Lovely first cut! My only suggestion is to see if you can re-size the upper cabinets to eliminate the very narrow ones on the ends. I can tell you from experience that a 12" cabinet is almost more trouble than it's worth (I had 3 of them in my old kitchen).

Glad you're getting the show back on the road!

Looking at the OPs original plan the 12" on the right is actually an easy reach. So its look like only there will be only one 12". Is that right swrf?

So glad things are working out for you.

The rug just got pulled out from under me. I am so frustrated. Just this evening I heard back from someone at the construction company and this is what they had to say in response to me telling them that I was going to switch to Medallion:

I am afraid that this not a real possibility as we have a commitment with ____ (cabinet company) to give them all of our work as they won the bid to service our cabinetry needs. As you can also see, the price difference you thought was there is actually very much closer, with ______ actually being a percentage less. I hope you understand that we must honor our commitment with _____ as we hold our suppliers and subcontractors to honor theirs.

So my math was off because the actual cabinetry allowance is even lower than the embarrassingly low number that I thought it was!!! I'm so mad there might be smoke coming out of my ears.

Ask them to provide you with a possible solution to your problem. You understand their need to honor their commitment to the cabinet supplier but you also understand your right to get what you deserve as a paying customer. Depending upon your contract their may be penalties but in the end this is your house and as I said earlier where there is a will there is a way.

This post was edited by SaltLife631 on Fri, Sep 20, 13 at 21:32

Feel for you! Disappointing that it takes this for them to respond and then they come back with that? Exhausting and frustrating no doubt. They certainly do need to pose a solution to the problem. Hang in there and don't settle for a design that you do not like!

I'm so sorry to hear this, what a frustrating experience.
You've got more work ahead to get this figured out, but you are doing a terrific job and it will be worth all the hassle in the end! Hang in there, you can do this in a way that is fair to all concerned and gets you a gorgeous kitchen.

If you have to honor the contract...why not leave the hood area blank, buy extra stain or paint from the cabinet company and simply order the hood you want unfinished? Even if you hired another installer to put up the hood components, it would be worth it.

Wow, they can put a man on the moon but this... this is too much to get done properly?

I feel for you. What a bunch of wasted time and energy for what should be a relatively simple fix.

Oh good grief! They can't order a refrigerator wall cabinet, add matching interior and flush finished sides (or a skin), reduce the depth, and attach a straight valance around the bottom and some trim, put on a shelf and a couple of corbels on the valance? Then put in a blower unit?

They're complete morons. Both the KD and the contractor. I don't know what type of builder grade crap they're used to churning out, but that's an easy put together. IF they've got an installer than can figure out how to put together Tinker Toys.

If they can't do that, then it may be time to change builders entirely.

I just wanted to post a picture of my kitchen which is similar...and has a Thermador 36" stove plus at 42" hood. We used as few number of cabinets as possible since it is such a large space. Maybe this will help you visualize the space. Still not finished, but closer than ever. THe dimensions are 12' x 22'.

Check out annsch as she has a similar kitchen as well.

Good luck with the builder and KD.

And here is the layout.

Well, I'm back for one more update: I did it! I convinced the builder to let me go with the better cabinet company. I pushed fairly hard on them to make them realize that this was the right decision for us and they called a meeting this afternoon. I figured they were either trying to let me down easy with a firm final NO, or they were finally going to allow me to go ahead with what I preferred, so I went into the meeting feeling rather nervous. But all that matters is that they are willing to make the change and work with my choices. I am THRILLED.

And I owe a lot of it to the strength and commitment that all of you made me feel with your advice and reactions. It really fueled my fire and made it possible for me to keep pressuring them. I am *SO* glad that this is over! And now I just want it all to get built and look as beautiful as it is in my imagination. :)

How wonderful! And the fact that your builder is committed to giving you what you want must be such a relief!

That is great news! I hope it's smooth sailing from here on out. Be sure to post back pics of your kitchen mid-fruition and complete!

Good for you for sticking to your guns. You had given the other KD plenty of opportunities to work with you. If you are building a house from scratch, you should be able to get what you want.

Exactly! I just feel so happy about every part of it-- that they are willing to work this out, that I'm going to get what I want, that I know it's going to look beautiful, that I don't have to make any more decisions, and so on and so on... :)

I've been following this post from the beginning. I reread the whole thing tonight. It's the perfect example of how great this forum is. You posted your plan, got some feedback you didn't really like, realized you didn't like the plan, got an unbelievable amount of detailed information & advice from the generous professionals & nonprofessionals, put on your "big girl pants", fought for what you wanted and got it!

Romy, I totally agree. I'm still kind of blown away by how much help I've received from total strangers. I think the internet and social media gets stuck a bad rap because of all the harm it can do, but gw is an example of just how right it can go! I think it is so cool how everyone comes together to help figure out the best possible outcome, based on the OP's situation. And the advice is so personalized and honest. Because this kitchen is going to be a huge part of my life for a very long time, the gift everyone has given me in working so hard and so long on this is tremendous. I wish I could thank everyone personally.

Hi everyone,
After being on here so much and getting so much feedback, it feels weird to not be around much. Since we are past the planning stage and aren't yet at the install phase, I am just biding my time. But I thought I would pop in and say hello and share a picture that I took of our kitchen as it currently stands. They are busy framing the whole house and it is SO FUN to go stand in the kitchen and imagine everything in the space.
I haven't forgotten about you and promise I'll be back with updates as we go, but the cabinets are getting ordered as soon as the KD can get out to measure (tomorrow!) and before you know it I think we'll start seeing it become a reality!

Thanks for this update, I'll look forward to seeing more. Are *all* your decisions made? Faucets, sinks, water filtration, garbage disposals, lights, stools, paint color, pulls/knobs, drawer organization.....broom? You deserve a little rest after your big hood battle, but there may be more decisions ahead, and they are more fun when you have an abundance of time.

Kksmama, that "...broom?" comment cracked me up!

Kksmama - I read your broom comment, cracked me up too until I went to the Nessentials website to finally order my split horsehair "sweeps like butter" broom and it is no longer on their website. I'll be calling them tomorrow.
Hopefully, they are just temporarily out of stock.

kksmama is so right - there are a million decisions to be made! I had the luxury of being able to concentrate on one thing at a time - I obsessed over sinks for a couple of weeks, until I found the perfect one; then I looked at about a million faucets. I thought pulls would be easy - Ha!

Swfr, have you picked out all your accessories? Carefully laid out what is going to go where in the new kitchen? I had a 3-page list of what was going in every cabinet and drawer - it was so convenient, when it was finally time to put things away, to know exactly where most things were going to go.

Swfr--great thread. Wonderful people on this board.

Can't wait to see how your kitchen turns out!

ohhhh - I was hopping on here thinking WOW it's already done, it can't be! Scrolling down for pics like a kid at Christmas time, lol! I think my finger has a cramp in it...and alas - no it cannot be. It is too soon.

Not to say that what you've got going there with the framing is anything less than fabulous (because it IS awesome). Just saying I thought there might be a cabinet in there somewhere. :)

Can't wait for more updates, keep them coming. Happy measuring today.

I figured it was time for another update: my cabinets are getting delivered tomorrow! I feel like Christmas is coming early!!!! They won't start installing until Monday but Santa is bringing me boxes and boxes of beautiful cabinetry on his sleigh tomorrow. :)
I knew you fellow TKOs would understand my excitement-- it has been such a long time coming and now I'm almost to the point of my dreams really taking shape in front of my eyes. I can hardly sleep.

I'll be sure to post pictures of the process along the way. I've been on a hiatus from here because I just didn't have any kitchen decisions to make-- but I'm sure that soon I'll be back on here obsessively as cabinets/counters/BS goes in. Hooray! I've missed it here. :)

Thanks for keeping us updated-really excited for you. Post pics!

Hooray is right! I can't wait to see it!!! That's the most exciting Christmas gift ever (okay well I am sure there are others but this is pretty darn good). :)

Cool! Be sure to post them pics!

Hello again-- Here are some pictures! We're about 1 day into installation and all of the base cabinets are in place. So far, so good!

A little bit of explanation:
The opening on the window wall will be the dishwasher and the sink will be to the left of it (centered there on the window.)
The prep sink will be where the tool box is.
The stove is the center opening on the long wall and the fridge is way over to the left.
The plywood you see behind the cabinets on the long wall is a "knee wall" that will be a 4" ledge just above the counter.

I am in love with the Medallion cabinetry. It all looks so gorgeous. We went with the Merrilat cabinets in the bathrooms and laundry room and there is a real contrast in quality-- and I haven't even used them yet! :)

Tomorrow the wall cabinets go up with the hood that I worked so hard to get. I will be sure to come back with more pics.

Once again, I owe so many of you thanks. I feel like the happiness I am enjoying now is due to all the lovely folks at GW!!

So happy for you, and looking forward to further updates! Before your counters are installed, consider putting a time capsule in any dead space you have. I put a jar with some details of our remodel including costs; I figure that it will be a decade or several before that jar is discovered and it will be interesting to the then owners (or my own elderly self).

I see lots of beautiful drawers & great windows. Thanks for the pics.

You are going to love working in that kitchen! Thanks for the update!

