suggested large Command hooks (the kind that you pull a tab to release the adhesive completely and mess-free). We installed two hooks with a 5 lb. pull strength upside down on the unfinished front. Magic! Only about $5, we can now open it with ease and we'll be able to reuse the hooks for something else when the panels and handles go on. I'm off to get two more for the front of the fridge and freezer. Wish she had suggested it a week ago! I might even take up mountain climbing now that I've become so adept at wedging my fingertips in tiny spaces to pull. ;> Who's come up with other make-dos and work arounds? Let's get them all in one spot to make it easier for the guys just starting out. Follow-Up Postings: Posted by aliceinwonderland_id (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 15:00 #1: Maintain a sense of humor. #2: I had a portable dishwasher and hooked it up in the bathroom while the kitchen was a mess. The only modification I needed to make was to replace the aerator on the bathroom faucet with one that fit the dishwasher attachment. #3: Keep the margarita glasses handy. Posted by chmpgntst (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 15:18 Oh my gosh, the portable dishwasher idea is genius. For me, the hardest part of the reno was doing dishes in subprime environments (i.e., powder room pedestal sink). I have two small children, and for others in that situation, I recommend signing up for classes (we did soccer and tumbling), and hunting down every library and nature center in the area. I'd pack PBJ, fruit and drinks (Horizon makes shelf-stable milk boxes -- so convenient!) and we'd have picnics -- sometimes just on the front lawn. Oh, and, keep the margarita glasses handy. ;-) Posted by decodilly (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 16:08 Pre-made food from Trader Joes paper plates, cups and plastic utensils 2 buck chuck to offset the price spent on dinner out a coffee station in the diningroom bring in laundry to the cleaners- love their fluff and fold service...beats the Laundromat (our laundry is also non-functional) plastic margarita glasses? :) Posted by cat_mom (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 16:15 Wine glasses, too, and a fully stocked wine rack! Posted by beatrix_in_canada (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 16:40 We were able to turn the rumpus room in the basement into a very functional kitchen. It has a small bar area with a tiny sink. The sink is basically useless but it gives us water and the dishwasher could be installed!! We paid $150 to get an electrician to wire 240V for the old stove to be moved down. Very good investment! The old fridge was moved down as well. It is dark and cold (60-65 F most of the year) down there but very functional. Posted by kkcooks (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 17:01 Our tear-out starts next week, while we are on vacation. I (sadly) packed up the wineglasses last night. DH, however, remembered that we had some plastic ones from years ago. They will be much used in our temporary kitchen (newly-renovated screened porch). The GC is moving our fridge there--and we have lots of paper and plastic ware. I saved a few real plates in case I reach my limit with paper. I tried one dishwashing escapade in the bathroom sink--that was enough to convince me that paper is the way to go. Those of you that can use a portable DW--how lucky! As always, it is so helpful to read about others' coping strategies for this exiciting but stressful adventure.

I just read that article this morning and other than having a comfy chair and TV in the kitchen (or open kitchen/FR plan), I think it's off-base. Yes, having the TV, comfy seating, and snacks nearby (without having to take eyes off the screen) does encourage mindless eating. Even if you don't buy snack food, I think some studies in the past have shown that eating dinner in front of the TV encourages you to eat more without realizing it. Something conversation doesn't? But I use my MW to reheat leftovers, not Hot Pockets, so I think it encourages healthier eating. As far as cereal, well, if you're eating whole grain cereals and oatmeal, I don't see that having them out makes you eat more - now maybe if you buy sugary chocolate-flavored cereals and the boxes or clear containers are out on the counter, the kids will snack on them. As far as clutter, I wish I could get rid of DD's school projects and hair ribbons and binders etc. that she leaves on the counter next to the fruit bowl (and coffeepot). I also have a bowl stuffed with my old digital camera and odds and ends I should empty out. I did clear a lot of her stuff away when I started filling the breakfast bar with bowls of ripe tomatoes that need to be processed - I did 7 quarts of tomatoes the other day but picked 23 gallons more of tomatoes yesterday (in the garage, but sorted through what I had out there and brought more in). Maybe in another month my counters won't be cluttered with tomatoes, canning jars and rings, and I won't have a 12 qt stockpot and a pressure canner permanently installed on my stove. Not to mention the 2 cases of canning jars (1 washed and ready for the next batch, 1 partially filled with full jars waiting to be carried to the basement) sitting in the DR! Oh, and the counter by the sink is always filled with colanders and DS's water bottles and aluminum cookware and plastic bowls that need to be handwashed, or the dish drainer is full of them drying. I run the DW twice a day on days that I'm canning and I still have stuff piling up in the dishpan and the counter. I think it's the white rice and pasta (have to have something to eat with all these tomatoes!) making me fat, not the design of my kitchen! Sometimes I think it's people with uncluttered kitchens who don't cook, they eat out or MW meals, maybe they're more overweight than people who do cook? Time to go make the salsa...(and we don't have any chips in the house, DH is going to have to buy some if he wants them, they are too tempting for me. I use the salsa as a chili starter along with whole canned tomatoes)

this is the only "major" change we want to make (*aka move cabinets around.) We are happy with the builder just want to redesign the kitchen. Originally we were fine with the pantry but want to maximize our budget aka look at alternatives (aka if we can make the change great if not we are not crazy worried .) And ty for everyones points its beyond helpful. we can't find anything even close in our market for this amount. (been looking for a long time now) plus we love the lot and the neighborhood (small city)