I'm hoping that the plumbing can be handled from underneath the house. There's a large crawl space. If not, then there goes my whole plan. I haven't been under there yet to see which way the joists run. My first thought was to do a T shape but I really want a few large drawer bases so the whole island has to be at least 4 wide, preferrably 5 ft. If I deepen the overhang to 30" there should be plenty of leg room for 4 people. The aisles are around 54" on the long sides and 68" at the short side. I can't remember how much space is recommended behind a counter stool.

Oh Dearest Buehl ! You did it again and I am soooo grateful! Using your advise on one of the posts about missing posts, I used the "site:ths.gardenweb.com" along with the word "Overwhelmed" and my post popped up first on Google's page! I promise! I promise that one day, maybe not in the near future, but one day..... I am going to be able to come here and offer advise, opinion or just an atta boy to someone else who is overwhelmed in the middle of a kitchen redo, just like I've been helped with such wonderful words from all of you! Shelayne, Bless your heart...Thank you, sincerely....Thank You! LasCaTx, Thank you! I'm so glad you said that.....that you don't think it's as dark as you were picturing it. Me either! And bruuuther, is that a load off my mind, at least for right now. :) To read what happened to you, I got shivers...like it was happening to me all over again! Wonder if that's considered "Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome"? Not making light of PTSS in ANY way but when I read here of others having similar problems I actually feel myself tighten up, like I did when I read your story too. You said "Only an insurance company would consider ripping out walls and slab foundations to find leaking pipes you couldn't know were there to be regular maintenance" OMG, We've said something similar so many times since this happened! Regular maintenance means you can access it rather easily or at least with not too much labor/expense, to check on it, maybe once a year, once every two years. Were we supposed to jack-hammer into our foundation on a regular basis to make sure our pipes were still pristine and not rusting out? LOL Or, as my hubby is now very fond of saying when he gets on his soapbox about our insurance company : "That F*&%^* company will step over a dollar to pick up a dime!" The insurance company could have reimbursed us for the plumber and the work from the beginning and saved almost three more weeks of the water continuing to leak, causing more damage. It was during that almost three weeks that the mold and mildew started to form. It's the mold/mildew remediation company the HO insurance HAD to end up paying for.....The remediation of all the mold, mildew, asbestos, air quality testing, fans, humidifiers, special disinfecting agents, saws and other woodworking tools to remove studs in the walls that were too far damaged and specialized dumping of mold/mildew/asbestos containment bags........ to perform all that work for almost a month.....I saw the bill: Almost $9000. As grandkidlet would say "duh!" Oh, our HO insurance also paid for the cameras, the sensors, the specialized laser/computer gadgets to find the leak......for three different companies to come out and find said leak. Leak could not be located. They could say positively there was water under the foundation but they couldn't locate the area it was coming from. Not that I'm happy, IN NO WAY am I happy to hear your story or the previous stories of it happening to others. But reading them lets me know there ARE people out there that will understand when I have these little mini-meltdowns. They've been there, the frustration of living like this, the frustration of dealing with all these different companies.....wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Oh KitchenAddict, You are sooo right! It DID Calm me and I was able to get so much done this weekend and I can actually see a light at the end of the tunnel because everyone here, by posting, pitched in and helped me change my perspective, my priorities....and that's what I needed most. I walked through the kitchen a hundred times since Friday night (ok, maybe not 100 times but it felt like it as that is the main back door to get to the tools) and by Saturday late afternoon I didn't even give the color a second thought...it's as if it had been there the whole time. Not nearly as shocking as the blotches of testing we did on the wall that had me looking like a very confused parakeet. *blink blink* And to add a plus to a plus, we had almost 2 full gallons left of my favorite paint of all time...my go-to paint when it comes to ceilings, trim, porch furniture, etc..... Pony Tail in a semi. So what the heck, we tried it on the ceiling of the kitchen and I'm in love! Most folks think the chip of the Pony Tail paint makes it look really dark but when we used it on our bedroom/bathroom trim, everyone thought we had used an off-white/Navajo white. The Pony Tail on the ceiling of the kitchen actually 'calmed' the whole room down if you can understand what I'm trying to say. So we are going ahead with it and using it on the underside of the bulkhead over the pass-through, on the lowered ceiling of the eat-in area of the kitchen and of course, the ceiling. You know, you are so right...now that I think about it. You said the color is versatile. I was sitting here thinking of some of my decor from the damaged kitchen and I'm thinking that almost everything I had in there...decorative platters, little framed art, etc. can go in this kitchen with this color. This color could almost be considered a neutral...if one likes bold neutrals, that is. lol Neighbors? Ooohhhh noooooo, not even close....I've seen your magnificent kitchen. I'm what they call 'on the other side of the tracks'. lol I'm in the neighborhood of the 1065 sq. ft. 56 year old tract homes, every fourth house has the same 3 bedroom/ 1 bathroom floor plan ('cept ours cuz 35 years ago the previous home owners added on a large back bedroom/bathroom/small family room), making ours a whopping 1450 sq. ft. There are two types of folk in my neighborhood....those that hit the floor when they hear a loud bang or those that run outside to see what's going on cuz they're nosy. *smile* So even if I won the lottery, in this neighborhood there is no way I would bother adding beautiful granite or soapstone, or marble, or a high-ticket range, or...well, you get the picture. It's the old "can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear" situation. But reading your posts for the last year or so, I sure would find it a wonderful day to sit across from you having a cuppa....but we'd do it at your house, k? *smile* Oh Julie, Words work miracles....thank you so much for yours. And for the hug! As I'm copying these latest responses I'm going to highlight in bold, so that I can see it right away when I glance over......"I am AMAZING and have done an INCREDIBLE job!".....My new mantra! *smile* BoxerPups, Always had a special place in my heart for Boxers. My first pup ever was a boxer...named him SkuttleButt. Cyber Magic....Love that! LOL But can you imagine? I was at one of my lowest points in, well, I can't remember when I felt so low. That was just last week. And here it is, Sunday night, paint is on the walls, the ceiling, all I have to get done tomorrow is all the little cutting in of the over-spray from the spray gun. Any other touch-up of the paint, like others have said on this topic, can get done after we have a somewhat working kitchen. If time allows I'll continue scrubbing the slate tiles tomorrow. That stuff is really dirty coming out of the box! I've got 110 down, 70 to go. My arms feel like lead weights tonight but it's such a good feeling to have accomplished so much! A tip: Never place drying slate tiles, 20 high, stacked on an old wood outdoor Adirondack chair. (wasn't purdy. don't ask. lol) Did some looking tonight on the computer for a decent price for a combo Slate Enhancer/Sealer. Talk about sticker-shock...ouchie! From the reviews I've read of several enhancer/sealers, I think I'm going to go with the Aqua Mix Enrich N Seal....unless of course someone has rave reviews of another brand? OMG, look what I've gone and done....I've created a mini-novel here! My apologies. But wanted to make sure the latest responses got acknowledged and to let you all know what a great, productive weekend we had, all thanks to you! Ceiling paint: Left under bulkhead: Dove White. Right: Pony Tail Washed Slate Tile:

