Thanks for the comments. I'm going with some Bruce on sale at Home Depot for $3.98/sq. ft. It's the same as the original samples our guy brought over, but after looking at various different models at HD it somehow doesn't seem like the bevel is that pronounced anymore :-). Anyway, I figure if I just can't live with it I can have him refinish and that would fill in the bevel gaps, right? The finish looks like gloss whereas my current floors aren't, so I might need to do that anyway if the difference is too obvious. Are there down-sides to putting another layer of finish on pre-finished flooring?

Just checking on the cherry. Can't say I'm too fond of oak myself. There are few instances where balustrade removal and replacement work out too well unless you're disassembling the stair re-milling and reassembling it. Even then unless you are talking about a stair that's made out of a rare or exotic lumber that would exceed the cost of the time and labor of doing so It is not often the best practice. I would still use care taking it apart and use it to make something else. How solid are the newels, are they loose surface mount or do they go into the floor? Iron is nice. You can either use a metal rail or wood on top of it. For a long while iron/steel balusters were a bit less expensive than wood but now they are comparable. The wood rail will usually be less expensive than the metal and easier to install. Newel posts can be either as wood newels match the iron quite well. A few of the things I was mentioning about not being correct in the drawings were the balusters and newels. The newel is an Arcways product whose turning is sized for the 30" rail heights of days long gone by. Note the extremely tall base. The balusters are StaiParts Inc. made for the same. The upper turnings don't even come close to matching the rake of the stair which is common for too many stair part manufacturers. Even with the stair and balcony rail set to the highest height in order to use a closer matching baluster combination to make it less noticeable. Arcways however does have some fabulous rails and fittings, checks their small orders for matching, offers cherry as a stock item and will sell directly to homeowners. They also carry iron and steel balusters. I believe OakPoint sells direct and Crown sells through Brosco/Brockway Smith, 84 Lumber and even a few Lowe's locations as well as numerous stair companies. Use the dealer locator on their website. Both have a good selection, have cherry as stock on some of their profiles, good quality and a product line that looks correct for todays codes. "Solid" or one piece treads sound nice but they are not really what you want unless they have relief milling on the underside and even then it's not much of a guarantee against checking or cupping especially if they are only 3/4 thick". How will the 1 1/4"+ overhang hold up? Construction adhesive and a finish nail through the top of the finish isn't going to last too long and will squeak like crazy after a while. A typical tread is 1 1/16" thick and will be made of three to 5 pieces. Cherry treads are most often made "in house" from random width/length material and a good stair shop will cut out any sap wood, match the grain and the leading piece will be well beyond the riser. Engineered treads are also available but like everything they have their pros and cons and I think the cons still outweigh the pros. The open left end should have a return nosing mitered into the front left corner and extend past the next riser by the same distance as the overhang with a scotia below. That is the dark piece I am showing on the edge of the tread in the image above. If you go through your phone book or search for stair companies or stair manufacturers and not stair part manufacturers you should find a few. If you call a stair parts manufacturer they will direct you to someone in your area that they sell to. I was looking for the dimension of the face of riser to face of riser or the run. I'm assuming 7" is the height? Floor to floor height. From the top of the plywood where the upper stair lands to the top of the vinyl on the landing and from the top of the vinyl on the landing to the top of the vinyl(?) in the basement. If the vinyl is flat I would agree with keeping it in place if the glue has failed and it's lifting remove it and in either scenario use a quality felt paper underlayment. Did you already place the order with the millwork shop? How soon do you need to get this done? I really think it would be in your best interest to explore all avenues and plan out the whole project before you buy anything. As Casey noted above it is often cheaper to remove all and replace. It would take you less time to install the two units than it would to even do one single tread.

I'm sorry! I posted & then forgot to check for replies. Houzz emails go to my "others" folder. Oops! To happy2b…gw, It's probably too late but the width of the cabinets on either side of the range is 32". The cabinet are alder with a "special walnut" stain & I believe a "Vandyke Brown" glaze - although there was question on whether the glaze was skipped. The countertops are granite - Typhoon Bordeaux. We went with a silgranit sink in truffle. Also - I love my faucet - The Simplice by Kohler. I had so much fun (and stress) picking out all the facets of the kitchen remodel! artemis_ma - I love my pet feeding station too! :) nancyjwb - Howdy neighbor! ;) We were thinking of doing shaker but thankfully our contractor suggested we do more detail & we fell in love with the cabinet style we selected. VERY glad he shifted us away from the straight shaker. We did shaker in our bathroom remodel but I think the detail it adds a little extra style to the kitchen. badgergal - Thank you! Nice get get positive feedback on something you put so much thought & effort into. I spend a lot more time just "hanging out" in my kitchen than I used to! :)

@aprilneverends, the original cabinet picture is posted in my original post. I do not have the pictures to the "space" but the rest of it is indeed just ivory colored walls with windows, and oak colored baseboards, covered with a neutral carpet -- which will be replaced with a vinyl plank flooring. To answer your other question regarding LVP: I intend to put wood-look vinyl in the living/dining area, and intend to put tile-look vinyl in the kitchen and entry -- which is approximately 6'x8' area that is completely open otherwise to the rest of the Great Room. Hope that answers the questions. Housegal, thanks for the link share. Bardapotter: thank you for the pointer. Would love to see pix. Colonel115: any pointers regarding which wood/stain look would be a shade darker? TIA!!