I think you might be going about this wrong. If you're meeting with a KD, don't bring him/her a series of layouts you've crowd-sourced for them to validate, bring the KD a list of (a) your must-haves for the space, e.g. must seat X people at the dining area, must have (2) ovens, must have a 48" refrigerator, etc., (b) a list of things you'd like to have but could potentially live without, e.g. a coffee station or a baking surface, (c) your budget, and (d) a bunch of photos from Houzz or other sources of kitchen styles/materials/colors you like. Then let the KD do his or her thing. If they are good designers, they should give you more than one option for layouts (usually 2 or 3) and then once you've figured out which layout you like best, then they will do the detailed design with elevations, materials samples, 3D renderings, etc. Talk to them a lot about how you and your family live, how you cook (more than one chef?) and you'll get a great result back.

What are the lengths of the red line and the blue line?

whats on the yellow side of the kitchen? If that’s exterior wall why isn’t it flush with the stair wall?

Memorize the Rules.

http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitchen.design.rules.htm#.WvYPH_9OnYX

Or just let a real KD who already knows them to design the space. You’ll need one anyway to be able to get cabinets designed properly.

Thanks for the comments. The lengths of the red and blue lines are 13.6 x 12. The other side of the yellow line is an interior wall. It backs up to master bedroom closet. My main concern was not having enough cabinets and or counter space. Good advice from S, A. Interiors...A good KD should be able to figure this out.!

Just quickly read through the rules provided by Sophie....wow, a tremendous help. Will be printing them out and bringing with me. Thank you.

How exciting to be building a new home. Can't imagine all the decisions you are facing. Just a thought, if you don't trust the KD to follow the design rules, should you trust them to design your kitchen? You may want to visit some of your KDs projects, talk to their clients and see if they are really a KD you can trust.

Over the years on this forum there have been many instances of supposed KD's proposing inefficient layouts, pinch points between island and counter, fridges difficult to open and numerous other mistakes. Cilla is wise to want to be prepared and CPartist's ideas will help her with that. Some of the comments above are examples of the "Pros" brought in by Houzz who don't appreciate the helpfullness of GW kitchen forum regulars. And then of course, there's Sophie.

Its interesting to me that Junco mentions Cpartists ideas. I had exactly the same thought about switching the fridge and the ovens and moving the dishwasher over to the left of the sink. And Stacy, I haven't met the KD yet, so I can't really say whether I trust him or her, but I totally agree with you that taking a look at some of the designs they have done for others couldn't hurt and probably could help quite a bit. I just don't want to go into this totally unprepared and just accepting of someone who may say to me this is what we recommend and thats it. I want options! Hopefully they will give me plenty to work with.

Oh and make sure all lowers are drawers!

Yes, another thought I had after reading a ton of stories/advice here on houzz. I think it really does pay off to do a little research and be somewhat informed so that when I do meet with the KD, at least I know what they are talking about and will be able to ask intelligent questions and hopefully understand the reasoning behind some of their suggestions for layouts. What do you think about stacked cabinets? I like to bake and cook and I have a ton of cookware and bakeware and was concerned about the lack of what seems to be uninterrupted counter space and storage. I would also like a bigger island, but because of the table being there, it doesn't seem possible unless I turn it and move the table further against the back wall or into the sun room. We don't entertain much, only 2 of us now, family is grown and lives on opposite coast. That's why we didn't include a formal dining room in our plans, seemed like a total waste of space for us at this point given the cost of this whole project!

There are good and bad in every profession. There should be no need for you to have to use the Rules to double check your KD. Your KD should have learned those the first 6 months they were on the job.

But, the reality is that there are many people selling cabinets or doing remodels that are not Kitchen Designers, and customers must do their due diligence. The best customers are those who educate themselves enough to find a good KD! And then trust them to do the job once they have found them. :)

Cilla, I agree with you. I think it really does pay off to do a little research and be somewhat informed so that when I do meet with the KD, at least I know what they are talking about and will be able to ask intelligent questions and hopefully understand the reasoning behind some of their suggestions for layouts.

Before I hired my KD, I read everything I could. I researched on Houzz and watched, followed and observed folks with questions, frustrations and questions. I read books, magazines, posts on Houzz, HGTV and any place I could get information. I went armed with lots of information from GW so that when I met with the different KDs I could see which one was really trained. I think you are wise to prepare yourself. This is your kitchen you want it to be a place you will enjoy in your new home for many years. Good for you to do research!

Thanks Cook's Kitchen, very well stated. And Boxerpal....this is what I am starting to do now and will continue to do until I have my first meeting with KD. It just makes sense to me. I'm sure your kitchen turned out fabulous because of all the research, hard work and input you had in coming up with a design that you loved.

I totally agree. I don't like fridge coming off that hallway from bedroom and laundry and powder room.