Remove the wall oven and pantry to the other side where the fridge is. Fit a range in on that side of the kitchen. Yes, you’re at replace all of this. The changes that need to happen are too much if you’re having to pay labor to make this happen. That threshold was crossed as soon as you move plumbing or pay a pro to cut down anything. You're already spending too much to do anything else but make the kitchen WORK correctly. There’s no point in spending that much and not making the right changes. That’s a layout change and new cabinets.

Countertops (level 1 granite) plus moving the sink to the center of the peninsula will be about $6000.

It will be quite a while (probably years) before I can afford to completely gut the kitchen and start over.

If I decide to hold out for the complete remodel what do I do with it in the meantime? The faucet is broken, the corner sink is impossible, the counters are painted and peeling, the island tile is cracked and gross. I agree that spending 6k and not doing it right is a waste, but I really need a functional kitchen.

The issue is that if you do the countertop now, you're locking in the layout, unless you want to shell out about 6k + in a few years. That's the issue of doing remodels in pieces.

What's the total budget you have for the kitchen?

Right now I only have about 6,000 to spend. I can’t even imagine what a full remodel could run.

This is what we started with:

We did have to replace the wall oven since it was broken

Is butcher block a viable countertop choice? Would that save some money?

It will be much safer with your little ones if you follow Cook's Kitchen suggestion and move the cooktop off of the island to your current oven wall. Check out IKEA cabinets before pouring hours of sweat equity into painting the cabinets. Formica also has some beautiful budget friendly countertop options.

https://www.rd.com/home/improvement/secrets-ikea-kitchen-sale-wish-knew/

Yes it it such a dangerous design! I can’t imagine why they put it there. I will look into those options.

This is very close to What I’d like if I had a much larger budget of course. Our house is a very traditional (but quite outdated) style with lots of trim so I want to blend with that Traditional feel.

I think it’s time for some tool purchases and DIY this. You can move the cabinets around, and get an electrician to do the wiring changes.

I would remove the cooktop off that island and over to the counter to the left of your oven. I dont mind the corner sink. I have had a similar one, and I liked it. My sink, didnt have the jog in it like yours has though. It was just a regular divided sink, set at an angle. I am not so sure, I would have liked your particular sink. Your cabinets, also look to be in great shape, so maybe not paint them, at least right now.

First, skip the granite. There are more important things to attempt to fix right now, especially since you have young children. Laminate is functional and affordable material and when it comes time to remodel, you won't be ripping out $6000 worth of granite and throwing it out.

First priority....Get rid of the cooktop in the island -- it's unsafe (especially with young children). I'm with you, this is one of those, "what were they thinking?!"

That "bat wing" sink is a nightmare to use! I tried using one once and it was not fun...water everywhere if you aren't very, very careful! (Yet another, "what were they thinking?!")

The refrigerator side of the island looks to be a major path through the Kitchen -- is it? If it is, it's a bad place for a range...putting it where the oven is would be much, much better, traffic wise. Not sure from the pictures, but the island is also probably a "barrier island" b/w the prep side of the sink (the right side) and the cooktop/range -- whether it's in the island or along the wall. But, I'd rather have that than a range/cooktop in a major path or in the island like it is now.

Yes the sink is awful! Water runs everywhere and you can’t wash anything large without making a mess. Plus if you put the faucet straight forward it just runs in the floor.

I think i do I do need to prioritize getting rid of the cooktop. Would it be better to put it where the appliance garage is (Next to the fridge)? I don’t need the sink that is on that side either.

I didn’t see your comment about traffic. Yes you walk right past the fridge to go to the garage, 1/2 bath, or dining room. I didn’t think about that.

And yes the island makes it feel very congested. I think moving the sink left will help. as it is now everything comes out of the fridge and onto the island. Then it has to be moved again before cooking. The entire left side of the kitchen is useless. It’s such a bad layout.

You are already on the right track. You just need to ask yourself what you are really trying to accomplish functionally. It is clear that you want to make it safer, more sanitary, and connect with those in the living room while you are in the kitchen. If you are going to do this within your budget, you have to work with what you already have and make it better. It is totally doable! When people say that replacing cabinets is no more expensive than refinishing, they are clearly comparing professional prices for both. I am guessing from your comments that you are comfortable with sanding and painting, but not with installing new casework yourself. If sweat equity is what you have to work with, go for it! Just do LOTS of prep and prime before painting, don't take any shortcuts in that most tedious of stages, and do not skimp on the choice of paints. Good paint is not cheap, but it really is the only way to not be repainting again in two years.
The layout in this sketch would get you functional zones (don't listen to anyone that mentions the outdated "triangle" planning method), without a major overhaul. The cooktop would move to a safer area with a backsplash, requiring only minor modifications to the cabinet and electrical (and a range hood of course). You may even be able to use some of your cabinets from the old island or peninsula to finish of the end of the run near the living room door. The sink would move to the island, because they work so well opposite a range. That is the most costly part of the change, as the plumber would need access under the floor or ceiling below and run a loop vent. This layout gets good spatial flow into the living room that you started to feel when you removed the hanging cabinets over the peninsula without having to open up the living room wall. The best part is that the island doesn't have to, and probably shouldn't, match the rest. Get yourself an upgraded look on the island as an accent (if it still fits in the budget) and save money on a more affordable countertop option at the cooktop.
Good luck!

