To get access to the defective lath & plaster, you will have to detach the cabinet and move it out of the way. But, before you move the cabinet, you will have to turn off the hot and cold water, and then disconnect the plumbing, as necessary. There should be shut-off valves under the sink. It is possible to remove the soft and cracked plaster, and replace it with fresh plaster. After moving the cabinet back into place, you can put up some new tile, and do a thorough job of sealing the tile and cabinet, so water does not get to the wall. All of this is doable, but it sounds like quite a project. The kitchen sink could be out of commission for a few days...

Back yard I did a soil test last year for my dog's backyard (yes, it's hers lol). The ph levels were off so I used lime to correct it in two separate applications; followed the lime application advised by the lab report for lime. baxkground: At that time, this area was compacted clay, lespedeza, creeping Charlie, wild violet, white clover and a type of yellow flowered oxalis that spreads by underground rhizomes.. This was the state it was in when I purchased the yard that spring. The previous owners had two 100lb+ dogs and had apparently decided that having a weed infested swimming pool every time it rains was preferable to a nice lawn.. After killing everything there, tilling the soil, letting things regrow for a week, and then tilling it again with soil amendments mixed in, I spread the most robust stuff on God's green earth: KY-31. Established quickly. Over the past year, we've had several "dog days" with 20+ dogs in our backyard playing, peeing, pooping, etc.. This is on top of dog's regular, daily playing and "trail creating." Ky-31 has held up great but there are some thin areas and patches after so much abuse.. That is why I decided to overseed this year with Titan RX, which accordingly has the ability to slowly fill in / repair itself with tillering and also with rhizomes. I've been doing my best to follow the basics from what I've read on here while lurking for about a year: deep & infrequent watering, mulching grass and leaves, mowing high and often, etc. I've also been adding coffee grounds, Milorganite, sawdust, and Jonathan Green's magical calcium to promote a more organic soil/lawn in the backyard. I've even used a garden sprayer with baby shampoo per instructions on here to address hard soil. :-) I don't want to use chemical treatments back there because of the dog(s). The only synthetic I used this fall was a starter fertilizer when I overseeded Titan RX; I'll probably use a crabgrass preventer in the spring (considering corn meal but have some concerns about ants and my dog eating it...) I would love to feed the lawn with alfalfa or soy pellets but I don't even know where to begin to find a seed and feed store in the suburbs. I figure I would do a soil test in the spring (about a year after I switched from chemicals/synthetics/herbicides and started focusing on organic. ) Front yard This has been the topic of discussion and focus in this particular thread. This lawn was in decent shape when I purchased the home last spring. The homeowners probably put down a tri-mix because I have found bluegrass, fescue and a small amount of PRG in the front Unfortunately, there was a fair amount of the same weeds as the back: lespedeza, creeping Charlie, wild violet, white clover and a type of yellow flowered oxalis that spreads by underground rhizomes. in addition, there was a LOT of crabgrass, dandelion, plantains and other broadleaf weeds. Last year, I decided to just focus on mowing and feeding. With a limited budget, I couldn't afford to renovate both the back and the front. I applied Turf Builder early last fall, and the Turf Builder Winterizer near the end of the fall. With the cultural practices and feeding, the lawn transformed before my eyes and looked remarkably improved (despite the weeds) This spring and summer, I decided to focus on preventing & combating the weeds. I applied Tuef Builder Weed and Feed in the early/mid spring, followed by Turf Builder with Halts Crabgrass Control 6 weeks later. In the late spring and through the summer, I fed with Milorganite. kept it watered as needed using sprinklers (no irrigation system). By June, almost all of the broadleaf weeds were gone. However, the clover and oxalis were persistent and actually started thriving. Two hose-end applications of Weed B Gon to the area took out the clover, but the Oxalis just laughed it off and continued on its tour-de-force. I followed up with spot treatment using weed b Gon in the ready to spray bottles. No effect; the oxalis just continued to thrive, spread, and choke. During this time, the overall lawn looked good (ezcept for those yellow oxalis flowers covering about 1/4-1/2 the lawn!) When the summer heat kicked in during early July, I decided to give up on weed control. Too hot to do anything about oxalis with a chemical without my lawn being negatively impacted. Manual removal would just make the problem worse (the seed pods explode when disturbed, right?). I decided I would just continue to apply Milorgsnite (once per month) to help the unaffected areas "hold the line" against the invasion. In August, I knew what I had to do: round up the oxalis areas. I killed off a relatively large area, watered the area, killed it again, tilled the area up a few inches using a manual garden cultivator and a rake., watered, and then did another roundup. A week later, I plugged/core aerated the lawn, spread Turf Builder starter with Weed Control (mesotrine), spread some KBG and lightly covered with peat moss. I also broadcast KBG across other areas of the lawn (why not? I had already aerated). aeration was a big mistake; i must have exposed oxalis seed via the plugging. I'm an idiot, I know. In some areas where the new KBG didn't take very well (too much shade, I suppose), I out down some Scott's EZ seed (TTTF and the Hybrid Bluegrass) across the hell strips, near the driveway, and some other areas where the KBG had trouble coming in. I also used this in an area where I didn't have reliable sprinkler coverage. (The mulch grows to envelop the seed when moist, and held the moisture from the morning hose watering until I returned home from the office to give it another drink). As covered above in a previous post, I'm also applied some Titan RX to areas where nothing germinated (about a month and a half after seeding). I did have a seriously heavy rainfall not too long after seeding, which could have washed some. of the KBG away. I'm also convinced that the mole tunnels probably disturbed the seed and/or seedlings to some extent. I know I'm slacking on the soil test. I plan on getting one done, probably in the spring. That is going to be my focus next year: working on the soil (for both the front and back) for the entire growing season (and thereafter). In the short term, my objective is to get some more competitive KBG and TTTF types established in the front yard this planting season.. I believe the Titan RX TTTF and the various KBG types (including the hybrid Thermal Blue in the EZ Seed) that were sown will be more successful than the older (and probably low-quality) existing grass types that were already established when I purchased the home,

