@lucidos, love your avatar pic... and I looked at your blurb. No I didn't move into your house but I might have grown up in it's little sister, except we did have some tube and knob wiring and... I won't go into it other than my folks literally rebuilt that entire house in the 15 years I lived there. Those pictures are a house that went up for sale from original owner's family, in April 2013, just down our block (4th house down). I came over and took pictures, took the tape measure to it, and even measured off the backyard (75' to fence line, and 100' wide and NOTHING back there. With a nice solid metal fence). Hubby wanted it so I whipped around and located the financing, then I went over with him on what I would HAVE TO DO to move in, which was blow one wall on the bathroom, it was so tiny and two closets put together sort of thing you had to step out to change your mind... totally nuke that kitchen and enclose that area with the bath to get enough bath to be able to share it to the master bedroom too. Then take the dining area which was rather huge, and had a cutthrough to the living room with spindles and rebuild a kitchen-it would have had enough space to eat in easily, pull the laundry room wall a few feet out too, so the long skinny ugly room could be used for something other than the WD against the back; making a true mudroom of that space; and rip out every bit of the 70's gold(mustard green tinge) 2 level loop carpet (you know that moundy stuff?) and refinish the hardwood floors underneath. And attack the every bit of wiring redo job. It did have 2 year old windows, and a roof put on 3 before, and water heater and furnace/central air within 5 years old. The house was 2' up and there were steps inside the garage taking that much off the width. (the usual barely-there garage). It did have nice large bedrooms, 3 of them; usually that sort of layout was tiny. It was worth almost what they were asking except for those issues. I'm also glad that I talked other half out of it, I didn't want a 30 year mortgage that bad. Diyher, I have seen that picture in someone else's thread, and they said they took the cabinet off the end of the island (on the left) as it was the biggest mistake they ever did; as people wanted to stand there to congregate and such; and that once it was gone, it was over all liked more. Maybe make that end cabinet the same height as the rest of the island; that was the original thread's complaint on why they removed it, it just seemed to STOP movement and flow. Pictures: Standing in kitchen looking over that 2step counter to the cut through and the laundry room/garage door. Standing by that metal clothes rack and window looking back towards the entry half wall divider and where the hall to bathroom and bedrooms are. Kitchen and dining are to the right. Standing in doorway between the two little closets that make up the bathroom, looking in to that wallboard with marble pattern on it with 4' tub and stool. Turned around in same spot looking at the other half of the bathroom. Toilet and those cupboards are on same wall, that is the long wall of kitchen. Even looking at these pictures, I still have the itch to get the crowbar and sledge out and remove that counter. A family with three small kids bought it and moved in in November. I've heard him running a saw in that garage recently and the power truck was in their back yard for two days.... hope he knows what he got.

At this late date you have limited solutions to the poor layout your designer produced. Counter depth refrigerators are somewhat of a misnomer because they are typically a little deeper than 25" (cabinet plus 1" counter overhang). In a typical install the depth of the door and handle is going to protrude past the cabinets, but not nearly as much as a standard depth fridge. In your case the fridge location kills the counter space immediately to the left. Typically I would recommend pairing a regular depth fridge with 30" deep base cabinets and 18" uppers on a short wall for a flush look. Instead of paying more for a smaller fridge, you pay more for more cabinet storage while getting the benefits of a standard depth fridge. That won't work in your current layout. At this stage my suggestions would be: 1) move the pantry to the far left on the cabinet run containing the stove, and move the stove about a foot to the right to hopefully have 30" of countertop between the pantry and stove. That and the island gives you a landing zone for loading and unloading the pantry. A 30" drawer base between pantry and stove would be good location for pots and pans. 2) move fridge to current pantry location, with a fridge surround and overhead cabinet. This gives you much more space on that wall that is convenient to the stove and sink. You can use the island and the increased countertop space as a landing zone to load and unload fridge. 3) use a recessed outlet in the wall behind the fridge for power supply and a similar approach for the water supply. This will allow the fridge to be as snug to the wall as the installation instructions allow. 4) consider extending the wall to the right of the refrigerator about 6" into the kitchen if needed to cover the side of the refrigerator. Not sure if this is needed. Not sure a standard depth French door would work because of proximity to the island but a counter depth should. Essentially on the refrigerator part of the L you would have the refrigerator at the far right protruding somewhat, with uninterrupted counter to the left all the way to the stove. 5) depending on clearance between island and the refrigerator wall of cabinets, make the base cabinets between the refrigerator and the corner 30" deep and the uppers 18". This will work if the fridge depth (excluding doors) is 30" and provides a flush line other than the door. Wouldn't do using cabinet depth fridge. 6) instead of Lazy Susan, use angled drawers in the corner. Here is a reverse pic )under construction) with a 30" surround enclosing a regular depth French door refrigerator.

Every builder knows (or should know) you have to accommodate these "connections" for water and gas and electric plugs. They can be recessed. Might try suggesting that. Of course, requires, cutting, sheetrock, finishing, plumbing. That is simply unacceptable as is. Politely tell the builder, in writing (can be email) that this is unacceptable and you need some resolution. Ask if recessing the protrusions is a possibility. The other remedies are much more costly. Might also copy him on the "specifications" you sent previously.

I couldn't bring myself to put anything at all in front of the window. If you have any other space for the dishwasher I would move it as well. Being outside, looking into the window and seeing the back of a cabinet and back of a dishwasher would not work well. Someone suggested changing out the window for a smaller one with a sill that extends at least to countertop height or above. I would wholeheartedly agree with doing that.