Kitchen design help requested, reward offered

Darn! You took away my kitchen design 'secret magic wand'.

And that is to move doors, windows, and walls. Problem kitchens can become fantastic kitchens with a little door/window moving. Anyway it looks like you might be able to move some interior doorways. Try consolidating the two doorways in the bottom right of the drawing if possible. They are in a valuable corner. If they could be combined into one doorway away from the corner, you could place cabinets or something there.

So see what you can move, then try different designs with things moved in different places... (If I have the winning idea, save the $100 for yourself. Kitchens cost a young fortune!)

The doorways at the bottom right corner cannot be altered, unfortunately. Among other things, the basement stairs also come out from that same small area. (That's why the wall at the bottom of the drawing can't be moved.)

The other doorway (at the upper left) could be moved, but only with difficulty.

The dining room is too small already, so moving that wall is out of the question.

And all but three feet of the wall on the right side of the kitchen is exterior wall (stone, as noted). I'd rather pay you $100 for a usable design, than the $1500 advance that one kitchen designer was asking for... Told him I didn't want to pay anything without seeing at least a rough sketch first. He didn't seem to like that too much. I guess if his business is doing well enough that he can afford to turn away customers, even in this economy, more power to him. I'm sure I can find someone more reasonable.

That is not possible, due to the shape of the house

Actually you *can* move the stairs! It may not be as big a deal as you may think. I would investigate moving the stairs elsewhere, get some quotes, etc. Maybe it is within reach. Then you could get that corner for additional space.

Also I almost fell off my stool when you said a $1500.00 advance for the kitchen designer! Where you buy your cabinets will probably design your kitchen for little or nothing. Also you can get kitchen design software for not too much. Use the $1500.00 to move the stairs...

No, I can't. There's a staircase to the second floor above that as well, and that cannot be moved an inch without *major* reconstruction of the east half of the house.

I about fell off mine, too, when the guy told me that over the phone.

'I love my kitchen so much, we

absolutely! our plans are to open the wall from the kitchen to the dining room and make it one HUGE great kitchen!

For starters, knock out the 7'2' wall between the kitchen and dining room, and install base cabinets there, with a counter overhang on the dining room side, with barstools. That will give you your kitchen eatin area, with generous storgae underneath.

Why not add the surreounding rooms, with stairways, etc., to th eplan you have online, that will make it much easier for us to envisage the whole.....

we knocked down the wall between the kitchen and the 'eating area' (dining room is separate) and now have a huge kitchen. The bigger space certainly allows for more versatile planning.

Yes. You could put the sink there. It would look weird, but you could do it anyway.

depending upon what it looks out on, it might be nice to have the stove there.

another thing is to make the east wall be a half wall. put the stove against that, and a counter bar on the outside so that guests can see in whilst the cooking is going on.

regards, charlie cave creek, az