Do you know which of your walls are load bearing? In other words which walls can we knock down and which ones we can't?

Hi! Thanks for the comment! None of the 3 walls are load bearing

Yes, they are. Which just underscores the fact that you need in person actual professional help. Hire a local designer.

Thanks for the feedback Sophie Wheeler. We've already had an engineer check out the house when we moved in. We will not undertake this reno on our own and we will have professional help once ready to begin. I came to this forum so I could get feedback on the use of the space and layout. Thanks

Sophie is correct. They can't all be non load bearing. Something is holding up your roof. I am not sure where you live, but you need to start with what walls can you get completely rid of, which must stay and which can I get away with possibly making a cut through. (leaving a column). This will by default dictate your layout because if you could you would knock them all down and open it all up.

Nevermind, I just double checked the report on the engineer and yes. The wall dividing the current kitchen and living room is load bearing.

Do you care about having a mudroom space at the garage entrance? Where is your laundry, and is it something you want incorporated into the new design? Do you want an eat-in space in the new kitchen? Do you prefer a walk-in pantry or cabinet pantries?

Keep in mind that if you relocate water fixtures in a kitchen remodeling, expenses will go up. What's under the random room? If plumbers need to move water and drain lines into the other room, will they have open access from below, or will they potentially need to pull down drywall from ceilings in the room(s) below the existing kitchen and random room? If you like a more open plan, and if the wall dividing the kitchen from the random room and the dining space aren't load bearing, then you potentially could open up the room quite a bit, relocating the cabinetry and cooking areas to the random room, perhaps replacing the wall between the kitchen and dining area with a counter and adding stools. Maybe on the long wall that divides the garage from the random room, do floor to ceiling cabinetry, including a pantry; the space in the cabinetry can help as an additional airspace insulator between the garage and the living space of the house. Then wrap base cabinetry and wall cabinets on the exterior walls of the "random" room, completely remove the wall dividing the kitchen from the random room, replace the wall between the kitchen and the dining room with an counter or pass-through that can hide additional base cabinetry on the existing kitchen side, and take a fair bit of the existing kitchen space that's been freed up of cabinetry, which should allow either an eat-in nook in the corner where your existing cabinetry corner currently is, or don't put in an eat-in nook, and put in an island instead.

I would consider opening a large arch between the dining room and current kitchen. I would consider removing the walls between the dining room and kitchen and the kithen and the ramdom room. Keep the dining area dining but open concept and make the kitchen and the random room a great room oncept with new kitchen and TV/ game family room.......it might not be your dream but it would be beautiful as it will be redesigned, think fixer upper, and it will be cost effective as you are using what you have with plumbing, etc.

We had a house similar and ripped out the bar wall between the den and the kitchen and added a 5 x 7 foot island in the kitchen and the TV on the far wall from the kitchen....hubs and I can watch TV and enjoy cooking at the same time etc.....and we just removed a bar wall and left the remaining wall cabinets in the same place and refinished them...to make an L shape kitchen on a budget and happy too. Remodeling really does make it yours! And with all the money you save by using what you have you can splurge on what you want! win win

Thank you for commenting! :) I apologize for not providing enough information about my house and location. We are in Miami so this house is more of a spanish style ranch, built in 1965. I have attached some photos of the exterior and indoor living/dining/kitchen areas so you can have a better idea of the style. It has beautiful terrazzo floors running seamlessly throughout the house, spanish tile roof and an enclosed florida room..which is a whole other project because the original owners had it closed with concrete walls and I want an open terrace for entertaining.

I love your ideas! I had't thought about many of these so it's great to know how other people see it. We don't really use mudrooms in Miami but it would be interesting to explore having the laundry inside somehow.

The random room does not have any setup for plumbing at all. It is completely bare except for some outlets here and there. I would like a pantry (not necessarily walk in) I would definitely like either an island or a peninsula, some type of counter prep area for sure!

ask your engineer what it takes to take down the load-bearing wall. Could be as easy as introducing steel beam/s and column/s. Might be worth it!?

move washer/dryer upstairs?

relocate the door from garage to the other side so that you can use that wall for walk-in pantry?

I think you have space for at least a 6' long island in the random room facing the current kitchen.

Definitely keep the outer kitchen wall and the load bearing wall but delete the dining/kitchen wall and the kitchen/random room wall.....then you will have room for an island I think? This plan will keep your plumbing and wiring for living room and kitchen. Something to think aboiut.

To me it looks like the cook's bedroom.

Another idea. Make the kitchen and dining area into a nice big kitchen and make the random room into the dining room.