Well, hell, that is quite a list! No wonder you're tired of it!

You ARE so close to having all of those things (kitchen, master bath, etc.) and when they're all done right, you'll love them and this will have been worth it.

Keep working on the gratitude list - it really does help! That and keeping the pressure on the contractor :)

Anita

Alice- trust me I know those feelings of when is this ever going to be done? My worst point was about a year ago! Yup, it's been that long- We ordered cabinets May 8, 2007, and are not finished YET! I lost it with the gal on the phone who was giving me yet another excuse as to why my granite installation was being delayed AGAIN!

Exercise was a huge boost for me- really helped with all the frustration. Remembering what IS going right is an awesome idea. Continue to be assertive- stand your ground- keep priorities straight- and one day it WILL all be done. We were without a kitchen from June 07 till December 07. When my kitchen company went bankrupt this July without replacing my granite (long, long story), all the owner could say was "At least you have a functioning kitchen".

Oh Alice, I can only imagine your frustration. I would be in tears. just remember....some day, as you sit and look at your beautiful new space, this horror will all be a distant memory. And honestly, some day you may even laugh about the chaotic Christmas you had this year. It can only get better from here!! Hugs from South Carolina!!

Cindy

Alice, hang in there! Eventually it's all going to get done to your satisfaction (keep insisting on that!), and *eventually* you'll forget how painful it was getting there. I've been without a kitchen since early October now because the carpenter had messed up the cabinet installation and some of the cabinets had to be reordered. They're all installed now and they look beautiful and I barely remember how miserable I was in mid-October. My countertops are being installed on Thursday, and *hopefully* I might even have a finished kitchen soon (if nothing else goes wrong - knock on wood!). It's all going to be okay.

That said, wow, you've got a lot of stuff to keep track of there. But you're doing it right. Keep doing that.

Hugs!

Just want you to know that you are not alone. After MONTHS we finally have most of the cabinets on the wall. Not all of them are level, but that's another story. Most of them don't have doors, and some of the paint is already chipped! Our granite guy is SUPPOSED to be here in the morning to re-measure for granite. Apparently he misplaced the first measurements. Oh well, I try to remember how blessed we are to even be able to have the opportunity to take on all of these headaches. We have friends who literally cannot make their next mortgage payment. Sometimes when everything is going wrong, it's hard to be thankful. Hang in there. One day we will be able to post our finished kitchen pics. Maybe later than sooner, but one day it will happen!

It is so very frustrating, isn't it? My kitchen took 9 months from demolition to completion (well, we still have a punch list of stuff, but no one has been here since before Thanksgiving, not pushing because completion of punch list means last payment).

I was assured it would be done in the spring, and then certainly by July 4th, and then I realized I'd better cancel the party I had planned for my husband's birthday in August. When my mother said that I would be lucky to have it done in time for Thanksgiving, I laughed, but she was right.

We had a major mistake midway that required a big redesign, and some brand new cabinets to wait endlessly for. Weeks where no one came, vacations that interfered with the job, a million little problems that added up to big delays.

But you know what? I had a party on Sunday. Late Saturday night after I finished cleaning my kitchen to perfect, I sat staring at it, and I love it. All the bad times are just a funny story to tell. I was discussing the whole process with some women, and we decided renovations are like pregnancy. It feels absolutely endless while you are in the middle of it, and it is so unpleasant and painful at times. You swear you will never do it again, and you'll never get over how much harder it was than you thought. But then when it is done, you forget all the pain and agony, and just marvel at your creation.

My advice? Vent like crazy here. Read stories about people's much worse experiences to make yourself feel better. Remain calm, and realize that just about any problem can be fixed, and human beings make mistakes. And as my mother likes to say "this too shall pass." And in the end, it will all work out, and you'll be thrilled with the end result. It really is worth the wait.

"The soapstone took a week or so longer to put in and although they did a great job on the matching of veins and the seams are practially invisible - they forgot to put the first coat of sealer on one of the slabs at the shop so that it is significantly lighter than the rest of the counters."

I don't understand. I thought you can't seal soapstone?

It really is worse at the end when the finish line is in sight - it gets much harder to roll with it. Once you get back in working through what's left will probably be less daunting. Good luck! I was also surprised about the soapstone as I thought one of the benefits was no need for chemical sealers.

Thank you for "listening"! It is so nice to share this with others who have "been there, done that" and read the great outcomes. Gives me the hope and encouragement that I need right now.

Re: the soapstone. After MUCH discussion w/our fabricator and reading here and other places we decided to allow our fabricator to put "10-X" on our counters. He referred to it as more of a color enhancer with some sealer properties. Convinced me that by using this first the soapstone will "wear" better. We'll see.......I will still oil it, although this is supposed to help me not have to oil as much. Am not completely convinced that we did the right thing here, but when the pressure is on and the "expert" is talking, well, you know. Anyway, the counter area that has the 10-X on it looks fabulous and I am hopeful that the last area will soon match.

Thanks again for all of the encouragement and for the kind words.

Alice -

Sorry for your troubles, but sometimes the harder something is to accomplish, the more you appreciate it in the end. Hope it all works out soon!

I remember discussing Alberene Soapstone with you. Don't remember which type you were getting - Old Dominion? Alberene? We looked at Old Dominion, but ultimately decided against it (went with Green Mountain), so I want to see what I'm missing. Can you post pics, or are you waiting to reveal the finished kitchen?

We have had a few setbacks and it is the worst feeling when something is done wrong and you have to trust, depend and hope that it will be fixed. Especially when everything costs so much. It is time and life consuming. Hang in there! I am going though it to and sometimes wish we never started a remodel.