I'm not the expert that others are but I prefer B. You seem to lose a broom closet (which I can't figure out where to put in my kitchen either) but I like the flow better. You gain a lot of storage with the pantry by the door. Although I am curious what you are going to do with the corner to the left of the range. I don't think B leaves enough room for a lower lazy susan.

I also prefer the dog bowl in the corner, not by the table.

My 2 cents...

Good luck

A - except I'd like fold-down dog dish, please.

Take what I'm going to say with a grain of salt as I am prone to over researching everything. One of the most valuable things we did to prepare was to have one person make dinner and the other person write down what they did.

I used those notes to figure out how much walking was done and how frequently each major area was accessed - dry food, ref, sink, range, stuff storage, etc.

Those were facts, not my opinion of what we did (which was way wrong!). I had the order of access, so I could tell what would happen if, say the distance to the ref increased or decreased.

I found out that I get out all the dry food at once, but go back and forth to the ref a lot! Because most of the fresh food is pre-washed when purchased, I don't use the sink as much in prep work as others may. But the distance between the ref and the range was so big, it was killing productivity. That's why I'd take A.

I can recommend two things for you and spouse to do. It can sometimes be helpful when people have strong opinions to actually gather facts - so see if you'll both stick through out cooking dictation. The second suggestion is go to big box store and get an unfinished pine wide board - like 24" by 48". They glue them up out of smaller pieces - it will look really bad, but that won't matter.

Put it on top of some other table or counter height thing or even a big card board box and sit it in the middle of your current kitchen. If you can make it practical - with something strong underneath, even better.

If you do this, you'll be better armed to know what you want. Because it doesn't matter what I think or how I'd use it. The kitchen needs to suit you.

I'm disappointed about losing my favorite 2 options from the previous thread, but will address these 3:

In B you have more counter where it's not useful and less where you need it, plus the expense of moving the door, so it's easy for me to throw that one out of contention.

You have been worried about traffic flow, so that makes C come a bit ahead of A, plus the $$ savings and less disruption to the dining room. Although I'm unclear about that latter issue, because a 'pro' for A was better connection to the dining room while a 'con' was that it affected the dining room layout most...Can you explain and tell us which would be more important?

I think C provides decent storage with the pantry cabs, and has particularly good work areas and decent separation for the cook and cleanup person to work at the same time, which you mentioned as a wish...Plus the much better proximity of the stove to the sink for draining pots of noodles, etc. This will be a bigger deal, perhaps, when there are little people about and running through aisles. However, the dish storage location interferes with the cooking area...

That takes me back to A, in which, if you can store the dishes on the sink side of the room, floats to the top for me. I also think the more central and larger dining room doorway could be a nice feel, especially in showing for resale. BUT, I still want to know about the affect on the dining room, and wonder if the considerable extra expense is worth it for a 'starter home' and for the 5 years you plan to stay.

I'm with rhome in tossing B first. There are things I like about A and C, but I think I'd have problems working with either.

If non-cooking traffic is a major concern, A could be a problem, especially if you are having to carry pots of boiling water or pans with hot grease across that end of the kitchen to get to the sink. That layout needs a prep sink in my mind and the island would make more sense than giving up limited counter space in the cooking area. Also, make sure you'd have room to get into the corner cabinet -- the dog dish and shelves look like they are too close.

The fridge is too far removed in C -- I'd want to put in some fridge drawers near the range so you have a tight work zone there and let the large fridge store food to the table and extras. But that would take away storage for pots and pans unless you want them under the top of the work table. Without it, I'd have a very hard time working in that kitchen.

If it were me, I'd keep working on DH and working with mock ups of the layout (tape, boxes, move tables and chairs, take notes about every move you make in the kitchen during the day -- and try to walk through planning a big dinner party, birthday party, etc.

I think the sink island and shallow storage idea or the prep sink in the island give you your best use and function of that space. Is DH afraid of the cost or just saying it can't be done? I moved gas to my island when we bought the house, then capped that off and ran water and electricity to the island to have a prep sink when we remodeled. We have a slab foundation, no basement and a bathroom above. That aren't a lot of arrangements more limited than that and I used to think it was not a possibility for us, but we did it and it wasn't that expensive (about $500 for running lines under the slab). We got so much out of it too.

We also closed off a doorway (we had 3 going to the driveway and garage along one wall of the kitchen and breakfast room) and gained a hutch with refrigerator drawers and and espresso machine that has turned out to be a popular favorite -- but we almost didn't do it because we thought it would be too difficult and expensive. The cost wasn't that great (spent more in cabinets and the fridge drawers). The challenge came when both reusing and matching brick were more difficult than we expected. Instead of a brick wall, we put in a faux barn door that ties in with the garage door. There are ways to work around many things that are less trouble and expense than you might think. I'd at least ask those questions before you close doors on possibilities.

What about A with cabinetry for dish storage turning the corner where the range started out?

I think the shallow shelves and dog dish fill the space but don't contribute much there. I know you need a dog dish--I'd kick it all the time, in that location, for sure,

I'm pretty much with Rhome on this, but I think Bmorepanic has a really good idea there. If you can really either do the dictation or videoing of meal cooking both with and without the proposed work table, you'll have a much better idea of how this all actually works for you.

A is the most appealing to me, though I dislike the distance from stove to sink. I've just gotten ride of the same problem in my new kitchen.

