how do you use the current dining area??...my initial reaction would be to move the kitchen into the dining area and make the family room more spacious for a good sized dining table

At the moment we use the dining room for meals, and the second family room hasnt got much in it yet (only just moved in 2 weeks ago). We dont really have the budget to be knocking out walls and moving things around etc. we think we want to keep the second family for a kids play area so when we are in the kitchen or out in the undercover entertaining we can watch them (no kids yet but will be in the next few years)

Thanks vicki! Some valuable advice indeed! So many of the things you suggested we were thinking too so its great to have that confirmation that they are good ideas. The bin, the shelf, drawers and the corner cupboard especially :)

We are also looking into kaboodle etc and hiring a builder but we are very time poor as both work full time and have busy lives :( just not sure if it will be too much of a strain on us doing a lot of the work

Once we hired the builder, he did all the running around for quotes etc for us. We just chose what we liked.

3da design are you saying you like that it has curved edges or that it extends into the kitchen with the corner breakfast bar bit? dont mind the curves, we might look at that. its just that by putting a corner to extend into the kitchen there it makes it feel so cramped and since its opposite the fridge spot it would also make it impossible to get past when the fridge door is open (the fridge doesnt currently fit in the fridge spot since fridges were much smaller in the 90s!)

the main reason we need to do it asap is we are looking to start a family soon and definitely dont want to be renovating with a baby, and also the lack of storage and fridge not fitting is driving us insane already (and lack of dishwasher haha)

Claire - so the wallspan cabinets turned out well? we are just getting laminate benchtop and tiled splashback so hoping this would save many difficulties and delays that seem to arise with stone benchtop and glass splashback. getting a quote from a couple other full kitchen design companies this weekend and also just a kitchen cabinet maker as well.

Nearly everyone i have talked to has said the only problems with wallspan they had (if any) were the delays with stone benchtops and glass splashbacks - those that got laminate and tiles said it all went super smooth. Which is great because that fits our budget too if we do end up going that route

One other point based on my own experiences would be that the waste removal should be planned prior to the start of demolition.

It is quite likely for kitchen renovation to result in a higher amount of waste than what the majority of people think, considering the removal of the cabinets, benches, tiles, floorings, packaging of new products etc. This will make sure that there is safety on the site as well as easy management of the process.

Some of the skip bin service providers for Adelaide homeowners include those that have been used by many customers via Skippy Bin Adelaide and found that the amount of waste resulting from the kitchen renovation is quite high.

I agree with your ideas for making improvements in drawers and corner space usage. These are the areas where you can see the difference practically every day, while the cosmetic differences get noticed only after some time.

Your layout seems quite practical to me and the grey subway tile splashback will blend very well with stainless steel appliances and dark flooring. Good luck with your renovation.