Looks good either way!

Is that a do it yourself design program?

Thanks! I drew the layouts to scale in Adobe Illustrator - this is what graphic designers do when we get bored.

I forgot to mention, we're looking at doing quite a bit of work ourselves, with my father's help. I took the dimensions for the cabinets here directly from Kraftmaid, but I'd love to "go local" and find a custom builder to get us exactly what we're looking for, specifically plywood boxes and dependable craftsmanship.

With about $5k going toward appliances (new fridge included), and the floors being done, would it be unreasonable to expect to complete this for under $20k?

Your dark-walnut concrete floors are very nice. Great start! Since you're currently planning on keeping that layout, how about considering deepening one or both of the counters to +/-30"? You have the room and would probably love the extra workspace.

I really love the look of open shelving. Just be prepared to dust them constantly. I only have one little shelf for my MW and I have to dust it at least twice a week (although, I do live in the desert.;>)

What color cabinets are you considering?

We like the idea of deeper countertops. The only concern there is upper cabinet access. I'm 6'3", so it's much more of an issue with my 5'3" wife. I saw the post about the toekick-hidden drawer that stored a flat fold step stool, and we really like that idea, deep counters or no. The extra workspace would be wonderful. We've also kicked around the idea of a rolling island, but don't know where we could store it if we needed more folks in the kitchen than 2.

We would probably store daily-use items on open shelving - dinnerware, mixing bowls, maybe some decorative pieces. Dusting is our main thought against keeping them open, but the look and access may outweigh it in the end.

We had a interior designer friend draw up a kitchen design right after we moved into the house. The design incorporated different-color upper and lower cabinets. Using Kraftmaid as a reference, she suggested the Kaffe color for the lowers, and Nutmeg Glaze for the uppers. We really liked the idea at the time, but as we have since done our floors in a nice dark color, the idea of dark lower cabinets is less appealing, especially since the Kaffe might be almost identical to the floor color. The Nutmeg Glaze is still a nice option, and we may still consider it for both uppers and lowers.

We don't want to have to take out a major loan to complete this kitchen, so budget is a concern, and patience will have to be a part of the process. We know details and ideas will change as we get closer to reality, so right now we're pretty open to any ideas.

Thanks for the input so far!

I'm also in admiration of your elevations.

When you make the counter 30" deep or there abouts, its also best to get wall cabinets that are 14-15" deep or also pad those out a bit and cover the ends with a panel or skins...

The only other suggestion is maybe to panel the dw and do to the counter uppers with glass doors. It might be a better place for glass than the cabinets beside the range (unless you're really tidy). Personally, I'd flip the dw to the other side of the sink so it wasn't between me and where the dishes went.

I take it you can't raise the ceiling?

We plan to raise the ceiling over the kitchen from 7' to 8' - I don't believe we can go any higher without completely re-engineering surrounding rooms. The adjoining living room has a terrific vaulted ceiling that I'd love to extend into the kitchen, but that's most likely not in the budget.

Good idea on the DW. Barring any logistical plumbing issues, that makes perfect sense. I had just placed it where it exists in our current layout.

I have to rant against open shelves. I know they are popular right now but.... First, the dust, as noted by another poster. Also, you have to want to display the dishes stored on the open shelves -- not the place for the sippy cups and the happy meal melamine plates that many of us have. You need to consider whether the dishes on the open shelves will be heavily used, which may cut down on the need for dust, OR the very best ones, which usually don't get used as much, thus more dusting. (IMO that's why Fiestaware is so so often shown on open shelves -- it's practical but pretty.) Last, for anyone whose house is prone to seismic forces -- e.g., earthquake -- and we all found out last week that it's not just California -- open shelves are a disaster. (You can buy a product called Quake Wax to affix items to shelves, but that rather defeats the purpose of using the dishes.) I'm a Cal. native and I cringe at open shelves.

Having ranted for a bit, I suggest using the trad'l cabinets but a bit smaller than shown in your plan, leaving more space on the wall, and balancing the window a bit more. I think right now the design has cabinets pretty well everywhere. Others on this forum are far, far better than I am at design, so I defer to them.

Also, beware of the pipes, ducts, etc. that may lurk within the dropped ceiling -- I just spent $4800 in change orders in rerouting stuff when I raised mine.

Does your dining room lead anywhere else, or is it a "dead-end"? If the center of your kitchen is a heavy traffic lane I'd look into shifting the entry to the dining room so the traffic moved along either the upper or lower wall. But that's because I can't stand having people in my way when I moving around the kitchen. :) I like the looks of open shelving if you have pretty dishes, but I wouldn't want one more thing to dust.

bluekit, thanks for the input. We don't have kids, so our daily dinnerware/prepware is tasteful enough for public display. We're in Central Texas, that while on a fault line, hasn't seen notable seismic activity in my lifetime. To your point, it would be nice to not have to make sure everything is perfect all the time. We've taken the doors off the existing cabinet closest to the sink, and have enjoyed the easy access and "open" feeling, but I do sometimes find myself straightening dishes as I walk by.

I've sat up in the attic several times now assessing the steps to raise the ceiling. We'll have to tap into the gas line that runs across the space to run the stove, but other than raising the exhaust vent, it should be relatively simple. Enlarging the pass-through between the kitchen and LR will be more work, as an electrical outlet and sink vent will need to be moved in the process.

idrive65, the dining room is accessible from both the kitchen and living room/entryway area. Most guests would enter from the entry side, so traffic isn't a huge concern. Day-to-day it's just two of us, but we do like to entertain. We have considered widening the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, almost to the width of the cabinet fronts.

Any opinions on keeping all this under $20K?

When we had HD draw up a basic plan with KM cabinets in late 06, the cabinet cost came out to around $6K. Installation was about another $2k (yikes!), and Silestone would run about $2k with install. I'm sure pricing has increased since then, but I've read here that I might find better pricing through a independent contractor.

Obviously, raising the ceiling, new drywall, rerouting plumbing and wiring, new fixtures, etc. will add more, even if we do most of it ourselves.

Thanks in advance.

i'm also in austin and we will be finished with our house remodel in the next week. i'll post some pictures in the next couple of days of our kitchen. we completely gutted our kitchen so starting from scratch and having to move gas lines and electrical, new cabinets, lighting, tile, countertops, and appliances we are coming out at about 22K. I did cabinets from armstrong cabinets on burnett rd and then i've had my open shelving made by a carpenter that i found who also does custom cabinetry. i like open shelves for their easy access and we've had them before and we'll be keeping sippy cups and other things in drawers where you wouldn't see them. let me know if you would like some more info. jen

Jen, I would definitely like more info. Please send me an email with information both on Armstrong and your carpenter.

Can't wait to see those pics.

Jen, ditto ditto! I am also in Austin and am looking for a carpenter to do some cabinet work. Would love to hear more. Feel free to email me as well. Thanks!

-Chris