C seems like the best idea, however, for many reasons: The works are out of the entry path, and if one leg of a triangle is less accessible, it should be the fridge. There's sufficient counter space, even though it looks minimal on the plan. You have sufficient prep space on the counters, plus a couple of landing zones. With the round table, you can really do just about anything even without the center work table. It might not be dreamy, but it's adequate. And, most of all, since you won't be here forever, something that works well without impinging on other rooms is a really really really really big advantage.

Really big. If moving the door would improve the dining room I'd be all for it. Since it's not, keeping it where it is is a real plus. Big time. I can't tell you how many houses I've seen with "improvements" that I'd wished had never happened. I think taking out the tiny mudroom and breakfast room and combining their functions into the kitchen proper is a great idea, especially for as you start growing your family. But that's enough. You might lose a little charm of the old, but you're gaining so much more function, especially as you've kept the purposes going. Cutting into the DR, however, if you might be moving within 5 years just leaves a cut into dining room for the next folks. If it were going to give you as much gain as taking down the other walls, I'd be all for it, but plan C works better for the other reasons too.

Thanks all!
@bmore---I tried mapping a meal out myself a little while back, but I really like the idea of having DH take notes, partly since he doesn't cook so it helps him understand what the process really looks like. (I also remember when my parents remodeled their kitchen a few years back, they taped out the plan, did a dry run, and discovered a huge layout issue as a result.) We also spent a while trying to reduce the distance between the fridge and other appliances before it occurred to me to measure the current distance. Turns out it's almost 9' and doesn't bother us at all, so we stopped stressing over it. (Before I measured, I would never have guessed it was that far!)

I'm not sure what DH's issue with the island is, exactly. He's not a fan of the work table either but eventually bent to the argument that the space was critical.

My biggest concern, honestly, is that Option C (using the existing door) might be the smartest layout in terms of balancing cost and functionality---and I'm resisting it like crazy because I HATE how we walk into the current fridge. Thing is, our current fridge sticks out 3' into the room, and then there's a 5' wall behind it---so it might feel completely different with a CD fridge and the wall removed. I've modeled it with 3-D software, but this is the one layout where I can't figure out how to "model" it in real life. There's also the concern that if we go with A, that's a lot of investment for a layout that still isn't great. (Our budget is pretty set, so the more we spend on structural, the less on cabinetry, appliances, etc.---which is also a consideration.)

@rhome on the dining room front, here's the layout of the whole house, which might clarify that issue---the bigger doors do better connect the two rooms, but infringe on the dedicated dining room space so it's a matter of choosing the bigger benefit. Our table and sideboard take up the space on the left, and can't move to the right because of all the doorways there. Sorry the image is so ridiculously large....!

Re modeling what the new fridge will be like, there's no way to make the current fridge smaller, but you can build your whole kitchen layout by using cardboard boxes in the yard, or in one of the other rooms with the furniture pushed aside.

What brand of counter-depth fridge are you using? There are true counterdepth and "counter depth" which can be quite a misnomer. How much you might be able to live with "c" as the least destructive to the DR and less expensive may really hinge on whether you have a true 24-25" depth fridge or a counterdepth fridge that really pushes 29".

@palimpset---not 100% decided on the fridge yet, but leaning towards a freestanding KA model that I think (if I read the specs right) is a 24" deep cabinet plus door to 27". We haven't looked at it in person yet, though.

If we go with C, we do have the non-traditional option of doing this in two phases: first the L with range and sink since that takes care of all of the things that need permits, and then the wall of pantry, broom closet, and fridge enclosure. We're exploring mixing frameless lowers with custom-built traditional face-frame wall cabinetry as a way of balancing budget and maxing out inches. In option C they divide neatly between the two walls, so we could do the L and all the structural work upfront, and then revisit the pantry dimensions once the new fridge and everything else is in place. A little atypical, though, and DH is wary of that plan because he is ready to have the whole thing done!

I would try to avoid fouling up the dining room. If you can adequately get around the table with the doorway moved, that's one thing, but if the table becomes a deadend or something you have to scootch around, then that's a definite negative.

I'm not sure what DH's issue with the island is, exactly. He's not a fan of the work table either but eventually bent to the argument that the space was critical.
I've said this before, but the island with the prep sink, as Buehl drew, or the larger island with the main sink fulfill great purposes in your space...more efficient aisles and in Buehl's, additional work area and separationg of zones. To me, the work table is additional work space, but also an aggravating barrier between the fridge and the sink. You asked if there was anything in these plans that would be a deal breaker for me, and that's it...in all 3 plans.

Maybe just take the layout and draw your workpath while making a meal with a pen, similar to what Buehl did in the last thread, but show him how many times you might have to circle that work table and otherwise cross purposes in the process. Another color can show him doing his tasks in the space...and maybe guest traffic or kids.

Anyway, if budget is at all a concern, C is probably the best bet. The impeded path between fridge and sink will likely not be your favorite part of the setup. Compromises...Always necessary and hardly ever fun. I haven't seen any kitchen without them. Best wishes!

I'd go with C. but i'd swap out the cab and the fridge and put the dog's dishes between the fridge and the DR door. it'd be closer to water, not in the way of the in/out doorway. fridge closer to sink/stove and more open area on the end.