"Have you thought of changing the wall studs to 2x6" rather than 2x4"?" I don't wish to destroy the wall on the far side. I have a large map wallpapered to the other side. I could build out with a false wall for some additional distance, but I don't see that as necessary since I can do at least 3-1/2"x14" (almost equivalent to a 8" round duct). Plus, I found a standard "Straight Register Boot" to transition to 8" diameter. I believe 3-1/2x14" equates to about .05 friction loss for five feet). I just don't know what 2200-2500 FPM will equate to in sound level at the hood. I foresee cutting a 4x15 opening (or bigger), at the back of the hood. I am re-reading rjpjnk's post and I remind you I only have five straight feet till it feeds straight into the fan venturi. I found this is an engineering handbook: Duct velocity should be between 1500 and 4000 FPM  Hood velocities (not less than 50 FPM over face area between hood and cooking surface)  Wall Type - 80 CFM/ft2  Island Type - 125 CFM/ft2  Extend hood beyond cook surface 0.4 x distance between hood and cooking surface Filters  Select ï¬lter velocity between 100 - 400 FPM  Determine number of ï¬lters required from a manufacturerÂs data (usually 2 CFM exhaust for each sq. in. of ï¬lter area maximum)  Install filters at 45 - 60°to horizontal, never horizontal Using this as a guide I think an average 400 CFM for general-purpose venting @ 1500 FPM means that I am well covered with a variable speed 1000 CFM external fan and 8" duct area. I'm guessing that at 1500 FPM it will be pretty quiet. The old Vent-a-Hood units are supposed to deliver 300 CFM each and I usually only use one. They are super noisy at near my ear level and 18 inches away. The air passes through a 3-1/2" x 4-1/2" rectangular opening! That's small and seems to equate to almost 3000 FPM! I guess it's no wonder they're so noisy... Am I missing anything? Bad calculations or asumptions?

I appreciate the supportive opinions! With respect to columns in the L/R, I foresee only one, about 5-6' in from front of the house and about 8-9' in from the left side. This is where the corner of the original house sits now. The I-beams will meet at this post and the other sides will be held up by the portions of the load bearing walls that will remain in place. If colums will be needed at those points to take the extra weight, they can be tucked away so that they don't or only barely show in the L/R. In any case there will be only one column to be worked around for funiture placement. With respect to adding value, yes I think both projects definitely will. Right now the house has a nice kitchen and a nice MBR. Everything else is small and kind of weird. Post-remodeling the house will have a good size L/R, a conventional D/R, an 11 x 11 room (TV room, office...), and three real B/R's. Not a McMansion by any means, but a liveable 3 BR house. So it seems I should start with an engineer...

yes but I still need to create space for a new heater. This one is only 16 inches in diameter. Most water heaters I can get at home depot or Rona are minimum 24 inches in diameter. Please see the picture below. The previous house owner did this to make enough space on the top unit.

I would put hardwood floors throughout the area but I am partial to hardwood and know it’s not budget friendly. You could use rugs to create distinct areas — one for dining and then one with the couch you float. Then choose a curtain to coordinate with rugs. Then pull a couch color from the rug (I believe in choosing your favorite color for a couch unless doing a white slipcover which actually has been my best couch with kids because BLEACH haha. Most couches today just don’t last forever anyways — get something you will love). Then choose an accent colors for toss pillows, get an end table and some lamps, and a chair in your accent color. Art. Then paint. And maybe think about painting the brick and wait until the other elements come together to see how you feel about it. I think you would feel a lot better about the space if it looks more put together. Then for your storage, you could get ikea sektion cabinets or something like that and even paint them to have more attractive storage and there are even hacks to make them look more built in. I’ve hacked several ikea things in my house (closets, playroom storage, a bookcase.. and I am not a DIY person at all LOL but custom storage is so expensive and if it’s not in areas where I entertain or my kids are just going to beat it up, no way am I doing anything custom) you could maybe even add “mudroom cabinets” because your garage door leads into the dining room correct? You could totally hack ikea pax into mudroom cabinets if on a tight budget/. You could maybe also add a pantry cabinet if you need extra storage (I don’t think I saw a pantry in your drawing and this is where getting the full floor detail is really helpful!!) if you can better think about what you need, you can probably get more advice about what to do with that area.