Oh, dear! You've been through so much with this. What you need to do is to find out if your home insurance company is a member of of the Insurance Board. If they are, they have a free mediation service where they will mediate your claim for you with your insurance company, and maybe they can make them pay for the damage. Find the insurance board for your state.

Good luck!

Amity-

Were I in your shoes I would start by telling myself the following: I am in disaster recovery mode, not dream kitchen mode.

Paint can be done again later. Materials can be replaced / swapped / refinished.

I would focus on getting a functional kitchen, even if you don't love it, the functional stability will bring a lot of calm and peace. Ugly paint color is not the same thing as the jackhammering of concrete and rusting pipes. It's a $100 DIY weekend fix that can be handled easily down the road.

Give yourself a break. If you have a slightly homely looking kitchen ... so what? Get it in and then pick the worst offender to redo when you have the time, money, energy and sanity to do so. I think the stress of being in disaster mode along with the financial pressure is a tough place to plan out of and you need to cut yourself some slack, allow some ugly and even terrible choices to happen knowing that a fugly functional kitchen is worlds better than not having a kitchen.

Also some of those decisions that you think were mistakes, might turn out just fine. I know that when I did our current kitchen we did budget EVERYTHING. We ended up being quite happy with it even though we had no time or money to make it happen. It works, and with a few upgrades (replaced our leaky faucet, added bronze hardware, added trim) it is a great little kitchen, even if it's no ones dream kitchen.

I feel for you. I had a frozen pipe and water damage downstairs in January and the repair crew is still here today. Insurance wouldn't cover anything.

But as to your problem...I like a lot of your choices. My biggest concern is that you have a lot of dark colors...cabinets, paint, fixtures. You may want to rethink the paint if you haven't already painted. You will definitely want some bright accents. Regarding your blinds...JC Penney has great sales on this stuff...they're having a sale now and have an additional 15% off coupon you can print from their website. I did shades for my whole house at 90% off a couple of years ago.

I'm SO sorry. You have every right to feel overwhelmed, because your dancecard is FULL. But I think your choices are nice. The cabinets are particularly pretty and the granite will keep things light. Paint is always a hard one, and can be changed. Will some open shelving work beside your pass through? I was completely anti-open shelving, but I've now sometimes wished I had some. Flexible as to use, keeps things handy, and/or display. I didn't plan for any display space in my kitchen and now wish I could see some more of my pretty bowls, etc.

Wow, you have been through so much. I agree that you need to cut yourself some slack. Your choices are very nice and the cabinets are lovely. I bet no one else will know it was done on a budget. And the good news is that the really important stuff -- plumbing, wiring, getting rid of asbestos -- has been taken care of. If the homes around you were built the same way, then yours is now light years beyond them if they haven't been fixed like yours.

Don't worry about a backsplash - lots of kitchens have painted walls down to the counters. I agree that open shelves next to the pass-through could work very nicely.

You are overdue for some relaxation and good luck to come your way, and I hope it does soon.

I agree with brickton. You're in disaster recovery mode not dream kitchen remodel. There is a lot of other stress in your life right now. I think your choices are fine and you can make it work (except paint color). Look at the kitchen remodel/design in stages and not all at once. It makes the decision process a little easier and not so overwhelming. First you want a working kitchen - choose your cabinets, appliances, floor and countertops. You have most of the material already. I think getting a working kitchen would help relieve the stress. Next prime the walls and install the cabinets, appliances, lighting that you have and counter tops (I beleive you're keeping the floor). Now take a big sigh of relief - you have a working kitchen. The next items can be done later.

Now on to a paint color. Try out a few colors on the walls for a week - much bigger splotches than you have now. See it in different light and differnt times of day. You have a galley like kitchen with dark cabinets so the wall color will be important. I think if the paint color is too dark it will make the kitchen feel like a cave. Once you get the walls painted you can move on to the backsplash, blinds, additional lights and anything else that's missing. People can take years choosing a backsplash.

For the blank walls next to the pass thru you can put up open shelving. Easy fix and inexpensive. Again, this doesn't need to be done right away. I think getting a basic working kitchen will help relieve the stress.

You guys have been put through the ringer!!!

Even without the ringer, I think it's normal to have some amount of total freak out as the choices start coming together. In your case, it would be compounded by complications, unplanned events, and the fact that it's disaster recovery.