Nice to see a happy ending!

This thread makes me happy. :)

I'm so happy for you. I'm thrilled so many of the talented people here worked to help you come up with a good solution.

Congrats!!

More pictures! I don't want to overdo it, but I just love having a place to share my excitement.

They templated yesterday, so now I just have to do more waiting but so far so good!

That is awesome! How exciting to see it finally come to life after all of that haggling. Love the range hood.

Keep on posting pics. :)

You're not overdoing it. We love pics!

Update? I'd love to hear you were settled and happily cooking (and venting) for the holidays. Love pendants!

yay! Looking great! So glad this has worked out for you.

Kksmama, no these holidays were spent living with my father and working in a gorgeous kitchen that my mother designed. I was happy to be here (where we've been living while our new home is built) because I miss her terribly during the holidays and making our big family meals in her kitchen makes me feel closer to her. Our holidays were great, but not yet in our new home. We close in three weeks so everything is in finishing stages. It won't be long before I can do a total reveal!

We went by the house yesterday and when I went to turn on my camera I found the battery was dead, which was SUCH a bummer because the counters have just been installed. That was the part I was really nervous about after seeing all of the seam issues here on GW. But they (caesarstone piatra grey on perimeter and frosty carrina on the island) are just how I wanted them and having the counters and sinks installed (plus my GE cafe range and KE dishwasher) makes it look almost ready! All I need now is for them to install the fridge, the backsplash, paint the walls, and take the protective covering off of everything. Hip hip hooray!

Looking forward to seeing the countertops... It's looking great!

swfr-everytime I see this thread get bumped up I get so excited that I'm gonna see more pics! Bummer about the camera - that seems to be how it goes for me too. :) Can't wait to see the counters!

So today I had my camera with me but there was a big mess all over the kitchen. The backsplash has just been installed and was left to dry before they grout it. And all of the protective cardboard is still on about half of the cabinets. Plus there is a fine layer of dust EVERYWHERE. All this is to say that the kitchen isn't quite "camera ready" but I did take a picture to show a bit of counter, a bit of backsplash, and the great view I'll have while washing dishes. You can also see the 4" ledge that I had them build into the wall where the range is-- both for a little visual interest and as a place where I can put little jars/oils/etc. I'll show it better in future pictures, but for now I'll just say that it seems like a great use of the 4" strip that they are usually trying to put the backsplash wall that I'm really not so fond of.

Two weeks until the entire house is promised to be done! WOOT! I can't believe this process is almost over...

Beautiful window, gorgeous view. I like the size of your backsplash tiles.

Like the ledge love the tile ... And swfr rounds the corner, heading into the home stretch....

This has been fun to follow. Thanks for sharing your journey. It's looking great!

More pictures are here! The house is almost done and things are starting to get cleaned up. Now it is very easy to see the countertops (although I wish I had cleared all of the junk off of them before taking these photos.) And you can see the total kitchen-- minus the fridge and microwave in their little nooks. I'll do a true reveal thread once it is completely functional, but for now this thread will have my sneak peek reveal. :)

The BS is grouted and all is in order. This picture shows the hood that started this whole thread in all it's glory. I feel like I should carve "GW" in the hood somewhere as a testament to how this website made it possible. :)

A closeup of the backsplash. Daltile Modern Dimensions subway 4 1/4" x 12 3/4". And the ledge we built into the wall behind the range run. The stove is the GE cafe dual fuel range with baking drawer.

The view from the dining room. I want to change that outlet cover to match the island because it's an eyesore right now.

A view from the pantry of the entire kitchen. The counters are Caesarstone piatra grey on the perimeter and frosty carrina on the island. Obviously missing the barstools-- if anyone has an opinion about what those should be, please speak up!

That's it. I close with one last huge THANK YOU. There are a few of you who were helpful from the moment I first appeared on here with a dysfunctional floorplan right up until I figured out how to get exactly what I wanted. You know who you are and please know that I am sending so much sincere love and appreciation your way.

I hope that people stumble across this thread and read it and realize the power that GW can have with it's collective wisdom and creative and collaborative problem solving. I keep thinking that if I had let my hurt feelings from people critiquing my original floorplan convince me to stay off of GW, my whole first floor and kitchen would be different. Thank goodness I decided to put on my big girl pants and stick around for the long haul!!

Everything looks perfect! What a sunny, bright, happy looking kitchen. The hood, of course, looks great. Love your bigger subway tiles & the ledge. I wasn't one of the creative but I really enjoyed taking the journey with you & was very impressed with your big girl pants.

I'm so glad you stuck around, that is one very beautiful space. Thank you for updating this thread. :) and can't wait for your big reveal thread.