If you were to turn the island 90 degrees I don;t think you would gain anything and you would lose two things - aisle width and island size. You can't put the island any closer to the sink wall because you don;t want anything getting in the way of the 12' trek (sorry) between the fridge and stove. If you move it closer to the sink wall the island becomes a barrier to the pathway between the two. Your aisles widths would also be narrower. Currently they are 4' wide , now you could go to 42" (3 1/2' wide) but that only leaves you with an island length of 5' long x 4' wide (maybe you can go to 4 1/2' wide). You don;t want to go any wider because it becomes difficult to clean the middle of it - it's a long way to reach. However speaking of island size - You have it going beyond the reach of the kitchen - does the right side line up with something (not the overhang part but the cabinet bulky part of it) or is it just hanging out. If not I would shorten it so that the bulky part of the island (not the overhang part necessarily) lines up with the end of the oven/microwave. Is that maybe 6-8"? Now, if you moved the fridge over, which is wider, you probably wouldn't have to do that. If your wife is baking there - everytime she has to go to the fridge she has to walk arooouund the island and 8' to the fridge rather than just turning around to get eggs, butter, milk, whatever. What is the alcove on the sink wall with the window? Is that a lower counter or a window seat? And what is the drawer configuration at the end. Is this a coffee/drinks bar? (Prep sinks don't have to be very big, but, I know how you can get image of what you're kitchen is going to feel like and be like and if no prep sink - so be it.) With respect to the fridge - you can, which you probably know, put panels around it so that it is encased with your selected cabinetry if you move it to the end of the stove run. I'm just throwing out ideas because sometimes we can get stuck in a box and need someone to push us out of it.

Definitely not in a rush and in the very early stages of putting all this together. We won't be moving in until around the end of July and aren't even closing for a few more weeks. Right now I am just trying to start the process so we don't fall behind after we close. I am mostly looking at different cabinet options and speaking with KDs and GCs to get a sense of what is possible while also getting the good feedback from the knowledgeable folks here. I think a tall pantry cabinet alongside the current fridge would be a good option instead of that run of base cabs but was also trying to keep some counter space adjacent to the fridge based on the post in the FAQs that discusses aisle widths, overhangs, etc. I suppose the island space opposite the fridge would match up with that criteria as well... The sink, range and fridge in the current kitchen are all in the same places as in the draft I am working with, the only addition being the island. I am basing much of this design on the kitchen I grew up with that had a very similar layout. That kitchen's layout was very similar to my initial draft except that it had a rangetop on the island on the same side as the window-sink. We always did the prep work on the fridge/sink side then moved around to the other side of the island to cook and used the island space to each side of the rangetop as needed then did cleanup where the window/sink would be. It looks like I'll be spending some time this weekend reviewing more literature and posts and speaking with a few more KDs. Thanks and keep the thoughts coming!

Camille-I would think about your last comment very carefully. If you have had a friend that has quoted both the "expensive design and build firm" and the cheaper "custom home builders" and then done the entire project for the quote given by the cheaper custom home builders that may be the case. A well advertised, successful and established firm may be more expensive, but I think that a lot of the difference is in what you are being quoted, and who unexpected costs will be charged for and how many expenses there are outside of the contract. So unless you know someone who was able to do their complete project with no surprises for the cheaper quote I would be wary. There are three expensive parts to your project: -The cost of the addition; the new roof, siding, foundation, framing, insulation, etc. Windows can also be very expensive depending on the quality you choose (we live in a historic district so we have to buy expensive windows) -The cost of opening up your current space into this new space. In your drawing you have this completely open with no beam. We saw one addition when we were looking for houses in which the addition was tacked onto the back and the original kitchen window looked into the family room addition (that is not what you want, but would be cheaper). The cost of the steal beam and installation for our approximately 5' framed opening (there is wall on both sides and one the ceiling) was over $5000. Our house is brick construction so that makes it heavy to support an opening. The structural engineering drawing for this beam was an additional $800. You will need more structural engineering for the addition. -The actual kitchen that you design; cabinets, appliances, countertops, etc. We got quotes from two different people who used the same kitchen showroom and the same line of cabinetry. One of the firms (design and build) did all of their kitchens with the same designer at that showroom...so if you used them you were going to get Merrillat Classic and Merrillat Masterpiece. Our first quote was in the classic; we ended up going with the second firm in the masterpiece and the cabinet allowance was almost doubled. I have not heard kitchen quoted in square feet prices, because the variables above are so substantial. The other one is how much you are moving plumbing and electrical. But I would probably double the $300/sq foot estimate and make sure that is still within what the neighborhood will support.

I don’t think that 38” aisle is a code, but I wouldn’t want to go less. NKBA recommends 48 for a multiple cook kitchen. We have 42” counter to counter (45” cabinet to cabinet) and that works well for us, with multiple cooks. 45” would be even better. I certainly wouldn’t want to go less than 38” counter to counter, even for a one cook kitchen. Your vent hood installation instructions should tell you how high it should be mounted. I don’t know the rules on electricity but there are certainly some and they are not general, they are very specific. Our kitchen has a LOT of outlets, because that was what was required by code. It is every so many feet and we had to have 2 on the island because it was 9’ long and they couldn’t be under an overhang of more than 6”, although we did sneak a 3rd “convenience outlet” under the overhang by a stool. Ours all had to be a specific power and are all either GFCI or tied to a GFCI receptacle. If you are doubting the info your GC or electrician are giving you I suggest calling your inspector. I found they were very helpful when I had questions through the planning process and even granted me a couple of exceptions for some smaller things.