Thank you! I really like the idea of zones. That is why it is so hard to use the current layout. The food comes out of the fridge and onto the island but you have to move it away to prep and back to cook. The flow is terrible.

At some point the tile has been replaced in the kitchen and they did not go under the cabinets. I want to replace all of our floors, but not yet. There is also a downdraft that is in the island that vents outside. since I don’t want to do floors yet I think I have to keep the same footprint. Does moving the sink to the center of the peninsula and putting the cooktop to the left of the oven make any sense? The island would have nothing on it. since I’m only Moving the sink a little it doesn’t require access to the floor- only reconfiguring the pipes and running them a little further. My lowest estimate was 400 for the plumbing/sink/faucet/disposal installation. I’ve already bought paint (Sherwin Williams) and have started on the doors with a paint sprayer (after sanding and cleaning with tsp). I was advised Not to paint the boxes until the countertops are replaced because it would likely damage the paint.

Wouldn't that conflict with your dishwasher location? If not, make sure that you will have adequate landing zones to both does of the cooktop and both sides of the sink. You would be amazed at how necessary these landing zones are at both of those locations, and in the case of the cooktop, there is actually a code-minimum landing zone size. My personal preference is never less than 18" of counter on both sides of the cooktop, and neither side of the sink less than 3” nor less than 24" when you add the left and right side clear countertops together.

The dishwasher would move to the left end of the peninsula.

I had no idea that you had to leave that much space around the cooktop. If you allow 18” of landing space to the right of the cooktop it ends up almost in the corner. It would be too close to the sink for two people to work together.

Will I have to leave the cooktop in the island? I’m out of ideas.

If new countertops are a MUST at this stage of your project, how about installing cheap laminate with a plan to replace with your chosen countertop once you have the funds? Also, consider your kitchen project in phases rather than all at once. Spread the cost over a number of years...

We’ve decided to just finish painting the cabinets and live with the countertops for 1-2 years. That way we can get the layout right. Now i need to decide on a layout so I can have an end goal in mind. i would love to do this in phases, I just don’t know where to begin. It seems like you can’t do anything without doing everything.

lisarh04, in regards to the landing zones, 12" to one side of the cooktop and 15" to the other is the BARE minimum allowed for safety. however, your oven placement will require a 15" minimum landing zone anyways, so 15" is the true minimum between the oven cabinet and cooktop. this is just one reason to consider eliminating the peninsula and using a longer island. the layout that you currently have does not have adequate space for the rangetop, oven cabinet, and sink along the wall that you are trying to fit them into, and it also cuts off flow to the rest of the house.

Thank you! I obviously had no idea what I was starting here!

I just had a few concerns with the longer island:

1. We have no tile under the cabinets so I’d have to replace flooring. When I do that I want to do all of the main living areas with hardwood. We have carpet in the living room, a different tile in the sunroom, and parquet in the dining room and foyer. I wasn’t planning to tackle that for a few years.

2. would we lose our bar seating? The kids use that a lot.

3. If I’m doing a project that big and we still don’t have an open floor plan I’m worried about resale. (But I’m not sure if/when we’ll sell)

4. It just may be out of our budget. We have 3 kids and Our entire house needs updating. We may just have to say what is the best we can do with 10k and move on.

Here is a very rough idea of our floor plan so you can see how the kitchen connects to the rest of the house.

Even though you have recently purchased the wall over, I would consider selling it and putting a range in that spot with a hood above it. When they rebuild the peninsula you could use some of those cabinets to fill in on the other side if needed. Then get laminate for the counters.

Do you really NEED an island? From my non-pro view, it looks like a big old obstacle for the cook to navigate. Food for thought.

But she can't remove the island until she can manage to replace the floors! If the cooktop is gone and there is clear countertop it wont be so bad.

