Thank you all! We will definitely have some wall repair to do (seriously, gluing plastic laminate permanently to plaster ought to be against some rule, ha). I just don't want to get the cabinets out and only then find out that the walls are going to have to come down too. Well, I realize we won't really know until we are there, but it sounds like there is hope. These aren't the original cabs so they aren't built in. One electrician has already told me he can run the new wiring with the cabinets in place (that was from me thinking I might leave the uppers alone), so at least for him it sounds as though the walls wouldn't be a problem. Electrical quote #2 comes next week so I will see what he says too. I will have to ask our plumber, but there is access through the basement so I am hoping he can just make holes where he needs them. The nicest, most on-the-ball and probably best contractor who came out here told me his least expensive kitchen to date was $30K. The one who said he could bring it in near the low low price I mentioned turned out (on a Google search for reviews) to live a couple streets over from us, which would be fine except that now I know whose house it is that has been sitting there on exposed foundation piers and clad in Tyvek for the last 3 years or so. Hey, I don't judge. Shoemaker's children and all that. But still. Thank you all for the encouragement! I will have to tell DH that our slightly wavy out-of-square walls that you can't find the studs through (there are studs, not laths) are valuable. :)

We are having a master bath remodel at second home in Fl. We were here in summer and tried to make all selections for tile and countertops and plumbing fixtures after we ordered the cabinets. But they just do things differently here. Fabricators don't want to store slabs for 3 -6 weeks before cabinets arrive and they template. there was lack of communication about the permit needed before work started. It came a week or so before Labor Day and the guy who is doing the demo, tile/drywall, and painting wanted to start demo before we could get back to the house. We though "demo" meant just tear out--no problem... But the plumbers also jacked the slab to close two old drains and set new drain for shower floor. It is going where the old soaker tub was angled into the back wall...one corner 4 ft, another corner 5 ft I to the room. I thought we were going 4 ft deep...they set drain based on 5ft deep... That makes what I think is an overly big shower...but my husband wasn't that concerned. now I am concerned that there is not enough pre-slope for such a large area. And that the drain might be set too low once mud bed is in and floor is tiled. Posted photos on Plumbing and Bathroom forums...see what you think... It passed inspection Friday but the inspector didn't do more than look at it because the flood test water was there. i trust our electrical contractor all the way but there were still questions about placing recepticals and height for the new light fixture for vanity. Sometimes you can't have perfect...the new vent fan/heater's location means we can't all one of the cans we planned ...but it will be ok.

Thanks Joseph - At least I was smart enough to get a copy of his insurance certificate. I'm even willing to pay for a portion - There was a chair rail in part of the room and the color was different below the chair rail. I figured since it had to be repainted anyway - remove the chair rail and pick 1 new color. I would say It's about 1/4 of the job BUT they also told me they'd have all the tape removed by Friday so we could clean the basement and "move back in". They didn't, so I spent a few hours on Saturday with razor blade to make sure I didn't peel the paint when removing the tape just so I could vacuum and dust up the sheet rock dust.

If you are going to use a standard sink without a disposal for washing dishes, come up with a regular schedule for cleaning out the trap with hot water and bleach. When foot products (grease, bits of food, etc.) are dumped into a standard trap some of it will stick in the trap. Food residue probably won't plug it up, but it provides a wonderful place for fruit flies to multiply, and soon they will be flying around your house. Usually hot water and bleach is enough to flush and sanitize the trap, but do it often if any food products are being washed off in the sink. Bruce