Oh, golly, golly, I'm so thrilled that you all have taken the trouble to read my tome and offer comments! Thank you, dianalo, rhome and bmorepanic! I really appreciate the suggestions and will give all of them some thought because that is exactly what I was hoping to get: fresh eyes that haven't been over and over the same old thinking, as I have by now. A few quick thoughts: rhome: It's a good point about the small size of the counter to left of the sink (between DW and sink). I gave it that space just as elbow room in case I do have the DW elevated above the counter. Without that space, I thought it would make it feel like you were doing dishes with the sink nearly touching a wall because of the vertical side of the raised DW cab. I am definitely not wedded to it, nor to the little 6" space on the other side of the DW. That's probably going to evaporate, anyway, (except for an inch or to of framing to keep the DW door from being slap against the wall) because the room is about 2.5 inches out of square in that corner. Odds are on that I either a) won't have any DW or b) will have it at normal counter height merely to use as an expensive dish drying rack. I plan to set up the finalized "test" kitchen, and work it, live with all appliances and water installed, before we go too much further along. It'll be ugly as Hell, but I've lived with inconvenient and ugly for years. So getting it down to just one annoyance in the name of making sure I've got it right seems like a good trade-off. Since both rhome and bmorepanic have identified issues about the corner pantry area, that obviously needs more thought. The 30" door is fairly fixed in position; it can't move south (it may be possible to move it north) because this is a timber-framed building and its southern edge is right against an unmoveable framing member. That's what the small box with an X in it signifies. (Note the similar one on the opposite side behind the range; that one controls the placement of the stove vent hood.) I thought the diagonal step-in gave me more storage space than truncating it by running it straight across. The little closet is just a niche to store the fire extinguisher and emergency supplies. My current fridge probably won't last too many more years and then I thought a FD model would give me more useable space in front, which is why I'm planning for a larger appliance in that space from the start. bmorepanic's mention of the grocery-to-house pathway brings me to an admission about one of the driving forces of my plan. The grocery arrival path is actually through the sitting room door at the top of the drawing. One of my biggest issues with this house is the traffic flow from the outside to inside. It's a direct collision of three things: a)I live in a region of the country where no matter how formal the house, nobody except dead people in coffins ever uses the front door of farmhouses; b) even if I could manage to change this deeply-ingrained cultural pattern, the classical "front" Greek Revival facade of my house - complete with double door flanked by side and transom lights and appropriately dressed with columns and pilasters - is inaccessible to anyone who arrives by car; and c) it makes me ab-so-lute-ly nuts not to have a distinct, graduated, intimacy progression from outside to inside. This is the one thing (perhaps even more than the non-functional kitchen) which is at the root of this upheaval. I figure since I can't change either the people or the surroundings, the one thing I can change is the pathway they follow. So I've decided to alter the room functions to match my sensibilities; when people approach the house (by the inevitable backdoor entrance) they will find themselves, whether they like it or not, in my public reception rooms, leading to my formal rooms (sitting room, office, etc.). Buried deeper within the house are the rooms I consider more private, like the kitchen. It goes against the modern grain, I know, but to me kitchens are personal workspaces, truly the "heart of my private home", which is not something that I like to share with visitors. And definitely not where I want to entertain casual visitors from the census taker to local politicians stumping for votes to the man who comes to see me about the fencing. Right now the kitchen is the first space inside the house. Meh! It's not like I want to show off to my visitors or them feel uncomfortable - even my "formal" sitting room is very low key and approachable, and relaxed. But I so much want - and need - that step-wise gradation of intimacy, that I'll do anything to get it. I have gone and back and forth and back again weighing this. But in the end I have decided that if I can arrange my rooms to satisfy how I like and still leave the structure largely changed (because it is so old and I don't want to make structural changes), I'm willing to make some sacrifices: such as I'll have to bring the groceries in through the sitting room (actually the current kitchen) to get to my new kitchen. The additional the distance is only about about 6 feet longer (immaterial at a farm where the cars are stored in barns at least fifty feet away, not in attached garages), and it's unlikely it will be embarassing to us to haul the groceries through the sitting room, since we'll be the only ones present while hauling! I will put some more thought into the corner step-in area and see how it can be improved. Your observations are very useful to my planning. I truly appreciate the time and trouble you have taken. I'll post some updated sketches in this thread rather start a new one. May I also say thank you for your kind words about my amateur drawings. I have struggled to the point of tears trying to use computer room planning software. And because so many people who ask for advice have mastered this, until now, I have been too abashed by my lack of skill to post without a computer drawing. Back soon, with another version(s) of the corner pantry area. Anybody else want to put in their two cents? Nancy

benjesbride - the house is a typical city "shotgun" layout - each room is the width of the house and leads to the next w/o and halls, etc. There is an enclosed porch = office, living room, dining room, then the kitchen is at the rear of the house. We can add some room to the kitchen from that end if we take space away from the DR, but cant actually change its location. mama goose_gw zn6OH - I haven't figured out appliances at all. I was planning to just buy the most affordable pieces that come recommended here : ) The hood and range is on an interior wall separating the kitchen and the dining room. I think we probably could reverse the swing on the basement door. What benefit would that add? blfenton - The window across from the range faces south, and the one over the sink faces south west. The two by the table face southeast, however they look out to the neighboring house, which is barely 6 feet away. sena01 - never thought to alter the space in front of that long hall! A pantry would be amazing. I didn't think I could get one in, but was hoping increasing the number of top cabinets would give me enough storage. Another idea I had was to take the exterior landing (upper right) and enclose that so I could add more footage to the kitchen and change the point of entry. Just not sure if I would be gaining enough space to warrant the cost of adding an extension. I was planning to increase the opening leading in from the dining room, but worry that would make it even harder to maximize space. The funny thing is that this kitchen is quite literally double the size of our last two, but somehow doesn't feel as though it can look or feel spacious due to the doors and window placements. Also, wondering what steps to take first? Architect, KD, GC? Will the architect understand kitchen function? If I go to the KD first, will that person have enough knowledge of structural concerns in order to take moving walls, existing gas lines, etc into consideration? Do I see a GC to price out the cost of changes with moving walls and adding an extension? Hmph - no idea!

