I agree 100% with your husband.
Let it all go. Sounds like your sweating small details when you should be rejoicing at your good fortune in having a new kitchen to begin with.

I'm very curious to hear opinions about the line up (or lack thereof) of the uppers and lowers. That is precisely the kind of detail that would drive me crazy, and I would be sobbing big time if I came home to that. Sobbing, because I would assume that the installers wouldn't want to redo it without a fight. And I'm not a fighter.

Small details matter hugely to me--maybe because I have a small kitchen with no frills at all. So the small details are all I've got.

I hope it works out for you!

Francy

i disagree. i think the uppers/bases not being centered is noticeable and makes things feel off kilter.

i'd have them add a filler strip between the uppers and the wall and bump that whole run out a bit so it lines up with the base cabs.

i understand it's hard to tell your contractor stuff like this...you'll certainly run into some push back. but re-doing that span of uppers will take them half a day, max. in the long run, that's nothing. get it done right.

Will it drive you crazy every time you look at it? If the answer is yes then I would say something now, especially since it was discussed previously. It will be much easier to change it now!

hi Paigeysmom,

I think it is all really really great. I agree that you should have the uppers fixed (not because I think it is offensive, but because you haven't come this far to drop the ball now... DESIGN IS IN THE DETAILS!!!). Ask nicely, get it done and put it behind you (rather than thinking/wishing you had down the road).

about the wine rack. I love the concept. I do think it looks a little country. To me, it isn't the beadboard but the little cut out detail on that top piece of trim. Could that board come out? if not, I think it is fine and I would keep it in place. again, I think the concept is great.

btw, I am Paigey's mom too! (if you couldn't tell from my screen name)

Thanks everyone--I intend to discuss the misalignment with the installer as soon as he arrives in the morning and we will get the designer out here if necessary. I'm not sure if it makes more sense to move the upper cabinets or the base cabinets. Its probably easier to move the bases since there is a small filler section there and those cabinets are just attached to each other--there is a complex framing supporting the upper cabinets. But that is not for me to decide.

Since this is still a small kitchen (even though we took out several walls to open it up) the details--like the upside down onlay-- are very important!

Mamadadapaige, I agree that it would be best to be able to remove the trim piece from the wine rack. It may also get better when they finish recessing the toe kick and adding the end panels too. I'm glad to see there is another Paige's mom here. Is yours as spirited as mine?

Have them fix the mantel. Once you put the cook top in, the mistake would be really noticeable. Ask them about what can be done about the wine rack, then decide about that.

Have the uppers fixed. I really do like the wine rack, and I think you will too when everything is done. I think it's the cut outs on the top of the wine rack that reads country to you. Could they just fix that part?

Good news--I won--but after a long battle with the KD/cabinet guy (whatever he is)!
Both the installer and the KD tried to tell me that the misalignment wouldn't be noticeable once the granite was installed. I told them I considered that to be a pretty expensive gamble given that the whole thing would have to be dismantled if I was still unhappy after the granite went in. Thankfully I was scheduled to meet with a new interior designer at the house this afternoon and she helped me stand up to them and made sure that they got it exactly right. Apparently even worse than the center lines not matching up she noticed that where the bar cabinet met up with the cabinet behind it there was also about 1.5 inches difference and they were staggered rather than flush. Once he agreed to change it (and it only took about 5 minutes to trim the end piece and move the base cabinets) we found that it looked perfect from the front and the side where the end panels on both sets of cabinets will now match up. I am hugely relieved and this reinforces my decision to hire the designer to help me put the house back together. She just earned every dime we will be paying her in her first 10 minutes in my house!

Oh yay!

I'm so tired of the old "it won't be noticeable once..." argument.
What's the old installer's saying? Something like, "it isn't noticeable at all...from MY house!"

I've got a whole bunch of mistakes that aren't noticeable at all from my cabinetmaker's house. Lucky him!

paigeysmom, attention to details are what will pay off in the long run. Details sell. The careful alignment of details in architectural elements are what makes a thing beautiful. Please, don't you ever let anyone lead you astray when you know that something is not balanced or right. Even if it doesn't seem right, make your subs prove to you they know their stuff. Stick to your guns and take all the credit for careful supervision later when the job is done. I know, it is way too easy to hire people to do a job half-a$$ and it co$t$ no one a dime to tell you to forget about correcting mistakes and you're being too picky. Picky is as picky does. It's my money, my stuff. I want my bricks aligned. I want my cabinets level. I want my skirt and pants hems even.

It takes courage to stand up to slackers, but you can do it. They are stealing your hard earned money and delivering an inferior product when you let them get away with shoddy work. Don't you let them. It's your reputation on the line, too. :)

I don't normally 'thump' anyone on this forum, but honestly, miles661, you must be a husband that does not notice details or give a rat$ fanny about the finished product. Sometimes it is best to keep your mouth shut if you can't encourage someone or give constructive commentary. Of COURSE paigeysmom is thankful for her kitchen. She'll be more thankful and easier to live with now that someone heard her and encouraged her to make her subs do the job right.

The istallation and finishing details are what make a job one of quality or sub par. I'm betting that she's shooting for a quality job. It's quite obvious that the person putting her cabinets together needs total supervision to do the job right. You aren't by chance the one putting her kitchen cabinets together, are you?

Paigeysmom, your kitchen is going to look lovely. I cannot wait to see how it all turns out.

FWIW, I, do agree with your husband about the wine cabinet. I don't think you'll notice the bead-board much at all once you have in wine bottles and decorative elements. I 'see' exactly what you mean... and if you know it's going to bother you, then by all means remove it before templating. HOWEVER, you really need to look at the top cabinet run and how that last base cabinet will look without the wine cabinet there. You might be better off leaving it.

I do have one suggestion about that wine end cabinet. After looking at it again, it looks like your cabinets are glazed, as is the back beadboard wall. If you were to get some paint the color of the base cabinets and paint down the well of the bead-board to cover up the glazed crevice, then it would be less obvious to on-lookers and blend into the background -Vs- being glazed/low-lighted as a feature to notice.