One question that popped up for me:

You say your cabinets were supposed to go up to the 9' ceilings? (We will be doing the same thing).

When your cabinets are that high they can't simply just be installed higher as you couldn't reach anything, and it would look silly I guess. You would have had to design stacked cabinets (I think that's what they're called) OR allowed for extra crown moulding (ours will be 12").

Do you recall discussing either of these with your cabinet designer?

So sorry you are having to go through this. I would feel sick to my stomach too.

Wow. That does seem like a total nightmare. Even if your KD is on vacation, I would assume he has a boss? I think I would go down there today and ask the boss to come to your house to look. I know I wouldn't be able to sleep until I got some sort of a resolution.

Oh dear, I am so sorry for you, how discouraging! I have to agree with beachbum, find the boss and invite that person to come and resolve the issue for you -- not sure I would trust a KD who got SO much of this wrong. Not like it was a mistake on one cabinet, but on most ALL OF THEM??

Oh no! It's almost as if they sent the wrong order ... Just hang on TIGHTLY to ALL documentation re. your initial order, make sure the installers don't throw out any notations attached to the shipping boxes, and you should be able to straighten it all out soon. Those are such egregiously bad mismeasurements that any dealer would admit to the mistake, whether he's super reputable or not. Stand firm and good luck!

I'm so sorry, this process can be so frustrating. I knew when we started our kitchen that it was going to be difficult, but I figured when I hired a reputable KD/cabinet dealer I could trust them to make their design a reality. I was shocked to discover that was not the case and I was the one who kept telling the installer what was wrong and how it was supposed to be. We had several items that were wrong in our cabinet order and only last week did they finally finish installation (more than 2 months after they started). Again, good luck and we all know how disappointed and frustrated you feel right now.

Did the dealer that you ordered the cabinets from do the measuring, or did they use the plan from Lowe's? I would contact the dealer's store immediately --- someone there must be handling his/her jobs while they're on vacation.

Contact your KD (if you have a contact #) or his/her boss immediately! Do not wait and do not install anything else! The availability of your KD is irrelevant in this case...the problem must be reported immediately.

Did you check the order to be sure all the things you wanted (that you explained above) were in the order? If so, then there can be no argument since the KD will be able to go back to Medallion and tell them they sent the wrong cabinets. If you did not check and the order specifies what was actually delivered, then it will be b/w you and your KD...and that may be where you'll have problems. Please go back & check all your paperwork ASAP and get back to us!

Stay calm and do what everyone is telling you. This will get resolved - it's just going to be a PITA till it does. Lots of deep breaths!

Let us know what happens.

Hugs!

With that many mistakes, they are probably all your KD's mistakes. The manufacturer faxes an order acknowledgement that the KD must check before it all goes in to production.

I'm curious, did the dealer do his design on a computer? Or like kitchenwitch asked...did he just order off the Lowes layout? Did you see any elevations or renderings prior to ordering?

BTW, I am a Medallion dealer and I use their online ordering system. It is in sync with my design program (20/20) and really helps with order errors. It cuts them in half...since there is no order entry on behalf of the manufacturer. I get what I order...it's all on me...and I prefer that.

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear about your kitchen problems.
Kompy

I just wanted to say your cabinets are really beautiful. I especially LOVE the glass doors on the uppers. I am so sorry you are having this problem and it will be resolved quickly. Your kitchen will be beautiful some day...and when it is, you will look back and think it was all worth it. Hugs.....

Cindy

Sally, it sounds like a measuring screwup at the initial stages. I don't have any very good solutions other than to get hold of the measurements and compare them to reality. Hugs from a neighbor (I think we're neighbors).

Blue

Good advice from all -- just wanted to add my sympathy and hugs to everyone elses. I agree -- go to the boss with all documentation and see what he says is the next step in resolution.

Arlene

Sorry to have to deal with this. Who did the actual decision of sizes to be ordered and who measured. I think you can probably fix the bottom corner cabinet by pulling it out some from the wall to allow for that space needed to fully open the door. Maybe that was the initial plan and it just isn't installed properly.

As for your uppers. I've never heard of them making a size that is tall enough to go all the way up for a 9 ft ceiling unless you are getting custom cabinets. Much easier if your ceilings are 8'. You need them to sit at a certain level above the countertop.

