If you want major change take out the fridge wall to open the area and put fridge and storage continued down the wall where DW is now. Then possibly a portable SS rolling cart with lock wheels for a faux island.
Did you want to do construction???? 😆

Can you move/change windows or no?

i have no idea if i can afford to remove or change a window and unsure about the wall the fridge is on... is it load bearing? I have no clue. I do plan to find out. I think hubby would prefer no/little construction so going with that first.

Perhaps also we should start with, what exactly do you not love? Is it the style, the layout, just the lack of space? What would make you love it (or at least like it better), if you can't change the footprint or change a window?

It does look like any major change would involve sacrificing a window at the least, at the most moving the kitchen and associated plumbing/wiring into the family room space (difficult and expensive if you are on a slab foundation)

Thanks, Patricia. The two nook windows are tricky for sure, as they jut out from the main building walls and are huge and low to the floor. I will ask my husband to help me create a floor plan to scale.

I have thought about opening up the kitchen to the main living area, making it more open concept. We lose having two separate spaces to hang out, but will have a bigger kitchen, if we remove one of the eating areas.

The unlabeled space at the top left - is that the formal dining room? In a house this size I would agree that you don't need to separate dining areas. I'd probably have one dining room that can be used both day-to-day and for formal meals.

Are the windows in the dining nook off the kitchen above counter height?

Rae - things I do not like include: old, run down cabinets that are chipped and very worn inside, not having efficient and useful storage/cabinets, including two corner cupboards that are black holes; chipped flooring; 1990s countertops... I'd like something new and clean, with ample storage and more counterspace.

Kristin - Yes we have a main "living room" when you walk in the front door and an adjacent "formal dining area" on the other side of the wall with the stove. It's lovely, with huge vaulted ceilings windows. But I think removing the wall and / changing a window is going to cost a lot. I have no idea how much. The windows in the nook are not counter height. They are giant bay type windows that are about two feet from the floor. I've updated this a bit but still need to do a plan to scale.

The first thing you need to know is which walls are load-bearing. Removing a non-load bearing wall is a medium-sized hassle (flooring, drywall, etc.), which removing a load-bearing wall is a major hassle involving support beams and such.

How far off the floor are the windows in the dining area off the kitchen (across from the family room)? My thought would be to continue the kitchen into that area, and make the formal dining room your main eating area.

The windows are not counter height. They are 28" from the ground.

Nothing can be gained without a floorplan i.e. measurements. We also need to know if "the nook" is on the front of the home and, if it is, what material is present (brick / stone / siding)?

This would be a major project, but the footprint and windows don't change. If the walls are weight-bearing, I've included potential support posts for laminated beams (red squares). The new kitchen would be about the same size as the existing kitchen and nook combined, but you would still have the dining room, and seating at the new island. Existing plan is on the right:

Appliance garage, bottom, right and middle pics:

BTW, if this way more than you want to do, show it to Hubby and then act disappointed when he offers what you wanted in the first place. ;)

As an alternative I see the kitchen as an 'L' on the inside and non-windowed wall in the TV/Family room area. Remove the kitchen walls for a very large dining Great Room area. Proximity to the bath makes the plumbing changes more affordable. Lowers could be all drawers for storage.

If the exterior is clad in siding rather than stone or brick, altering a window is not as difficult as you might think - but one stumbling block is getting a new window that matches (in appearance) the original as well as siding to fill in the abandoned window opening. If you know the brand of the originals, that helps.

May I suggest that you take some time to look at various cabinet seller websites - Ikea is an excellent place to start, but also Conestoga & others -- to get an idea of what you like in not just looks but organizational features (easy-reach upper cabinets, interior organizers and so on) that might work in your existing space as well as what would be desirable in an enlarged space.

I've had a consult with an Ikea Planner to get an idea on cabinet costs and possibilities. This would be the minimum reno possible, but not the preferred. We have also had a contractor come in and confirm that the kitchen walls are (likely) not structural and could come out. Hubby is also coming around to the idea of making the kitchen the best it can be.

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When you listed the things that you don't like, none of them would require you do do big structural changes. things I do not like include: old, run down cabinets that are chipped and very worn inside, not having efficient and useful storage/cabinets, including two corner cupboards that are black holes; chipped flooring; 1990s countertops... I'd like something new and clean, with ample storage and more counterspace.

If you change the way you use your rooms so that you only have one living area and one dining area, each can be a good size. Moving walls can add unexpectedly to your expenses because you need to re-do all the flooring and the ceilings too. If you can find a way to meet your needs within your existing footprint, you can use more of your budget for, for example, these very efficient storage units to make good use of your 2 corners. With the right units you can get a lot into those corners and make them fully functional.

I lengthened the wall of your kitchen beside the refrigerator, which is a very inexpensive renovation, to give you more wall space and more counter space. I switched the refrigerator and the "new" counter space, to give you a nice long counter between the refrigerator and stove. But you could leave the refrigerator where it is and put a pantry to the right of it, or a second counter, if you feel that meets your needs better. I think you have room for a storage pantry in the dining area too, especially if you switch the "swing" of the door which is not a big structural change. Your current nook area could have a movable island like this to avoid issues with the low window, or a peninsula of some kind if you like. You haven't given us exact measurements so these are just ideas.

Renos can run away with you cost-wise, and it's easy to get carried away and over-improve your home relative to others in your area. I think you can get the kitchen you want without structural changes.

Well, finally we are back to thinking about this potential project. New idea I would like your thoughrs on @Patricia Colwell Consulting @Kristin S @mama goose_gw zn6OH.

Still trying to achieve “larger kitchen space“ meaning more cabinets, countertops and space to move While also updating to something new, clean and fresh. Still thinking about losing the nook and having one eating area. Our whole Duplex is 1500 sq. feet so do not need 2 eating areas.

What about a walk through galley kitchen? Counters along the outside wall, from the back to the current wall, removing 1 west window, and raising the other one.

Here is the current footprint.

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Good questions!

we plan to stay in this home forever/close to. We live in Vancouver, where home Prices are insane and our property value double in just a few years after we bought it. Duplexes in our neighborhood go for $ 1.2-1.8M.

I want a kitchen I love, but don’t need top of the line/chefs kitchen. We both love to cook and it is a central part of our home/life.

Hubby is handy and we plan to contribute some labour ourselves but will use professionals to get things right. I’d like to spend $40K at the most but will budget $50k. I need new tiles, as they are so chipped, but don’t think we can add the expense of doing all the flooring on the main floor.

I should add, we are also redoing all the windows in the house ($15k), so that will include new windows in the kitchen as we want. The windows budget does not include changes to the outer walls in the kitchen, it will be part of the kitchen budget. Thanks @User

Is there any particular reason to keep the TV/Family designated area for that use? would combining the front "great" room and currently designated dining do just as well for living area, and using the family room as dining and storage? Having the current dining area separated from the kitchen by a hall and a wall seems pretty awkward.

I guess we like having two spaces to hang out. Allows us to not all have to be in the TV room if one person wants to watch TV.