THanks for the honest feedback about cost. I cant believe this could cost $120K, but I guess I better be prepared to get blown away when I get these figures. And then get used to our existing floor plan, or move.  And unfortunately, no, theres really minimal work we can do ourselves. We have 3 little kids and my husband is not very handy and works really long hours. I still want to come up with an ideal solution and work backwards if its way out of our price range. THe original contractor who suggested a similar layout to above, I believe was implying that such a project might run about 60-70. I believe he said though that opening the structural wall up with about a 5-6' archway opening was more realistic than removing the majority of the wall entirely. Does that sound accurate? We are lucky to have a large finished basement where the kids mostly play now and I imagine when they,re older, that will be their getaway with the door closed, so we honestly do not have too much use for that formal LR. Although, I do occasionally sit in there and enjoy the quiet and the tidiness, since it�s the only room that stays clean! We moved furniture around last night! We put the kitchen table extended in front of the fireplace lengthwise. We pulled chairs up to the wall facing into the kitchen, as if we had a peninsula there. Ill attach a picture of 2 rooms I've seen online that made me think we could do this layout. We liked it and I really think we could do something similar. I agree Id miss the Fireplace in the FR, a lot. But I do think it'd be really pretty to have it in the kitchen/dining area and something that would make our cookie cutter house feel kind of unique! But we can,t figure out a good furniture arrangement for the 'new' Family Room. I feel like it could only work if we switched where the coat closet is, moving it down closer to the Entry Door, so we'd have wall down that end of the LR to put the TV on. If we cant make the new Family room feel comfortable, all this will not be an option. I'd love to see what you mean about bumping out the back wall of the kitchen. I've always thought that would be easiest rather than messing with the rest of the house! All I need is a little more kitchen space to make me happy!! Just a counter to work on is all I ask! But I have been told that will be way more expensive to add on to the house than it would be to reconfigure the existing layout. Might be a question for another thread on another board? But, if you have ideas I'd love to see it! Although, we don't have much room along the back wall of the house, especially on the kitchen side. Id only be comfortable bumping out 4-6 feet. After that, it would encroach on the back yard too much and behind the powder room, any larger would block our entrance into our backyard. We could add on adjacent to the family room out the back, but I don�t even see how that would help much. I don't need a larger FR, I need a larger kitchen. Plus I'd prefer to not lose backyard space, but I would consider it. How hard is it to move a powder room to the complete opposite end of your house?! I am overwhelmed :( Here is a link that might be useful: [Similar layout I think we could do[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/tiburon-home-remodel-traditional-kitchen-san-francisco-phvw-vp~46400) This post was edited by homebuyer23 on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 16:08

I worry about managaing it bymyself and getting it in and out of the house. I saw something called a T-Jack...that looked like it might be helpful in doing 1 cabinet at a time. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000224ON/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER To take the old uppers down, I used a giant hard plastic cat grit container with a board or 2 above or below, but I wasn't trying to get anything level or even then.

I like Option 2, but with the fridge on the opposite wall. As it is, the leg opposite the sink has a lot of counter without a purpose. With the fridge moved, you can add drawers next to the DW for dish storage, and possibly uppers. I would move the sink to the right, so you can prep in front of the window, and add a super susan in the corner. On the new fridge wall, you can add deep cabinets, both upper and lower, so the fridge doesn't stick out so far. This gives you more storage and more counter space.

@Beth You did a commendable job explaining all the design aspects. Thank you so much! Just curious if I choose to change the granite completely, what color will go with oak wood floors and simply white or another white upper cabinets and darker island cabinets? I love the way island without cooktop looks. If I change then I won't be cooking any more :) Can you please give me advice on the kitchen blinds also? I am curious about the name of countertop and backsplash you have in your home?