Corian, laminate and wood aren't heavy as countertops compared to stone. Is the pass through in the wall between the fridge and range or adjacent to the fridge?

I would put the microwave where the ovens are. Right now it's taking up too much of your valuable counter space. Considering your budget, you could have a base cab with doors on the bottom with roll out trays to serve as a panty, then an open shelf above that for the microwave (you'll need to put in an outlet) and then either doors or open shelves above that. I think your kitchen is really cute and I love the efficiency of a galley layout. And yes, of course you can paint your cabinets. There are many here who have and the results are wonderful. Now that the old threads are back, I'm sure you can find plenty of advice (or check out the painting and decorating forums for tips).

Thanks, I really like the idea of open shelves instead of a big pantry, I have a toaster oven that could go on there, too.
The pass through would be adjacent to the fridge

Nice first place! Congratulations.
Is that a doorway opposite the fridge? If so, where does it go? Does that matter to your idea of cutting a pass through in the wall there?