1. You could temporarily fill in flooring without much expense until you decide to go for the whole enchilada. it would not necessarily be a perfect match, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the sake of the budget.
2. An island in that configuration could support two seats at the end, but it sounds as if you may need three.
3. I do not recommend guessing at what the market will want if/when you sell. First off, no two buyers are alike. Second, market trends change too fast (there is a movement currently building against open floor plans since some of them have become too open). If you go through the project at all, it should be for you and your family. The only projects that have a value increase greater than the expense are on television. Do what makes you happy. Everything else is a waste of time, money, and effort, and kitchen renovations take a lot of all three.
4. The great thing about budgets is that they help us make decisions. Replacing all of the cabinets would cost around $10,000 for ready-to-assemble cabinets, meaning you would have to hang them yourself and materialize countertops, fixtures, and flooring out of thin air, not to mention any plumbing and electrical work. You can cross off a major layout change unless the budget changes.

Is this the current layout you have?

I know you said you aren't going to make any changes other to change the countertops and paint. But, I think there are a couple of things that really need to be change. If you're willing to move a few of the island, peninsula, and oven wall cabinets around, I think you can make it work. I'd leave the refrigerator wall alone for now. It's fine.

• Sink Location
• Cooktop/Oven
• Seating Overhang (especially as your children grow; minor, but easy to fix with new counters)

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Sink...that sink is going to become the bane of your existence if you don't do something about it now! $400 isn't much for your peace of mind, even for a couple of years.

Cooktop/Oven...that cooktop location is very unsafe, especially with young children. Can you return the wall oven and purchase a range -- even if you buy it used on Craigslist or similar? The island can stay (b/c of flooring) for now, it won't be that much of a pain to deal with for a couple of years. [OK just checked your later pictures, you probably cannot return the oven as it looks like it's been used. BUT, you could sell it on Craigslist.]

Seating overhang...I think you have 12" right now. That's probably OK for young children (although I don't like the 42" height). Instead, cut down the pony wall (or whatever is under the raised counter) and make the counter all one height -- counter-height. That's an easy and DIY fix (before you put in the counters).

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I still recommend an inexpensive counter -- there's no sense spending $$$$$ on granite counters just to tear them out two years later. Either go with butcher block or laminate (personally, I'd pick laminate, but either are work and both are usually inexpensive).

I can’t imagine our budget being much more than 10k for a long time. I can be patient, but I do want to have a kitchen that I can enjoy While I still have a large family to cook for. When we bought the house we planned on paint and countertops. The awkward sink started the downward spiral. I understand why everyone says to wait until you can do it right, but a huge remodel may just not be realistic for us at this phase of life. What would a 8-10k remodel look like?

Yes that is our layout. We can’t return the range, but I agree that what you are suggesting could hold us over even longer than a couple of years. A bigger remodel just won’t work for a while. luckily only one of ours is small enough not to understand the cooktop danger.

any chance you could take out a home equity line of credit to help cover the additional funds needed after the 10K?

Just to get those cabinets painted professionally, you're looking at over 5K.

Countertops, another 6K

I wanted to update my kitchen, and I did. and I'll tell you the costs quickly spiraled. Of course, I didn't pick the cheapest items, but I did have the cabs painted (although for another 2K, I decided to go w/all new door and drawer fronts. it was a better option) and a few drawers/spaces modified. I moved the micro and had a custom vent hood made. they put drawers in the island, micro under the wall oven. New marble and quartz countertops, and I was already over 25K. New appliances (which I needed regardless) and new wood flooring really sent me flying into the abyss.

What can you get for 10K ? a crash course on some serious DIY stuff! Learn how to do some things yourself (like backsplash tiling and simple lighting / outlets wiring) Looks for deals on tile or flooring on Craigslist (I've gotten some killer deals on things) or tile closeouts. Ditto for countertops. look at pre-fabricated granite/quartz. it might save you a few thousand.

otherwise, save as best you can. maybe borrow from family members w/a pay back plan. home equity. whatever you feel comfortable with. I wouldn't do it half-ass since you won't be happy.

Call some kitchen remodeling places and get an idea of cost. I lucked out w/my company and they were very good. (Yelp and all 5 star reviews) . At least you'll know what's needed.

A few of the cabinets are actually different widths now that I am looking at them. I’ll have to measure each one after the kids are asleep

lisa- I have lived with less than great kitchens and several downright lousy kitchens for many, many years and managed to feed a family very nicely. Most of us have. A $40k kitchen remodel is a small budget so if that's not realistic for your family (most families) in the next ten years, go ahead with your original plan. If you can move the sink over a bit, that would be a win but don't let it send you down a rabbit hole. Good luck with your project.

