Claudia, Congrats with your new home! Glad to see you posting again. What do you mean by wet clay? Is the ground actually wet? if the soil is wet, you could plant bog plants and plants that love water and they will do fine. Just mix in a generous amount of cow compost in the clay and mulch, you should be able to plant any part sun bush or perennial plant. Just a thought, I jsut bought Liatris at HD on Saturday. I got 60 little bulbs for 14.99. They are perennial, they spread and are beautiful! Look up Liatris online and see if you like the look. Anyway, for part sun climbing hydrangea would love your yard, and it loves to climb on wood without damaging it. Cannas LOVE wet or moist soil, Bananas Love moist soils, you will have to mound it up when you plant it for drainage, but they are beautiful. Ajunga likes moist soil, any kind. Butterfly bush would do fine with manure, they can be planted in part sun, I would plant in sunnies spot tho. Iris would love your yard, if it gets at least 6 hours of sun. Well, that's all I can think of for now, I hope you have fun planning out your new yard. Congrats again,

I'm sorry, I don't know about the total cost. Plumbing would depend on construction costs in your area of the country. You can get a decent SS prep sink at Lowe's for 150.00 (Ours is a Franke 18", was 105.00 six years ago). Advantages of a prep sink are 1) You can prep facing the room, so more interaction with family and guests, 2) There are two prep areas, so if you have help, each has her own sink, 3) Clean-up zone is separate--the helper can start clean-up without being in the cooks space. Even if kids are small, and/or you are the only cook, you might have help during parties, and as the kids grow older. I like my second sink for thawing and rinsing meat, because it's smaller, and easier to clean. In a true U-shape, without a prep sink on the island, you'll be hiking back and forth from the sink to the fridge, or the cooktop to the fridge. If you put the fridge between the sink and slider (I think cpartist was going in that direction), and the cooktop on the long wall, you'll have a tighter triangle, but the fridge will block some of the light from the doors, and the DW will be between the sink and fridge. That's the configuration in a lot of smaller kitchens, but some cooks like to prep with the DW open, to load vessels and utensils as they're used. Or you could put the fridge on the same wall as the cooktop, with a pull-out on the end, so that the door will open fully. The fridge is not as convenient for someone coming from the living areas, but clean-up is separate, and a helper can start loading the DW when you move on to cooking. The island is not as much of a barrier, and with an L-shape, the island can be longer:

Buehl, you are AMAZING. Thank you. OK, here is more info: Goals: Better function more storage better counterspace 2 adults, 1 cook frequent from scratch meals, avid baker, canning and preserving in summer, frequently host casual dinners/parties, often have people hanging out in the kitchen No significant structural changes, but plumbing/electrical can change Want to keep it open to other rooms Appliances: Range or Cooktop 30” (possibly 36” if cooktop) Single or Double Wall Oven? Existing standard DW Existing 36”w SXS CD fridge Add a vent hood Prefer no or few uppers Currently have a pantry closet, deep shelves, not very functional. I’m thinking pullout cabinets instead. That is the house plan. 2 large bedrooms and 2 baths are down the hall. There is a deck adjacent to the sunroom/living room. Here are some of the before shots of the kitchen. We dismantled the ridiculous island and reconfigured it temporarily. We painted now to mitigate my loathing of the wall paint. "Are you changing the flooring? Would you be willing to have an island that extended into what appears to be a family room a couple of feet?" The kitchen flooring is new, and we will be extended into the living room. And yes, willing to have an island. "Where exactly does that Family Room wall start?" The above images should answer that question.

I agree with Thalia B above that wood trim is making a comeback but I'm seeing slightly different tones in those inspo pics than the one in OP's pic. (For as much as we can trust screen renderings of colours.) Subtle difference but it can make a difference. I love wood trim as well and when I said I'd lighten or darken this trim, I didn't necessarily mean painting it. Also, @jwencel42, to be clear about the fireplace: it's not that it's meh for me; it's that the view is superlative. :) In this room's design, how can one not privilege the natural view that take one's breath away?! :D This view deserves attention and contemplation and 'bringing the outdoors in' usually makes for harmonious design. A well-designed room is one that makes you feel good living in it so function is key. Focal points can only go so far. :) And usually, once people are in a room, they become the focal point.