I have one quick question: I recall you mentioning not wanting anything more than a 30" range. I think you also said you might have a couple of more kids, which usually means more cooking and food juggling. I would never want a 30" if I could do a 36" not just for the extra oven space but the extra burners you can get with a 36" and having extra landing space on the stove - especially when doing a holiday meal or entertaining. You really might not like or need a 36", but just wanted to point that out in case you haven't looked at them or considered the landing space it provides

Well, the other reason was that I wanted to go with an induction slide-in (the elux) and I didn't see any 36" options (without going Pro of course). Is a 36" range a reasonable use of space in a kitchen this size? A gas range is not an option as we will not have a gas line to this house.

An improvement!

A few thoughts:

- What's that cabinet door to the left of the sink? Trash? I'd put trash where you have, well, trash marked on the layout, to the left of the prep sink as you're facing it. Usable for both prep and cleanup from there. If that's a cab, it should be drawers instead.
- The black hole next to the oven stack bothers me a bit. Have you considered continuing the uppers on the fridge wall all the way down to the counters, then all the way over to the sink wall? The part that sits the countertop could be used as an appliance garage. You can find pictures of that setup several places on GW if you look around.
-Considering another poster's recent experience, have a lot of discussion about how that countertop overhang is going to get supported on the island long before installation happens. With that many legs, the slab won't tip but you could get cracks from flexing without proper support.
- Where you have uppers meeting in the corner, consider easy-reach cabinets. You open one door, but it and its perpendicular neighbor come open at the same time, revealing a completely accessible L-shaped shelf wrapping the corner.
- In the oven corner I'd do a super susan, but I prefer the kind you just push in and the door swings through, attached to the shelves.

What I like about this is the easier access to the fridge from the family room as well as the better focal point of the range when viewed from the family room. If your windows are not set yet, I would shift it (and the sink) down to the right and center them in the space. Since you are doing a range, I would not do the deep "oven" cabinet with the MW next to the fridge. Just do a shorter upper cabinet microwave shelf with a cheap non built in microwave on it and don't lose the counter space. (That's also a pretty darn expensive cabinet that she's picked for you there.) The oven cabinet with no counter space makes the corner too cave like and less usable. That is where your toaster and coffee maker will go, and you want it easy enough to get to that you can make the coffee in the morning on autopilot.

I'm still going to suggest that you take the base cabinets (no uppers) on the fridge run out to that large post. And the reason I'm suggesting that is to make the island size that you want work better. If you use cabinets to block that section then you absolutely shift the traffic to the bottom of the post. That creates a diagonal pattern rather than a "loop" where people walk towards the mudroom have to walk around the island. It makes it less of an obstacle and it also provides additional buffet space and storage, maybe on both sides for the computer section as well. Or, as I mentioned earlier, perhaps that could be nothing but a counter with seating around it. Close to the cook but out of the work zones.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply. I see what you're both saying about the dark corner. Do I need an appliance garage? Moving the trash makes perfect sense.

All those legs under the overhang seems a little busy for my taste (I was hoping for 1 central support) so I'll have to look into my options there.

Regarding the kitchen window placement. We had a discussion about it with our house designer over the summer. It has to do with the window being centered on the outside of the house. We decided to go with the off center kitchen window but I'll post the picture to see if others agree. It's not too late to change.

Live_wire ~ I definitely see how continuing the counter would help with traffic flow and allow me to fit everything I want in the kitchen. However, that log is a flared character log with a diameter of 3 ft. Here's an exaggerated photo:
{{!gwi}}
I don't think this would be an easy thing to attach a counter to, but I'll always remember this option if I find myself needing more kitchen space down the road. Thanks for the heads up on the expensive cabinet... I have no clue what this kitchen will cost!

It looks like she bumped out my main sink. I've told her that I plan to do a counter height window. Is the bumping out still necessary?

Is the window valance necessary?

Bumping for thoughts on kitchen window placement.... Centered in kitchen OR centered under dormer? (It's the largest window on the ground level)

Personally, I like the second one better - don't know why, but the kitchen window seems more centered between the two upright logs and that somehow matches my expectation of where it should be.

I didn't even notice the alignment with the dormer in the first one.

I like the second one as well, it appears more "in place" on the first story, within the "frame" of the pillars.

I think the "read" on the balance of the windows from L-->R may be more important than between 1st and 2nd floor because it is not a symmetrical plan.