Thank you! The sink is the only thing I KNOW I can’t live with for 10 years. I‘m not sure about the island cooktop. It’s really inconvenient when getting food out of the fridge. i do know that a 40k+ kitchen just isn’t happening while we are raising a family. I can work with a less than perfect kitchen and be completely happy. I just want to make the best use of our small budget. I really want it to feel clean, updated, and a little more functional.

"i do know that a 40k+ kitchen just isn’t happening while we are raising a family."

That's why I was suggesting just the three changes above. They should tide you over for a few years, maybe longer, b/c they will make the entire space so much more functional!

To move the sink, come cabinets are going to have to be moved, so look at the island/peninsula/oven wall as a whole. Once we know the correct cabinet sizes, we can see what can be done.

Thank yo so much for your help! Here are the measurements for the cabinets.

If there is any possible way to keep the wall oven and still improve the layout, we would really prefer not to sell it.

So, these are the dimensions? Some aisle widths don't add up or are questionable (see the red ones).

do you measure countertop to countertop or cabinet base to base?

if it’s base to base 46 is closer to 46 1/4 or 46 1/2 if you don’t include the quarter round.

The 28 would be 36

if you measure the distance between the tops it is 44.5 for the 46 and 34.5 for the 28.

it is also 41.75 from the island base to the cabinet that the oven is in. That cabinet sticks out the same distance as the pantry cabinets. The oven itself is another 1.25” out from the cabinet.

It is 42” from the island to b3.

Island to b5 is 47. The fridge sticks out a little further.

Wait to see what Beuhl comes up with and then my suggestion is to also look into Ikea cabinets. Pick one of their basic, less expensive door style (even if it's not your favorite) and go with laminate for the counters.

Even if you can't hang Ikea cabinets yourself, you can absolutely put the boxes together and save yourself money that way.

I had that same butterfly sink and setup in our rental for 2 years and like you, I couldn't wait to get rid of that sink. I agree 1000% that and the cooktop on the island need to go. That sink was a nightmare to work with.

"do you measure countertop to countertop or cabinet base to base?"

Aisles should always be measured to/from the items that stick out in the aisle the farthest -- appliance handles, counter edges, etc. If you look at what I drew up, you will see there is a 1.5" counter overhang in front of the perimeter and peninsula cabinets as well as on all sides of the island (except the right side since you did not show a cabinet there, just 6" of space).

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"The 28 would be 36"

"if you measure the distance between the tops it is 44.5 for the 46 and 34.5 for the 28."

But it doesn't add up that way when you put in the cabinet sizes you say you have.

The 28" aisle:

• 30" + 32" + 39.875" + 12" = 113.875"
• 113.875" - 36" aisle to the left of the island - 48" island - 1.5" for counter overhang on the peninsula = 28.375" (28-3/8") for the aisle b/w the peninsula and the island.

The 46" aisle:

Assuming the depth of the Kitchen is 165":

• Peninsula is 36" corner sink base + 14.5" + 24" + 14.5" = 90.5"
• Top run of counters across from peninsula is 25.5" deep (24" deep cabinets + 1.5" counter overhang)
• 165" - 90.5" - 25.5" = 49" for the aisle b/w the peninsula and the sink base.

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I don't mean to be difficult, but inches matter, especially since you do not want to eliminate the wall oven and replace it with a range.

There isn't room b/w the wall ovens and the corner for a range and have the sink on the peninsula.

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All that said, it doesn't really matter because you are constrained by the fact that the flooring does not go under the cabinets -- so you cannot expand any aisles, even if you wanted to (unless the flooring does go under the peninsula......)

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OK, here is what I consider the "optimal" use of your cabinets and layout. It does require moving all the cabinets at least a little bit, but it is a much more functional layout.

Note that B-6 and B-1 are turned 90 degrees so they face the seating overhang

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Work Zones:

I’m so sorry my measurements are off somewhere. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but I’ll look at them again ASAP. The layout you came up with is amazing. The bar sink was such a waste of counter space for us anyway. Thank you! I never would have come up with anything even close on my own!

Mixing existing cabinets with new ones can be challenging. It can be done if you plan to refinish them anyways, but be cautious of variances in the many dimensions/styles of both the boxes and the doors. Replacing all of the doors themselves may become necessary if you cannot find a perfect profile match.

Or, you can leave them open with open shelves.

For the sink base, you might be able to modify the existing 31" sink base to fit a bigger sink.

You would still need a 40-inch (31" + 9" = 40") cabinet for that space, or at least a new 27" plus the leftover 13" cabinet.

For the 5" -- I recommend leaving it an open space for cutting boards or a towel rack.