This has evolved into quite the interesting thread to say the least! I manage and perform all the work on my own kitchen remodel for many of the reasons mentioned here. Finding quality tradesmen is just too hard these days in my opinion, I have high standards and small details will bother me. My project includes the complete tear down of an old 1960s kitchen my home came with, about 250 SF, down to the foundation. New structurally improved floor framing to meet stone tile deflection standards, two new load bearing walls to account for a row of new windows along the sink, and steel stud framing behind the range wall to allow for flush range installation without ugly trim. The total project is only about 50% done and I started this project in April. That's about 8 months working 2 hours a day after work, and 8 to 10 hours per day on the weekend. Not to mention the hundreds of hours spent having to research and learn each trade I tackle. I am fortunate enough to be a licensed practicing civil engineer in my state, so I can stamp my own drawings submitted to the city. Everything else has been self taught however, and the process has been incredibly slow. Is this what it takes to get exactly what you want out of a major renno? I hope not, but it sure seems that way from what I've seen.

Hi HU- I don't know anything about refinishing granite to give it a totally different appearance. The person to ask about everything countertops is Joseph Corlett, LLC here on Houzz. Why not invite him onto this thread? I personally don't like that speckly type of granite, it reminds me of "work" because it is present in so many office buildings. But if you like your granite, keep it. It's your house! And it's a fortune of money to replace it, besides! If you were going to replace it anyway, you could think about using a stone with swirls or some sort of movement, but one that is lighter overall. Or go the other way, and use a very dark counter such as a soapstone, or a soapstone look-alike (and you could decide how much veining you want) and paint the walls a very very light gray in the kitchen. (Soapstone even comes in green!) Or you could even think about Corian. Which now comes in a dazzling array of colors and a very affordable price point. Joe is a Pro, and really sings the praises of Corian which is versatile and lasts forever and can be repaired in ways natural stone can't. As for the flooring, I would have the kitchen match the rest of your house. What you already have down looks just perfect. If you are really wanting to spend money on something, I would eliminate the space at the top of your upper cabinets. Either make simple cabinets for things like trays, etc. or put up a crown molding to the ceiling. The space looks odd and is a huge dust catcher. I would not paint the island, the wood is too perfect. You can add color to the kitchen with a floor mat, dishcloths, accessories, etc.