Pictures what you have and a floor plan with dimensions would help you get advice. Also maybe if you have inspiration pictures if what you envision.

Start with a design plan and a designer. 40K is a pretty low budget for that type of old home surprises full remodel, unless you’re wanting to do all DIY with Ikea?

Has the electrical been updated with a modern 200 amp breaker panel and no knob and tube? Is sll the galvanized plumbing eliminated? Have you tested for the inevitable lead and asbestos? Is there any insulation in the old walls? Done any remediation? Is there a separate budget to handle all of that if it hasn’t been handled?

If you want it to fit in with the age and style then keep it as a kitchen and don't take down a wall. Homes of that era had separate kitchen, dining room and living room. If you wish to make the space more open replace the doorway with an open arch, matching size and shape if you have them elsewhere

Thanks for the comments and ideas!

Lyndee- it is separate from the dining room with a swing door, so that’s nice. It does open up to a larger living room that was an addition from the 50s.

Millworkman- I should be able to post floor plan and dimensions soon…

Craftsman creations- your comment scared me a little because I hadn’t thought about all that and don’t know what we’re going to find once we start. I hope things go smoothly but it sounds like there are always surprises in these older homes.

Also, we’ve received a design from the local cabinet maker that has the sink and fridge remaining in the same spot, which I think will help keep our costs down, as I keep reading that relocating plumbing and electrical is a huge cost. I dreamed of having the sink against a window but I don’t think that’s in our budget to relocate it and add a window. Anyways, here are pics of our current kitchen…

"I hope things go smoothly but it sounds like there are always surprises in these older homes."

Yep, always is. Figure you need 20-25% contingency for these type of issues and then it still may not be enough...................

Modern kitchens require a bunch of electrical work, and a bunch of electrical circuits. If you don’t have a new panel with a bunch of empty slots, or a mostly empty subpanel, you need to have that done first, as a separate project. You will need to have all of everything brought up to current code, for the whole. Not just the electrical..

You will need:

2 separate 20 amp GFI small appliance circuits with outlets no further than every 4’, and both peninsula and island oulets. 3 circuits is even better now that everyone has a forest of air fryers, instant pots, crockpots, roasters, espresso machines, and etc.

1 DW/disposal combo outlet under the sink.

1 dedicated outlet for your vent hood.

1 dedicated fridge outlet per fridge.

1 dedicated MW outlet isn’t code if it is a countertop unit, but it is recommended. It’s the highest watt appliance you'll use. If you do a built in MW, it needs a dedicated outlet.

1 outlet for the range. 110 for gas, and 220 for electric.

1 outlet per separate wall oven. 220 for these.

New circuit for a new lighting plan and new lights. LED has minimal draw, so 1 wire can supply multiple switched circuits. That was not the case a few years ago.

If the W&D stay, separate outlets for those. Its usually easier to run a new safer grounded 4 wire circuit for the dryer than to try to extend from the old outlet and have to msintain that as accessible with nothing in front of it.

Where is the sink? I love the retro cabs on R wall and might try to refurbish them and spend money elsewhere. Do washer and dryer need to stay in kitchen? Are you open to stacking them?

Wow! Good stuff thank you so much for the comments and insights. Okay, we’re going to try to shift our thinking and just plan for these things to be needed. I don’t know anything about electrical or anything but

Susan - the sink is to the left of the refrigerator. I’m not thrilled with the location but to keep costs down we should probably keep it that way. I’ve thought of refurbishing the cabinets but their not very functional or user friendly. For example, they are low over the countertop so no room below, plus the doors look good from a distance but up close they are all uneven, off or unable to open at all. They’re pretty bad.

The retro cabinets are cute, I agree! Perhaps they can be refurbished, doors rehung, uppers raised…just a thought. It would save $$$ and they have charm, at least in these photos.
I’d start with a contractor. Find out how much it would be to move the sink to the window, in addition to upgrading electrical, plumbing etc. I have no idea what the cost might be to move the sink, but I’d want to know before I automatically ruled it out. Stacking the washer and dryer is an excellent idea.
I have a 1912 house, and agree that there are often expensive surprises. Best of luck on your project!

