What would you think about eliminating the breakfast nook in favor of just opening the kitchen up more to the dining room (for your sitting-at-a-table needs). The kitchen could then expand into the breakfast nook space, which would give you room for a truly spectacular kitchen that probably could have some stools at the counter somewhere.

I will mock something up for you, but I need more measurements. At the very least, please add the measurements of all the walls and windows.

Considering Jullius' question, how high off the floor are the windows in the breakfast nook? With that bookcase, you won't have a lot of seating space in the nook anyway, so why not incorporate both areas and then have peninsula or similar seating + DR seating. Three types of seating so close to together is overkill.

As to your current plan, to be honest, it isn't very workable.

1. The DW is not placed well b/c it's right up against the peninsula. In fact, the way it is in your layout, it won't work. You need probably at least 3" of filler to be able to open the DW door and/or to be able to open drawers/cabinets around the corner (they all have to clear each other's doors and handles/knobs/pulls).

You don't have enough workspace b/w the sink and range - which is your Primary Prep Zone. The minimum is 36" and you only have 30" - assuming you can actually do what you show, which I don't think you can. 42" is much better.
You don't appear to have enough room for seats at the peninsula + a DR table. For this to be successful seating, you need at least a 54" aisle (preferably 60") b/w the edge of the peninsula and the DR table.

In addition, you need at least a 15" clear overhang - skimping won't help as people take up the same amount of space - they'll just be less comfortable - they will be sitting farther away from the counter but taking up the same amount of floor space with or without the proper overhang. (They'll have to lean farther forward to get to the counter.) Without actual measurements, I can't tell for certain.

Note: Your plan does not have an overhang at all for seating...
Regarding wall ovens, one of the main advantages is that if they are designed properly, the ovens are higher off the floor than the oven in a range and can be accessed more easily. A cooktop + single wall oven is more expensive than a range. Add in another oven and the expense is even greater.
Where is your microwave?

Have you had a chance to read the Kitchen Forum FAQs? There's one for layout help:

FAQ: How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include?

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchens' FAQ Page

Somethings you need to consider in a remodel are:

1) are you sure you want to maintain 3 separate spaces? I'd be more inclined to live with existing kitchen a while and then decide if you want to move kitchen into breakfast area. I strongly Suggest you read the linked book, it helped me alot with these types of decisions. You don't want to remodel on a whim. A layout that will function well for your family will improve your quality of life and likely, resale value.

2)Your current layout has 3 corners. Standard corner cabinets are a real challenge for storage and access. I hate my big lazy susan and I'd loose my mind if I had 3 of them. Beware! That would have to go if it were my remodel.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Not So Big Remodeling

Hi, Thanks for the comments, I really appreciate your input this is such a huge decision!! Please see my comments and add your thoughts.

Jillius -

Here is a sketch with "new" overlaid on "Exisiting" on graph paper, is this good enough?

The window in the "bench seating" area is 2' off the floor, thats why we stopped the cabinets at this.

I like the idea of 2 table spaces - one for homework and children meals and one that I can keep cleared off for family meals, but a kitchen table in the centre of the kitchen might work for that, but not sure how to configure with that window?

Buehl -

See comment above re. window height. I agree 3 seating areas overkill, I like the bench seating & dining room. Bench seating would be for our 2 kids, and whoever else wants to squeeze in there! With the bookcase I would hope to achieve a sort of "craft/homework/command centre" in this area

1. I have planned 3" between dw and other cabinets

2. I am concerned about this but not sure how to accomplish more. I have been doing my dinner prep in a taped off 30" area and its doable, but agreed not ideal.

3. Plan does not show the overhang, I don't want it here but not sure how to convince husband, I suppose thats what I was hoping to get from this forum!