I am SO sorry that you are having this problem. Your cabinets are beautiful by the way. I finished my kitchen in July 2008 with Medallion cabinets and I had NO problems. Everything came perfectly. The KD measured, my GC measured and I measured and rechecked everything. Who did the measurements for your kitchen? Did you check them? Did your GC check them? Maybe you received the wrong order? I could see maybe one or two mistakes, they do happen. But this many? Stand strong! This will be resolved. Looking forward to your next post hopefully telling all of us that it was a BIG mistake and you'll be getting all new cabinets that you wanted.
Barb

Holy smokers! I am so sorry for you problem. I agree with Beachbum - I'd go to the KD's boss NOW. I'd also ask for a copy of their order paperwork to compare to what you received.

Cate

Thank you all. Unfortunately, I ordered the cabinets frorm a general contractor (not mine) who is also a dealer for Medallion. He has a secretary and some helpers, but he is the only one there who would have anything to say about this. I did not have a KD. This remodel is pretty extensive and my architect designed my kitchen layout. I took the layout several places to get bids and the design was tweaked some, but it is essentially the same plan designed by my architect.

Here is the original kitchen layout (as I said, several small things were changed):

I brought the elevations, floor plan and order from Lowe's and the guy who bought my cabinets took it and put it directly into the computer to give me a price. Then he went through each item to make sure it was right and told me he had found several things that were wrong or missing but assured me that he had corrected them. He also came out to my house SEVERAL times and measured. He is very self-confident and bossy and if my contractor weren't such a nice guy they would probably have come to blows. The cabinet guy would call me and tell me there was a problem with the measurement of somethihg and the floor plan and we would all go and it would turn out to be fine. I thought he was just a blowhard, but it turns out he was an idiot.

whidbey - The upper cabinets on the stove and sink walls were supposed to be 48 inches high with 6-inch moldings. They arrived 42 inches high. On the layout I had from Lowe's the walls were 108 inches high. I looked back to this guy's layout and it LOOKED like the cabinets went to the ceiling, but that is because on just the stove and sink walls he had the wall masurements at 96 inches. On the refrigerator and oven wall the ceilings are measured at 108". That is probably because, without the molding, the cabinets are 102 inches high.

lyfia - If we pull the corner cabinet out so that the door can fully open the sink cabinet is way off center. Also, right now there is only an inch and three-quarters left on the end of that run of cabinets. As far as the upper cabinets, the largest standard cabinets are 42 inches high. They are semi-custom and on the Lowe's order we were paying about $95 per cabinet to have them made 48 inches high. I don't know what happened to that.

Kompy - There is a 20/20 logto on the bottom of the pages he gave me, so I guess he uses that program as well. I guess the problem must have been that the measurements weren't put in correctly. Maybe when the program came back telling him things didn't work he overrode it. Surely he didn't think that we really wanted only the cabinets on one wall to be ceiling-height, while the cabinets on the stove and sink walls should be 6 inches lower. This doesn't explain how he got two walls to be 96 inches high, and one wall to be 108.

He has the butler's pantry on his plan as being 30 inches deep, when it is just 23.

As I look back on these errors I am angry with myself for not checking each item on the order form, and on the plans, for accuracy. I guess I'm the one who is an idiot.

You are NOT an idiot! That cabinet guy is the idiot! If he came out to your house several times, he IS responsible for the measuring mistakes. I'd throw a "hissy fit". Did you pay for all the cabinets yet? Did your GC go over any measurements? My GC went over the measurements with a fine tooth comb when he got the final design from the KD. Did your GC notice anything wrong as he was installing the cabinets? I can't believe a GC would blindly install kitchen cabinets that he hadn't measure. A kitchen renovation is a lot of $$ and work. You deserve to get the kitchen you wanted and paid for. I feel for you and wish you good luck! Maybe contact your local TV station that has a "shame on you" section to help. Maybe contact Medallion directly and tell them about this idiot selling their cabinets. I'm sure the rest of the gang here will have some good suggestions for you.
Barb

Our KD mis-measured every wall in our Kitchen & PR and when push came to shove they made all the corrections, including reordering cabinets to fit at their cost (they tried to pass some of the costs on to us, but we pushed back & with some help from an anonymous GW friend, they finally relented.)

