@cs929 - thank you so much! I do have a blog, but I don't keep it up much. You might enjoy my mini bathroom reno. There's a lot of cussing and off-color jokes. You've been warned.

This has to be the most entertaining post I've read on here in a long time. Thank you for your humor and sharing your beautiful kitchen renovation. It added a little smile to my face which I suspect will stick with me for quite a while. Love your new kitchen, love the colors, you did a fantastic job :)

Great transformation! Enjoyed the narrative as well!

I wish everyone would write their Before/Afters like this. Maybe you could freelance? Also, more helpful cat pics FTW! And it looks great. :)

@bpmba MORE helpful cat pictures, you say? Who am I to deny such a request?

Nothing quite says, "you have betrayed me, mother," like those eyes.

It looks fantastic! Great job! May I ask where your backsplash tiles are from? I like that blue.

Tilebar! I got the Nabi Arctic Blue. #noragrets

This is awesome!Looking at your progress, I'm sure you're very happy with the outcome!

I am! It's kind of insane to think that the footprint is exactly the same as the original kitchen. It feels massive, and just fits the house so much better:

bxev...so glad you went w/the nabi! I love it and always have. good call w/the countertop. they look fab together. great job you did on this kitchen!!

Now,,,can we talk about that track lighting?? girl please,,,do a flush mount or semi flush. these are just two pics I had on hand to give you an idea. do 3 lights w/max of 100W each one. plenty of light and no spot lights while you;re in there. (not to mention those things are hot! )

Nicely done!

Oh my, this is fantastic. I read ever word. You're hilarious and your kitchen is beautiful. Enjoy!

@Beth H. Thank you! So happy we went with that tile as well. I love it. I actually really like the track lighting. It spotlights all of the work areas nicely and compliments the undercab lighting really well.

What a great read and a beautiful job!!

Looks terrific! And the Ikea cat option is a nice add-on. ;-)

@kudzu9 Thank you! Poor kitty had to be confined for most of the project which definitely took a toll. I think he's the happiest one that all of this is done!

Every word of that is informative and very funny. Great job. I love the white counter, too. The tile looks like kitty’s eyes...

bxev...really? I would have thought you'd get shadows. but hey, as long as it works! the under cabinet lighting is bright, so that's good. which kind did you use for that?

here's the look mine gives me during remodel

@Beth H. I would have thought so too, but they really help to light up the work spaces and the cabinets as well. We did two undercabs (Halo LED light bars) in each of the corners. The spots look way harsher in the pics above, but in person are pretty soft.

That cat face!!!

@lshack17 I love it. Yeah, they really DO like to know what's going on. If my guy liked being up high (but out of the way), we could have made it happen. But he's very paws on and in the middle of the action.

It looks great. The moulding on top makes it look finished and professional( yay no white subway with dark grout). And that kitty! Always great to see pets being included in the photos.

Only question is why there are a couple of these overhangs, like by the cabinets where the microwave is and sink. How come they aren't flush with the cabinets?

The greatest part is all the cat photos this post has started! I love your cat in the drawer! Wonderful kitchen update! Love all the progress photos!

@zealart - We were originally going to add molding under the cabinets, so the cover panels hung longer, as they were going to match the height of the molding. My contractor recommended against adding it, and my husband and I agreed. We all really liked the clean look of the cabinets and my husband and I worried we'd lose too much space under the cabs if we added it.

Since the cover panels were already in, it would be challenging to cut them down / pull them out and fix at that stage. It does look a bit odd, but I really like how they cap things off. It's a little quirky, but so am I :)

Oh my god, you're hilarious! I'm so happy I came across this today. I'm in the process of emptying out all of my kitchen cabinets and drawers in preparation for demo next weekend, and I'm about to lose my mind. I'm glad I'm not the only one who second-guesses every single decision I ever made. My husband reminds me that I will spend 4 hours on the computer trying to save $40 on something and then not worry about something that will wind up costing an extra $500 because I just don't want to confront the contractor. It's madness! I'm so glad you love your kitchen (it looks wonderful!) and am hoping I have the same positive feeling and maintain my sense of humor as you have throughout this process. Thanks for the laugh and the inspiration. Cheers!

@A R: How exciting! The anticipation and process was just as much fun for me as the end result. I hope it's the same for you :)

Don't be afraid to have conversations with your contractor or ask questions - part of their job is to communicate with you and make sure everything is going according to the plan you've agreed on TOGETHER. Stuff IS going to change, that's the nature of the beast. Keep a list of stuff you want to address as you go through the process, and prioritize by timeline. In other words, the stuff that should be at the top of the list are the most pressing or urgent items that need to be decided upon right now before work on that item begins or will be impacted by it.

If you're afraid of your contractor or s/he makes you feel like you're wasting time, consider hitting the brakes. If it's just your personality (which is ok!) that's something that can be managed :)

Remember, it's YOUR kitchen and YOUR money. You're the one who's gonna have to live with it. I was pretty easy going and flexible on a lot of stuff, but there were a few hard limits for me, and those were the things I pushed back on. Know what those items are for you, and don't sweat the rest.

It looks great!! LOL@the ikea directions. I really love the backsplash-perfect choice. And the counter selection was right on. Very humorous post!

Fabulous job!

We enjoyed reading through your post, very helpful. Are you located in Washington DC? My husband and I just purchased a house and our kitchen it's much larger than yours. Would you mind recommending your contractor? I can be reached at barksdalec@gmail.com

blondelle,,,right? he's the sweetest guy tho. just always has that look!

What is the color of the backspalsh? this is a very nice transformation.

it makes the kitchen seem a little bit bigger, since you opened the entry more.

I like the color combination, making it look very clean.

@HU-608754501 - unfortunately, no, I'm in the Philadelphia area. I'll send you his information, but I'm not sure he'd travel that far.

@blondelle - it is! Thank you :)

@Sami And Sons Remodeling Thank you! It's nabi arctic blue from tilebar - had a great experience with them, by the way. We had a LOT of extra tile after the reno was complete. We returned the excess (we kept an open-but-mostly-full box just in case), and they refunded the difference. Pretty sweet!

I'm also in the Philly area. Can I get the contractor info?

Fantastic kitchen remodeling. I love the color choices you made with the countertop and backsplash as they provided a much needed break in the color.

@sushipup1 - yep! do you have an email address? I'll send you his contact info. I don't think he's on houzz, otherwise I'd just link his profile.

@The Patchman Roofing Company- Thank you so much!

@Oliviag- Thank you! Honestly, for the amount of time it took, I have absolutely no complaints. From demo to done, I think all in we were about four weeks and change, including waiting for countertop fabrication. It's hard remembering there was ever a different kitchen, honestly. It's so perfect for our aesthetic and our house - it was absolutely worth it!

try the gmail.com address. (Trying to avoid bots that capture addresses!)

@sushipup1 LOL, same boat. Just sent - let me know if it didn't come through.

Got it! I'll edit my post/address.

How long did the actual gutting and installation take?

About two weeks. Maybe a day or two for finishing touches (faucet, receptacles, lighting, backsplash), once the countertops went in.

What a fun read! And a beautiful kitchen, congratulations!