4. Right, accessibility is another benefit of wall ovens. On our tight budget I feel I can't justify wall ovens/ stove top and am leaning toward a regular stove/ range (with largest oven capacity I can find!) (sorry I think that was unclear in my original post). Also I've read that stove tops/ wall ovens require large kitchens to pull off and my kitchen is not

5. I like the look of a hood over the range and am thinking I could put mw on table next to fridge or by dining room (see my original sketch at top of post)

Dilly_ny

1. The current layout is wasting a massive chunk of space and I am using 1 of the 6 existing bottom cabinets, so I am keen to remodel. We are on a tight budget,m I'm hoping to spend $6k max on cabinets, $2-3k on counters and $2k on installation labor etc. I will check out the link. I like the idea of 2 separate table spaces, but husband wants to put in counter overhang so we can use that space "if we see that it would useful later"

2. I see 2 corners, not 3. I agree, dislike lazy susans and plan to use plain blind corners that we had in last kitchen and actually worked well - with a big door to access and using area in back to store little-used items.

Bumping. This plan needs help

1). Is the window in the bench seating area facing the front of the house? If not, swapping it out with a shorter window (that is at least 3 feet from the floor) is one of the simplest (read: cheapest) changes you can make to existing structure.

2) Is the wall between kitchen and dining load-bearing?

3) Is the wall the fridge is against load-bearing?

Hi Jillius,

1. Window is not on front of house, outside of house is brick, i suppose you could fill in gap with siding, our budget is v. v. tight!

2. Kitchen/ dining room wall not load bearing and is planned to come down, I think opening this area up and moving fridge, as well as taking out soffits will do a lot to create more spacious layout and feel. Here are some more pictures to show how cramped the current layout is, particularly around fridge with hanging cabinets and soffits.

(Dining room wall paper will be coming off!)

My goal is to dramatically improve functionality of kitchen and make use of that currently dead space between kitchen and garage door:

I do want an end result that is clean and looks good, but or a minimal budget, $10k total. Do not need top of the line or state of the art :)

3. I don't know if wall behind fridge/ pantry is load bearing, probably and behind that is the stair well and foyer and opening that would create totally open concept, which i like but husband is not keen on, again probably too much cost?

Thanks!

Could you double-check about that wall? If it is load-bearing, could you find out if only part of it is load-bearing (like a short section or a column) and post pictures of the stairwell? I am particularly interested in losing the end of it that is closest to the garage (where that closet is). I will keep in mind that your husband is not a fan of open concept, but it really helps me when I get started to know the full and true limits of a structure. Taking down or altering non-load-bearing walls is among the biggest bang for your buck in a remodel, which is why I am so keen to know what I have to work with.

And could you please post a photo of the stairwell from the other side (from the foyer)?

Well, you've made me question the load bearing walls (a good thing) and our contractor is going to stop by tomorrow to check. From my check in the attic, I believe that the dining room wall and the wall behind the fridge/ stair well are not load bearing, however that there is a beam that runs through the kitchen, parallel with garage and dining room wall, above door of that closet, so I believe we will need to allow for support of that, my plan would have a wall outside the fridge there, but pillars would work I suppose (?) although I don't know what $$$ is for that.

When he lets you know what has to stay, could you please add it to the floor plan on the graph paper? I will have everything I need then to come up with a suggestion.

Budget may not allow this...but just wanted to toss it into the mix :)

Lavender, that is very similar to where I was headed. If the closet could be removed, the kitchen rectangle that you have created could be even wider.

This is what I had in mind:

The big window is centered between the upper cabinets and the fridge. The dining table is centered on the french doors and the wide doorway to the kitchen. The island is meant to be your kitchen table/homework space.

This also fixed what appeared to be pretty tight clearances around your dining table and too many seats for a table that size.

For you, since you have such a tight budget, I would recommend not actually doing an island but a table of the same size for now. If you are so inclined later down the line, you can build it in with cabinets below and a counter on top and maybe even a prep sink. Since it will be so much later, you might plan on the get-go for having the island be of contrasting materials from the perimeter.

Similarly, there is a logical spot for double ovens in the future, but for now you might want to save the money and just make that a pantry. Perhaps with cabinet door sizes that are cleverly chosen so a set of them are the perfect size and place in the stack to be easily removed later and ovens put in instead.

I was also thinking along the same lines as Jillius. Instead of having three small awkward spaces, make it more unified to function better. The kitchen in Jillius' plan is great.