I'm not a cabinet expert but there are some good ones on this site who will answer eventually, in the meantime this is what I think:

"What is up with the panels flanking the range? " - I think this is normal installation. Remember you will have the lip of your countertop extending past the plywood box so the stove will be flush.

"Does the space for the DW look right? " - Again, it looks normal to me. I think the DW has insulation that wraps around it so you need the space for the insulation to fit.

"Why did he put in this big piece of flat moulding?" - All walls are not straight so sometimes cabinets don't fit flush against the wall which leaves gaps in some areas. The molding hides any gaps.

"Why are there no backs on some of the cabinets? This leaves me with a hole in the bottom of the cabinet???" - I just checked my cabs and they all have backs on them, but I've read that some cab's do not but it shouldn't affect the sturdiness.

"This moulding was supposed to be very simple. Originally 4.5'' then at the last minute said 5''. This is 6'' and too convoluted for me. " - Have your cabinet guy replace this. I'm with you, I wanted a straight simple piece of moulding.

Overall I think your cabinets look very well made. Just have him explain the areas you have questions on. Since we aren't cabinetmakers we sometimes don't realize how things are put together. Good luck!

Things did not go so well when I posed the questions to the cabinetmaker. I got everything from "I am doing you a favor" , "I am not making any money on this job", "I did not change anything from the plan", to "That is just standard practice".

In the plan, the 3/4'' panels for the DW and range go all the way to the wall.

He also applied moulding like the one in the fourth pic to filler pieces. So I basically have filler pieces on top of filler pieces on the coffee bar wall and next to the pantry.

The moulding is higher because he incorrectly measured the finished floor to ceiling height. He can't change it without making taller upper cabinets.

The contract doesn't really say anything about the cabinet box construction except 3/4'' prefinished birch plywood. The drawer box specs say 1/2'' Baltic plywood birch with rabbet joints.

I will take some pics this morning and post ASAP.

The crown and door front are not what you ordered. He should re-do them but you will have a hard time making him if you don't have drawings signed by both of you. The end cabinet should have had a side panel that extended past the back of the cabinet that could be scribed to fit the wall (I don't know if this is doable in frameless construction). Because it doesn't, he needed the flat molding cover the gaps. Can't imagine why some cabs have no backs. The feet are there because frameless cabinets don't have an attached toe kick. They have to be set on supports above the floor, then the toe kick is attached last. I know they aren't what you hoped for, but they do look nice.

The cabs look frameless, is that correct?

Appliance openings:

Cabinets don't have finished sides so at appliance openings he has added partial panels so you don't see the unfinished sides. No real need for them to be full depth. Not totally sure why he wouldn't have finished the sides instead of adding the panels - perhaps the the ply doesn't take the paint finish as well. It looks like all exposed ends are paneled - it's interesting as this is what you have to do with Ikea because the boxes don't match the door fronts.

Backs don't serve a huge purpose in frameless construction which is whey they are usually just 1\4 inch. Which ones don't have backs? If it's the drawer bases its probably because they can't be seen so it doesn't really matter for aesthetics - unlike in lower cupboards where you see the back.

It looks a little over cut but I wonder if the wall doesn't bow in the middle so he has cut away some of the base so he can get the cabs to line-up (front to back). Again in a drawer base it doesn't really matter - I get why he wouldn't scribe this.

I can't tell are fronts shaker or raised? Does the molding just run horizontally down that one side? The panel looks really flush to the wall at the top but perhaps that isn't true the rest of the way. In terms of that style of molding I assume it is a matter of taste (I thought he might be mimicking a shaker profile rather than giving flat ends). I do wonder why he wouldn't scribe that panel rather than add the molding.

Legs are fine but I can't figure why he used the blocks to shim the sink cabinet.

I guess I was wondering why some of the feet had little squares of wood nailed to them.

I am glad you think they look nice. I guess it is always hard when you are right in the middle of things.

I emailed him that I wanted 2'' stiles and rails and approved the door sample he brought by. He later said "That was the door, not the drawer front". The plan shows the drawer fronts he gave me but I did not notice the difference.

I looked at the last plan he sent me and the moulding above the door should be no more than 4.5''.

My camera battery is dead so I will post pics when I can.

Shelves are going in the range wall corner.

caryscott - It is the drawer boxes. I just don't really want a hole in the bottom of the cabinet. I picked plain end panels so that is not on him.

