Quick thoughts- as many of those sunroom walls that you can remove the better. Moving the range onto the backwall is better then crammed next to the fridge but you end up with almost useless narrow cabinets (good for trays) How are you determining what is load bearing? Where will you put coats when the tiny closets go away?

If you knock out the wall, effectivly in the summer all the sun room heart will come in. Im not really understanding how removing that short wall matters to 3 ft of counter top? You will also be left with dead space at the bottom of the stairs. I also cannot imagine how that wall is load bearing who told you that? What would the sun room become? As it stands it seems the only wall you can loose is the sunroom wall? Idk if it would help. I also agree with no closet where do things go? Id leave the closet and just make it less depth maybe 24 inches, it could be just enough.

1. if you take out the wall that becomes the dining room

2. add a pantry to the laundry room wall

3. add a storage piece under the window

4. add an island portable or built in

How high off the floor is the Dining Room window?

What is the distance b/w the left wall and the middle of the sink?

Ditto b/w the right wall and the middle of the sink?

FYI...you can often move the plumbing a few inches in either direction without having to hammer into the slab, but not much more.

What's on the counter on the left wall now? If nothing, just workspace, then I actually like that it's a nice long piece of counter for prepping, etc.

(Still thinking!)

If your insurance company is just allowing you to replace the base cabs and not the lowers, I would challenge them. Trying to match cabinets is not easy and, sometimes, not possible. They should be willing to allow you to change them all out to get matching cabinets.

Did you just accept the first $$ amount they offered? Or did you challenge them on it? Most advise that you NOT take/accept the first offer as many (most?) insurance companies like to low-ball people and are hoping you won't question/challenge them about it.

Hallett & Co.: Thanks for your input! We currently have 2 lazy susan cabinets in the corners so once those are replaced the oven should fit with just a little trim to fill the gaps. Our contractor made some educated guesses about which walls are load bearing but will tell us more once the drywall is out and they can get a good look - I'll update this when we know more. Thinking of replacing the closets (we only use one now) with a slim cabinet for coats and a bench (I'll add a picture of what we're thinking tomorrow).

RL Relocation: hat a creative idea! My only concern is that it shrinks the work triangle back to being too small since the fridge would have to move in where the stove is now - does that seem like too big a sacrifice to get an island in there? Will definitely find out more about the load bearing walls to consider your plan - I especially love the pantry idea.

Buehl: Thanks for your consideration! Hm, I'll have to get back in the house and get those measurements. I think the dining room window is 24", give or take, off the ground. The sink I'll measure and get back to you. Nothing currently on the left wall of the kitchen, so yes, it is a good prep space, but I think moving it over by the fridge might be more effective, although I could be wrong on that. Our project is big enough that our insurance did not give us an up front offer - we are in the process of getting estimates and they will pay contractors as we go. However, our policy specifies that they will not pay to match cabinets so I think we're out of luck there, sadly.

Could you please post a layout that's fully measured. Unfortunately, your layout is missing several KEY measurements. In addition, most of your measurements appear to be measured to/from the middle of a wall - that's not useful. We need accurate measurements of the space available to work with.

How thick are the walls that are being taken down?

Excerpt from the Featured Answer in the "New to Kitchens? Read Me First!" thread:

By "fully-measured", we mean a layout with the widths of each wall/window/door/doorway and the distances between each wall/window/door/doorway labeled. See a sample below. If something cannot be moved or changed, label it precisely on your layout (see post in sample) and tell us why it cannot be moved/changed -- we may have some ideas for you.

Regardless of how you draw it up (by hand, computer, etc.), please be sure all measurements are labeled. (Note: Computer generated layouts often lack key measurements and, sometimes, measure to/from things like the middle of a wall or the middle of a window. Neither are useful. Measure each item and the distances between each item.)

Here's an example of what we are thinking of for the front entry instead of the closets

Buehl: Interior walls are 4.5" thick throughout.

