IMO the floors need to go and BTW refacing cabinets is very expensive if you mean just having them painted not a cheap alternative either if done by a cabinet refinisher . Before even think about colors get proper lighting into the space you need LED bulbs in all those fixtures in 3500- 5000K range to mimic bright sunlight.

Let me add a little bit more context to help frame our constraints. We have yet to move-in, and the idea of having large and disruptive innovations completed while the house is vacant is hugely appealing.

Furthermore, we are re-staining the existing red oak floors, which have faded significantly, to a medium toned brown. So, if we were to touch the floor in the kitchen, now would be the time. That’s why living there for a period of time before doing the kitchen update does not sound very appealing.

When I said “refacing” the cabinets, I meant new doors and professional paint. Agreed it’s expensive, but not quite as much as whole new cabinets. Plus the idea of tossing out perfectly functioning cabinets hurts my head.

Thanks again, and please keep those comments coming.. :)

So, the gas cook top on the island with zero landing space around it and no vent hood is the biggest concern to me. Painting the cabinets won't fix that.

The reason people suggest waiting until you move in is because there may be layout issues that you don't realize until you've working the space. Changing the layout after spending money on cosmetic fixes ends up being hard.

Refaced and professionally painted cabinets is about the same as new ones. I know you don't want to waste materials, but you can always sell or donate them. I think white cabinets and running the hardwood into the kitchen is a good idea, but that stovetop really concerns me (full disclosure I don't like cooktops in islands but this one seems unsafe with the lack of ventilation and limited landing space around it, which is my main concern here).

You read my mind. I have been researching various creative alternatives for venting that stovetop, and it’s on my list of upgrades for the kitchen. So far I have these on my shortlist:

Sirius SUDD3 20" Side-Mounted Downdraft hood with an external blower:

Or a ceiling mounted low-profile unit similar to this one. I am having a tough time identifying the vendor for this one.

Unfortunately downdrafts don't work, but especially not with a gas range. It will pull the flame leading to uneven cooking while doing nothing for the steam/vapors/grease. I also don't think you have enough clearance for it. A ceiling mount would be your only option.That still doesn't really address the safety concerns fo having a gas range with limited counter space on the sides. If you have children this is even more of a concern, but at least upgrading with a ceiling mount venthood will address half of the issues with it. Consider upgrading to an induction cooktop if you won't move it from the island.

Hmphhh... have not thought about an induction unit, since i always hear about the virtues of gas, but will definitely look into this. I agree, downdraft venting is less than ideal, but the kitchen layout really limits the stove placement, so I have to roll with the punches.

Aesthetically, the two things that bother me the most are the floors and the backsplash. I would invest in wood floors, although that's easy for me to say since it's not my money. However, wood floors are timeless.

As far as the range and clearance issue I don't know much about it but, I will say that I've seen Sina on here a lot and her advice is always on point. I would definitely take her lead!

Right now you are only looking at cosmetic issues, because you haven't so much as made a sandwich in this kitchen. As others have said, it would be a shame to sink a bunch of money into cosmetic changes, only to discover that you really can't stand the layout.

Cosmetics tend to disappear, in that you soon don't notice. Functional issues smack you in the face every day. I suspect this would be the case in this kitchen, unless you rarely use the cooktop. The venting issue is serious (and island venting is expensive even in a new build). But the lack of work space around the stove would drive me nuts.

Having lived through a 3-month kitchen remodel, I can assure you that it is certainly possible (though we had only one college-aged kid in the house at the time). We did ours in the summer, and did a lot of cooking on the grill. Now, 6 years later, I see it as simply a minor inconvenience - nothing compared to the inconvenience of working in our old, dysfunctional kitchen for years.

I strongly urge you to save your money now, live with the kitchen for a year, and decide if the layout works for you before spending any money on cosmetics.

BTW, I repurposed almost all of my old kitchen cabinets. Some went in the laundry room; others went in the garage. I turned a 12" drawer stack into a nightstand, and gave uppers to 2 neighbors (for store room and garage). The only things that got tosses were the crapola lazy susans, and the sink cabinet (which had to be demolished to remove from the plumbing).

Dear AnnKH,

We are moving into this house from a galley style small townhouse kitchen, so my experience with larger spaces is limited. With that in mind, why do you feel the kitchen layout is non-functional? There seems to be plenty of prep area to the right of the stove, and tons of counter space all around. The only major functionality issue is the venting, but I will be including a potential solution in my improvements plan.

