I don't know where you're located but that seems reasonable by our standards here in NY. Is your range dual fuel or single fuel? I had my appliances installed by my contractor so there wasn't a seperate charge, it was included in the whole package.

Thanks for the replies! We met with her and I LOVE the design. The total (without custom work for the banquette and the time for GC, demo, etc) comes to just under $14K. I have a budget of $20K (not including flooring) without appliances. I'll be tight, but it may just work. We talked in detail about buying the plans off of her or going to a Kraft Maid and although she's find with it, she charges $95/hour for design time and $65/hour for something else, can't remember...anyways, she said she would want to go with me to have the other estimate so that it would be apples to apples, of course she also said that it would be more time for her to adjust the plans for other cabinets, for example certain depths come standard in her maker that may not in a KM or similar. Sooooo, I'm not sure but I'm leaning toward giving the job to her. She comes HIGHLY recomended by my GC (who I adore!) and I trust him whole heartedly. He has also tried to stay impartial for me, which I appreciate and is having me pay her direct (he really is amazing, doing the same thing with tile guy, etc.) -- he's honest and fair. Lastly, the cabinet company (and her design company) stand by their work, she said within reason, they will just come out and replace, no matter what...no jumping through hoops...I liked the sound of that, as we're not planning on moving EVER AGAIN. haha, we've had 6 moves in 7 years, exhausting. Anyways, I need to go look at the finishes and glazing options tomorrow. Oh and I should add that the option w/out glaze only took it down $1000, and with the fake wood (can't remember the name..malinate??? something) only another $1000, just doesn't seem worth it to me.

Thank you all for your time and input. I amleaning toward the gift certificate. We have incredibly great restaurants within walking distance. My husband wants to give cash, so we are currently trying to deal with that. I know my neighbor boards her dog when she goes away because the dog requires walking. She usually has a friend's neighbor, but he was not available for her last few trips. I can see paying a young person cash, but as an adult AND neighbor, the gift certificate seems like the way to go. Especially since she moved here a few months ago, a gift cert. to a good restaurant that you might not either afford or think to go because it's a bit pricy (but really good), seems good. As a matter of fact, her downstairs neighborr is a well-known chef at a beautiful, highly rated restaurant. So, we'd be benefitting both neighbors. Except they are closed for the month of September. An IOU gift certificate wouldn't work.

dave in jersey wrote: it was a timing thing. We wanted to get it on the market asap, so we went with carpet. Dave-- We just had our hardwood floors redone and it was less than a three day process. They sanded the first day, applied the stain and one coat of poly, let that dry overnight and then applied another coat the next day. By the evening of the third day it was all done and could be walked on again. Of course we only had hardwood in the entry, family room and kitchen (~750 sq feet), so naturally a bigger area would probably take longer. (It was still almost $3,000.) The mess from the dust was awful (SO GLAD I'm not living in that house) but the floors look amazing....