I'm so sorry this is happening to you! We had measurement issues on all our walls...and our KD measured, not us! (I liked our KD and would recommend her for her design and mostly good, practical advice, but I would not have her measure!) A few words of advice for other DIYers that I learned during our remodel... (1) Always take several measurements at different points for each dimension...at the very least, measure from the middle of the wall, near the floor, and near the ceiling. (2) Always leave an inch or two for "wiggle" room when filling your room w/cabinets & appliances. You can always fill it with filler if needed. (3) Measure two or three times for each measurement you take! (4) Don't try to measure alone...do it with at least one other person so you aren't trying to "hold" the tape measure in more than one place (or relying on something to prop it up, etc.) Yes, it's time consuming to take all these measurements...but in the end, it's worth it!

Thanks everyone for all your responses. I WAS looking at frameless, but don't have my heart set on it, especially if I have to pay extra. I think, unfortunately, that Crown Point is beyond my means. Schuler doesn't make frameless. eandhl - All the cabinets have full-extension drawers included in the price, but not soft-close, which I don't want (I don't like the way they open). The only company that included any bells and whistles or up-charges was Schuler(!). Who knows how much the other bids would be if they included those bells and whistles? This is what I'm paying extra for: Taller and/or double upper cabinets (they go all the way to the 10-feet ceiling) 6 mullions (requiring finished interiors) 2 trash pull-outs cupboard ends finished columns on the island spice cupboard panels on refrigerator and dishwasher blind-corner with swing-out and roll-out trays Fori: I hadn't thought about the quality of the wood, thanks for pointing that out. I wonder if I should get a sample door from a few of these places and compare them. sw1347 - I read that thread avidly. $80,000 for cabinets. Wow. venkat, chan 123, and brittu - The kitchen is 25'x14' and has quite a few cabinets. There are about 48 linear feet of base cabinets and 38 linear feet of uppers. Maybe I should get a few more custom bids as the one I got was more like $440 per linear foot. cleo 227 - I would LOVE to see some pictures! ellene613 and tinker 2006 - I have found a shop nearby that carries Medallion. I'll check them out. I didn't do it before because I knew that Schuler and Medallion were the same. I assumed they would be the same price, but I guess not neccessarily. Bob - I have never seen a real live Scherr cabinet and it appears from the web site that they aren't sold by retailers. Were you able to see a door before you ordered? Thanks again. This forum is the greatest.

Now the numbers are on a little on the high side, but without knowing your house I am only speculating. An 80K BTU furnace should keep you toasty. I am in central NJ and I think Staten Island tends to be 2-3 degrees warmer in the winter. An over sized AC will short cycle which results in poor humidity control. The AC needs to run for longer periods of time in order to give it enough time to dry out the air. My concern is the 4 ton AC may be too big. Do you know what size AC you have now and how well it has performed? I don't think you ever stated the total area of the conditioned space. I personally don't think you need an electronic air cleaner. I do recommend getting a 4 inch media filter. The bigger filters have lower air resistance and last 6-12 months.

" I actually don't blame the GC. He built what was on the plans." Nope. He doesn't get off that easily. He should know better and be experienced enough to correct an architect. I've done it many times and they hate it. Here's a picture of wayyyy out-of-code winding stairs on a home I'm doing a countertop for that were built in the 90s. I can promise you the architect drew 4 risers pointing into that corner, that's what the framer framed, and amazingly, inspection passed. My customer is pregnant with her first, and the thought of a toddler taking a 29" step with no handrail in a couple years gives me the willies. Of course there is a landing and another set just like these, doubling her chances of injury. I would have told the customer I was sorry, but the bedroom door would have to be moved, because a 6" minimum tread width at the corner would require more run. Were I installing Katrina's cabinets, I would have refused until the paper pushers worked it out and backcharged for ruining my schedule. 'Cause when the red tags come flyin', everyone looks to not pay the guy who put it in wrong first, no matter who or what was drawn.