I came upon a similar predicament in this home two years ago. The original window above the sink was exactly like yours. Except wider, and for some reason had been painted shut! Almost every window in the home had a lovely half arch accent above each one, so I went on a search for an arched-styled window to replace the original eyesore sitting above the sink! Not only were standard arched windows very expensive, they took months to deliver. So I spent about three weekends scouring second hand shops, resellers and Habitat for Humanity Second Chance stores. Finally I came across a large warehouse where they deconstruct old buildings and homes, then sell every salvageable material imaginable. There I was able to find a gorgeous arched window in its original wood frame with trim, and walked out with it at the pretty tune of only $65! We stripped off all the old paint on the frame and trim. Cleaned the glass well and then my carpenter blocked in the surround wall so that we had a new custom opening for this (old) arched window. Added new drywall, a tile trim accent to the arch to give it more impact, and a quartz windowsill...plus two new gooseneck light fixtures above...and it became the focal point in the kitchen! It also gave such a magnificent view of the new sunroom and deeply wooded back yard beyond. Although it was a custom job, it did not have a “custom window” price tag. My point is to think outside the box, look around your home for inspiration (other key structural accents you can copy or find a likeness), and always check around for off-brand, and in second hand and resale warehouses and suppliers when it comes to a unique or challenging window, door or space. Don’t give up!

Hi - we bought this sink on sale at Costco for $200 ($100 off). We have slowly been changing all our kitchen appliances to Stainless and the sink was the last one. We paired it with a Glacier Bay Touchless LED pull-down faucet from Home Depot ($219). Installation was tight - our cast-iron sink 2-bay sink was installed by the builder and we have granite tile (not slabs - if you are buying a house with granite tile - stop!) when I pulled the old sink the hole was not very well cut and this sink wouldn't fit. I had to "phone a friend" who got me in touch with a granite installer who came on a weekend and spent an hour to measure and cut our hole a little bigger. Ping another $125, but the guy was great; far better than I would have done having never used a variable speed grinder before. We also decided against the soap dispenser and instead put in a button to control the garbage disposal ($79) - Combine this with the extras (pipe fittings, plumbers putty, silicone, etc) and I'm probably into this a little over $550. But MAN - does it look great, and the wife is pleased! :) Advice? I have 3: If you're replacing a builder-installed sink, EXPECT the hole to be too small for this one. If you've never cut granite, try and phone a friend. Installers take little jobs like this to make side money and, for me, I feel that money was very well spent. LEAN on the registered plumber working for your Home Depot for advice (ask for the registered plumber - home depot does this at each store). Take photos of your current sink, especially drain pipes underneath and a shot of how far your black drain pipe sticks out from the wall (put your smartphone back there and take a sideways photo). I could not have done this without my local Home Depot plumber - he was super helpful. The cutting board is bamboo - many reviews i saw said it started warping and showed wear almost immediately. I would buy some mineral oil and give it 3 days of deep treatment (maybe even some cutting board butter (which has beeswax or paraffin wax too) before using. Other than that it's a great project. If your hole IS big enough and you've prepared properly you should be able to finish in a day. Follow-Up - we used our original 1/3HP garbage disposal. This is MUCH LOUDER on a stainless sink than it was on the previous cast-iron sink. Best advice is to buy a new insinkerator 3/4HP with insulation... I haven't done this yet but plan to at the cost of ~$220. Installation will be a snap, especially after replacing the sink!

“would you have a preference when it comes to undermount kitchen double sinks?” My preference is first that it be a single bowl sink. Next that it be at least 33” wide - how big is your cabinet base for your sink? Next that it be 16 gauge stainless steel, not the thinner 18 gauge. And finally, that it have an offset drain. This is all to say that in my opinion the sink’s configuration is more important than the brand name. I feel that Elkay, Kraus and Blanco are all good brands that make good sinks with the aforementioned features.

I have been very happy with my Kraus single bowl stainless sinks. I have the KHU100-32 and KBU15. Going on 6 years and still look good. Both are 16 guage and both came with grids.