I had 2 years of planning my "dream kitchen" and when it started coming together, it was TOTAL meltdown. I think there was 4 nights straight I didn't sleep at all. My DH woke up to me balling my eyes out those mornings. I was scheming ways I could somehow make it so nobody would ever see my new kitchen cause I was sure my choices were going to be so embarrasing. I don't know what I was thinking picking such risky, awful things. It was horrible.

And now it's 90% together and it's the kitchen of my dreams. I adore every speck of it! Everyone who has seen it gushes over it - it's nothing to be embarrassed about at all. It's soooo prety. I think that's what you will be saying in the end about yours too!

You have picked really nice choices, especially considering it was under pressure. I love your floor and your granite too! And paint choice! I think it's going to be beautiful. So my biggest word of advice is just hang in there and watch it come together and try not to stress. Watching the elements come together is not what you'd expect. You expect the worst, but are so pleasantly suprised that it's better than you dreamed.

Plus since you have some unfilled space to play with and some time to pick a backsplash, etc, you have leeway to shape it further based upon the already-installed elements.

You've done great all things considered. I think it's going to suprise you how well it will turn out in the end.

Wow! Nothing like putting my life into perspective. Re the pass through: I agree with the others about using open shelves. Another possibility is using a pegboard a la Julia Child and hanging things there. Ikea used to make rail shelves which can also be useful for hanging stuff. I don't see them on their online catalog other than the two-rail towel shelf which you can use as your bottom shelf; don't know if you can still find those Grundtal shelves in their stores. They come in at least two lengths. A kitchen filled with cabinets is supposed to be so last year or maybe so last decade, so you are ahead of the curve on that one!!!

Don't sweat the paint, but you might think of going a bit lighter. Also, paint mistakes, in the big picture, are darn cheap.

If you make a trip to Ikea, buy a package of their frozen meatballs. They are tasty and simple to fix in a make-do kitchen set-up.

Hang it there. Please take care of your health, and try to take a few minutes each day for yourself.

{{gwi:1890906}}
I can see how the paint color was pulled from your counter top and floor but I do wonder if it might be a little dark. I think overall you did a great job.

Amity, I'm so sorry you've been through so much turmoil. I think your cabinets, countertop, and layout are great. The paint may be a little dark in the space but as everyone else has said--it's an easy and cheap thing to fix. You have me wondering if I should do a pass through to my dining room--great idea! I pray that everything will come together for you and your family so you'll have a beautiful, functional kitchen. I agree with the other posters--open shelves would be great by the pass though.

I hope this whole nightmare will be behind you very soon and you'll be cooking wonderful meals in your new kitchen before you know it. Please post pics when those wonderful cabs & granite are installed!

These may not be dream choices, but the only things I am seeing is the paint color. For my taste (light kitchen) it is dark. I do see how you pulled it from the stones, but I would go with a lighter tone because th floor and cabinets are dark. If you already have the paint, I'd just try adding some white or cream to it and lightening it up. Maybe you can get some oops paint to reduce the cost -- it is cheaper than white (that why I suggested cream as a possibility).

Get the basics put back together so you have a kitchen to use and then you can get help with window dressing and such.

Amity, I'm so sorry to hear about your house problems! I have some friends who had a slow leak that did major floor damage and their insurace wouldn't cover it either.

I too like your choices and think they will work well together. Like many others, the first thing I thought of to make-up for a lack of wall cabinets was the use of shelves. It's sounds like you're pretty handy so I bet you could make some nice wooden shelves and stain them to match your cabinetry. I stained some stock birch plywood to match my cherry cabinets so I know with a little trial and error you could match any stain. Almost everyone on GW has had a panic meltdown at some point and we've all come-out on the other side. Give yourself a break, and some credit, for doing so well under so much stress!

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.
- Albert Einstein

Tonight before you rest your weary head, neck, shoulders
from all the intense worries and stress you have been
under. Know that you have shared your worries and this
will help you. Pat youself on the back and know that you
will get through this really tough time. And you will look
back and be amazed at your inner strength and ability
to survive. I can not imagine the stress you have been
under. (((((((cyber hugs))))))))))

And as for your kitchen choices. I like them.
Everything has a beauty to it that you should be proud of.
I do not know that I could pull off the lovely combination
under that kind of stress in my life. You should be
proud of yourself. I think the paint is beautiful.
Can you change it? Sure if you want to but this can happen
months or even years down the road. Enjoy your choices.
I think they will be spectacular.

