A15) @Dara Cooke: If you can't afford a quartz or granite worktop from day one then I would recommend using a laminate worktop as a temporary solution. If you don't put tiles up as a backsplash then replacing the worktops can be relatively easy in a couple of years.

Hi guys, we've bought a house off the plans. It's a 4 bed end of terrace in a new Estate. We got to visit our house in a site visit recently and the kitchen is smaller than we expected. It's always hard to visualise space. I've included a plan below. The kitchen is 5m wide and flat against one wall. There are 2 doors for utility and family room in a corner that causes issues for the layout. Ideally we would want an island and a good long dining table. We can't find a way to place both in the space without completely cramping the kitchen. The reason for the island is for additional cabinets and counter space. Another option was for the double doors into the living room to be a solid wall, and for us to extend the kitchen around to the full wall, thereby eliminating the need for an island and allowing plenty of room for a good sized dining table. Another option is to put in a nice large island and moving the dining table into the family room, but it seems odd to be creating a seperate dining room. I would love to hear some of your thoughts on options of keeping the double doors, island and dining table.

Will there be enough counter space and a flow?

I am torn with this design, with the light being best for the kitchen/living room spaces, and hence placing the utility room in the middle which is the darkest place in the house is the deisgn plan. Does this work from a function of house the house works, as kitchen and dining area are removed from the rest of the house with access through the porch or through the music room. Any thoughts woul d be great, Regards...