Would you be willing to move your existing cabinets around? You will get almost all here telling you the island cooktop has to go. And I agree. There is essentially no prep space around it. The island acts as a barrier between and frig and sink. How do you feel about a range? Looking at your space; I really feel that replacing the cooktop and ovens with a range will really help your flow. Let us know how you feel about that before getting more specific on how to change your layout.

These are the 2 options we r looking at,
1. Central island stove but extend the island with sitting area, replace appliances with a hood from ceiling.
2. Have a range on the left wall. They will cut cabinets and have a hood above ( looking at bluestar stove) then have a larger island with alight color granite sitting area. Have the same granite in the bar area. Replace the oven and fridge.

In both would replace some cabinet doors with glass change the knobs, wanted to stain them as well. however I have been advised against it.

Thanks

What is that room on the right where the bar area is? Is there some kind of opening/doorway/passageway at that 3'8" space on the bottom right?

That is the family room . The bar area has a window opening to the family room. Please give some suggestions regarding the backsplash as well.

So is that 3'8" space a window or a door -- the space between the sink run and bar area I mean. If it's a window is it really low? Is it possible to extend base cabs there or not?

Are you open to putting a range where the sink is, and the sink in the island? Possibly extending the island and losing the side run cabs beside the fridge?

I agree with florantha that a range would really help the flow. And getting it onto an outside wall would let you duct it easily for the type of high-heat cooking that you like to do.

We wre thinking of the range where the coffee maker is. I prefer not to do where the sink is because it will be too far away from the fridge and oven, also would involve more cost because i will have to have the sink somewhere else so cahnge in plumbing.

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the bar area has base cabinet, sink, mirrors galore with opening in between. the countertop is marble tile which has etching , we wre thinking if we redid the island we will match the same granite there.

I don't know your budget, but is there any possibility of running the cabs by the sink run to the wall? Also, I feel, bue to the placement of the island, the functionally your kitchen would really benefit from a prep sink in the island. Think about kitchen flow. You get your veggies from the frig, rinse/prep by sink, then to stove. Your island creates a barrier to flow. The finishes is the least of it. There are tons and tons of options for a backsplash that'll look good.

@ remodelfla I am not able to understand you. there are cabinets by the sink in the wall . A prep sink in island sounds great. Can you tell me how much cost that will be ball park.

Thanks,

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your layout iteration. It looks like the sink run ends then there is that 3'8" space before there is a wall and on the other side of the wall is the bar area. The expense for a prep sink depends on where you live and if you have a basement or slab. It's cheaper/easier to run the lines if you have a basement. Obviously, trenching out a slab is more labor intensive and therefore more expensive. IN an area like San Francisco or NYC the going labor rate is going to be higher then in a rural area. I have no clue as to a dollar figure...I'm just good at spending other peoples money!

The kitchen opens to family room, that 3'8"space is the door.are you asking if we shd block that way and continue cabinet there.? I prefer the open floor plan. We do have a basement. My husband will be so happy, he really wants the prep sink, however I am trying to conserve cost in all ways but I do want to do things the right way so I really appreciate your imputs. I want to renovate the house in a way where it will be good for the majority, this is not my custom house and I dont want it to be that way either.
thanks a lot.

remodelfla, I think that 3'8" area is the doorway to the FR (if you look at the 2nd pic posted, it looks like that is a doorway).

arac, I'm a bit confused by the words you're using for cooking appliances. A range is an appliance that includes the cook top and oven in the same unit. "Stove" isn't a phrase commonly used here (don't ask me why) but it means the same thing as a range. A cook top is just that - only the top part of a range. From what you've written and based on your pics, I think you're referring to your cook top as a stove. That's not the same thing.

I agree with moving the cook top off the island. It doesn't provide enough prep space for good function. (My island with cook top is only 1" longer than yours and I hate it. I prep all over the kitchen because there isn't enough room next to the cook top. Can not wait to move the cook top to the perimeter when we remodel.) Given that you cook on high heat and often with all 4 burners going, you need good ventilation. Perimeter venting is less expensive than island venting (we save money by moving the cook top, even with the cost to move the gas line).

Remodelfla is suggesting that you replace the individual cook top and wall oven appliances with a range. Given the size of your kitchen, that could be a very wise move but it depends on your cooking needs and how often you need two ovens. It also depends on your cab configuration since you're not wanting to replace your cabinets. It would be helpful to see straight-on shots of the 4'9" space that has been suggested as the new location for the range. We especially need to see whether the cab is one unit or individual units that can be split up and moved. We also need to know whether any of the contractors you've spoken with can build new cabinets to match your existing cabs. It's also going to require cutting the existing granite on the perimeter run. You need to find qualified people to do that so that you don't end up needing to replace the granite counters as well.

Do you really only have 34" between island and sink run? Wow, that's tight for an aisle, even more so for an aisle that includes a seating overhang. An open DW door must effectively block the aisle. Since you're open to replacing the island top and moving the cook top, I'd also eliminate the overhang there to gain aisle space.

I don't think you can extend the island by much, not without encroaching on the aisles through the space. Adding seating is going to be close to impossible with your current lay-out. Your kitchen isn't wide enough to add seating on the long side or wide enough to have more than one seat on the short side (allow 24" width and 15" overhang per seat, 44" aisle width behind seating). I'm estimating that your kitchen is 174" wide based on your drawing above.

174
-36" (SD fridge, inc handles, could be slightly shallower but new fridges are deeper than they used to be)
-42" (NKBA recommended minimum aisle width for one cook kitchen)
-42" (aisle on other side of island)
-25.5" (sink cab run: 24" deep cab plus 1.5" counter overhang)
------
28.5" remaining for island

You wrote that you're open to replacing the appliances. Do you plan to purchase a standard depth (SD) fridge or have you considered a counter depth (CD) fridge? The latter would help with aisle clearances - you gain 5-7" - and might make it possible to shift the island towards the fridge run, giving you more space between island and sink and possibly add shallow storage to the island. I think you can shift the island without affecting your floor (doubtful the tile was placed under the island).

What is behind the oven/fridge wall? Would it be possible to recess a SD fridge so that it doesn't jut so far out into the aisle? That's another possibility.

Actually, I see a way for you to extend the island but it would require moving the doorway between oven cab and desk, lengthening the fridge/oven cab run and eliminating the desk (most here eliminate kitchen desks, not sure if you want to keep yours). Would that be within your budget?

So was it your ovens or the cook top that caught fire? Either way, that's awful. Forced remodels aren't fun (we're in the middle of a bathroom remodel, thanks to a toilet flood so I know what you're dealing with).

Hi, thanks so much for your imput, I really appreciate this.
1. I was reffering to range ( bluestar) in the area where the coffee maker is with hood. I will have either double oven or oven with my new microwave with trimkit. The double oven is for resale purpose , i dont use it much.

2 The distance from the island to sink cabinet is wrong in the plan . from granite to granite it is 41' from granite to wood 53'.

3. I was looking at both counter depth and little bigger because for same dimensions a counterdepth in kitchen aid was 22 vs 25 cu ft. I like more area.

4. One person who spoke w me said he was going to reuse my cabinet in the island. They will cut it from the joint. He is a master carpenter.

5. Granite they said they will cut.
6. Behind the fridge wall is ining room..
7. I am not sure if that entryway to dining room can be changed, the pantry is after that.

Thanks

I am so sorry about your fire. We also had a damaged kitchen and had to plan a renovation quickly. My one immediate piece of advice is this: Get set up with an alternative kitchen (buy a two-burner counter set, or toaster oven, or whatever you need to replace the burned appliance) so that you can take your time and make good decisions about your renovation. Emergency or not, it's still a major renovation, and it's worth taking your time about the decisions.

Arac21, congrats on moving to your new home. Regarding the kitchen, tho, I'm going to go ahead and say I wouldn't want it. It's cramped by today's standards and chopped up by any staandards. Kitchens much smaller than yours can be truly terrific if they're efficient, but this isn't and seems to run traffic right through the middle. The only things I like are the nice, spacious powder room and breakfast area the kitchen was apparently shorted to create, also the bar, and who knows what else.

My son and DIL have a kitchen much like this seems to be in their new home--very nice rooms all around a kitchen seemingly fashioned willy-nilly out of the leftovers in the middle. Their's functions not good but almost good enough most of the time, but it definitely falls short of the standard set by the rest of the house.

So, regarding remodeling fast to get a stove--please consider grabbing a used one off Craig's List or some such and taking your time figuring out what you really want to do with this.

When it comes to remodeling,
Is there any way you can move even one door to improve the layout?
Do you really need/want that bar, or could that space be used to improve the kitchen?
How about removing the pantry and whatever is next to it to gain that space for improving this work space?
Is that wide traffic/view lane from the powder-room hall into the kitchen as great as it should be, running across an off-center work island, or could that be narrowed to good effect?

How about drawing all the area that could conceivably be allocated to kitchen (regardless of how much you actually end up using) on graph paper as an outline, and then considering how to make best use of it? It's obvious that your home has some nice features, and this is an opportunity to make your kitchen one of them--for your enjoyment and for resale some day.

IMO, priorities for a great kitchen:
1. Location within in the home.
2. The shape of the space itself, with doorways, windows, etc., where they need to be, or at least placed as optimally as possible.
3. Layout of cabinetry and appliances.
4. Choices of cabinetry, finishes, appliances.

Note that the fun shopping stuff is at the bottom of the list and comes into play after creating a good space to hold it.

rosie and waterdamage bring up good points and gave good advice. Is this a "hurry up and remodel" situation because of the fire or are you remodeling along the lines of what you intended to do initially, just earlier than planned?

If your original remodel goal, pre-fire, was to work with existing cabinets and counter with minimal changes to the lay-out, then moving the project to the head of the list isn't a huge issue, IMO. You're spending about the same amount of money as you'd initially planned to spend.

If, however, your goal was to revamp the kitchen somewhere between the above scenario and to the studs, then stop and give serious thought to setting up a temporary kitchen or purchasing a used cook top to get you by. This will give you the necessary time to plan well, to research what you want and how you want the kitchen to work so that you spend your remodeling dollars wisely and avoid the "if only we had thought of..." hindsights later.

You've already mentioned resale and you stated that you live in an area of "fairly upper middle class town with high end homes." If you take your time and do it well, regardless of how much you spend, you should see a significant return on your remodeling dollars when you sell.

i am really frustrated with the whole situation. I am not sure which way to proceed. can someone please help me with some options to improve the layout. I really want to do this right, and not set up a temporary kitchen. I dont think I wil be able to add a lot more even if I thought for years as I dont know enough to add. I want to keep the cabinets and the rest can go.

Please help.

Oh, don't lose hope! There's always a solution but it sometimes takes a little longer and a little more effort to find it.

Keeping the cabinets does limit options but it can be done. I looked at the first photo above and I think I spotted a seam between the corner Susan and the base cab under the MW. I'm hoping this is the case for the rest of your kitchen - your kitchen is built of cabinet units not all-one-piece cab runs. We'll need to know these cab sizes to offer lay-out suggestions. Then we'll play with them like puzzle pieces, moving them about until we find a plan that fits your needs.

We will also need to know if any doors or windows can move.

Lastly, it would be helpful to see a first floor lay-out and to know more about you. Are you the only cook or does your kitchen need to accommodate multiple cooks? What type of cooking do you do? Do you bake? How many people live here (ages of kids is helpful, too). What are your needs for the space? If you read the info in the "New To Kitchens? Posting Pics? Read Me!" thread (linked below), you'll learn what type of info we need. You'll also be directed to the Sweeby Test, which helps you figure out what you want from your kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: New To Kitchens? Posting Pics? Read Me!

Arac, if you could close off that doorway to the powder room hall and slide the 3'8" doorway to the left away from the corner you could have a great kitchen in your same kitchen space. There's plenty of space to work with. Of course, there's no way of knowing from this side of the screen what effect that'd have on the dynamics of the main floor.

The cabinets are very handsome. I can see why you'd like to keep them. If you needed more base cabinets in a remodel, you could use some from the island and then do an island in a second finish, as so many do with their new kitchens anyway.

Please don't be frustrated. Post a larger floor plan so the people who really know how to maximize layouts have what they need to work with, then be prepared to consider real choices.

OK... if I were to think with a anything goes mindset I'd have to ask how far over can that door to the hallway(?) be moved over. If it can, I'd lose the desk and pantry, move the doorway over as far left as I could, and put the pantry and desk area in the 8' x 5 something space on the right. You could have a killer walk in pantry. I'd probably put a freezer in the pantry and maybe get a 30" all fridge. If I wanted a bar maybe put it by where the old pantry is by the door. Umm...what else... OH! Change the island to a peninsula off the bottom run.

Now, this was fantasy planning. See if any of the ideas are feasible; and maybe we can help change your layout within your reality.
HTH!

Arac21, sorry to hear about your fire and I bet you are frustrated living without a cooktop for a few weeks already.

You have a nice kitchen and I bet your breakfast area must be lovely. I really like your idea of getting a range instead of the island cooktop, but I agree with the others that you should really study your space and make sure it functions well and best utilizes your space before you start renovating. The problem with your island cooktop is that the island can't be used for seating, prepping, etc. which are the features that make islands so appealing. Even if you were to make the island a bit bigger, with a cooktop on it, it is not being used optimally. I would have to agree that an island cooktop is not ideal for resale. I would not like that set up at all for my family because of children. I also don't think a double oven is a must for resale if the kitchen overall has a good functioning layout.

Do the base cabs of the bar match your kitchen cabs? If it were my house, I would prefer a bar to be where your desk is, easily accessible to the breakfast room and dining room. Then, you could have your coffee maker at the bar for daily use and set it up for cocktails when you are entertaining. Do you use your current bar alot now? It seems a little odd to me that your bar is in such close proximity to your powder room. Can you post a picture of it from the family room looking into the bar area?

I know its frustrating when you want to just get the project underway, but if you spend a little more time planning, you could really benefit with a better layout (with your existing cabinets) for years to come... and resale too.

Hi,

Sorry for the long hiatus. Well I have been lurking and long story short we still dont have a stove. Meanwhile after weighing in on all our options we decided to do this.

We are planning to change our appliances out get a new larger island with a darker mahogony finish with a light color granite and match that with bar area.

We are not ready to do a whole kitchen renovation at this time and moving the stove from the center island just opened up so many issues which we are not ready to deal with at this time.
I thanks you all for all your help.