~boxerpups

Here is the color you picked.

Here is a similar paint color called Aztek Gold by Glidden

Harvest Moon by Benjamin Moore also similar to your color

Cofnac Ellen Kennon paints

You have a similar floor

Wow, I think you made great choices. It's natural to be second guessing your self. The only thing I don't like is the paint color. It is a little dark for me. However, if you love it, go for it. You can always change.
I have a galley kitchen too with dark cherry cabs. The paint I went with was a cross between brown and gray but it is light.

Here is a link that might be useful: my kitchen

Blondelle, Brickton, WarmFridge, Rhome410,
Chicagoans, BostonPam, NeedSomeTips08,
KitchenObsessed, Nan53, Flwrs_n_Co, Lascatx,
Nkkp, BoxerPups and Doraville .........

To each one of you--THANK YOU!

Reading each post, little by little I could feel the tension leaving my shoulders.

I started reading and after the first response (Yes, we did the mediation and I also have my emails from the Insurance Commissioner. The broken pipe is considered "Homeowner's Regular Maintenance" and also, if the pipe had been an "Incoming water line" it would have been covered. Because it's an "Outgoing DRAIN", nope. But thank you so much for posting that information because until I had done hours and hours of research on the computer, I had no idea there was a mediator or an insurance commissioner and I'm sure your post is going to be of help to many people!!!) I had a slight grin.

By the time I was done reading all the posts, the grin had turned into a smile across my whole face and it hasn't left yet!

I swear, you all are better than the strongest doses of Xanax and Prozac combined!
Who needs Pharmaceuticals......for the rest of this kitchen repair, I'll just come here!

Your posts, your pictures, your link to your kitchen showed me: priorities, other options, direction, had me think out of the box, perspective.

After dealing with HO insurance, pro companies passing the buck, and not-nice sellers on Craigs list for the last four months....I felt myself becoming hardened, cynical...and I didn't like the way it felt.
Your hugs and kind words of understanding made me melt.

Just before I started typing this response I started my printer to run off two copies of all your responses.
I'll staple each set.......One for the kitchen, one for my nightstand.

I was gone most of the day yesterday.
When I pulled around the corner to my block I saw Mr. Amity's truck in the driveway...I thought 'Ut Oh'.

Turns out work was really slow so he used a couple of his vacation hours to come home early and paint the kitchen to surprise me. Yes, it sure did. :)

But ya know? It's not nearly as dark as I thought it would be.

Maybe I should spend more time in the kitchen today, bonding with Mr. New Paint Color and see if we can't come to some happy medium. *grin*

Only one coat so far...tonight the second coat goes up.

Here is a link that might be useful: More photos of painted kitchen on page 4

Everybody gave you such good responses, that I will defer to them.

I'm just here to say I'm so sorry you have had to go through all of this, Amity, and to give you some cyber "love"/. ((((HUG)))))

That is not as dark as I was picturing either -- it may work just fine. It's a shade or so darker than what I was thinking, but if you have good lighting, it should be a very warm feeling kitchen. I'm a white, bright kitchen person so take my shade lighter and consider the source. Your cabinets are very pretty (love dark cherry) and anything too light could be too stark a contrast.

I was going to post again last night and decide I wasn't adding anything to the discussion at that point, but I wanted to assure you that lots of folks, and certainly myself included, have been under a lot less stress, making far fewer decisions and have picked paint colors that have turned out worse. Some folks have nothing but cosmetic decisions to focus on and don't do as well as you have. You must have good instincts, because you are doing much better than you think.

