I built a beach house with Hiline Homes 2 years ago. I actually blogged about it specifically so people could see what our experience was like because I too could not find anything online. I haven't updated the blog with what the house has been like since we moved into it because I got burned out. But overall, I think the house was pretty solidly built. The build experience was far from perfect but that is also true of my sister's super high end build that I got to hear about going up as well. I will say the fixes and responses to getting things fixed on the higher end home were a lot better than what Hiline has done. But our house itself seems like a very good value to me. All inclusive with our land, permits, driveway, excavation/ground prep, etc, we paid about $118 per sq foot. With the builder we quoted with, the cost would have been $160 per sq ft. and the quality at that price would have been comparable to Hiline's since the builder also would have been using similar materials to get their quote that low. (By similar materials I mean the finishing touches like countertops, carpet, flooring, etc. They would have used the same construction materials, and in some cases, Hiline's construction materials were actually nicer.) So, I think you could go with one of these companies and come out okay, though I can only speak for one of them. We had a terrible project manager but he was fired after our build. Hopefully their next one is better.) Here's a link to my blog if you want to read about it. I always meant to go back and pull out the salient details that people would want to know, but I never did. So it's mostly an online journal, I'm sure it's incredibly painful to read! http://myhilinehome.com/

carol, if you're referring to MY kitchen..you're spot on. I think I've ditched the idea of black cabs. You mentioned my dark counter top. One of the reasons I've backed away! As well as the white appliances. I've finally decided I need to work WITH the elemenents in my kitchen. Not against :) As much as I love an all white kitchen, or black cabs..I have too many things that will make it always seem "off". I think I've opted for a slightly creamier white on the top cabs. And a taupe that I've pulled out of the tile floor on the bottom. That way, the floor doesn't look dirty (with the white against it), and there's not a sea of all white. (cabs, subway tile, appliances, light floor) And all these colors can also be found in the counter top. I'm hoping I can pull it off. :)

When we moved into our current home, the kitchen was much worse that what you have shown. Although the floor space seemed like it should be a decent size kitchen, hot water baseboard heating took up much of the space where cabinets could have been placed. The fridge and stove were opposite each other and so close that you couldn't walk between them if one or the other was open and that was right in the entrance of the kitchen from the dining room. We had 2 upper cabinets (approximately 15" wide each) and 2 lower cabinets. It was horrible, just horrible. Oh, and all that wall space that was not covered by the few cabinets was covered in the most horrendous wallpaper I had ever seen! Anyway, I painted the few cabinets we had. We stripped the wallpaper and painted the walls. We purchased a pre-form laminate counter top from Home Depot, put down a new but very cheap vinyl floor and DH built open shelving from pallets we got for free for all that wall space and we lived with it for 13 YEARS!!! I had big plans for this kitchen but my DH and I are very debt averse so we wanted to pay the house off before we did any major reno. Anyway, 10 years later we paid off the house and then I started saving money for the reno. We are currently almost finished with it and I am absolutely loving my new kitchen. Countertops are scheduled to be installed tomorrow morning...can we say WOOHOO!!!! I said all that to say that I think you should spend as little money as you can to be able to tolerate it for a couple years. We spent just a touch over $500 all those years ago and while it was never an ideal kitchen or even a functional kitchen, we made do for as long as we had to. When it comes time to do the big re-do, you'll be so glad for whatever money you don't spend now!

[First, I read the posts through about 4pm (ET) yesterday, but only skimmed the rest (I started this response yesterday around 4pm as well!), so if I'm repeating what someone else has said, consider it a second opinion!] Yes, your kitchen is nice but I do understand you want to put "your" stamp on it. Cosmetic changes with accessories, wall paint, etc. are one way...as well as the least expensive and easiest. The real question for you is this... Does this kitchen (layout, cabinet configurations, cabinet types, and workspace size/location) work for you functionally as it is now and are the cabinets in as good a shape as they look in the picture? What most of us don't want to do is put major $$ (and $20K is major) into a kitchen that functionally does not work for us. We'd rather wait and save up to do it right...to not only make it "ours" but to also make it more functional all around. If the answer to either part of the above question is "no", then I would either do a budget-friendly new cabinet/layout change or wait until you have enough $$ to do it the way you picture your ideal kitchen. Looking at the kitchen as it is now, the layout isn't too bad...the only 3 thing that I would want to change are: (1) Increase the amount of space there is for the Prep Zone (probably b/w the range & sink since the island has no water and, therefore, does not make it ideal for prepping anything that needs rinsing/cleaning/peeling) (2) Increase the amount of work and landing space on both sides of the range (as a side note, the counter behind the island is pretty much wasted space as anything more than a "junk collector". It's too far away from the sink, range, and refrigerator to be of much use.) (3) Get rid of the OTR MW and replace it with a true range hood and full-size MW that's located more conveniently and safely (maybe move the refrigerator & MW to the other wall and make it a "snack center" and then center the range on its current wall). Yes, the island is workspace, but, as I mentioned before, it has no water so isn't really convenient for prepping. If you used the island, your workflow would be: Refrigerator to sink, then sink to island, then island to range or MW, crossing aisles each time. If you used the area b/w the range & sink for prepping, your workflow would be: Refrigerator to sink and then directly to the range, the last w/o having to cross aisles...so one less trip and less aisle crossing ... All that is well and good, but if you want to use the same cabinets, none of those changes are possible without rearranging the existing cabinets and changing the countertop. So, based on your ideas, here are some thoughts: >Cabinets/Soffits/Refrigerator Refacing cabinets...It's a well-guarded secret by the refacing companies that refacing is not as inexpensive as the commercials imply. As someone has already pointed out, refacing can often cost as much as replacing cabinets or even more. Even at 50% the cost of new cabinets, it seems like a waste of $$ to me b/c new cabinets would give you more useful cabinets…more drawers, a trash pullout, etc. Painting can also get expensive unless you do it yourself. Painting cabinets is not as easy as painting walls…you have remove the doors, prep the surface (the amount of prepping depends on the condition of the surfaces (both cabinet doors & drawer fronts as well as cabinet boxes), true material of cabs & doors, etc.), paint two or more coats, etc. See the Painting Forum (http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/paint/) for more information). If you're going to pay to paint or reface, look into the cost of new cabinets before you commit to anything (and remember…the advantage of new cabinets is you can get closer to an "ideal" layout, more useful workspace (and better located), and more functional cabinets. [BTW…are those builder-grade cabinets that just have a single fixed shelf in the base cabinets (maybe even a half-shelf) or were they "upgraded" to at least have roll out tray shelves (ROTS)? Drawers are even better than ROTS.] FWIW, I agree w/you on the cabinets…I'm not fond of them either, especially against the floor. Refrigerator...Even if you're not getting new cabinets, there's no reason why you cannot "build in" your refrigerator. All you need to do is surround it w/panels and pull the cabinet over forward so it looks like it is full depth. Finish the end panels in whatever you do to the rest of the cabinets. However, the soffit above it is an issue… Soffit...If you do remove the soffit, then you have a couple of possibilities: add crown molding to give the overall kitchen a more "finished" look or perhaps get some short cabinets to "stack" above the current cabinets…that, of course, would be more $$$. If you go the crown molding route, I would not go to the ceiling b/c the crown will overwhelm the cabinets. With the soffit removed, building in the refrigerator is easy! "…consider bumping the cabinets to the ceiling and adding shelf underneath …" The problem w/this idea is that it will make the cabinets inaccessible to anyone under 6' or so. The other thing to think about is that anything stored on open shelves will collect dust and, since you don't have a real range hood, grease/steam/etc. from cooking. (Even if that OTR MW is vented outside, they're usually not very good at venting and notice that it does not cover the front burners at all…so that means the grease, steam, odors, smoke, etc. will stay in your kitchen, not vented to the outside.) >Island Island w/bookcase..."...(we) want to change up the island as well - maybe with storage for books at the end..." Do you intend to change it completely? As it is right now, there appears to barely be enough room for the table with the island as long as it is. If you increase the length of the island, it will seriously encroach on the table space and the aisle b/w them. That aisle will be well-used as it is the main way to get to the refrigerator, MW, and into the kitchen to prepare a meal. (The refrigerator and MW are the items that are used the most by those not working tin the kitchen...well, the sink may also be in that camp if there's no other sink conveniently located on the same floor as the kitchen.) Now, if you get rid of the table and maybe use the DR for all your meals OR put in a banquette (they need less space than a table & chairs), then the possibilities open way up! If you intend to replace the island in whole or in part, then be careful how long you make it. Island w/seating...How wide is your kitchen? You need to be very careful here. If you add seating, you need to have room for (1) sufficient overhang so your guests will be comfortable sitting at the island and (2) for traffic to pass behind & between those sitting at the island as well as anyone working at the counter behind the island. Ideally, you should have (1) 15" seating overhang (the minimum the NKBA recommends for counter-height seating) and (2) 54" to 60" b/w the edge of the island's counter and the edge of the counter on the other side (against the wall). The aisle width becomes even more important b/c it appears there will be traffic coming in from the outside directly into the kitchen and passing through to get to the rest of the house. [We cannot see all views of the kitchen, so this is based on what we can see.] So, my question is, do you intend to remove the entire island and replace it with all new cabinets? If so, I think you can fit seating. It looks like the current island is 3 or 4 feet wide. Simply replace them with 24" deep cabinets facing the range wall and use the "leftover" for the seating overhang. If the current island is 3' wide, add another 3" and you have the overhang you need. If the current island is 4' wide, then subtract 6" or so and have an 18" overhang or 9" and have a 15" overhang. "…Island - too big for me - prefer to make it longer but slimmer…" If you want seating at the island, you will need the island to be at least 40.5" deep (1.5" counter overhang on cabinet side + 24" cabinet + 15" seating overhang). What do you plan to do about the counter? (I may have missed that part!) >Countertops Countertops…I would not replace the counters unless you replace the cabinets. If you get stone counters, they are usually two to four thousand dollars (or more) and unless you plan on keeping the cabinets for 10, 15, or more years, I think it's a waste of money. If, OTOH, you plan to replace them less expensively (laminate, butcher block), then you might consider it to get a "color" you like…but wait until after you've painted or refaced the cabinets. Once you redo the cabinets, you may find that you actually like the counters…especially if you go with a very light color…dark counters and light cabinets (like white, cream, pale yellow) look great…at least IMHO! Hope all this helps! Welcome and good luck!