Wine rack: would bother me. Looks like they rushed that. Can't imagine anyone would want it like that.

Base cabinet: I would want both ends to match but I think you would've had to specify that in the design?? In my kitchen I made sure my cabinet guy knows I want both ends to go to the floor, like furniture. But I think that's something you would've had to go over with them up front.

Bottom upper cabinets: yeah, that would bother me, I think it should all be the same unless the full entire cabinet butting up to the dark on is lighter in it's entirety.

Under counter overhang: Probably not bother me because I do think that's how it usually is unless it's a large overhang and you can easily see the plywood without totally bending over to look. In that case, I think I would ask the painter to at least paint that to match the countertop color as best as you could or stain it to match the cabinets. The plywood is flush with the bottom of the counter, right?

Who's looking under your countertop? Unless you've got a sunken living room and can see that plywood while you're on your sofa, you're being unreasonable.

I might want the rough bits sanded if it's intended for seating.

I would ask them to redo the wine rack and finish under the cabinets. I don't think I would complain about the missing trim in the left side because I think Briana is correct you needed to discuss that upfront, but if they can add that at a nominal cost I would get it. The plywood under the countertops is normal.

The Matching Interior option that finishes the bottom of the upper cabinets to match the exterior is an $$ upgrade. With a standard light rail, you will never see it either. The normal interior maple plywood color acceptable as is, and is standard cabinet construction. The plywood under the counter is standard construction practice. It is acceptable. Not at all sure what you thought was wrong with the wine rack, as it is supposed to be designed so that the bottle necks angle downward for proper storage. The foot should be called out on the design documents. That you signed. If it's missing from those documents, then you didn't pay for it in the order. I'm sure that if you bought it that they could install it, probably gratis.

I agree that it's very difficult for a normal consumer to have any idea what "industry standard" even means. I learned here on GW about the unfinished under-cabinet area. I asked about having it finished and it's only available with glass doors. In my kitchen this is not a problem as I have no table in the kitchen; if I did, I would see the unfinished underside of one cabinet (even with the light rail) when seated. Yes, it could be and painted but color most likely would not be quite the same.

What I learned doing my own kitchen is that most consumers are pretty docile creatures and, in fact, may not like being given too many choices/decisions to make. This is why KDs don't mention every little detail. It works just fine for most...but not so much for me!

I know women in my town who want their KD to make ALL decisions for them and are thrilled that they are willing to do so. I wouldn't allow anyone to decide on paper towels or toilet paper for me!

If one wants to be VERY much a part of the process, then this must be clearly stated right from the beginning. One must ask that they be told ALL options, not just what is "industry standard", which is a euphemism for "what most people want/do".

In the end, I got 99%+ of what I wanted. I'll most likely never do another kitchen but if I did (or had a client doing one who was like-minded), I now know what to ask.

From the front:

Underneath:

No one can see it unless they bend over to look underneath. I'm 5'4" and I can't see it underneath. The light rail hides it.

I can see the bottom of my cabinets where I am sitting right now. If the bottoms can be seen by adults, they should be finished, but it is certainly not something that is standard.

If i bend over a little sitting at my table, I can see mine, too. Doesn't really bother me, though. I don't really notice it. I suppose it would look nicer finished.

I've fixed a few solid surface tops that had underlayment touching the edge. The underlayment swells and blows the edge off. If I fabricate your tops, you're getting a gap or someone else to build your tops. It can be filled topically with flexible caulk.

That's interesting, JC. Seems obvious once you point it out but I wouldn't have thought of it.

Regarding cabinet bottoms-they can be made to match using a 1/4 panel and a scribe molding. That is not always acceptable but far less expensive than ordering a matching interior upgrade and a finished bottom. Many mid range brands don't offer a finished bottom though.

As to "industry standards". We fuss a lot making as much as possible clear with clients about what they can expect. Some don't want to know that much. That doesn't stop me though. Sone of those who aren't interested in the details ahead or time will complain after delivery.

I would encourage anyone to take the time to examine the displays as carefully as you will your new kitchen. The dealer did have displays? (rarely will displays have finished bottoms except in high end brands).

If in doubt, or if it's important to you, please say so, ask how it will be done. And look at the final drawings carefully, make sure they accurately show what you expect. (for that matter it might be wise to see final drawings from previous jobs before getting in too deep)

Thanks for all the suggestions. I went back to the drawings and design plans but nothing really says anything the issues. Like everything else in life, one learns through experience. I would definitely know what to expect if I ever do another kitchen reno again.

To be honest, the owner of the company is very nice and pleasant so I am hoping we will come to a resolution. Actually the company makes the cabinet themselves. The cabinets are not pre-made like from home depot for example. It is one of the reason why I went with this company because they build the cabinets themselves. At the same time, I think it was a missed opportunity for them for not providing me with more options.

I understand what some of you said that more options confuses people. But I think that when you sit down with people and spend at least an hour with your client on many occasions, you get the sense what kind of people you are dealing with. It is a matter of whether one has a good sense of judging people. If people are willing to spend about 24K on cabinets and quartz countertop alone and get top appliances, there is a good chance they will want a better than mid range look.

24K for cabinets and counters is mid to low average. Average kitchen redos are 60K, with cabinets being 18-24K. Average quartz counters are 5-8K. And a real custom cabinet maker has a whole showroom of vignette examples, to show and tell what is to be expected. Where customers can ask why the bottoms are natural maple. Or why the cabinets don't come with cabinet doors on the sides. Or come with 3 hinges for 42"H cabinets vs 2 for 30"H ones. Or the tops are 12" D and the lowers 24".

But no one is going to call out industry standard details. Only exceptions to industry standard details make it into the customer documentation. Unless there is a cut sheet showing all of the standard construction details copied from a spec book. I had 7different ones, 5 pages long each. With pictures. No one but one engineer ever read any of them.

Just want to say thank you for this discussion! I've learned a lot.

I understand what Joe Corlett pointed out, but the rough wood would probably bother me if I were sitting at that counter. However, I think that attaching a slim piece of molding to cover that joint (and still allow for expansion) would be an easy fix.

If the cabinet bottoms are visible from some angle, I would paint them either black, similar-to-wood brown or white (a surprise color might be cool in some kitchens!) if I didn't/couldn't use Mark James' suggestion.

Yes the wine cabinet was poor work, glad they fixed it. I would ask to add a matching foot to the base cabinet, that also should be an easy fix.

Wow, it is good to know that lots of people would have 60k for their kitchen renos these days. And they say we are heading towards a recession. Since I spend about 50k, I guess I would be below the average group according to Sophie's estimation. Of course one need to consider the size of the kitchen. I think 60k would be for a larger kitchen. My kitchen is considered medium size. I live in Canada so I don't know what the average money spend on kitchen is.

Well like I've mentioned before, this is my first kitchen reno and I learned a lot from it. I had never thought to look below the cabinets at the showroom. Unfortunately at the showroom, they did not have the models of the kitchen I chose. They had other styles but it never occur to me to look below the cabinets. Of course they don't have on display the type of breakfast island I have chosen. That definitely wasn't an option.

According to the "pros" here, I guess I am a picky customer. Now that I've learned from my mistakes, I would definitely advised my friends about them. I have a few of them, waiting for my reno to be done and see whether they will do it too.

I do appreciate all you taking the time to comment and share your opinions. Hopefully, when people read these posts, they will be more aware of the "issues" when they tackle their future renovations.

These things look wrong. We expect finished surfaces! Sometimes we can see them in the kitchen we're gutting so we know to ask about it, but so often we don't.

We should have a sticky thread on "Typical Kitchen Issues You'll Have if You Don't Know About Them Ahead of Time Because This is What the Industry Thinks is Fine".