The cabinets arrived at my house with those little squares attached. The doors and drawer fronts were already installed and they were kind of shrink wrapped. The door hinges are not what he promised in the contract and I can't figure out why he bothered to put on the doors just to redo them again later.

Thanks for all of your input.

On the coffee bar sink wall there is a 1/4'' gap between the filler and the wall. Same goes for the pantry cabinet wall. Don't know why he could not make it fit better.

"I guess I was wondering why some of the feet had little squares of wood nailed to them. "

Leveling legs not tall enough?
The floor may have been so out of level that more height was needed to level the cabinets.

More important, why do you care?

It is concealed work like the adjustable legs themselves.

Here are some pics. I sure love my new window.

This is a pic of the moulding applied on top of the filler on the coffee bar wall.

The only thing that's particularly odd to me is that piece of flat molding, as my dh always scribes the back of the end panel to fit any wall variation and doesn't need a trim piece to patch over. I can't figure out where that filler piece is on the coffee bar wall. It looks like his scribe piece was too short?

We have backs on all of our cabinets, but what Cary said makes sense. It would be nice to not have that hole in the back at the bottom just in case something escapes from a drawer.

The legs look odd, but as long as you're not afraid they won't stay put and hold the cabinets, it seems fine. The fact that the wood blocks are attached/nailed to the little legs gives me comfort that even if it appears he 'made do,' it will not be a problem to you.

I've never seen a finished panel on either side of the range or the dw...Don't know why it would be necessary, since both appliances fill the spot, and in the case of the range, then some. But a partial shouldn't be a problem, I don't think. Are they going to be trimmed at the bottom or always run to the floor? I would think they should be the length of the cabinets, so the toe kick under the cabinets and appliances (at least the dw) is continuous.

The molding seems nice, but if it's not what you agreed on, then it's not right.

I can understand why you'd be frustrated with answers like, "I'm doing you a favor" and "I'm not making any money on this job," as they're not explanations at all. You didn't hire him to 'do you favors' and you didn't dictate his bid amount, so neither statement is relevant.

"Standard practice" and "no different from the plan" are, though, relevant, but it would've been nice for him to take a minute and explain things to you and have you look at the plan together.

Missing the drawer front difference from the doors on the drawing means that to change, you might have to pay for the drawer fronts you wanted.

But overall, things are looking very lovely. The color is great.

Thanks rhome. I am feeling a bit better. I can probably stand the drawer fronts more than the crown moulding. I think it will always bug me. The problem is he can't really fix it without rebuilding all of the upper cabinets, the fridge panels and the pantry. I know he won't do that.

The legs are not really tight against the floor in most spots. Do they need to be? They move very easily.

I am glad you like the color. It was a little scary but I think they are going to look great especially with the wood floors.

I think that thin piece of molding is a typical scribe molding. Some cabinet makers scribe the actual back of the cabinet to your walls, others use the 'filler' type of scribe molding.

I think your cabinets look great in the photo- but only you can see what you are not liking. If you have it in writing, get it fixed to what the contract says.

I can't wait to see the finished pics. It does look lovely!

I think your cabinets are beautiful. I'm definitely no cabinet expert, but I understand why it would be unnecessary to have finished panels where the appliances will be. I think what he did there is acceptable. As far as the crown moulding goes - did you want an inch gap at the ceiling? I'm not understanding why it bothers you, accept that it isn't what you ordered. I know some people like a space at the top, but I think it looks better to have the moulding go to the ceiling.

I want to weigh in on the height and reach of the crown moulding.

I think it is very, very nice looking and wouldn't want it less bold. To me it looks more "authentic" than the usual mingy modern mouldings.

Crown mould does serve to cover the gap between cab top and ceiling, but visually it should also look bold enough to hint at a kind of structural presence.

Yours looks so very nice and I love the color.

I'd live with it for a bit. if you still feel it's too strong for balance maybe you can figure out a way to make the toe kick or skirting board a little weightier looking. Not essential because your room has the height and size to manage that crown.

My pre-Civil War house has good strong trim details so my eye is used to that scale. To me, most modern trim is much to delicate for the job and winds up looking like it was skimpy for cost reasons. Yours looks refreshingly right-scaled!

Don't have comments on the other issues, except to say that I, too, would want backs on my cabs. Mostly because my old house is usually overrun with little field mice looking for warm winter homes (until my cats get 'em!) and I wouldn't want them to have access to the drawers. Perhaps your cabinet maker would be able to add in some backs without too much trouble.

L

I find the proportion of the crown molding and frieze to be quite excellent. In my view you have been given a free upgrade.
All of the cabinet work looks exceptionally good. The workarounds of installation could be explained by the state of walls (bowed) and floors (out-of-level) and were outside the responsibility of the installer. Unless you asked for extended sides (to be scribed to walls that bowed away) you wouldn't expect them. And it would call for an extraordinary measuring regimen to catalog that level of detail of pre-existing conditions.
The only thing I saw that raised an eyebrow is the backless cabinet. It wouldn't put him out very much to ask that a piece of matching finished plywood be very carefully fitted over the unpainted drywall, and a strip of wood added if still needed to close off that debris trap at the bottom seam. There, you do have a valid gripe.
Casey

Thanks everyone. I am feeling much better.

He made a measurement mistake with the MW and that is why the coffee bar wall cabinets and the pantry cabinets ended up a little short. I think he could just fix it since it is filler anyway.

The cabinets were planned to go to the ceiling all along. He just measured wrong and had to increase the moulding since he had already built the cabinet boxes to exactly 36''. I was going for something more contemporary and just don't like the fussiness of the moulding. We had soffits before which I did not like. At least the 6'' is half the size of the other one.

Deep breaths, deep breaths. I sure do miss my DW!

The ONLY thing I would personally have a problem with assuming especially if these are custom and they look like they are, is having them mounted to the wall..not having a backed cabinet. That would not fly with me one ioda. It could just be me, but that seems ridiculous for a custom cabinet..other than that they do look beautiful and I am sure your finished product is going to be beautiful.

On the bright side, they look sturdy and gorgeous.
It's gonna work out okay.

The molding looks great. So do the cabinets.

I would like a back on that one with the pullouts -- agreed.

He's installing cabinets on a sub-floor. Presume he will add wood supports below cabinets and presumably there will be a toekick to cover the bottom. But you need the cabs to be level for the counters and range -- he may need to make adjustments.

Looks like he gave you slab front drawer tops all around with Shaker drawers below. I think that looks terrific and have something very similar. I will tell you, because I've been living with it, having the slab front on the drawers is great because the inset panels catch drips and dust.

Your window is FABULOUS. I think the whole thing looks super and you should tell him sorry you freaked out and thank him for doing such an amazing job that your friends are drooling over. Then ask for the back on that cabinet.

It's well on the way to gorgeous. You are just suffering from very normal new kitchen anxiety syndrome.

"The legs are not really tight against the floor in most spots. Do they need to be? They move very easily. "

They should at least be snug.

You might ask him to go back and make sure they are tight.

Whew! Thanks for all of the encouraging words. I should have known how tiny things would throw me off.

I wanted the top drawers to be slab but on the others, I wanted them to match the doors. I wanted 2'' stiles and rails everywhere. I don't know why he did it without asking me.

I will think about everything this weekend and make a little list. He still has shelves to add, hinges to change out, glass to add and as brickeyee suggested, he needs to go back and check all of the feet. I really want a back on those cabinets or at least a fix where nothing goes into the black hole at the back.

I really want to get out of my basement kitchen and stop living like a "gopher" as my DS says.

Not enough knowledge not to have to to really think about it and it was hard to get a sense of the overall from the detail shots. I think the cabinets look great in the wide shots (the quality looks good in the details as well). I too think the crown molding looks nice and proportional.

You don't really use extended stiles on frameless (seam where filler meets box is concealed by the door). So the size of the gap suggests a bit of a miscalculation in the measuring. The use of the molding to cover the gap between the filler is a bit lazy - he really should have just re-cut a piece of filler to the proper size and re -installed it. Having said that the fact that he is using the molding and not scribing is obviously how he installs and you might want it to be consistent throughout. I agree with rhome I think it looks nice but it may look different in person.

On the cabinet construction of the drawer bases, it may just be me but the vertical against the wall look like a separate piece of wood from the frameless box. Without really being able to see it for some reason on my screen it does not look like the sidewall of the drawer base is one continuous piece of plywood going back to the wall. It seems like the plywood side stops where the floor of the cabinet stops and from there he has added a frame to stabilize it.