BTW, I have a powder room we had to rip out and jack hammer through the marble floor (this was after digging under the house and not finding the problem where they expected and 2 days of working with cameras and locating sensors). We eventually found about 6-8 feet of drain pipe between the powder room toilet and the master bath that had been set into place but never cemented on either end. It had leaked and filled with dirt until -- nearly 20 years later it filled to the point that everything backed up into our master bath. That was after finding about 4 unknown water leaks above our kitchen (son's bathroom plumbing). We only found those because we'd heard water in the wall behind our pantry one night and shut his sink off until the kitchen demo. We were testing while the walls and ceiling were open and found more. None of it was covered by insurance either. Only an insurance company would consider ripping out walls and slab foundations to find leaking pipes you couldn't know were there to be regular maintenance. Hope you can sleep well and take comfort in knowing you are giving your home the TLC it needs when it is all done.

Dear Amity...You are so right about the wonderful people on this forum. I can see why their kind responses calmed you and put a smile on your face.

I wanted to say that I have cherry cabinets with a very dark stain like yours. I love them...they look like bittersweet chocolate..yum.

I also used a very similar paint color in my DD's bedroom. It is one of my favorite rooms in the house. very warm and inviting and surprisingly versatile...
However, if you find that it doesn't appeal to you once the kitchen is finished, it's the easiest thing to change!

I am also in a tract home in So. Cal....maybe we're neighbors:)

I love the paint with those cabinets. Gorgeous.
I think it is cyber magic and positive thoughts
all turning your kitchen into a place of beauty.

Thinking of you and hoping you have a super weekend.
~boxerpups

I am soooooo sorry that you have had to go through all this! It does help to share it with people who know (or can imagine) what you're going through. More big hugs from here in northern CA.

The first coat of the paint shows the true color and it will look GREAT! Glad your DH came home early and started it!

I'm amazed at all you've accomplished and now you can look at the positive things ahead. Say it with me..."I am AMAZING and have done an INCREDIBLE job!" and be sure to post pics of the second coat!

bump

Oh Dearest Buehl !
You did it again and I am soooo grateful!
Using your advise on one of the posts about missing posts, I used the "site:ths.gardenweb.com" along with the word "Overwhelmed" and my post popped up first on Google's page!

I promise! I promise that one day, maybe not in the near future, but one day.....
I am going to be able to come here and offer advise, opinion or just an atta boy to someone else who is overwhelmed in the middle of a kitchen redo, just like I've been helped with such wonderful words from all of you!

Shelayne,
Bless your heart...Thank you, sincerely....Thank You!

LasCaTx,
Thank you! I'm so glad you said that.....that you don't think it's as dark as you were picturing it.
Me either! And bruuuther, is that a load off my mind, at least for right now. :)

To read what happened to you, I got shivers...like it was happening to me all over again!
Wonder if that's considered "Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome"?
Not making light of PTSS in ANY way but when I read here of others having similar problems I actually feel myself tighten up, like I did when I read your story too.

You said "Only an insurance company would consider ripping out walls and slab foundations to find leaking pipes you couldn't know were there to be regular maintenance"
OMG, We've said something similar so many times since this happened!
Regular maintenance means you can access it rather easily or at least with not too much labor/expense, to check on it, maybe once a year, once every two years.

Were we supposed to jack-hammer into our foundation on a regular basis to make sure our pipes were still pristine and not rusting out? LOL
Or, as my hubby is now very fond of saying when he gets on his soapbox about our insurance company : "That F*&%^* company will step over a dollar to pick up a dime!"

The insurance company could have reimbursed us for the plumber and the work from the beginning and saved almost three more weeks of the water continuing to leak, causing more damage. It was during that almost three weeks that the mold and mildew started to form.
It's the mold/mildew remediation company the HO insurance HAD to end up paying for.....The remediation of all the mold, mildew, asbestos, air quality testing, fans, humidifiers, special disinfecting agents, saws and other woodworking tools to remove studs in the walls that were too far damaged and specialized dumping of mold/mildew/asbestos containment bags........ to perform all that work for almost a month.....I saw the bill:
Almost $9000.
As grandkidlet would say "duh!"

Oh, our HO insurance also paid for the cameras, the sensors, the specialized laser/computer gadgets to find the leak......for three different companies to come out and find said leak.
Leak could not be located. They could say positively there was water under the foundation but they couldn't locate the area it was coming from.

Not that I'm happy, IN NO WAY am I happy to hear your story or the previous stories of it happening to others. But reading them lets me know there ARE people out there that will understand when I have these little mini-meltdowns. They've been there, the frustration of living like this, the frustration of dealing with all these different companies.....wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

Oh KitchenAddict,
You are sooo right!
It DID Calm me and I was able to get so much done this weekend and I can actually see a light at the end of the tunnel because everyone here, by posting, pitched in and helped me change my perspective, my priorities....and that's what I needed most.

