Have fun on vacation and we look forward to seeing your pictures when you return. Excited for you. :)

Debbie-

I kind of know how you are feeling!

We are doing our own demo and the contractor is coming Monday to start. He's expecting a totally empty room and we still have stuff (stove, dishwasher, sink, lazy susan) to get out. Plus I want to do some bulk cooking to keep us from eating out too much during the remodel!

I WISH we were going on vacation while the work was being done! I envy you....

It is exciting and I hope it turns out great!

Thanks, Mrs Dowfire and Spinory!
So, good news and bad news. Good news is that vacation was wonderful, Myrtle Beach was mid-80's, sunny and warm, dolphins swam off the beach where we were, the kids had a fantastic time (Maddie: "Mom, this ocean is sooooo awesome!)Watched the Royal Wedding, drove home without incident and then we walked into our kitchen. The kitchen was not done, but that's ok, because I figured they would be minimally 2 or 3 days out from complete when we returned.
What I didn't expect was this: The recessed lights that were supposed to be centered over the pantries and the fridge are not centered. The right pantry appears to be coming apart in the back. The molding for the top of the cabinets- yeah, it's not there at all and won't be because the cabinets were installed flush to the ceiling and they are frameless. (I can actually live with it, because we have low ceilings and I was semi-afraid the small crown plus the light rail would really shorten the backsplash area.)
Also, the person who wired for the undercabinet lights put the boxes in conspicuous places in the cabinets. The cabinet that has mullioned doors for display actually has a covered electrical box samck dab in the liddle of it at eye-level-5'7"! No lie! Good thing we had already decided to do mirror in there rather than glass before hand! And apparently that won't ever change!
Add to that, the cabinets were not placed well and the countertop on one side of my u-shape set-up did not come out far enough to even overhang the cabinet beneath it. My lazy susan door on the right stands proud of the counter edge by almost 1/2 an inch.
My blood was boiling! I cried a few tears, had a sleepless night, and then Dave called the contractor Sunday and said, "We have to talk."
So we pointed this out this morning. I can get over the uncentered recessed lights because there are ceiling/2nd floor floor joists in the way. I'll have to get over the boxes in the backs of the cabinets because how am I going to unring that bell?
We did have an hour long stand-off this morning about the counter/cabinet placement issue with us saying, "We are not going to be happy with this...." And the contractor saying, "Well, to change that, we'd have to rip all of the bottom cabinets out and start all over...." Finally, it ended when Dave said, "We are NOT happy.We can not live with this as is." And then I said, "It should be right. It isn't right. Do whatever needs to be done to make it right. I hired a professional so that it would be professionally done." Then we left for breakfast. I just returned and they are in the midst of removing and adjusting, but really? I have to beg you to do it right?
I told Dave this morning that my father (who passed away last October) would have had a coronary if he had been around to see this. I was venting to my ex (we're still friends) and he agreed, He said, "Deb, your Dad would have said, "If you aren't going to take the time to do it right the first time, where will you find the time to do it over?" God, I miss my dad right now.
On the plus side, the recessed and spot lights in the family room are awesome and the flooring didn't get installed. Why is this good? Because the color is all wrong. The sample was much lighter and the actual product lot came in much darker/orange-y. That would have been a disaster and the contractor took it all back this morning.
So, that's been my last couple of days. How are things going for you? :)

Debbie,

I'm sorry for your frustration -- it's unfortunate so many professionals need someone (literally) watching over them to take pride in their work.

I think the information you shared in this update is too important to bury in an old thread, I'd encourage you to bring it to others' attention by cutting and pasting it to a new thread.

Kris

Thanks, Kris ma. I probably will cut and paste to new once I found the mouse. I have no idea where the edit function goes when I'm not connected to my mouse. The worst part is, I've seen his work in 2 homes. It was beautiful. Granted, when my friend showed me his kitchen and demonstrated how pretty the undercabinet lighting was, I didn't ask about how the wiring was accomplished and when I called him in disbelief about his contractor's work, he said he has covered electrical boxes in his cabinets as well but that they don't phase him at all.
Maybe I just expect too much, but the friend whose kitchen this guy did is very persnickety himself and I believe heart and soul that if he was the least bit unhappy, he would have disclosed those concerns in detail.
Dave is trying to help me maintain my cool. He's very good about saying, "It is what it is. What matters next is what is done to fix it." I know he's right and that in the end it will look fine, but boy, this is a bumpy ride.