In any case it might save him some money on materials and it may also make install easier. I'm not sure why it's a big deal but as I have never had one I just may not be thinking of the downside of the gap.

In Canada you have to have 1\2 inch between the stove and the cabinet vertical so the panel males sense to me and with the dishwasher you can see a bit of the side panel at the corner (particularly when the door is down) so I do think you might appreciate that detail. Not sure how you are doing the toe kick but I must admit I think I would prefer for the panels to be notched out for the toe kick at the dishwasher and the range\stove (interestingly I'm ok with the fridge panels not being notched). That one is completely subjective.

Thanks again everyone. I think I just need to move forward and get this kitchen finished.

I don't think there are enough funds to get granite but if a miracle happens, I know I will be asking for some advice.

Hopefully it won't be long until I post finished kitchen pics.

Christine

My cabinets are shaker style (so simpler than yours) and I had specified a very simple crown moulding as well. But a "fancy" one was installed instead and I asked to have it replaced with what I had ordered. I was told this is an upgrade and you don't have to pay for it - So what. Just because it's free doesn't make it pretty. They replaced it. I didn't want the crown moulding being a distraction to everything else I had chosen. Why do the upper cabinets have to be rebuilt if you are changing the crown moulding? Just redesign the crown moulding to fit the space.

If you have custom cabinets, Nothing is "standard practice" and they can custom build you a new crown moulding. The cabinet maker is making you live with his mistakes. Why should you have to do that?!

I agree with whoever said consider the bigger crown moulding a free upgrade - it is BEAUTIFUL and the perfect height for the room. Wait until you get your countertops on and see how they will "balance" the look. You might think they are "top-heavy" now, but believe me, it will be right.

I love it. Have faith in your cabinet maker. Thank him, smile sweetly, and then ask for cabinet backs. :)

I'm happy with everything I saw above, including the open back because it is an unnecessary piece. The molding is so well done, I wouldn't risk a second go at that. Also, it's high end. If the feet seem loose now, it might be because there is not much weight on the cabinets yet. There is no countertop and the cabinets are not filled... In the photo of the feet, the two cabinets do not seem to be screwed to each other (there is a gap). Once he does that he can move the feet closer to the sides too: when the feet support the sides instead of supporting the bottoms which then support the side panels, the feet are more in direct contact with the weight bearing structure. Hope he's meticulous about getting the cabinets installed square level and flat as a unit. That is more important than moving the feet a 1/2" over. And you don't need the panel back.

I am so glad everyone likes it the way it is. Most folks who have seen it IRL like the crown moulding. I love the new layout and can't wait to start cooking again.

That said, I wanted something different. My first choice would have been to just have only the very first top piece of crown that matches all of the existing crown. He told me that he needed the additional piece to deal with any unevenness in the ceilings he might find. I agreed to that but only a small one. I just wish he would have mentioned it to me when he realized that he would not been able to match the drawings. He did what he thought was best, not what I wanted. Same goes for the drawer fronts.

I am going to live with it for a while. Getting a smaller crown at this point is not an option unfortunately. I don't know how a simpler styled one would look at this point. Maybe he could draw that for me. ;-)

Maybe you guys are right that once the rest of the kitchen is finished, I won't be so obsessed over the crown.

The cabinets and the window look just wonderful -- I really like the larger molding and agree with Casey that you have been given a free upgrade! I think the cabinets and the layout are beautifully proportioned. It is going to look fabulous! Can't wait to see the next steps!

I think the cabinets look gorgeous - including the drawer fronts and the crown molding. Others here have made great comments about the construction. It looks like it's well on-track.

Funny how all these little details add up. It's natural to be stressed by a kitchen reno anyway, and then you see all these tiny things that aren't the way you expected, and you know you've only got one shot to make sure things are being done right... It's rough. I remember freaking out myself at every tiny thing (some justified, some not). I hope you're able to take a deep breath and relax a little now.

The kitchen's going to be *gorgeous*! Big hugs!!!

I'm not sure why no one has mentioned this, but backless cabinets are common in bathroom vanities and can even be ordered that way. Plumbing.

I vote for the crown molding.

Those little spacer-like things next to your appliances are to hide the gaps between the cabinets & appliance. Usually it's by the DW, but evidently he wanted more.

