So not there . Why not switch the fridge and range positions IMO you never should pass a range on the way from the fridge to the sink and BTW your walkway in front of the range or fridge is too small it should be at least 48" so move the island over 12" it will then line up with the pantry wall and then do not plan on stools if you have a tble in ther breakfast room

if the builders price includes the run of tall pantry cabinet [ with shelves?] and island and perimeter w choices that agree with you...all installed ....I might keep things as shown. the things I might "tweak" are 1. single bowl sink 2. possible glass doors on some upper cabs on non window wall 3. certainty the hood is of your choice maybe an upgrade there. 4. island overhang dimension of your choice maybe 15 inches 5. all or near all base drawers even if an upgrade.....6. . appliances reviewed? or could be? think mwave DRAWER !!! other appliances all okay???? some folks might wish a tall roll out pantry to the right of fridge.....full depth...means pushing fridge over......not sure he'd do it but maybe ..... are they installing appliances ??? good Luck/ its a lot of work.

Thanks a lot herbflavor, these are great ideas 💡.

leaving it alone and simply adding an island sink would make things much more usable.

It seem like there are bigger problems with the house in general, and trying to fix the parts will not fix the whole. I mention this for the benefit of this project and anyone reading,

The refrigerator would be less functional if it were on the pantry wall. And as shown, the door may have trouble opening all the way, or beyond 90⁰ to allow you to pull out the bins. Be sure they allow space to the right of it.

what are the bigger problems with the house in general?

I would not spend money on glass front uppers.

Function is more important than looks, glass front doors provide no improvement in function, in fact less because they always have to be perfectly neat one can store less in them.

There are more significant issues with this house plan (seen on another thread) that this homeowner should be spending money on.

And clearly, this builder is going to charging extra for every nail and screw.

Jeet Jeet- Much good luck and kudos to you for taking on your parents (in-laws), May your blessings come back to you from your children!

"It seem like there are bigger problems with the house in general, and trying to fix the parts will not fix the whole"

I mentioned that exact same thing a month ago Mark. A 1 .5 mil budget deserves better.

Thanks a lot for your advise and suggestions.

After speaking to the builder, we have decided to keep the kitchen layout as provided by builder (Standard layout) and add below items to Kitchen:

• Tall cabinets all the way to ceiling with crown molding
• Glass cabinets for the upper with in-cabinet lighting
• One large sink
• Larger Island (50 inches deep instead of 36 inches)
• Add more drawer to base cabinets (2-3 Pot and Pan drawers)
• Microwave drawer in Island
• 24 deep cabinet over the fridge
• 36 Inch gas range with upgrade hood exhaust
• Undercabinet lighting
• Cabinet for Recycle bin and Garbage

Builder cant install sink on Island (Not an option)

I have read all of the posts related to this build and am feeling bad for the original poster. The kitchen is not the worst aspect of this house. Have you looked at hiring an interior designer (not decorator) who could help you through this process? This seems to be an awful lot of work for you and your builder is not helpful. If anything he is obstructive. You really deserve better for what you're paying. My husband is starting to think the builder purposefully designed the house badly so he can make more money on upgrades/changes.

Yes, we are looking to hire a interior designer for this home..

Too many changes needed and not much experience between me and my spouse..

We are worried we might over customized the house and spend lot of $$$..

omg, that could be it.

Or maybe these tract homes were never designed by an architect to begin with.

Or both.

What a revolting development!

Jeet Jeet- Before you sign on all these add ons, please hire an experienced interior designer that is not affiliated in any way with this builder, to ask about all this.

And you want someone who has common sense who will tell you what is a waste of money.

Someone who will say to you, how will you change the light bulbs on the top of those cabinets? And what do you need lights there for anyway? There is glass in the top, you can see in them why do you need the lights, the room is lit.

And you don't need the glass cabinets either, all the cabinets will have to be totally perfectly neat all the time. Who needs that? And it limits what you can put in them because they have to be perfectly neat.

Ask how much the undercabinet lighting is.

I'll bet you money that you can get a far less expensive stick-on lighting system at Home Depot or Lowes.

A 50 " deep island is too deep.

You can't reach across it to clean it, you will have to walk around which is a waste of time and energy. Unless you are 6 feet tall.

Very important- don't spend too much money over-improving.

You will never make it back when you sell. Your house will only sell for the average house value in that development which you can be sure, was not over-improved.

I do suggest finding out if you can soundproof your guest bedroom on the first floor, else there will be problems with your elderly parents.

Don't ask the builder to install the grab bars, but do have the builder reinforce behind and beside the guest toilet and in the shower.

It may be much cheaper for you to purchase grab bars and hire someone to install the grab bars if and when they are needed.

You can ask what the builder would charge to install the grab bars.

It may be worth the cost for the builder to just go ahead and do the whole thing for you.

See, this is way more important to me than fancy glass-fronted cabinets.

And did you choose slip resistant tile for the bathroom?

Loobab, you mentioned changing the light bulbs in the cabinet. It might sound funny at first, but you're right! There was a recent thread here on that very problem. I don't recall how the poster resolved it.

It was a thread by nidnay