It's funny, but I don't remember being so nervous on my wedding day, lol. True, I was more excited but I am not the Nervous Nellie sort and this threw me a little. I didn't think it is possible to rethink the design or tweak another thing, yet I still can't get over how I changed 2 cabs at the finish line. I can't believe I was so spontaneous after overthinking/analyzing every other decision to death. There is nothing I think I could have done different or better, yet I am still nervous as we get closer to demo day. The scale of this project is so big for me and I have waited for it for so long. I think it had so much build up because of too much time planning. I cleaned out another cab today and found 2 more items for the reno that I had not paid attention to in 3 years. It is a like a treasure hunt as I un-bury all the materials that we have been storing for so long. It is a good thing we did not go with anything trendy because any trend at the start would be over with by now, lol. I am glad to be able to share my IKEA experiences because I am a recent convert. I started this reno with no plan or inclination to even check out IKEA but some fans were so "rah rah" here that I was convinced to at least take a look and eat some meatballs. Once I saw and tested the cabs out and read reviews from other IKEA consumers, I started to wonder how it would compare. The look is the same one I was doing and so that was no difference. The quality was just as good when I looked at how they were constructed. I know some people worry about anything that is not plywood construction, but I am convinced that any issue that comes up will have to be from a disaster or similar in which case any cab would be damaged. Replacement costs wouldn't be bad and the money saved on the initial purchase would go towards that (but am not planning on a disaster, lol). I was stunned at how much I was saving and at seeing other people's finished kitchens. You would have no idea they were IKEA kitchens if you were not told. I hope my kitchen looks nice and don't think anyone will be wondering what brand we used. I'll probably brag about them being from IKEA and how much we saved, lol....

I am not any further on the counter :) But I am still planning on using the ply as an underlay. Unless I don't, lol. The soapstone that I have on hold has a small ding in the surface. I can repair it by using epoxy and ground soapstone "crumbs". Then when dry it sands nicely and you really don't see it. I haven't actually bought the stone I have on hold, but its not going anywhere. They might have other remnants soon. I think I will drive there tomorrow and reassess the "ding" and maybe just go with it instead of waiting for something else to turn up. Just got the under cabinet LED lights installed today. I am still working on the crown at the top. I have one length in and have to cut a piece to finish it up. The space is to tight for me to fasten the crown as instructed. I am using extra strong velcro, that will hold 1lb/sqin. It has been working well for the top crown. I used velcro to attach the filler strips to the 2x4 backing at the ends of the cabinets too. It was great. The instructions for my style of crown have you attach the crown at the bottom of the uppers in a way that is not a good method. They have you directly screw through the bottom of the crown and up into the cabinet box. There is a narrow foam strip that gets applied between the crown and box which looks like it is used to block the gap between, so under cabinet lights don't show through. The foam works, but the screws don't finish flush. The screw heads are so obvious. I am going to back each screw out, one at a time, and counter sink the hole so the screw head will be recessed. Then I can cover the holes with a plug or wood filler. I would post a picture of my under cabinet lights but I haven't been able to post pictures for several days now. I don't know what gives.

Benjesbride, good idea to message Joe. I'll do that once I'm done responding to everyone. Interesting proposed plan. He's had galley kitchens before and I tried to come up with one with everything he wanted in the galley but it never occurred to me to try a partial galley kitchen (blasted fuzzy brain). Thanks! One hiccup is that he'd have to build a false wall to house the plumbing lines to re-route them to the peninsula. He does not want to request to open the chase to re-route the lines inside the wall. He said it's a major PITA and likely won't be approved (he's remodeled several kitchens in the various condos he's lived in over the years). Anyhoo, adding a false wall is doable but it does reduce the length a bit. I guessed that a 5" thick wall might be enough but his contractor will be able to tell him if that's sufficient. Maybe he can get by with less. He absolutely will not go for a 24" fridge but he might consider a 27", given the right incentive. He's only ever purchased Subzero so I'm quite sure he'll stick with that brand. Other than seafood, he uses fresh ingredients and very little canned or boxed items for cooking so enough fridge/freezer space is a higher priority for him than pantry storage. I tweaked your plan, adjusting it to meet his requested goals. I realized one thing I forgot was to allow for a thicker wall behind the DW and sink cab to house the plumbing lines. That eats into the seating overhang, unfortunately. I kept the aisle at 42" but it could shrink down to 39". Tight for when he's giving cooking lessons but fine for when it's just him cooking. I eased the pinch on the left end of the dining table. It's still on the tight side, especially when it's set for 6, but it's better than the 18" I had spec'd in Plan A. There aren't any corners, which is nice, but there isn't any counter wider than 32 1/4" (to right of cook top). He's used to having nearly 60" of counter on the peninsula. That currently is eaten up by counter stuff (toaster, MW, coffee maker, blender, etc), nearly all of which will go into cabinets after the remodel. The only thing he intends to keep out is the toaster. Anyhoo, while technically he has nearly 60" of prep space, he has less than that in actuality. So perhaps 32 1/4" of prep room will be enough. It also has less base and upper storage. It might be enough but I won't know that until we go back up to weigh each plans pros and cons against his needs. Anyhoo, I'll present this as another option and let him decide. Thank you!

Sophie Wheeler, 23 years is WITHIN the last hundred years. That was my point. Using your logic, a house built in 2001 was instantly obsolete. Site built /stick built construction is actually considered to be desirable - completely custom, and often done in higher end homes. Is it cheaper to build modular and install? It can be - it's certainly more convenient for the homeowner. But for new construction, site built is great. Can both be equal in quality? Sure. I only know about this because I know a few builders, and we've actually discussed this exact topic. Hell I could gain major improvements just by replacing all the doors and drawers and all new hardware. But what I have still works quite well. If I had issues with drawers sticking and doors that didn't fit right, that would be a different story. But I don't. Everything works and fits as it should, so I will pursue changes where I need them. And those changes are all that we really should be discussing here. Again, thanks for the advice, but your suggestions have nothing to do with my topic.