Your kitchen looks good, but his attitude stinks. He's not doing you a favor, you're paying him. It's not your problem, although he's trying to make it so, that he's not making any money on that. He's making YOUR money. If you read your posts, it also seems like he has a measuring issue.

I have a mouse problem. 5 cats & they have no idea what to do. In the summer, the snakes take care of them. But that's another reason I want backs on my cabinets, and since I'm making & getting them wherever I can, I caulked some of the joints.

I think your kitchen is beautiful.
I live with kitchen envy.

Christine

one word. Proportion.

If the drawer fronts were 2" stiles there would be very little middle. They are at the moment in proportion compared with the doors.

Also regarding the molding it seems large right now but it really is not.
I had the same idea as you. Just wanted a small molding - sort of the bare minimum. My cabinet maker drew 2 drawings for me with the small and the larger. I could see from that that the smaller would have looked as if I had a little space at the top and wanted to just cover it. Sort of an afterthought.
I have lived with the larger ones now for a year and am very grateful he did it this way.

i think your cabinets are lovely.
i hope you can see that too soon.

It also does make a BIG difference when the toe-kick goes on and the appliances go in.
That is when it becomes a kitchen

However I also agree that there should be a backing to the drawer cabinet

I really can't thank you guys enough. I will stop I swear!! DH will be very happy. It will feel so good to move forward.

I will admit, his attitude made me worry more. Advance warning on the moulding change would have helped. Car woes and a stressful trip to visit my elderly parents probably pushed me a little over the edge.

I do want backs on those cabinets and I want another solution for the 1/4" gap on those 2 walls. We will see what happens on Monday.

We have flooring to pick out tomorrow (long story on why we are changing plans here). After that we are probably doing IKEA butcherblock countertops unless our van manages a miraculous healing.

Thanks for all of the helpful advice all of you have given me along the way. It is hard to believe that I am almost done.

Sorry - I don't have anything unique to say except that I made it clear to my cab guy that I wanted a crown like yours! :) I think it looks beautiful!

That's great colorado_mom. Best of luck with your plans.

I was just going to post something very similar to muspic-I also wanted simple molding to go with simple modified shaker cabinets like yours and am so glad I got talked into a thicker crown molding.

I made the cabinet guy bring me samples to the house after the boxes were installed- the profile I wanted and what he suggested and he was completely right. I thought the smaller simpler molding was what I wanted but he nailed up some of each and the cabinets NEEDED the larger proportioned molding.

There are rules for scale at work here and I agree with everyone else who said your proportions are very pleasing. I hope it helps to hear everyone reassure you that your cabinet molding doesn't look too busy or fancy for your cabinets, it does look tasteful and proportionate.

I can't comment on your other areas of concern, other than to say your cabinetmaker sounds like a bit of a jerk in the way he responded to your concerns. It is true that you should get what you contracted for/what you wanted and in an ideal world he should have checked in with you regarding these design details if there was any ambiguity with the plans.

hi odiegirl...

i've been following along since you posted.

yes, your cabs are beautiful! :)

personally, i would like backs to my cabinets. maybe not "necessary" but still, i think it was a shortcut and makes custom cabs seem unfinished.

i really agree with rhome410 about his answers; certain ones were just not relevant. (and just crummy things to say.)

and the crown IS beautiful.

good luck, and hope you'll get things resolved soon.

littlesmokie - it really does help me to hear it. Part of me is so mad at myself for screwing up. The guy I worked with most on the design was let go 6 months ago. Some of what I told him did not get on paper and was not communicated to the cabinetmaker. The cabinetmaker did not understand how important the crown moulding choice was to me, nor the drawer fronts. He just did what he thought was best.

ironcook - So glad to hear you like them as well. I am going to ask for the backs. I may not have mice to worry about like liriodendron does, but we can have some big cockroaches in GA. It just feels wrong to have that hole there.

I feel like tomorrow will be a fresh start for me. I am staring at flooring samples just trying to pick one.

Thanks for coming to the rescue, yet again, everyone.

Sorry, for one more question guys.

I know there is probably nothing to be done about it now but for some reason, they installed the cabinets on one wall 1/2'' lower than the other wall. Basically one side should have been 1/4'' higher and the other 1/4'' lower to be right at 34.5''. Why didn't they just set it right to begin with? They are level, just different heights. The distance to the bottom of the wall cabinets is 1/2'' off as well. I would rather have had them at the standard height.

