Our kitchen is a 1980s galley

[soumitss]

Our kitchen is a 1980s galley and it’s driving us crazy. Two people can’t pass each other, there’s no counter space next to the range, and the whole thing feels cut off from the rest of the house. I don’t know whether we need a full gut or whether a smart reconfiguration gets us most of the way. Budget is a real constraint but we’re not trying to do this on the cheap either. Where would you start? We’ve been in the house eleven years and plan to stay indefinitely, so this isn’t a resale calculation, it’s about actually enjoying the room we spend the most time in as a family.

[hydrogenn]

Start with whether the wall separating the kitchen can come out, because that single question determines everything downstream. If it’s non-structural, opening it up transforms a galley more than any amount of new finishes. If it is structural, a beam is doable but it’s a different budget conversation. Get that answered before you fall in love with a layout. We did Bellevue Kitchen Remodeling on a similar 80s layout and the wall turned out to be load bearing, which we planned around rather than fought. Expect six to ten weeks for a project like this once permits clear.

[Author]

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