I gotta agree with the last two opinions. I think the second one looks better too. A clear winner since it works better for the kitchen too. Pretty darn cool log!

Thanks so much! The off center kitchen window has been bugging me during the kitchen design phase so I'm glad live_wire_oak brought it up. Now I just have to bring up the issue with DH. I'm also going to see about bumping out that window 6-8 inches to give me more counter space.

Oh and Marcolo, if you read this, that lower corner cab to the left of the sink that you mentioned is a blind corner pull-out. Good choice, bad choice?

Do some reading on that subject, laurajane, on other threads here. Some people love, some people hate: Make sure you understand the tradeoffs first.

RE: the kitchen layout,

When I am prepping a meal, I grab items out of the fridge and pantry. I have loved having them near each other just because it's easier to grab the ingredients. In your KD's last layout, they are on different sides of the kitchen.

If you plan on keeping food items in the pantry, that is something to think about. I am not sure why they flipped your fridge and cooktop sides from the original layout...

here's one of those upper corner cabs. I'd love to have one of these! Easy to find things and easy to get them - well, if you're tall. I can only reach the first shelf of any upper cabinet!

Marcolo ~ Thanks for the tip. I spent the day researching blind corner units. I'm not sure what we'll choose in the end, but not a blind corner pull-out.

lolauren ~ Those were the reasons that I originally had the fridge near the pantry. However, now that we are planning to recess the fridge, I'd rather loose sq footage in the computer area than the pantry. Also, with the new location, it's not visible from our great room. Finally, it is more accessible for people to get to from the house.

DH agreed to changing the window, so that should happen. LWO, thanks again for bringing up the issue.

I have to say, I am not at all impressed with this KD. She hasn't made a single suggestion! Everything that we have changed has come from me (via GW), and she replies "I'm really glad you did that, good decision". I asked her if her company makes inset cabinet doors and SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT INSET WAS!! I had to explain. Isn't this a red flag? BTW, they do full overlay and nothing else (I also had to explain partial overlay to her to come to this conclusion).

What I'm afraid of is that this company will be the most reasonably priced. My DH is pretty thrifty, despite the house we're building....

Do you really need to loose 12" of useable cabinet space along the sink base.
Consider a BS42 and add a plant-on either side of the door set, as an arch. element.
Also consider an angled cabinet in both corners, because with time the bifold doors hinges and the cabinet finish can take a beating.

"SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT INSET WAS!! I had to explain. Isn't this a red flag?"

Not necessarily, because when that style came into vogue, it was referred to as European or Mediterranean.

"BTW, they do full overlay and nothing else"

Its time you ask who the prime vendor is and what door styles they offer.

"What I'm afraid of is that this company will be the most reasonably priced. My DH is pretty thrifty, despite the house we're building...."

Back too the "one free estimate" comment.

Ask the contractor exactly how the bid, ordering, assembly and installation, works. Who does what.

You see, whenever you have an alph. designation like those associated with your detail, you have bag-n-box cabinets, so when the details are final, you can farm them out for bids from any mfg.

Please be aware that with custom cabinets, mfg. in a cabinet shop, most of the BF and CF's will be eliminated and usable cabinet space will be incorporated.

Thanks for the tips. This plan at least gives us a good starting point to compare prices, as you suggested.

BTW, the KD sent me her quote and it was much less than I was expecting. Like $10K less. Her quote included everything but delivery (we live 250km away).

Anyway, there's a custom cabinet guy down the street from us. I walk by his place every day. I'm going to get a quote from him, but I expect it to be high.

"This plan at least gives us a good starting point to compare prices,"

And its also why you should have the conversation with the contractor.
Some bag-n-box cabinets come to you disassembled, some partially assembled, some completely assembled.Some are delivered to an assembly area, assembled or partially and delivered to be installed.
Who does this?
All costs to be considered.

"Her quote included everything but delivery (we live 250km away)."

And the freight to for what weight at 155.7 mi. would be?

"I'm going to get a quote from him, but I expect it to be high."

Ask for a recent list of his previous customers, and pay them a visit. Find out his "bedside manner."

And if there discrepancies in the bag-n-box order what will be the delay time, or if you should need repairs done in the future.

Will the aggravation be worth the cheaper price?

All good points. I do know that the cabinet installer is local to our very small town and is who my GC regularly uses. With the kitchen going in at the end of the year, we should have time to do our homework.