I walked through the kitchen a hundred times since Friday night (ok, maybe not 100 times but it felt like it as that is the main back door to get to the tools) and by Saturday late afternoon I didn't even give the color a second thought...it's as if it had been there the whole time.
Not nearly as shocking as the blotches of testing we did on the wall that had me looking like a very confused parakeet. *blink blink*

And to add a plus to a plus, we had almost 2 full gallons left of my favorite paint of all time...my go-to paint when it comes to ceilings, trim, porch furniture, etc..... Pony Tail in a semi.
So what the heck, we tried it on the ceiling of the kitchen and I'm in love!

Most folks think the chip of the Pony Tail paint makes it look really dark but when we used it on our bedroom/bathroom trim, everyone thought we had used an off-white/Navajo white.
The Pony Tail on the ceiling of the kitchen actually 'calmed' the whole room down if you can understand what I'm trying to say.
So we are going ahead with it and using it on the underside of the bulkhead over the pass-through, on the lowered ceiling of the eat-in area of the kitchen and of course, the ceiling.

You know, you are so right...now that I think about it. You said the color is versatile.
I was sitting here thinking of some of my decor from the damaged kitchen and I'm thinking that almost everything I had in there...decorative platters, little framed art, etc. can go in this kitchen with this color. This color could almost be considered a neutral...if one likes bold neutrals, that is. lol

Neighbors? Ooohhhh noooooo, not even close....I've seen your magnificent kitchen. I'm what they call 'on the other side of the tracks'. lol

I'm in the neighborhood of the 1065 sq. ft. 56 year old tract homes, every fourth house has the same 3 bedroom/ 1 bathroom floor plan ('cept ours cuz 35 years ago the previous home owners added on a large back bedroom/bathroom/small family room), making ours a whopping 1450 sq. ft.
There are two types of folk in my neighborhood....those that hit the floor when they hear a loud bang or those that run outside to see what's going on cuz they're nosy. *smile*
So even if I won the lottery, in this neighborhood there is no way I would bother adding beautiful granite or soapstone, or marble, or a high-ticket range, or...well, you get the picture. It's the old "can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear" situation.
But reading your posts for the last year or so, I sure would find it a wonderful day to sit across from you having a cuppa....but we'd do it at your house, k? *smile*

Oh Julie,
Words work miracles....thank you so much for yours. And for the hug!

As I'm copying these latest responses I'm going to highlight in bold, so that I can see it right away when I glance over......"I am AMAZING and have done an INCREDIBLE job!".....My new mantra! *smile*

BoxerPups,
Always had a special place in my heart for Boxers. My first pup ever was a boxer...named him SkuttleButt.

Cyber Magic....Love that! LOL
But can you imagine? I was at one of my lowest points in, well, I can't remember when I felt so low. That was just last week.
And here it is, Sunday night, paint is on the walls, the ceiling, all I have to get done tomorrow is all the little cutting in of the over-spray from the spray gun. Any other touch-up of the paint, like others have said on this topic, can get done after we have a somewhat working kitchen.
If time allows I'll continue scrubbing the slate tiles tomorrow. That stuff is really dirty coming out of the box!
I've got 110 down, 70 to go. My arms feel like lead weights tonight but it's such a good feeling to have accomplished so much!
A tip: Never place drying slate tiles, 20 high, stacked on an old wood outdoor Adirondack chair.
(wasn't purdy. don't ask. lol)

Did some looking tonight on the computer for a decent price for a combo Slate Enhancer/Sealer.
Talk about sticker-shock...ouchie!
From the reviews I've read of several enhancer/sealers, I think I'm going to go with the Aqua Mix Enrich N Seal....unless of course someone has rave reviews of another brand?

OMG, look what I've gone and done....I've created a mini-novel here!
My apologies. But wanted to make sure the latest responses got acknowledged and to let you all know what a great, productive weekend we had, all thanks to you!

Ceiling paint:

Left under bulkhead: Dove White. Right: Pony Tail
{{gwi:1890911}}

Washed Slate Tile: