I can't get it to post either...

"moving wet dishes"...newer dishwashers operate with sensor technology. I've stopped rinsing as food generally is meant to be left on the dishes. Some scraping into disposal side of sink does occur.....of large particles of uneaten food of course. Dishes come around to sink areas and various things happen...stacking vs immediate placement into dishwasher. It all depends on household and various habits. I would want the dishwasher spaced away from edge of sink cabinet but maybe not as much as 18 inches. If the swap of the 2 cabinets is most logical I think you will be fine.....an arms length and slight pivot of your body might easily absorb the 18 inch distance. Have you ruled out the right side of sink for dishwasher placement? I'd think smaller single sink, then some space--maybe 9-12 inches,then dishwasher to the right. But maybe that doesn't work in the total context here..

Yes, that is a bad layout - especially with respect to the DW. I think it would be better to swap the 18" cabinet and the DW.

So. are you reusing cabinets or getting all new? I'm asking b/c from what little I see, the layout looks far from ideal. If you're replacing cabinets, would you be willing to look into a better layout?

You'll need to check the maximum distance that the dishwasher can be from the sink, usually it is 6 feet of drain hose. I can certainly see why you would want to move the dishwasher. Another possibility (especially if you are low on cabinet space) is to replace the dishwasher with a dishdrawer drawer and a cabinet or regular drawer underneath that way you can't accidentally trip over the open door at calf level and would not have to bend over so much.

Our DW is more or less in the position you are proposing (away from the sink, on an adjacent leg). Like Herbflavor, we don't pre-wash our dishes - most go directly from the table to the DW. Even if they do get rinsed or scraped in the sink first, the number of drips is minimal, and since our flooring is water-resistant, it truly is not an issue. I would definitely not want the DW as shown in the picture.

But I agree with Buehl - is this the optimum layout for your space?

Thanks so much for the replies. We (well, I) don't rinse dishes. Still breaking DH of the habit - we'll get there someday.

The kitchen isn't optimal - agreed - but we don't want to do a full remodel, that is, removing flooring and repositioning, since the kitchen tile runs throughout the living area and we're just not prepared for that expense. So, working with what we have. We are replacing all cabinets, adding more drawers instead of double door cabinets.

The cabinet that I am proposing to put where the DW is today is an 18 because I want a double garbage - can for trash and another for recycling. I could go to a 15 if it's available but definitely want two cans.

Thanks again!

Yes, definitely move the DW over and put a cabinet between it and the sink.

I have 2 of the 15" wide dual Rev-a-Shelf garbage pull-outs (garbage, glass recycling, mixed recycling and returnables) and I find them plenty big enough for our needs.

With just the 2 of you, I can't imagine that you'd need larger, especially because, when full, my bins are *heavy*. I don't know what the average age of residents in your 55 and older community is but in the one my folks lived in, the average age was 70. The people who bought my parents' home were in their 70s, fairly spry for their age but still, not able to do what they could when they were younger (true for all of us).

Here are my trash pull-outs, 35 gal for the ones in the 1st pic, 28 gal for the ones in the 2nd pic:

Unless you eliminate the drawer above the trash pull-out, you'll only have room for 28 gal dual can pull-out in that space. However, if you have a clever contractor/carpenter/cab maker, they could use the drawer front to create a false panel for the taller dual pull-out. My DW, visible to the right in the 2nd pic, has a paneled front that is made that way.

Thanks for your reply. In our old house, we had an 18" cabinet with two cans that used 13 gallon bags and had a drawer above. They were plenty big enough for us. Our garbage is picked up twice a week and we have another large container in the garage to hold recycling that overflows the kitchen. We are neurotic recyclers. Your comment also underscores my idea further as who knows what physical limitations we or any future owner might have. Good idea about using under the sink. Thanks.