It appears that you have a large room for the kitchen which gives you options for the layout. I can't tell whether you have hot water or steam heat but if you may wish to investigate how to integrate the radiator with the kitchen. In my prior home, I had a radiator under the sink. No cabinet, just a farmhouse sink mounted on rails between the cabinet one side and DW on the other. As long as you have sufficient space for cool air to be pulled in under the radiator and warm arm to rise, the radiator will warm the room. Other options available are shallow panel radiators, cabinet toekick radiators with electric blower fan, heated towel bar radiators and (crazy expensive!) sculptural radiators. It isn't cheap to move a radiator but sometimes that change improves function enough to be worthy of the cost. Or, you could add an upper cabinet over the existing radiator for dish storage, pots and pans or canned goods.

If you replace the cabinets, be prepared for the new ones to have much less storage space than the current cabinets. The kitchen in my current house is a similarly sized room with much more counter space but the storage capacity is quite a bit less.

Lyndee- yes that radiator is a bit of a challenge. Our current plan is to cap it because the room next to it has newer heating so we are able to not use it instead. Oh and those upper cabinets are quite deep! I didn’t think about newer ones not being like that. I will have to remember that for storage!

Chinacatpeekin-I’ve thought about stacking the washer dryer and hiding behind cabinets in the kitchen but since the hook ups are already in the basement, we’re pretty much decided on moving it there to free up kitchen space (and not have dryer lint in our food lol!).

So we started with a local cabinet company and here is the layout they provided. I then asked if we could move the microwave from above the range because I felt like it looked too modern. Also I changed to a white/cream quartz counter instead of the grey and black swirl in the photo below. Would having white cabinets to the top with molding and doing a classic subway tile be enough to fit in the the age of the home… any other thoughts on what more we could do on budget? The cabinets came in at 14k so there goes 33% of our budget…oh man!!

Also it looks funny in the above range / backsplash area because I cut and pasted the new microwave-less design into the original design. :)

Oh and I forgot to add that our kitchen measures 12 ft wide by 15 ft long.

Generally the plan looks good though as others have noted it would be great to change sink location. Personally I’d move it to island with view out the window. If you use a large ledge sink it can include prep space and hide mess. If you’re on crawl space or have basement the cost of relocating the plumbing will not be very high- you already have water and drain stack on both sides of the room for them to tie into.

If your going to relocate the W/D, cant you use that existing water and drain for the sink?

We put a modern euro style kitchen in our 1914 stone colonial when we first moved back from Germany and loved it. Second time around we did a more period look; we loved that too. We lost a radiator as a result and the kitchen was always cold. The hydronic toe kick heater was never enough so be sure you can really do without it.

Your layout looks good but I would put drawers on either side of the range rather than cabinets. Or maybe a pull out for can goods. Drawers in the island too. It will cost more but is so worth it. If you have a gas range you probably won't have to upgrade your electrical too much. You'll need a dedicated outlet for the microwave but the rest should be fine. I'm not sure if code demands that knob and tube be replaced. We replaced ours but I don't know if we had to. Do you know if it was replaced by the previous owner (they often do that before listing a house)?

The island will be a wonderful addition to your space. Friends can gather there, kids can do crafts and home work, it's a great prep space, good for quick meals etc. Kitchens in 1925 had tables instead but they also didn't have dishwashers or garbage disposals or refrigerators. LOL.

Thanks for all the input everyone! Ok, so it seems like we should at least get a quote and investigate relocating the kitchen sink and adding a window to that wall.

Susan- we did look at a sink in island configuration but it took up too much room in the island so it was banished to back against the wall. :(

Cheri127- two remodels?! Wow! That’s neat that you had such different kitchens each time. I agree about the island being a great gathering space and that’s very true about all the new appliances and technology that wasn’t around then. Lol!

Becky- yes, very true. So the real cost would be adding the window then… when you put it like that, maybe it should be priced out before being ruled out.

Lyndee Lee- luckily we have a kind of cute, built in pantry that was a good amount of storage. It’s located directly behind the proposed stove wall, I’m between the two doorways.
AND that is an excellent point about the blank wall. Since we aren’t opening up to a great room or a bunch of windows, does this make sense? And you got me thinking about the work table… I found this kitchen on Houzz and now I’m OBSESSING over this layout…it looks like it could be our kitchen, with the doors and length and width! I would want white cabinets though. ;)

That picture you show looks like a great kitchen to fit in with a vintage house, although I don't care for the light fixture. I took another look at your photos and I see the window appears to be behind the entry door, not in the middle. What type of siding do you have? Adding in a new window will be an expense that you are not ready to cover, as the result should look to be original from both the inside and outside and getting those details right isn't cheap.