He did fix the other items with the exception of some warped drawer fronts. I am pretty sure he will fix those.

Just grumbling...

How are you determining your measurement? The only way that your assertion could be determined is with a laser level unless the floor (or ceiling, depending how your taking your measurement) is 100% true. Usually in order to be level overall the cabinets will be various heights from the floor (if the floor is not level). For your statement to be accurate you would have to have measured each cabinet in the run and found it to be .5 higher or lower than the other run. If you take just one measurement of each run to determine its height you are not getting accurate measurements. Given the visual characteristics of kitchen cabinetry a 1\4 won't be visible to the naked eye and is an acceptable overall difference between separate walls\runs of cabinetry in my opinion

Thanks caryscott. I broke my last measuring tape but maybe that is a blessing. I will stop measuring, buy some granite and move on.

Dishonest business people thrive. On people who are willing to just live with their errors. While your crown is pleasing to me, it's not what YOU ordered. To say he can't fix it is to allow him to get away with making a large mistake. It's not " too late" he can just build the cabinets again as they were ordered. His error, tough luck.

And that's exactly what I said to my whining cabinet person....who grumped and groaned and then finally understood I wasn't a pushover. They made new cabs at the height I ordered via the plans. Which is what you should be asking for.

Or let him get away with murder so he can go on and do it to the next sucker...

It wasn't my intention to discount\discourage you and igloo has a very valid point. I guess the flip side is what does it mean to you or for you and your family? I like to be right as much as anyone (probably more than some) but at what cost? Is it worth it to draw out the reno process, have what is very likely an unpleasant altercation that could leave you searching for someone to complete the work. You've indicated that there is a reason things weren't done as you wanted and it isn't dishonesty or malice it was a communication breakdown. Only you know what your compromise threshold is - mine is probably to low and given the length and twists and turns of her reno in my very subjective opinion igloo's is a bit too high. You can't get the time back nor can you erase all the unpleasantness of the fight.

Having said that ask him to show you that the runs are the same height - an eight foot level should establish whether the cabinet on one side of the doorway by the fridge run is the same height as the one beside the stove on the other side. You have every right to ask questions about the installation and\or verify that everything was done as it should be.

If the height is off it isn't a hard fix with the adjustable feet.

They worked on the moulding and simplified it a bit for me. The one thing I can't let go is the drawer fronts. I want the ones I ordered. It looks fine like it is except when you have a drawer next to a door. It just does not look right with two different styles. We will see what happens.

I am sure we will talk about it. I just don't want it to be noticeable. The toe kick is going to be black and I thought maybe the height difference would show. My old cabinets were low because they installed a new 3/4'' hardwood floor.

Usually, these things are off because the floors and ceilings are off. Not always.

For me, the most important thing would be the visual. If you can see it's off, then it's off whether or not it measures correctly. For me, the inverse is also true: if you can't see it's off and it's adjusted for the floor or the ceiling variation, then don't fix what isn't broken IYKWIM.

Maybe I'm just too easy going but I think there's a point at which some things can be accepted and others cannot. That needs to be weighed against how important it is to get what you want vs what you got and how that impacts things overall.

My first kitchen had a lot of install issues. I held back some funds and moved on. Wasn't worth driving myself nuts over and my contractor and I are the only two who know -- no secrets the stuff doesn't show to most people. When I mentioned it to him, he asked why I didn't go back to the cabinet people. At the time I told him I never wanted to speak to them again.

But now, I may go back and have some retrofitting done. Everyone has different thresh holds on these things.

Thanks rococogurl. I am going to take a look today. We are pretty close to selecting our countertops, so I need to make a decision. The flooring should be here this week as well.

Have I said how much I miss my DW? ;-)

I agree with Igloo - problems only keep persisting because customers do not hold people accountable for their mistakes, so more mistakes are made the next time and so on. It is up to US, the customers, to stop this vicious cycle.

Odie, the cabinets have to be level for the counters. That being said, the bottom of the pantry does appear lower in the pics. With black toekicks this may be very noticeable. You might end up having to paint them yellow if your floors are not level. Sorry, just a fact of life.

