Thanks for that. I did as you wrote for the back of the vanity (cutting about an inch off the corner), but since the vanity stands on the right hand edge kickboard, I couldn't cut the base there to such a steep angle. My eventual solution was to attach legs and level the vanity using those. I raised the unit just enough to push the top (the ceramic overlaps the cabinet) close enough to the right wall. Raising the unit also made sure the tile-plaster hole stayed out of sight (scribing the kickboard would have lowered the unit enough to make this visible) My original comment about the holes in the back of the basin were wrong. When I looked more closely, 2 were on the back only (not through the unit) and the other 2 were quite difficult to access. I'm now looking at screwing the unit through the cabinet and tiles. Actually my house doesn't have a dry wall. Its all brick (on limestone footings) - which is pretty standard here in Perth, Australia. I had an interesting time figuring out how to do the trap. The new sink connected to a p-trap was offset in all of height, width and depth from the drain protruding from the brick wall. The height was about 3 inches, the width about 2 inches and the depth less than an inch. If I had my time again I'd have used a flexible coupling, but I saw comments that they are more likely to clog. I attached some PVC together but it didn't fit by the tiny width of a 40mm (1 1/2"?) joiner. I didn't want to shorten the wall outlet, but have now removed as small amount as I could. Here's hoping it comes together :)

No problem caryscott, it's good to hear all comments. True, I do not live in Canada so the 30" would be the correct cutout. After much consideration and obession about the gaps, I think I'm going to 'try' and live with it:) I have a small galley kitchen and they would have to literally rip out the granite and b/s to correct the gaps. At this point, I'm just 'tired' and want this all behind me. My son & DIL thinks it's fine the way it is. I've just never seen that much space between the counters and stove before. The thought of going through all that again is upsetting. Maybe down the road, I'll get a slide in stove which has the outer edge [lip] on either side. I know that I'm letting this guy off the hook by not insisting that he correct the problem. There's just so much work involved to do that and I know he would fight me on that. I feel like I'm whimping out...guess I am:)

We are not interested in horizontal cabling or wide spaced vertical cables because like others have said, they can be climbed or squeezed through as well. Also not trying to go 100% mid-century modern, more “warm modern” inspired by mid-century modern style. Printesa’s picture is pretty much the vibe I was looking for in this space. Thank you for that inspiring pic. Vertical metal railing, wood, white walls. I like the wood planks extended to the ceiling on the right but not for the existing banister space. Maybe knock out the wall on that side of my steps into the living room! Thanks everyone -B

The gap at the edge is not the real problem. That’s worrying about the color of the band aid over a nicked artery. That is not a job from a professional qualified tile contractor. One issue in getting recommendations from homeowners is that most homeowners don’t actually know enough to be able to judge if the job was done correctly. All they know is the guy mostly showed up on time and it isn’t too obviously a fail. They do not understand that what lies beneath their pretty and expensive tile is far more expensive, and far more important, than what it ends up looking like in it’s superficial appearance. Not meaning to insult you, but that’s true here. You are noticing the superficial low quality installation aesthetic appearance, but do not have any specifics about any of the processes or materials underneath the spot bonded tile on the out of plane walls, with no visible waterproofing on the still visible wall underneath. You’re still worried about the superficial appearance, and that’s not the real issue here. If that visible gap didn’t exit, you’d never think about the other deficiencies that are pretty apparent to an experienced eye because of that gap. (You’re actually very lucky the gap is there!) And you might go on to recommend this hack to other homeowners. Only to retract that recommendation in a couple of years time when the mold shows up. After he’s done his damage to other projects, and put you in his rear view mirror. Homeowner recommendations for skilled labor projects should always be taken with a huge dose of skepticism. Professional recommendations, only slightly more weight. An electrician doesn’t understand tile. The weight to give are industry certifying bodies, and membership in trade specific groups. Industry education for tile is trying to catch up and police itself of the unqualified. Its not the $2 a square foot Depot lot guys that are to be worried about. People know they’re getting nothing quality for that. It’s the 2K tub wall guys that are the problem. They present as knowledgeable, but aren’t. They do far more damage than the day labor guys, because people have higher expectations, but don’t have the personal knowledge to verify that the contractor can fulfill those expectations. A homeowner shouldn’t have to learn all about the technical details. But in the Wild Wild West of guys with trowels for hire, that learned knowledge is the bottom line defense of their castles against Trojan Horse contractor’s who surface appear to be qualified, but aren’t. To mix a half dozen metaphors. That work is an obvious fail. It needs to be completely redone, from the framing out, with someone who understands and follows industry standards. While cost is no guarantee of quality work, it is an overall indication of the time and quality of materials being used on the job, which does correlate to the quality of the work. I‘m not talking the actual tile. That’s completely irrelevant to what goes on under the tile. The required materials and time that it takes to do a shower properly has the industry prevailing costs be in the 7-9K range. A tub surround, 4-7K. When interviewing for your new contractor, after taking the proper steps to fire this one, please use the questions from the CTEF website about how to find a quality tile installer. Then use your now educated sad experience to educate others.