It was not easy...and it did cost quite a bit of delay, but our feeling throughout this process was that a delay now meant happiness for years down the road! (Our kitchen was supposed to be done in March; mostly was done in August; there are still some things to be done...but I'm getting the kitchen I wanted, not a "make do" or "settle for" one!)

This is a general statement for all of you facing delays and problems. If you get to the point of "whatever, just get it done"....take a day or two off...that attitude has caused quite a few people on GW regrets later on. Take a break if you need one, but do not give in just b/c you're tired of dealing with someone or b/c you just want people out of your house. Keep your vision in mind and remind yourself that "this too shall pass" I.e., once it's done, you won't regret waiting to get it done right!

HTH!

My GC insisted on having a copy of the cabinet plans before they were ordered. He must not have gone over them carefully or would have picked up on some of this. I am meeting him, and the project manager, at the house today to measure all the walls, door openings, etc. because I was very involved in the planning of this kitchen and the dimensions worked if all walls and cabinets are the right size--except for the cabinets that should have been 48" tall instead of 42". We will all meet with the cabinet guy on Monday and we want to be prepared.

bbtondo - I have still not paid 25% of the order, which is about $10,000. Thank heavens.

buehl - Thankfully I have not reached the point yet where I will let things slide in order to get it done. In fact, when the project manager was showing me all these problems he was suggesting ways that the problems could be fixed and I told him we weren't cutting down any cabinets, we were ordering the right ones. Thanks.

ANY UPDATES?

Yes, actually. It has all turned out really well. The cabinet dealer came on Monday morning and the first thing he said to me was that he was not my adversary and that he wanted this to work out so I was happy. He didn't argue with me about measurements or who was responsible, but agreed to order new 48-inch cabinets for the 6 wall cabinets. The double cabinet with the glass doors is being ordered at 39 instead of 42 inches so that we will have the same distance from the window as the cabinet on the other side of the window. He said he would pick up the butler's pantry base cabinets and adjust them to be 18 inches deep. He has some complicated plan to adjust the blind corner cabinet and, if that doesn't work, we'll order something else that will fit better. There is a 1-inch finish panel on the cabinet to the left of the cooktop which should not be there. The new cabinet will not have it and that will allow the 42-inch hood to fit and be centered above the cooktop.

I was completely wrong about how difficult he would be to work with. The situation may have been different if I had not held back such a good portion of the money but, as it is, I am expecting to be fully satisfied.

Tomorrow I will receive my cabinets for the master bathroom, and the new cabinets should be here in about 2 weeks. I'm hoping for a happy ending. Thanks for all your advice, support, and encouragement.

Wow! That sounds like a great outcome! Don't forget to keep us updated and to post the "after" pictures. I'm so glad this is working out for you.

Arlene

Oh I'm so glad that things are working out for you! What a relief!

Fantastic news! Thanks for the update!

I am so glad that thing are going to work out for you. Your kitchen will be fabulous!

Dear Sally,
It will all work out in the end and it will be beautiful. That has been MY mantra for months! Whoever measured this mess will just have to right the wrong. My medallion cherry pecan stained cabinets are being delivered on Monday after sitting over one month in a warehouse! Just one construction "surprise" after another however it is all coming to an end soon, and your project will too!
Now lets talk about some fun stuff:
What knobs did you pick?
What granite did you choose? Backsplash? etc??
Hugs,
Melanie

Sally, I am SO happy to hear that your cabinets are being replaced to exactly what you had wanted. Nice to hear that your cabinet dealer is handling this so well. I know you'll enjoy your Medallion cabinets. I look forward to seeing your progress. Enjoy the rest of the ride!
Barb

Great news!!! Keep us posted on the outcome!

I wanted to post an update on my cabinets. The new ones came in and are installed. They are really beautiful and I am very happy. We still have a few problems, one door is damaged, three drawers are slab instead of the design ordered (??), and one drawer is being replaced because it is mostly sapwood. We also need to get one more length of crown moulding. But I have been very happy with how this is being resolved. The pictures here aren't great--I have no lights and there is dust EVERYWHERE, plus it looks like my camera lens is dirty--but you get the idea.