I suggest you get some quotes on upgrading your electric before allocating too much elsewhere. Even with a very reasonably priced electrician, upgrades can get expensive quickly. You need more circuits and put in lots of lighting. I would even suggest preparing the space for adding an electric heater if the room turns out to be quite chilly. I have two flushmounts, 3 recessed cans and two wall mounts as I have double windows. My guy was an old house owner himself and understood the issues involved but many electricians don't want the headaches of old house work. Same recommendation for a plumber, look for an experienced old house guy who will advise you on which piping should be replaced while you are doing the remodel and which portions are OK to keep as is. You don't want people on either extreme...some always say "tear it out and redo" regardless of the expense, and others say "It's fine, leave it alone" and leave you to deal with major issues after your fabulous room is completed.

Lucky you to have a convenient pantry space! My current kitchen is just under 10 x 12 so most of my extra items are stored around the corner and down the stairs in my basement. It is nice to have the extra space but I miss not having a real pantry.

Try to put in a true exhaust hood, not a recirculating model. I think a stainless steel chimney model can work in a vintage kitchen, if you resist the temptation of a glitzy glass version.

Your inspiration photo is very pretty but I hope you're not considering that layout.

Cheri - I…I was. But now I’m worried! I mean not the exact layout but the sink on the left with a window, yes. Then stove where it is in our original design and fridge where it is in urging all design. Do you think it’s too spread out or not the best layout option?

Lyndee - I don’t like the light fixture either. Oh and we have cedar shingle siding. I do think it will be costly to put the window in but so tempting to price out. Maybe after we figure out electrical? Yeah there is a lot to figure out and price out. I guess heat and electrical safety will come first! :)

Can I not edit Houzz comments? My phone keeps correcting my spelling but makes it worse!

Also a few people asked about knob and tubing wiring and I’m happy to announce that after googling it and looking around in the basement, I didn’t see any but do see a large electrical box. I think this is a good thing…

Here is a photo of the electrical box.

@Holly Wolly We upgraded our service to 200 amps when we did our first kitchen but we still had knob and tube in the house that was hooked into the new panel. We replaced it in the kitchen and bathrooms as we renovated them but then did the rest all at once...it was painfully expensive. We sold the house in January and the inspector found one knob and tube wire that was still live! Fortunately the electrician came back and fixed it even though it was years later. It's good to see you have 200 amp service. You'll be able to do whatever you want. But you could still have knob and tube in there. It's easy enough for an electrician to look and see.

If you keep the range on the window wall and put the sink under the window, that will work fine. In the inspiration pic, the work table is between the sink and the range. That would be a terrible kitchen to work in. If you have the range and sink on the window wall, the fridge should go where the range is in the new design. A narrow table with no seating would allow you to have another counter on the wall where the sink is now, or a bank of shallow pantries. I wouldn't make the table narrower than 24", though.

If the most cost effective layout is the one the KD designed for you above, I don't think you'll be unhappy with it. But as I suggested before, replace the lower cabinets with drawers. I think you'll get more bang for your buck spending the money on drawers versus moving the plumbing. I would also find an island with seating more useful than a narrow worktable, especially if you have young children. Use the finishes, lighting and hardware to give your kitchen a vintage feel while getting the most out of modern considerations for function.

You can edit your posts (autocorrect is not my friend) but only within a small window...I'm not sure how long, maybe a day.

Cheri- thanks so much! Okay here’s my attempt at adding the above idea to the design layout of our kitchen…

The table style island isn’t shown but would be 2ft and leave a walkway all around. I do think you are right about the original design being the most cost effective layout. Besides the plumbing it would take cutting into the wall and doing the windows right. It just makes me think we should just wait until we do have the money. I agree that I wouldn’t be unhappy with the other layout but if I’m spending so much I want to be pretty darn happy and I’m worried I’d always want the window sink. Also the new layout work triangle is pretty large.

So scary about the lingering live wire!

And I will be sure to do drawers! I’ve been reading about them after your suggestion and they do seem like the best option for storing and accessing items.

I recommend browsing for photos of Crown Point Cabinetry to see some well designed vintage look kitchens. Notice the toekick area of their cabinets. Recessed toekicks is a modern feature and I like how they design the cabinet ends to keep a vintage appeal but still benefit from the modern feature. Even if their price tag is past your budget, the ideas are useful

Crown Point Cabinetry looks amazing! Okay I love the toe kicks. :-) it looks like there is a fancy one under the sink in the vintage green kitchen I like so much. Very useful link…thanks!!!