Thank you for all responses/advice. Very helpful/useful. Excavation is supposed to start this week (that's how early we are in the build, no dirt has been dug yet). Cabinets have not been ordered yet (but need to decide/order soon). I do not like the idea of having the kitchen in the front of the house (where the dining room currently is), irregardless if a wall separates it from the entry foyer. What is most important to me is an open concept between the kitchen and great room. Moving the kitchen to the front of the house is not an option. Additionally, I do like the idea of having a more "formal" dining room, rather than a common eating area shared with the great room. I spent anywhere from 1-3 hours in the kitchen daily between cooking/near the stove, prepping, and washing dishes by the sink. I want to see the great room and converse with whomever is in there. Having said that, I don't like any plans with spending majority of time staring/looking at the staircase, either regular staircase or stairs down to the basement. I've asked before - can't move the porch or add bay windows to the front of the house. :)

You've done nice work so far. The kitchen is beautiful and so is the floor. I just have a couple of comments. I think your current seating arrangement is as good as it's going to get. I wouldn't buy a loveseat if you can fit two sofas instead. Put a sofa table behind the one facing the TV to will help to define the entrance. Square the TV cabinet up to the wall. Then either put the TV on a swivel or on an articulating arm to adjust for viewing. I like whitewashed fireplaces, so I would start there. You can always paint it if you don't like it, but you can't go the other way. As for style and color, save your favorite rooms in your living room ideabook. I see you already have two, both neutral, both transitional. Try to identify what it is about each room that you like. You will eventually either get a clear vision for the space...or be totally confused and run back here screaming and we'll help you sort it out. ;-)