A larger window to the smaller bifolding doors would mean you get more kitech units, therefore more storage. So it would be beneficial to have a large window rather than bi folding doors on the smaller side. Saying that, Bi-folding doors do look great and they make the place feel more spcious. So the other option you have is to support the upper part of the wall with a RCJ (Steel) and have the bi-folding doors all the way across which would look great. It does all depend on time scale and budget. For more free advice please do email us on info@kdesign.org.uk or visit www.kdesign.org.uk

Hi new house It looks like you are doing a really nice project and definitely as OnePlan has suggested you really need to see a professional kitchen designer. To be honest it looks like you have left it rather late! As a professional kitchen designer I suggest you go and visit 2 or 3 independent kitchen specialists, have a chat with them, see if this is the sort of project they often do. Now this is the important bit - be honest with them, tell them you want the space designed properly then get the design costed by 2 or 3 other suppliers. If they are sensible then they will suggest you pay a reasonable fee to cover their time and advice, and you get a design that's right for you and can get like for like costings - well as much as you can. You will also save a lot of time and repeating processes. In fact I had a customer in last week, they are building a beautiful German timber frame home, very modern, and they said money is tight for the internals so want to get several costings for the kitchen and other rooms. I suggested we design the space for them for a reasonable fee, they get all the alternative costs they want and then hopefully they will come back to us in the end so they will get their design fee back on the order. They emailed me yesterday and are coming in this afternoon with their house plans to discuss their requirements! New house where abouts are you in the UK? I might be able to suggest / recommend someone or company. CK

We have just completed a similar project on our home in North London. Personally, I started with our local council - are you in a conservation area? this will impact the permissions that you need etc., You can also carry out searches of past planning applications to see what neighbouring properties had approved or not. A chat with your local planning officer normally costs nothing plus he/she will def know of other properties in the road/area that have had a similar project completed. I would try and do this before you commit fully to the house. You might be surprised, there are some roads/areas that will not allow side returns. You could also book an architect for a short session say 1 hour - more to discuss ideas and approach. Your research will tell you about permitted development, so you might not need full planning permission. In our case, due to the fact we are in a conservation area we needed full planning permission for a side return, party wall, structural calcs, building control etc., We viewed a number of projects completed by architects and turnkey co's specialising in side returns and decided that we could achieve the same if not better for a lower price. We used a builder that had done work for us before and we are very happy with the results. We paid for a couple of visits from our structural engineer at key stages of the project, which saved money and helped to manage risk. You could consider this route but it depends on your level of building experience. The best advice is not to be in too much of a hurry - take your time and really get the planning stages of your project right - especially the budget and end result you want to achieve before engaging any professionals.

Hi Paula, Wow loads of great advice already ! I'd suggest you ask your builder if he can recommend a structural engineer, that he's worked with previously, to come and view the stack - it may be that by extending the thick nub on bottom left of that area marked, that you can then put one beam across to support above? ( but I'm not a SE - so you will need on site advice for this !!) I'm the concept planner that Minnie added the link for ( thank you Minnie !!) We sell purely design, no product. So charge for our services, rather than making a mark up on what you buy, like a showroom would. (We have a few types of service - the most expensive, for a project this size, is about the same cost as a good dishwasher) But that does mean you get a PDF with all the plans/elevations/colour perspectives, panoramics and item listing to shop around with, which means you can compare like for like and negotiate great deals with showrooms/studios/even online suppliers of kitchen furniture and appliances etc. We can even supply colour A3 prints, if you want, too ! So we are a bit different to a free studio service - but can work well for busy people who want an input into the design stage ( we have a service that involves you throughout the design process over a five day period) and those who want to approach a few different studios or online suppliers to quote, but that don't have the time to deal with several site visits from several designers and to sit through several presentations that are all different - so it becomes a bit confusing to see who's offering the best deal ! You simply email them your design PDF - or drop them in a printed copy, ask for their best price as you are shopping around. All they need to do initially is price it - so much easier for the studios too ! Anyway enough of the 'sales pitch' from me ! Best wishes for your project, which ever route you choose ! :-)