best to show the overhead of the rooms around the kitchen and the kitchen so the orientation can be better appreciated for the best comments. I'm not certain this plan is the best. Its a nicely coordinated, cohesive kitchen...maybe a little older but showing its age nicely. the standard recommendation is to reside in the property 6-12 mo before major changes. I would say especially so before undertaking anything here.

I would normally agree with that however I have an opportunity to sand all floors before moving in so kitchen must at least be gutted.
Here is floor plan

you are gutting the kitchen to sand/refinish the floors in the home? so you plan to get a new kitchen and how soon do you think that will be done?

Yes floors will be sanded. We haven’t even gone to closing yet but I want to be prepared. Kitchen will take a while as the appliances will take a few months to get!

I can live without a kitchen for a few months but I can’t live in the house during sanding!

Since you have a living room also, I would extend the kitchen into the family room space and create a nice big kitchen.

That was a thought however I’m trying to keep the budget down. And I like the idea of a den off the kitchen!

If it were my house, the first thing I would plan is to use the family room/den as the dining room.

You say 10' but the layout says 9'. What dimension do you have wall to wall?

Littlebug we also thought about that and may still consider that. However then the dining room would become the den. In that scenario walking into the house you would have a living room attached to a den? I’ll post that picture.
And dan1888 I couldn’t figure out how to edit!! I’m new to houzz. Today being my first post!

One way to open it up some is to only remove the wall above the drawers (by removing the wall cabinet next to the stove), and widen the opening that looks into the den. You could keep the lower cabinet drawers and make a half-wall behind there with a place to set buffet style items on those lower cabinets. I would check to be sure it isn't a load-bearing wall, also. Then, you can see more into the room without moving the stove or demo too much. You can have the cabinets refaced without having to replace everything.

This is the entry

Suz that was my thought behind the peninsula. I still need cabinet/drawer space.

Or you could convert the den to a breakfast room. It just looks like a PITA to walk all the way across the house from the kitchen to the existing dining room. There’s no place else to sit and eat, as-is.

If there is room in the garage, a cabinet depth frig would work (you can move the larger one for use into garage). I agree with waiting until you are in the home a while, because you may find yourself only wanting to change the counter tops and kitchen sink/faucet and you can 'try out' where the dining room works for you vs. den. Maybe make the den an eat-in den with comfy seating with a small table?

I agree. I think when floors done and wall removed it could be just a matter of moving furniture to make current den dining room. Would it look odd to see formal living room then den? There are pocket doors between the rooms but then natural light is minimal.

Good advice Suz

Kitchen into family room and turn kitchen into dining. however you can have your existing floors redone now and then when its time have the new floors added and finished to match existing. any skilled flooring person would be able to match without having to redo the whole first floor. its done all the time. It seems foolish to remodel quickly for floors. you may end spending a lot of money for no real benefit.

Hi Karen. You could keep the dining room if you want. People are moving away from formal dining rooms, in general, toward comfortable dining. I don't think looking into an eat-in den/breakfast area+ is odd or unusual! What works for you is more important.