Drawers - Yes and no. They do not have to be the same size rails and stiles as the doors - they must be in proportion. The PROBLEM is the BOTTOM RAIL of the BOTTOM drawers - that SHOULD be the same width as the rails on the doors and they are not. Tell him to replace just the bottom rails and it will all be to scale - right now it is NOT in proportion and it does look wrong. Your bottom drawers are deeper than the middle drawers, so the rails are not even to scale on the bottom drawer on it's own, and glaring next to the doors. You may need new rails on both the top and bottom of the bottom drawers - I think that is the only way it will look right. Have him do a mock-up and paint it the same color so you can see how it looks. Apparently he made the middle drawer to scale and just transfered the same rail width to the bottom drawers - bad move.

OHH Yeah! DEFINITELY BOTH rails on those bottom drawers! I just looked again and it looks WAY out of scale, especially right beneath the middle drawer (which is correct). Here the problem is the proportion of flat panel (negative space) to the frame - too much negative space in the bottom drawers, made worse because the stiles are wider than the rails.

Oddly, in the shot of the cabinet next to the D/W it looks alright, but from the other angle it is way off. I'd have ALL the bottom drawers fixed, though. Because that cabinet is narrower it is not so bad, but it is obvious that the bottom rail does not match the bottom rails on the doors. Actually, looking again, because that bottom drawer is off, it actually makes the drawer above it look too elongated - the middle drawer is correct, but the narrow rails on the bottom drawer make it appear as a square when in fact it should also appear as a rectangle.

Just count your blessings that the top drawers are slab fronts! (As I take it as a sign from Above that yes, going Mid-Mod over Craftsman is the right move!)

BTW: I'm not a fancy moulding person either, but that moulding actually does look good and to scale on your cabinets.

D/W and range panels - you said you specified 3/4" panels and thought he jipped you. Not so! The 3/4" are the SIDES of the cabinets! That trim is there only to create the same reveal as on the rest of the cabinets. Trust me, this is a good thing - you will have a visually tight fit around the appliances, but there will be space for airflow between them and the cabinets, so that is good. You will never see the gap once the counters go in.

The only thing that might concern me are the counter supports over the D/W space. One is plywood, the other solid wood. My only concern would be that the solid piece will expand and contract more with the moisture from the D/W.

I forgot about the pantry being in the corner across from the stove - 8ft level won't help only accurate measure is with a laser level.

You know the ins and outs of your dealings with him but he gave you the drawers in the drawing. If you expected something different that is really out of his control. I am sure he would remake the drawer fronts for a fee if you wished.

I dare say he has installed a few more kitchens than most of us and probably knows where he needs to cheat things to account for floors and ceilings but have it still look right.

The cabinet company my Mom used does their drawers the same way:

Well, I measured the sink wall and it is right at 34.5''. As it wraps around, it changes but it is level. The other side is set a little bit higher; it is hard for me to tell. It looks okay though. I do think the bottom of the pantry is higher but hopefully it won't show too much.

I asked for the slab drawers on top from the beginning. He is having a bit of a problem getting ones that aren't warped. He has redone a couple of them but I keep seeing more. I guess that is the problem with slab fronts?

Thanks for the pics caryscott. The drawer fronts were one of the things that got lost when he let his assistant go. Like I said, he brought me a sample door but not a drawer front. I just don't like how the doors looks next to the drawers. I would prefer that they been identical. I guess it does not hurt to ask but the budget is just about maxed out.

I will let you guys know what happens. I am getting pretty excited about finishing. I cannot really imagine myself working in my new kitchen. It just seems unreal.

Just gotta get that granite this week.

I don't see that anyone has brought this up, but what kind of a cabinetmaker measures wrong? What happened to measure twice, cut once? If he can't get that right, what else is wrong? I do however, think they look good. I hope you end up being happy with them.

coffeebeantown - I think I am going to be happy in the end but it was pretty frustrating dealing with him. Luckily, he did come back and fix a lot of things. He put backs on all of the cabinets, he replaced the warped slab drawer fronts, he put in a pullout trash instead of a roll out, he put in the tray pullout, he replaced the crown moulding so it would match the rest of the house as planned, and he fixed the ends of the cabinet runs so I don't need those big strips of moulding.

I sent him an email to ask him about the drawer fronts but his website is gone and his email with it. I asked my GC to see if he could reach him since it is his guy. We will see what happens. The toekicks were at the house ready to be installed but they disappeared sometime during his last visit. I have paid him 90% so far.

I finally ordered the countertops today and the flooring will go in right after that. I still can't imagine actually being finished.