Hi, Sally!

VERY pretty -- isn't it wonderful when people take responsibility and act with integrity? Your kitchen will be beautiful, and, despite the agony you went through, you'll love it in the end. I'm glad you persevered, and that your cabinet guy wanted to work it out. Glad to see the "midway" pictures and look forward to your finished kitchen. The granite that is peeping out on that last photo looks gorgeous!

Congratulations!

Arlene

Really nice, Sally! It is going to be beautiful!

Sandy

Thanks goodness! It's gonna be fabulous when it's finished. Way to hang in there.

Congratulations. Sorry this was such a bad experience, but I loved scrolling down from the bad "before" pics to the very nice "after" pics. Also, they really did hustle to get that done for you within a month. I know it normally takes about 6-8 weeks for those cabinets to be delivered. But at least you'll have workable cabinets, and the non-matching drawer fronts can get changed out later.

It's a very handsome kitchen so far. I look forward to seeing it through to the end!

Thanks, all. Yes, they did really rush the replacement cabinets. Even though there were so many mistakes at the beginning I have been very pleased with the way things have ended up. I probably wouldn't order cabinets from him again, but he really does have integrity.

Hostagrams, my granite is Coastal Green. I really loved it at the granite yard. I bought it and they gave me a sample which I carried around with all my other samples and I began to really doubt it. Once I saw it installed, though, I was in love again.

Sally123 - I just saw a more recent picture of your kitchen on the "...storing pots and pan in upper cabinets?" string. Do you have pictures since the ones above were taken and details. Your kitchen looks like it is quite beautiful!

Thanks, lyno. We moved in a week before Christmas and only unpacked essential boxes. Then I took care of Christmas (I was pretending it wasn't coming this year). Now I am unpacking and everything is a chaotic mess. I'll put up some pictures in a day or so.

"I was pretending it wasn't coming this year..."

How did THAT work. If OK, I may give it a whirl

Craigbass: It is only possible if you have at least one really helpful kid who is old enough to drive. Here is how it is done:

December 17th: Move.

December 18th: Unpack boxes. Send really helpful older kid (who is home from college) out with younger kids to buy a Christmas tree. Expect tree to be too big, too expensive and lopsided. Have kids set up tree.

December 19th: Unpack boxes. Rummage around in garage stuffed with moving boxes to find Christmas supplies. Send kid to store to buy some lights even though there is a box somewhere in the garage containing about two million. Have younger kid risk life by scratching brand new hardwood floor with kitchen chair while wrapping lights around the tree. Find the most important Christmas box with stockings, ornaments and Christmas DVDs. Hang the stockings on the bookshelf because the fireplace isn't finished yet.

December 20th: Unpack boxes. Have kids make Christmas lists. Be grateful that there isn't time for the lists to change after gifts are already purchased. Impress upon 4th grader that if his list contains only a cell phone, an i-pod and a laptop that he will likely get socks. Take family picture for Christmas cards. After taking about 300 with the timer, promise children that pictures will continue to be taken until there is one where everyone is looking at the camera, smiling and keeping his hands to himself. Take one more and determine that grimaces are as good as smiles. Order Christmas cards online and pay as much for rush processing and shipping as for the cards themselves.

December 21st: Unpack boxes. Make gingerbread house from a cheap kit that collapses in upon itself before even one piece of candy is attached. Eat all the candy and throw the gingerbread away. Agree not to exchange gifts with husband under the rationale that each is getting a new house for Christmas and also that money is not just tight but nearly nonexistent.

December 22nd: Unpack boxes. Divide shopping lists with older kid and buy all presents in about 3 hours. Have older kid buy her own presents since what she wants requires either trying on or the kind of subtle discretion unavailable to those over the age of 30. Arrive home to the most amazing customer service ever with Christmas cards sitting near front door. Think about buying stock in Kodak Gallery. Reconsider when recalling lack of funds.

December 23rd: Unpack boxes. Spend day addressing Christmas cards. Don't even attempt to defend self when spouse points out that cards will not arrive before Christmas and that normal people would skip sending out cards in a year like this one. Wish you could be normal.

