Here is a novelty, how about an interior wall. Where I am from there are a great deal of first period houses (old,old)as well as older houses and old houses.Some where along the line some one decided that fireplaces and chimneys should be on an outside wall. Now lets think logically why would you want a heat source in the middle of the house.

I have a Vermont Castings (Defiant Encore) woodstove in my kitchen. We almost replaced it last year with a Jotul Mansfield(?) but with a little extra work, we got the 25 year-old Defiant tuned up a bit better so we stayed with that. This stove is not a part-time appliance. It is the sole source of heat in the wing and northern half of the house, and one of two wood-buring appliances that are the only heat in this house in northern NY. We put about 4-5 full cords of oak through it per year. This is an important distinction from a w/s or fireplace that is only used for atmosphere, even if that atmosphere is needed continuously for a few of the coldest weeks. Our first fire is usually kindled in mid-October and then, except for monthly chinmney sweeping, it never goes out until early/mid May. Burning that much wood means that there is considerable, and seemingly, never-ending fuel debris dropped around that I really wish wasn't in my kitchen. I have schemed from time to time to do a room-use exchange with another room and convert the present kitchen into a sitting room, so I can have a sit-by hearth space that isn't in my kitchen. I don't like to have a mixed-use kithen space and don't really want too much hanging out in the kitchen. This is partly a personal pref., but also related to the placement of my chimney which means the stove is really in the middle of my work zone, so sitters get in the way. The chimney was orginally intended for the wood-fired cookstove that we no longer use, which is why the w/s wound up in the middle of the work zone. Of course if we get to Peak Oil (and gas) or beyond soon, and propane becomes hard to get, then I can take out the Defiant and reinstall my old Stewart wood-fired range and be back in business in a day or so. Despite my affection for old ways, though, I wouldn't be happy with that arrangement, even in in depths of winter. And we'd have to eat cold food in July and August since I can't imagine using it then! Aside from the wood debris, the other significant issue with any solid fuel appliance in a kitchen has to do with ventilation conflicts. If you plan on having a pro-grade range with higher cfm vent fan(s) then you may bump into safety or code comlications. Higher cfm fans could depressurize the woodburning appliance enough to disturb the draft, or worse, especially if you have one of those gas-fired faux wood burners, draw carbon monoxide into the living space. We get around this (despite having major cfm fan) by a) running the stove in its airtight configuration (i.e. not with doors open, as is technically possible with our stove) and b) feeding our stove's combustion air intake with an outside air connection so it is not drawing from room air. In this way the stove is essentially not connected to room air, and therefore the fans can run happily along without smoke or combustion product issues, or degrading the w/s chimney's draft. Of course, in order to refuel, we do have to open the firebox, but that's only for a few minutes and we never run it open and unattended, even for just the minute or two it takes to fetch another log from the wood room. The other down side is that even for just the few minutes it takes fuel and kindle the fire, there is some smoke (minor) vented into the house - and the w/s kind of scorches the air so I get more dust stuck on my kitchen tackle (I use a hanging pot rack) in the winter than during the warmer months when I have the windows open for weeks at a time. The upside is, as you noted, it's nice to have a spot to warm something, like a cup of tea. (Though w/s get really too hot for keeping a cup warm but not too hot to drink.) I set my plates to warm on a trivet set on top, for a few minutes. Mine has a griddle top, but I have used it only rarely, and reluctantly, during power cuts as it is messy. But of course, having a w/s in the kitchen is nice for boiling or warming stuff during power cuts, just not frying. It's too low for much cooking, for one thing. And, of course, any solid fuel appliance takes a committment to safe operation that can never waver, for even a few minutes. The installation, including all surfaces, clearances and protections and chimney, must be modern and up to code. Houses with small children, and in my case pets, may also need to install hearth fences to protect the unwary. I have heated only with wood for 40+ years, so I am used to the extra fuss, mess, etc. but every year I have to mentally focus myself all over again in order to never lose sight of the fact that we keep a potentially dangerous, very hot fire trapped in a metal box in the kitchen 24/7 for seven months of the year. (Well, two of them, counting the stove in the other part of the house.) You can not let your attention wander, even for a bit; you must always know what state your fire is in (even when gone from the house). Each year in May, I heave a big sigh of relief when we finally let the fires out. I believe there is a significant federal tax credit available on qualifying w/s right now, and goes through the end of 2011, I think. L

Just going back to the farm / market garden use for a minute: washing and packing fairly large quantities of vegetables for market is not something most home kitchens are designed for. Have you ever done it? If not, before you finalize your new kitchen design, can I suggest that you go visit someone who does it on the scale that you plan to, and ideally help them actually do it a couple of times. It will give you a whole different outlook! Also, what are your local health regulations like on this subject? There can be definitions of processed vs non-processed veg that don't fit with "common sense", and there may be requirements for you to have a commercial or inspected kitchen for certain products like washed and bagged salad mix. Even basic washing operations may require you to have specific equipment (like a 3-bowl sink) or an completely separate washing area or who-knows-what. Many places won't let you do certain things in your home kitchen at all.

A general goal about paving layout is to have a path's centerline meet an abutting body (wall, curb or paving) at 90*, Meeting it at an angle usually looks careless or cheap. As paths are most typically of uniform widths, it follows through that their edges would meet abutting bodies at 90*, too. It's not always possible but should be a goal wherever it is. Doing that automatically makes the paving more functional and attractive. (Many times the actual final connection is a radius that connects the 90* edges.) Therefore, I'd recommend getting rid of the triangular gaps in paving. The least expensive way is just to patch it in. Of course, since new concrete and old will appear different, it's going to be an obvious patch. Time and aging will help smooth out the look. Also, there are durable epoxy/flake coatings that can be used to cover everything and make patches look as if everything is one new, solid surface and designed correctly. These are not cheap, but they are much cheaper than replacing a drive. Their general appearance is speckled and simulates granite slab. Where the drive enters the carport, it would be good to widen it all the way to the wall/fence, rather than have a landscape bed take up space where people are trying to get in and out of cars (whenever they are parked outside of the carport. Also, it looks like the path that connects the drives needs to be widened. If you could create some planting space between that walk and the house in order to have a place for some flowers, all the better.