Hi gang! I have been reading here practically non-stop for weeks, and it's been a blast!

DH and I bought our home new from the builder in 1989, and I've been wanting to redo the kitchen for at least 15 years. I know exactly what I like and don't like about our current kitchen. Since my family members are sick of hearing about it, I thought I could share with you!

It's a U-shaped kitchen, open to the dining room. I can't do anything with walls (kitchen on one side, outside wall on the other). The sink is at the closed side, under a window (wall is 10 feet); fridge on the left, range on the right (9 feet each). The basic layout will be the same, but there are a lot of things I can do to make much better use of the space I have.

Things I hate:
- circulating range hood (not vented)
- cheap 3/4 lazy susans in the corners
- limited counter space
- not nearly enough drawers
- diagonal upper corner cabinets - cave-like

Things I'm going to change:
- diagonal corner on one side with lazy susans on shelves (not a pole)
- L-shaped upper corner cabinets
- move range over a foot to improve counter space use
- move dishwasher over to improve access to upper cupboards
- move fridge toward dining room to add counter/cabinet space
- vent the range hood outside
- cabinets 8' high instead of 7'
- cabinet above fridge has pull-outs, and is the depth of the fridge
- pull-out for trash!
- built-in cutting board
- pull-outs in base cabinets
- smaller sink, so I can maximize base cabs beside the sink instead of under it
- narrow base cab (beside the sink) for cookie sheets
- more drawers - I'll be going from 6 to 10
- under-cabinet lighting!

There is a 32" x 44" alcove on the fridge side. Right now I have a small desk with upper cabinets, facing the long wall (desk is parallel cabinets on the fridge side). I'm replacing that with a wall of cabinets, opening toward the dining room. Because I moved the fridge toward the dining room, the right side of the pantry will be 8" deep; the left side 20" deep. The deep side will have 2 file drawers, and an enclosed desk area (bulletin board, outlets for chargers, a place to stash pending paperwork). There will be 4 drawers lined up horizontally for desk stuff and misc tools (that one is currently taking up a valuable drawer in he kitchen).

My budget isn't huge, so I'm not replacing fridge or range. I'll get a small countertop microwave to replace the existing OTR (which I hate). Countertops will be laminate, flooring linoleum, so I can concentrate the budget on the cabinets.

I'll post a layout when I get next to a scanner!