Thanks for the feedback! Here are a couple photos of the other side of the living room. The existing kitchen is 10' x 14' and the living room is 15' x 22', the area of the kitchen, dining area, and living room together is 25' x 22'. The fireplace is 7' wide and 5'6" tall, it is a behemoth. Removing the wall and changing to any layout other than galley are my two highest priorities. I cook every day and even if the only gain is in my own increased happiness during that time I think it will be totally worth it. We live in nice neighborhood with some million dollar homes, so I think spending the extra money to make the kitchen really nice would get us higher rent prices than just doing the minimum. I realize that my plans are ambitious but the time frame is flexible and 5 years is the earliest we would be looking at. In the 3 years we've been in the house we've averaged about 20K a year in improvements, we have two incomes, no children, and we don't take vacations, so right now we're able to focus our finances on reaching our real-estate dreams. We live in a Mediterranean climate with cool, rainy winters and warm, dry summers. There aren't any universities nearby so it's not a student rental area, but the house located conveniently close to a highway, an airport, and several business centers so it would be good for professionals. It also has a very large backyard with vehicle access, and a nice, big shed with a workbench and built-in storage set up for a carpenter, and we are in an area with lots of auto enthusiasts and car shows. The workshop is an addition that we built for my home business, the exterior door was a requirement of the building department and is not something that can be removed. It is already well insulated, and we were going to install radiant floor heating when we converted it. I think despite the odd configuration and exterior door it would still be more valuable as a bedroom with en suite bathroom than anything else. It is already plumbed for a bathroom and it has a gorgeous view of our majestic, 200+ year-old oak trees. I did consider adding a second, smaller addition to provide a better entry to the workshop/bedroom. Mainly because it would allow me to remove the door to the garage (or move it to the other side of the fireplace) and have an L-shaped kitchen, which is my favorite kitchen layout. If we were to do that, what would be the best use of the new room? It would have to be small, like 9' x 14' or so, I was thinking it would be a laundry room, dining room, or breakfast nook. Thanks again, everyone! I really appreciate the insight and difference in perspective that comes from other people's opinions.

Most heat loss is thru the attic -address that first - once you stop the updraft effect, cold air is no longer pulled in via the windows/side openings. Much warmer house. A good top of the line storm window with good sealing is going to give you the air-tightness and benefit of new window but without the cost, and you can still enjoy the beauty of the original wood window (if thats what youve got.) Skip the laminate - find some good vintage salvage wood flooring. As someone who LOVES the old house esthetic - isnt that the whole point to having an actual old house vs a new one? - I would not be happy with the fake wood - If I couldnt afford real wood right now Id much rather paint the subfloor with epoxy porch floor paint or something for now, and then come back to it later... sometimes with vintage old house parts you have to wait for the right thing to come along - and then eventually it does.

That is a big task you have ahead! But I think it will be fabulous when you are finished. I see a few issues with keeping the kitchen where it is and expanding it back. The first thing guests see when entering the house is the kitchen and all the work in progress that goes on in there. My issue with plan number 2 is the walk through work zones to get to the play area. Since you will be moving walls and adding rooms, I took the liberty to give you the beginnings of a third option, and perhaps you and others can adapt it even further to better cater to your needs and likes. In this new plan, guests arriving at the front door will see straight through the window to the patio, and see a beautiful breakfast table. Kids and guests can have easy access to the fridge without going into you or cooking and prep zone. Kids can also get to the play room without going inside the work zones of the kitchen. Lots of windows/sliding doors, with plenty of light, and ample aisles. 9ft island as the clean up zone, and I bet you will still have enough space on the other side for some bar stools. On the way to the family room you have a nice sitting area for guests to mingle, or for an afternoon cup of tea with MIL. You also have a corner for a desk, preparing party menus, and organizing the family schedule. A pantry wall should offer you plenty of storage for all your goods. You could also make the pantry wall a bit smaller, and incorporate a bar, and perhaps a TV. I left your original plan underneath, so you can see the differences. Since there may be some discrepancies between their drawings and your actual kitchen, you will probably want to measure, and draw all of it to scale.

We are planning to relocate the existing kitchen as part of a large scale remodel/addition and DH and I are concerned about kitchen sink drain line placement in regards to the main septic drain located in the basement. This photo shows (in the green) circle where the main septic drain is located and where the proposed kitchen will be. The kitchen area is currently a carport but will be dug out and crawlspaced so flooring joists can run either direction. The existing house's joists run east to west. Our kitchen sink options are, in order of preference: 1) South wall centered approximately on the 16' wall. 2) West wall centered 3) Island area centered With 1/4" drop per foot, the goal would be to get the drain line to the rear exterior wall as quickly as possible so the drain line falls along the wall instead of falling across the main walking area of the basement. My rough guesstimate has a fall of 18" from sink to drain line. Is that doable? Is it trouble waiting to happen, especially with two turns? Is their a pump type system that we could use to move the water/waste along? Am I crazy for even being concerned? TIA!