Please chime-in if you spot any other areas of opportunity that I should consider while we are in the midst of this renovation.

Also, with a little one, and potentially another kiddo in the near future, taking 3 months to do a kitchen renovation while we live in the same space is a non-starter. Furthermore, since my wife and I both work from home a sizable chunk of the week, construction related noise can become a real problem. Hence, the desire to get the improvements done ASAP.

Please keep your ideas and feedback coming folks. This is hugely helpful!

Yikes! Little ones around a gas stove that is reachable on 3 sides - that alone is a huge safety issue. I would feel like I had to gate off the kitchen completely if I were to use the stove!

Is there a wall oven somewhere?

During our remodel, there were only a few days that were noisy: demo day (DH and I removed the old cabinets ourselves); electrical day; a couple of hours when a hole was cut in an outside wall for a range hood vent (one of the primary goals of our remodel was a properly vented range hood); 2 days of cabinet installation; 1 half day of countertop installation. This was spread out over 3 months. I acted as my own general contractor, so I allowed plenty of time for scheduling subs - it could have been done faster. The inconvenience was living without a kitchen sink for that time period, but we made do.

Yep, there is a standalone over and microwave on the other side of the kitchen...

Ugh spoke to a couple of Contractors that specialize in kitchen renovations, and talk about discouraging:

• To install hardwood floor I would basically have to remove the whole bottom part of the kitchen
• When I do that, I am virtually guaranteed to destroy the counters, new counters are $6-7k
• With cabinets removed, the cost to reface the cabinets is only marginally less than new cabinets outright
• I still have to solve my venting issue

So basically if I am to touch anything, I will be re-doing the whole kitchen to the tune of $50K. Sigh ☹

I'm with the others re: waiting on renovating and that there are major improvements that can be made to make this kitchen more functional and safer. Including the wall oven - it looks like it's currently in a walkway between rooms + where do you put hot stuff from the oven? You have to turn and take a step or two (across a walkway) to the island or peninsula.

Obviously your point about renovating while living in the house with 1-2 small children is totally valid. Folks here don't have anything to gain from telling you to wait - and most of them have been where you are - so they're offering you their advice and point of view.

ETA just saw your point re: cost and contractors. Super frustrating! But maybe a silver lining is that by waiting, and saving and then going through a whole renovation will give a kitchen that is super functional and awesome (one thing about your cabinets - they look beautiful, but they're all 1 drawer over doors. Having all drawer-lower cabinets is a huge gain for storage and functionality!

Is there a vent in the center of that cooktop?

There is. Its a GE Profile range with built-in downdraft. However, everything I read about these stoves, is that the venting is sub-par at best...

I would run hardwood into the kitchen; however, doing so will mean you lose 3/4” in height since you will not be pulling out the cabs and running hardwood underneath them. That loss of height is not something I would like.

The cooktop is a safety hazard; but without a gut remodel, I do not see a viable solution. The only wall space where a perimeter cooktop could go is on the fridge wall with the fridge possibly going on the sink wall, and the sink shifting to the other windiw or going into a different island configuration. Trying to fix one thing is like opening a can of worms.

I know it is not what you wanted to hear, but it is why people are suggesting you spend no money until you can fix the “bones” of the kitchen.

Hmphhh... have not thought about an induction unit, since i always hear about the virtues of gas, but will definitely look into this. I agree, downdraft venting is less than ideal, but the kitchen layout really limits the stove placement, so I have to roll with the punches.

And that is why your best bet may be to wait until you can redo the kitchen and create a layout that isn't a danger to anyone walking by when you're cooking. Move in. Live with it for a while. It actually looks good even if it is functionally dangerous. Putting in a downdraft or a ceiling hood will not negate the fact there is no room in back and on the side of the cooktop.

In fact with young kids, please teach them to stay away when Mommy is cooking! I can't over emphasize how dangerous that cooktop on the edge of your too small island is. I can only imagine the 3 year old reaching up or even looking up just as water on the back burner boils over.