December 24th: Unpack boxes. Graciously receive plates of homemade treats from good friends. Thank them by returning their dishes from the lovely dinners they provided while you were moving in. Send older kid to grocery store to buy candy for stockings. Wonder if college has affected kid's ability to figure out how much candy is really necessary. Determine to freeze remaining bags of candy for next four or five Christmases. Wrap presents and fall asleep on the couch.

December 25th: Unwrap presents. Unpack boxes.

December 28th: Send Christmas cards.

Sally,
It really looks great and so much better with your original intent followed... the cabinets all the way to the ceiling look great.

I am just curious about the screwups... would you mind saying how this came to be? I ask because I am going to school to become a KD and so your story sends chills up my spine, thinking that I could potentially do this to someone one day. Was it an inexperienced cabinet shop? (when I was shopping I had almost went with Plain and Fancy cabinets, but the VERY young girl who would be fulfilling my order gave me enough pause that I kept shopping). or a GC error? or Medallion?

i just am hoping to learn as much as possible to avoid this situation if I am ever an actual KD.

thank you.

mamadadapaige,
Here is what happened (I will try to make it as brief as I can):

We were remodeling and/or adding on to almost our entire house. Before any building had taken place I took my architectural plans to several different places to get an idea of the cost for cabinets. This was for price comparison purposes only. I found a really impressive planner at Lowe's (I know that is hit or miss) who spent several hours with me and came up with a very detailed order. (Note: he did not plan my kitchen, that was done by the architect and me.) I liked the Schuler cabinets and the price and decided to order from him. After the framing on my house was complete I went to him to finalize plans and arrange for measuring. At that point he told me I would have to pay the entire price of the cabinets upon placing the order. I was not willing to do that, as that would have given me no leverage if there were any problems with the cabinets. Since Schuler is just Lowe's name for Medallion cabinets, I went to two independant Medallion dealers and gave them the Lowe's cabinet order to get prices. Their prices were lower, even after I upgraded my door style. I chose one of the dealers and he came out and measured everything and placed the order.

I think the problem was that he was working off an order that was really for price comparison purposes only. He assured me that he had gone over everything very carefully and told me about several mistakes he found, and I believed him. If he had come up with the order by sitting down with me from the beginning perhaps he wouldn't have made all the mistakes he made.

just saw a picture of your kitchen in another post. i LOVE it.....love the backsplash and recess behind the cooktop. are you countertops costa esmerelda? i'd love to see more pics and details!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sally, I just read through "Christmas", and it made me smile and laugh: You sound like you have a wonderful family, and you definitely have a gift for writing. Thanks for sharing!

Claybabe, Thanks. I hope I never have to go through it again.

Gglks, Thank you. I have taken some pictures and will post the finished kitchen one of these days. Several of the pictures seem to be kind of blurry and I need to retake them. My kitchen has to be clean before I can do that and it is only that way for about an hour a week--right after the housekeepers leave. This week I'll try to run in there the minute they walk out the door and take some pictures.

My counter is not Costa Esmeralda (at the yards I went to they all spelled it 'Smeralda'--odd). It is Coast Green (or Verde Coast if you want to speak another language). I originally wanted Costa Esmeralda but the slabs available were all too small--I have a 3x9-foot island so I needed a pretty big slab. I found this and really loved it. The C.E. I saw was a little more blue, but had a very similar look. I fretted over ordering the Coast Green for a week or so, then took my sample and compared it with the C.E. slabs. I am very happy with my choice.

The tiles on my backsplash are from Waterworks. They are called Running Bond Mosaic from the Cottage collection, and the color is Devonshire Cream.

Here is a little closer picture:

Yes, that is tape on my cooktop. The installers cracked it down the middle when they were putting it in and I'm waiting for the replacement.

more pics please.

You were sent thru the wringer, then the installer broke the cooktop.

Sally, you would never know from your inital photos that your kitchen could look so beautiful. I am intrigued by your comments on Schuler- - Medallion. I didn't realize they were the same; I thought Schuler was a low-end Medallion and I would never have thought they make a 45" or 48" wall cabinet and I need them. Are you still happy with the cabinets? Could you share the name of the cabinet dealer you bought them from? If I can work with him I would like to because he sounds so decent. Thanks and good job.