Midline of sink to left wall is 6', middle of sink to right wall is 4'8". Dining room window is 24" off the ground.

Distances are not measured to/from the middle of a wall, but between the insides of each wall to measure the functional space, if that makes sense. The one exception is the 16' wall in the living room, which was just measured from end to end. Sorry that the labeling is unclear, as I said before, this is my first time trying to do something like this so I'm just doing my best to understand and follow all instructions, and my interpretations are definitely imperfect. Hope these additions help!

I think the pantry idea should be in acted eiter way, you could even do a hidden coffee bar to free up some counter space. I think the ability to have a portable island may help keep you out of each others way in the kitchen. I dont think the problem has much resolution with out a real reno if you know what I mean, why not extend 6 ft?

I'd consider changing the kitchen from U-shaped to galley to eliminate the two inefficient corner cabinets/countertops. The sink side could remain as is. The opposite side could host the range and refrigerator. With 10 feet (120 inches) available, you could do something like this (starting at the right when facing the wall):

• 24" base cabinet with countertop
• 30" range
• 24" base cabinet with countertop
• 1-2" refrigerator air gap (right side only)
• 30-36" refrigerator*

24 + 30 + 24 + 2 + 36 = 116 < 120

*counter-depth refrigerator or deep base cabinets to reduce intrusion of refrigerator doors and handles into room

wdccruise: I wondered if someone would suggest a switch to a galley kitchen. I think your idea is a good one, and I appreciate the way you've thoughtfully put together a plan for the cabinetry. I do think it's something to consider. My personal hesitation is that I think I'd rather prioritize counter space over storage space, so I'm not sure a galley is right for me, unless I could lengthen the kitchen. I could totally see it being the best choice for someone else, though! I'm wondering now if there's a way to combine your galley idea with RL Relocation's idea of cutting off that end where the fridge is now to make a walkway if those walls aren't structural...I'll have to think some more about that!

RL Relocation: Yes, I'm absolutely looking for a pantry for that space! It's a great idea. I agree that a "real reno" would be ideal, but for now I'm looking to make the best of the opportunity I have to make some changes while everything is down to the studs with the limited funds I have.

(not a pro) What is the round thing in the lower left of the laundry room? Is that your water heater, and if so can it move a little bit? Are you willing to have a laundry closet instead of a laundry room? I'm asking because IF you could wall off the current passage to the laundry / bathroom, and move that door down, you could expand that top wall of your kitchen. It's not a ton of room, but you could move your fridge there with room behind it to recess a bit (but not so much that the doors don't open.) Your cooktop or range could stay on the old fridge wall with a bit more elbow room. As mentioned, I'm not a pro, just throwing out some food for thought in case it helps. (Rough mockup below; ignore the dotted arcs at the right - I was trying to make ref door swings and forgot to delete.)

"My personal hesitation is that I think I'd rather prioritize counter space over storage space, so I'm not sure a galley is right for me..."

You would be gaining useful counter space as (a) the useless eight square feet (24" x 24" x 2) of counter space in the back corners of the kitchen would be eliminated*, (b) you'd have 24" of useful counter space on each side of the range, and (c) you'd have 24" more useful counter space to the left of the sink. The kitchen would also feel less cramped as the length of the corridor would be increased by 24".

*along with the hard-to-reach storage space underneath

OK everyone: First, thanks for all your incredible insights and ideas - I can't even describe how helpful it is to get all your thoughtful input.

Just got some new ( and important) info: The 9'9'' wall between living and sunroom is NOT load bearing, but it's possible the 7'9" wall between the sunroom and dining room IS load bearing. Still not sure about that one...demolition is ongoing so we will know for sure soon.

chicagoans: Interesting idea! It is a water heater, so I'm not sure how much or if it could move, but that might be worth looking into. Thanks!

wdccruise: Good point. I'll seriously consider the galley option based on your reasoning!