SFGate

flgrandma If you're taking everything down, just make the frig wall all storage and incorporate the frig with the other appliances.

flgrandma Since you seem to have a toilet area behind the kitchen I'd take the wall behind where the stove is now out to block this. You might think about a G shaped kitchen. Is that the to the left? If you put up the wall you could include a storage area on the back side for shoes, backpacks, etc.

lbrady013 That is my thought too, but I can't picture how to place all the appliances in this space. Also, if I put the fridge over there, can I run a water line to it behind the cabinets ?

lbrady013 That is a full bath on the other side on the wall in the kitchen. The opposite wall where the fridge is now is a garage converted into the master bdrm.

mmilos That bath location really bothers me. Can you eliminate the bathroom?
What's the closet beside the fridge used for? Pantry?

nvcowgirl I have downloaded a couple of free planning programs that allow me to quickly place counters, sinks, appliances, etc. on a layout. One gives a 7 day free trial (smartdraw), the other 30 days(home plan pro). This has helped me visualize where things can fit. You've already got the water to the bathroom, so you should be able to tie into that for your fridge icemaker. You could consider putting the cooktop or sink in the island. I agree with flgrandma, it would be nice to conceal the bathroom somehow.

Risner Cabinetry Would you consider losing the wall space (Where the refrigerator is)? My suggestion would move the sliding door (possibly changing to a french door) to the right; butt up against the wall. Move the fridge to the right of the dishwasher. The wall space could use a less depth style cabinet that is different from the kitchen (make a dry or wet bar) or put a wine cabinet. (I attached a copy of a wine cabinet we have in our showroom)

This will allow the island to be shifted away from the stove and/or allow you a bigger island. Possible get away from the L-Shape island too. Have fun with it. No plumbing to move, only the dedicated electrical line for the refrigerator. A little bit of carpentry work, only plumbing for the water line which is at the dishwasher anyways.

This suggestion depends on the outside wall of the patio, but everything should be able to be done from the inside once the walls are open. Good luck with your project!

lefty47 HI -- Before you and your hubby even think about -an island or peninsula ,you have to rethink the whole room . The bathroom location really bothers me . And would you like to look more to the light outside or into the room . If you could post a floor plan so we can see what is behind the wall where the fridge is and what is where in each direction from the kitchen , that would help. I am thinking you are really going to need an interior designer or kitchen designer for the whole floor plan and so on. Your kitchen is so dark and closed in and lacking in flow . And also - you will not like a corner sink , they are very limiting and only one person at a time can be there and the cabinet that goes under is a pain. Bad idea to have things angled and shoved into corners . Does the converted to a master bedroom have a bathroom ? Anyway , see what you can do to post a floor plan sketch and some room measurements and then we can get you started with some ideas .

lbrady013 Thanks for the ideas ! I'll try to get a plan. Should have thought of that before . The bath is in as odd position, but it's the only full bath as this was originally a 2 bdrm, 1 bath house. The two bedrooms are to the left of the bath, one in front , one in back. The sliding door leads to an outside lanai that we will be enclosing for additional living room area and will have access to a pool. I'm thinking that your suggestion, Lefty44, for the designer might be the best way to go.

wmpj This is a big project and you really should hire a design/build contractor to help you.

lbrady013 Do you have a ball park amount of how much that would cost ? i'm getting worried now. We will be in Hudson, FL

nvcowgirl My husband and I have done several kitchen remodels ourselves (we are not professionals, but very handy) and have not spent huge amounts of money (less than $10,000). I've seen estimates of up to $40,000 for kitchen remodels with custom cabinets, new appliances, etc. Just depends on what you want. We did stock cabinets from Home Depot and they turned out just fine. I prefer to splurge on a great cook top, oven and sink. We didn't do any structural work such as taking down walls or rerouting major plumbing (we did add a line for fridge for ice maker). However our next redo will be major and and I am budgeting the expense for professionals. This is, I hope, our LAST kitchen remodel.

I think the key is to figure out a general floor plan that you like before even talking with a kitchen planner. It's good if you can have some idea of where you want things and how you use your kitchen. For example, I plan a "baking center" that will hold all the items needed close at hand: ingredients, stand mixer, utensils, rolling pins, pan,s so I don't have to hit several different kitchen areas for what I need.
Good luck and provide updates as you go along.

Michelle Wilson Hi there! I'm new here and lack the knowledge and expertise many people here may have. But your dilemma looked interesting, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Please excuse my lack of correct terminology and overall "noob-ness". I don't know what the sink window looks out onto but what if you just re-worked that whole wall, connected the windows and stretched them across the back of the kitchen with the counter and cabinets stretched across the bottom? It would double your counter space there and give you prep room while still allowing for lots of natural light. Then, you could rip out that island and build a larger one where you could add some barstools. You could move the cooktop and oven to the island and use the wall they're on now to build cabinets, storage, etc. This way, you wouldn't have tomove the fridge. You could install a nice hood (if the house allows) over the range, which would be a nice contrasting element to the window scene and rip that pantry out and rebuild cabinets there too. Maybe those nice setups where the cabinets are flush with the fridge and it looks like the fridge is built in?

The image I have in my head is very similar to this: