About the plan: Where the colums are by the dining room is where the existing house ends. The rest is an addition. The columns don’t have to be there we can do TGI’s apparently to get rid of those.
There the fireplace is, that is East,
There the dining room is that is North.
Pantry will be switched with the door East of it. That door leads to the mud room - which is sort of “in the garage”
What we want :
Bright kitchen
A walk in pantry ��" don’t care where
We drink tea, and lots of different herbs
Big nice hood and vent over cooktop
Single bowl sink
No microwave
What we don’t mind having :
Baking center, lowered counter?
Maybe a warming drawer ��" if it actually works like some say or if it dries the food out
I don’t necessarily have to have seating in the island
I really like clean counter spaces so the sink under the window breaks that, but also will look cluttered when I have dishes drying and pots in the sink ( AND I WILL)
I thought of putting the sink next to the fridge instead. A friend of mine said she doesn’t like her’s under the window as she gets splashes and it’s a pain. On the other hand do I want to be looking at a wall? (I do now ��" I guess I don’t mind it too much)
I will have a second sink in the island
I don’t have to have an island, but do think it looks nicer than a peninsula sometimes
I want room for children (currently have a 2 yr old but planning on much more)
I want to prep food and see my children at the same time.
I like to cook with my husband when we have the time and energy, but want to be able to cook with my kids in the future so that they learn by doing.
WE cook a lot ��" not every meal is hot but mostly everything is made from scratch
Kitchen is VERY important. We want the kitchen to be everything.
We wanted one table ��" for we feared there will be a “dining table” that is never used
(we currently have that and nobody wants to use it and they all squeeze in on our kitchen table and say it is “cozy” ��" though the dining room is not in the best position ��" that may be why
So we want that table to be used and I think that it is in a good spot for both formal and everyday meals
This is currently an open floor plan, but I just wanted the rooms to be connected somehow so you feel together with everyone in the three rooms (diing, family and kitchen) I actually like the bump out of the family room, makes it more “cozy”

Do you gather I like “cozy?”

Moving the sink would give me a second prep in front of the window for when the kids are outside.

Drawing below puts the main working area where I think you'd like it - facing the family room and dining room. But also available is at least one side of the cooktop if you have a crowd or as extra space for cooling racks.

You can lower either one side of the island. If I was, ahh, height-challenged or did a lot of home baking, I'd do that. The other place that could be lowered is one side of the cooktop. I think that would be my choice.

Switching the pantry and the mudroom entrance would be excellent!

So, this is meant as a concept idea, not a full boat plan. The hallway run is partly a hutch and partly a beverage center and partly a buffet - slightly away from the kitchen, but still central and easily accessed by family on a daily basis and guests. If you entertain a lot, I might go ahead with a bar sink there.

For you, I would suggest taking a look at one of the big sinks - either an orca or a full size stages. They each have some unique prep advantages as well as the ability to hide a ton of pots.

Angie, - I can make the kitchen longer and narrower, but that will lake away a bit from the nook the fireplace is in :(

I am very frustrated at this kitchen and the very fact that it is the last piece that does not fit right --- and as with last pieces, might not fit ever :(

I also want ot add that the window in the kitche is from teh east side, so if I stand at one endo fhte island I am blocking my sunlight.

This kitchen really seems to be great, just in the wrong direction!

To create more space between cooktop and sink, I would move the Refr. wall closer to the Family Room, and move the cooktop wall up (East, I believe). This makes the room longer and narrower, and allows you to put the cooktop on what is now the fridge wall.

How about something like this? Your original plan, just moving around the appliances a bit...

From Cottage house plans

herbflavor _ I'm not sure what you mean by: Each access point[outside mudroom,outside kitchen windows,outside family room windows] has a barrier because the exterior walls keeping cutting off the sections.

Unfortunatelly mudroom cannot be moved over, however, teh current enterance to the mudroom will actually be an enterance to the pantry (actually in the mudroom so to speak. teh mudroom is enclosed in the garage)

I did consider making that back wall even, but one issue I had with that: the family room might not be as cosy as it is right now with that bumpout. Maybe I'm wrong, I have a hard time visualizing all these changes

Angie: I meant that the fireplace got cut off in my scan of the plan and didn't make it in the picture I posted.

If you would put the cooktop on the ref wall, where would you put teh ref.?

Levender _las - I love the big window. I just want to make sure I don't have my back to it an make a shadow :(
In your proposed plan: you don't think the fridge will be too far out of the way?

Green designs: Yes, the no post idea will be $$,
I don' mind reconsidering the whole layout............I just don't know how. I feel like I have speant my last month hunched over this and not much progress beyond some minor changes in other areas of the house........but the kitchen....eh...big, big, but does not seem practical for me :(

I think this is the best the archetect could come up with. He wanted the mud room enterence to be by the kitchen so I don't have to crosss an obstacle course with the groceries.

Angie, - I can make the kitchen longer and narrower, but that will lake away a bit from the nook the fireplace is in :(

WHY does making the kitchen a different shape affect the fireplace nook?

If you would put the cooktop on the ref wall, where would you put teh ref.?

I would leave the refrigerator on the same wall it is now, along with the cooktop. This would be possible because that wall would be longer (as described in my post of 14:59).

I also want to note that I think Lavender Lass's latest effort (15:24) would work.

Newhome- I think the fridge would work well there...in fact, in would be closer to the family room, for quick drinks during commercials!

I'm still 'voting' for marble at the baking area...it would also make a great serving space when you entertain, since it's so close to the dining room.

Adding greendesigns comments, quite possibly reducing the kinks and complexity of the exterior walls may pay for adding more floor space. Fewer exterior corners and jogs cost less.

Part of the confusion for me is that its not at all clear which part is addition and which part is existing. Does the long-dashed line across the family room represent the addition?

I was thinking of flipping the island so that the seating is on the other side. If I do that I benefit from the great window view as well as the sight of my kids in the family room....and i guess outside too. However, I'm wondering if that island layout would be weird.

As far as the corners on the addition. I finally understand about the light.....:)
What I meant about the family room is that it has a bumpout, and if I make the kitchen longer (or pull the family room in) I am not having that nook by the fireplace anymore. I feel that that is making the room cozy. Though this is an opend floor plan, I am aiming for it to be a "semi open" where the rooms are nicely connected - as opposed to just being one room. (The dining area has a sort of nook or its own)

Please let me know if what I am saying does not make sense. I don't have a great ability to imagie what all these scetches will look like in reality and maybe my thoughts are wrong.

Thanks for all your help.

Do include considerations like sloping land, views, irreplaceable trees, or whatever that might constrain your extension.

Best luck with this fun and challenging project.

That being said, we made some slight changes to the kitchen and we will have that plan tomorrow....which I can post.

Since I cannot come up with a better plan, and my architect tells me that is the best we can do I don't know what choice I have. :( Maybe I can post the shell of the house on the remodeling forum, I don't know.

But like I said, I will post what we have so far with the changes.