Having lived through a 3-month kitchen remodel, I can assure you that it is certainly possible (though we had only one college-aged kid in the house at the time). We did ours in the summer, and did a lot of cooking on the grill

I actually did a kitchen remodel many years ago with a 3 year old and I was pregnant with my second child. I laid kitchen tile, painted, and helped hubby hang our Ikea cabinets. We lived with our fridge in the living room and a hot plate for almost 3 months. Oh and our barbecue out back which meant we had to walk around the house to get to. While not the best thing, it is certainly doable and better than putting lipstick on your kitchen when the whole kitchen really needs to be reworked to be safe and functional.

There seems to be plenty of prep area to the right of the stove, and tons of counter space all around. The only major functionality issue is the venting, but I will be including a potential solution in my improvements plan.

Prepping is done normally next to a sink so you can wash and cut items.

However the functionality issue isn't only the venting. It's the fact there is NO counter behind the cooktop or to the left of the cooktop. Think of having a pot there and someone brushing past. Think of someone standing behind the cooktop and grease etc spattering. I could go on and on. It's dangerous!

And yes, even your wall oven is not safe. You take food out of the oven and then where do you put it? Now imagine taking food out and your 3 year old running behind you as you pivot to put the hot cassorole down.

Live with what you have so far. Wait. Just be extra cautious and save money for now. Then when you're ready to redo, post your plan and let the experts here create a kitchen plan that will truly give you functionality for years to come.

Ooof, I didn't catch the cooktop in the island the first time I commented.

I have to agree that cosmetic concerns are the least of your worries. My apartment had a corner range and it was awful. Unless you gate the kitchen off like a PP said, that cooktop is really a safety hazard. My range is in the middle of my counter run and it was hard enough to keep my kids when they were little away from it because they liked to run around the island. Changing to induction may help but it's still in an awful spot.

If you're getting quotes for $50K just to do what you originally wanted to do (match the floor) then you may as well get quotes on rearranging the space, putting the cooktop/range on the refrigerator wall and moving the sink down.

I get wanting to remodel when you're not yet in the house. I lived through mold remediation (master bedroom, bathroom and living room) when my two kids were toddlers and it wasn't fun, but it was doable. We recently finished our basement (took 3 1/2 months) and we had basement stuff all over our house and in our garage. The noise wasn't that bad and was pretty confined to groups of days at a time. My husband mainly works from home and explained to clients that he was working from home babysitting contractors. So it didn't disrupt his work that much.

I thank this community for all of your advice, it has been invaluable. The take-away is that the kitchen will require a major re-plan and not just a quick face-lift. My next steps will be to get a few quotes to see how much such an endeavor will cost, and see if we can accommodate that in our near-term budget. If not, we will continue saving our ducats until we can.

Thanks again!

You can replace the floors without pulling cabs, but there are issues with that approach. Cabs can be pulled and counters kept in place by bracing...have seen it posted here with insurance claims with water damaged cabs. It is not something I would be comfortable with, but it has been done. Lifting counters is not sonething craftsmen want to do since there is the chance of cracking; and it is a pain to do, but it can and has been done.

The question becomes how much $ and effort do you want to spend on a functionally dangerous layout, or do you want to put that $/effort into creating a functional and safe kitchen even if it is not now?

For now I would keep things as is... kinda. I would paint the backsplash an off white. Then I would paint your walls also a warm off white. Live in the space awhile before making any drastic changes.

I think your kitchen looks fine for now and wouldn't rush into replacing anything for aesthetic reasons. Kitchens are all about functionality and there you have issues. You may want to post your current kitchen layout (with measurements) on houzz and get some feedback (hopefully from professionals) on what changes you could make to improve the function of your space. Get the functionality right and then consider aesthetics.

Hi Folks,

Thanks again to everyone for their super helpful feedback. We have taken it to heart, and in the process of designing a different layout that will address range and venting issues.

I have posted a set of plans in another thread. Any feedback and comments would be hugely appreciated. Thanks again!

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/kitchen-reno-layout-critique-dsvw-vd~5643283

I missed your kids ages, but depending on the kids, it can be done....we remodeled down to th studs over something like 6 weeks plus; kids were 1 and 2.5 and they rolled with it....took naps while the hammering went on... (sawzalled through beams, etc.)...we did specify in contract (and paid for) a higher level of clean up each day, as we had to traverse the work area to get to the laundry room where we had the makeshift kitchen (and a bitty kids table and two little chairs). Not brilliant but do-able. And, in a blink of an eye, those kids are now teens...