There is a way to get that reach-in pantry and save a LOT of $. Instead of having it built out of your cabinetry line, have that area sheetrocked in just the same as if a coat closet was being built there. Then put in adjustable shelves and put in sliding doors painted to match your walls. Or stain the sliding doors to match your cabinetry. Or, if the aisle is wide enough, you could just put on the same type of doors you're putting on your coat closet with the double-doors that open out. Although I don't think that's as convenient. With a slider, the doors could be left open while you're working without obstructing the aisle. Or you could get the type of hinges where you can recess the doors when they are open although these are likely a bit more expensive. I was thinking about the plan I gave you and wanted to mention something else. You could move the prep sink to the wall next to the fridge and then have a lot longer expanse of prep counter. And, of course, you could also prep on the island as you have tons of space there. Since your island is so large, I would definitely invest in a larger sink there. Probably 36". That way one person could be doing some clean-up while someone else uses the other side of that large sink to prep. Many of us will be envious that you have two expansive prep areas to choose from. I just want to emphasize that you have a good space to work with and there is no reason to crowd your space so I would definitely have at least 48" aisles. You might even consider making them a bit wider. Wide aisles make a space feel bigger and allow for more people working in the kitchen at the same time without crowding each other. Even a big kitchen can feel tiny if the aisles are too narrow for comfort. The NKBA suggests minimum of 48" aisles for multiple-worker kitchens. I'm an oddball who likes aisles wider than most. Mine will be more like 60". However, many people like around 50-52". The best way to know what suits you is to use boxes or whatever to mock up the island and place the boxes at various aisle widths. And then wrangle some family or friends to do pretend cooking in the space where someone is cooking, someone else is cleaning up, and someone else is prepping, or some-such other scenario. I realize this is a new build and you might not have that space available to do this in but you could do it anywhere. You're simply testing aisle widths. You could do it wherever you're living now by using furniture to stand-in for the perimeter counter and island.

Thank you all for your comments and advice, it is very much appreciated. I met with a design person from a local cabinet company on Saturday and he sent me some preliminary concepts. @Bob W - Thank you, it was my husband's vest that he wore all the time and I don't have the heart to remove it as he always hung it on the chair when he took it off. @User - thank you for your input. I work for attorneys so I am going to have them review the contract prior to signing. I meet with the contractor next week. @Patricia Colwell - Thank you. I am going to get rid of the oversized pub table as well as the small bench sitting under the mirror. I plan on putting a much smaller standard height square table and/or rectangle to sit maybe 3/4 people. I am a cooker so I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. As far as storage, I have more than enough as it is just me. I do have a dining room (below) off of the kitchen, which after the kitchen is complete, I may or may not put a small dining room table in there. It is empty right now. I have had it both ways over the years (i.e. dining table and I also had it as just another sitting room). It never really got used as a dining room. My budget is around $50,000.00 so I would like to stay around that. Considering the house was built in the 30's. I have been getting bids for the job for over a year now and have had contractors bids from $45,000.00 to $75,000.00 but that also included the back porch and bathroom. The bathroom has already been completed. The contractor that I am going with (I have not signed the contract - meeting next week) has bid the job at around $45,000.00 including materials. We are supposed to go over specifications when we meet. I have a detailed list of my specifications which need to be included with the contract. @Design Girl I'm not going to change the layout, other than I am going to extend the cabinets over a little i.e. on the other side of the stove and also extending over to the doorway to the back porch door. I have also asked him to send me an image with white cabinets as well. As far as the LVP flooring, I have it just about in my entire house. Unfortunately when I started renovating back in 2017, the only wood flooring in the house was a mess and could not be salvaged when I tore out carpeting, so I opted for the vinyl plank flooring because it was within my budget. Would love wood flooring but I just can't afford it. The wood floors were a mess and I also had a large iron metal return vent where you see the plywood square. I wish I could have salvaged the wood floors but they were so damaged with nail holes, digs, cracks etc. This is my current vinyl plank flooring: I have to say that I do love my vinyl plank flooring. I also put vinyl plank type tile in my bathroom and even my best friend who likes the finer things in life, thought that the bathroom tile was marble. She had to take her shoe off to feel the floor LOL. As far as tile, I had ceramic tile flooring in my bathroom prior to remodeling and I ended up with 3 cracked tiles from dropping stuff (I am clumsy), so that is why I opted for the LVF. The cabinet company sent me some computer images of what it would look like in grey. I do not like the countertop. Also, I want the cabinets to go to the ceiling with crown at the top. My ceiling are an off size. Right now they are 8'9". I want the ceilings tore out so that I can have recessed lighting installed so the top will changing depending on how far down they come with the ceiling after tear out. Thank you all very much, any suggestions and/or comments are appreciated as I am all over the place right now.