Of course it's thrilling -- this means you can start using the kitchen you've put so much into! Now, to get you past this one hurdle.....

There are different size spice jars. My suggestion would be to remove the insert and then measure the clearance you have from the bottom of the drawer to the top of the opening. There are other places, but I have found a great selection, variety of sizes and materials (in case you like those tins with the clear tops) and good prices at specialtybottle.com. I ordered the jars for my spice drawer from them and have ordered their tins for my spice rubs, gifts, etc.

If you stand the bottles up and label the lids, you can fit more spices or divide the drawer to have a similar number and create a spot for utensils or other things. This is what I did -- mine is all spices and I have about 110 bottles in a drawer. I use them all, but most people could use fewer jars and a divider. I lined my drawer with the no slip shelf liner, but you wouldn't have to. Some who have done tins like this have the magnets on the back of them and line the drawer with a magnetic metal sheet. Just depends on what sizes and styles fit your needs and likes.

You can get printed labels, use a sharpie or buy a label maker under $20 at Target or Walmart. The label tape comes in clear as well as white.

Thanks lascatz! 110 spice jars!!! I thought I had a lot - lol. I'll check out that website.

What is the interior height of your drawer? How much do you lose due to the insert? Are you sure the insert is pushed all the way down in the drawer?

The interior height of the drawer is 3". Yes, the insert is pushed all the way to bottom. I tried re-inserting it and then measured all the other drawers to see if maybe they put it in the wrong drawer.

The tops of the bottles are about 1/4" too wide (tall?)

I'd take it back to the guy who made it for you and have him shave the amount you need off the back! Many people just use the bottles from the grocery store and if you aren't used to/want to switch them out it can be a pain in the butinsky.

I agree--I would see what the cabinet guy can do. Personally, wouldn't want to have to buy all new bottles and refill them all the time. Good luck. This kind of stuff is so annoying!

I'll call them in the morning to see what they can do. It's supremely annoying...I was saving spice bottle placement until the last and then ughhhh. But the rest of it is amazing. Can't wait to post pictures once the final trim is finished!

Agreeing with the others about shaving the rack. Buying new spice bottles will probably run you between $3.00 - $5.00 apiece times 40+ bottles? That's a lot of money. Yeah, there are some less expensive ones out there -- possibly as low as $0.99 each -- but that's still a chunk of money that shouldn't have to be spent.

The bottles I bought were in the 50 cent neighborhood. Not a major expense even with my quantity. Also, I buy spices from Penzey's mostly in bulk sizes, and they are a lot cheaper adn better than what you buy in the grocery bottles. In the end, you save significant money, get better quality and only have to fill the most used ones occasionally.

If you love the insert, see if you can shave it down. I thought they were neat when I first saw them, but they take up to much space for too little storage for me.

I saw Lascatx's amazing spice drawer photo on this forum, & did the same thing, only the 4 oz. jar size, about 45 cents each from Specialty Bottle online. I really enjoy having all the containers alike instead of the mishmash of bottle sizes I used to put up with, and the wider jar opening is so much easier to measure out from. I labelled the lids using a Brother labelmaker. I love Penzeys & their bulk packaged spices are much less expensive & better quality. I did get some shaker jars for the few seasonings that we sprinkle, & those are stored in an upper cupboard on a lazy susan.

My brother (also a foodie) raved about my finished spice drawer, so we gave him a spice jar collection for his birthday.

The other day as I was sorting through stuff that came from my old kitchen, I came across an old carousel-type spice rack (like the one in this link only smaller). The spices were old and faded so threw it away. And then I got a great idea! I retrieved it from the trash, and tore the spice rack apart. Now the sides lay flat in the bottom of my drawer and the bottles stand up-right. The old spice rack frame keeps them in place. I'll re-fill the bottles with new spices (I buy them in plastic baggies for much less money). These bottles are shorter than regular spice bottles. Look around on Ebay and at garage sales...you can buy this type of spice rack for next to nothing.

Here is a link that might be useful: spice rack