I went to IKEA and holy smokes I'm glad I brought a list because I got overwhelmed. But now I'm even more convinced this layout is going to be great. This nice man looked at my plans and answered a bunch of my questions. He suggested using the other corner cabinet type to get a 30" stack to the left of the range but that opens up all kinds of wierd spacial issues around the sink and a lot of filler, or a completely off centered sink cabinet. Usually I don't find quite so much help so that was a nice surprise. There are just a few details I'm wondering about:

1. What is the best way to deal with an island and floating floor? It seams there THere are a zillion opinions on this. Since the bases hang on a rail, is that a problem to run all of the flooring first? Our flooring is coretec vinyl plank with a cork pad attached. I used this in a bedroom and LOVE it. Of course the flooring says don't drill or attach anything through it so we could build the island up first, or drill holes through the floor first. It's not really clear the best way to do this. We need floor at least under appliances. Our current floor is floating but the cabinets are just shimmed in a bad way all around and it's a mess underneath them. I've been researching for ages regarding the floor, and cannot come up with a plan for that. DH thinks it would be easiest to run the floor first.

2. Upper cabinets to ceiling or not. I have 107.5 inch ceilings. Which works out to about 50.5" from installing 20" above counter. stacking 30 and 20 brings it basically to the ceiling, and 30 and 15 leaves 5.5 for crown. I was considering using an upper corner and one to the left by the window instead of stopping at the end of the range wall, but I'm not sure that really gives me any more storage. The corner cabinets do not come in 15" height. Or I could just use the 40" uppers and top molding and call it good. I don't have a preference to the ceiling or not and the ikea molding is fine for me.

3. I keep toying with the idea of decreasing the island by 6". I'm stuck on the 36" drawers that would fit all of my cook wear . I'm also mildly obsessed with having a trash pullout bin that requires 18." The drawers would not be visible from the full view unless you're on the sink side, so I'm not sure the lack of symmetry would bother me. For symmetry I'd have to sandwich the 36" stack between 15" and that would leave no room for trash pullout, unless I did a 30"stack between two 18." My dining table is rather small and I need a new one anyways. It could give me some space for a slightly larger table and a bench on the island side.

If anyone has any opinions about these things! IT at least helps me to type it out and mull over it. DH is going to start planning for shortening that wall sticking out this week. Right now this redo is because we have a cash budget (not huge) and want to be as comfortable as possible and maximize what we can do without unnecessary investments. We really don't know that we will be here more than 5 years. As much as I'd love to change a lot more, in the end with our neighborhood prices it's a tough call to spend the money it would take. Last year we had some extensive outdoor structural work done with a retaining wall and full house generator which ate up a lot of our budget but gained us quite a bit of space outside and comfort when we lose power (every time someone blows on a tree outside.)

oh and bbtrix I can finally open links, so I have the plan with the hood utilizing a 6 x36 drawer as filler for the top. That's a great idea.

Great!

Can you post your final plan that you’re working with? Which cabs are you using next to the MW. I wouldn’t trade the Susan for that corner cab. The Susan is very functional for small appliances such as food processor, stock pot, popcorn maker, crock pot, salad spinner, etc. mine is loaded.

I agree. The 38" corner susan is a better cabinet.

Thanks here is the most recent plan. IT's the one you tweaked showing the hood placement and trash pullout. I like this configuration for the microwave, and I could use glass uppers or not. It does not let me change the tall cabinet to glass but I think that is an option since they are 40" doors.

I used shelves and doors for the shallow cabinets on the island so I can store my cookbooks , kitchenaide, and giant food processor.

I also found a local quartz installer. I'm so glad I kept looking. The first two just threw out a number that made no sense and could not break down the cost for me which came out to almost $100/sf. This place told me the fabrication/install cost and were more than willing to tell me the cost difference between any of the slabs. I just need to go back once more with my door to make sure it's a good match. The Grimslov is definitely off white, but the glossy white doors are a bit too modern for me.

I agree about the susan. Mine is packed, just hard to get out from because it's quite a bit smaller. I wasn't a fan of the other corner.

current plan

Q1. I had Pergo Outlast installed in the House I’m currently redoing. It has attached padding and we did not have it run under the island nor the appliances and perimeter. We taped out where they should run the flooring. We also put down plywood under the range, dw, and fridge the same thickness as the flooring. My DH made the base for the island. The flooring was laid first. We saw no point in the expense of running it under and it also wasn’t recommended. In my own home we installed hardwood over the entire floor and constructed the island base on top drilling through.

Q2. Any of your choices for crown or no crown will work. Depends which look you prefer. The stacked with crown is a nice, finished look but also more expensive with more cabs. I would not turn the corner with uppers unless you add them to both sides of the window. Here’s how I handled a soffit that had to remain. Atop the cabs there is the Ikea molding, 5” of the soffit, then I built up crown. I color matched the trim to the cabinets.

3. That’s a hard one and if sounds like you really want that 6”. You currently have three 36” cabs which is great storage and the 30” base under the MW. Have you considered putting the trash under the sink either with IKEAs trash/recycle cab or you can DIY it like I’ve done. DIY works best with an offset rear drain in the sink. I made two 18” pullouts, 1 deep and one shallow. I like the pullouts being separate. Like this.

I forgot to mention, if you do reduce the island I don’t think you need to reduce the 36” perimeter cab by the DR window. That should not impact your space for the dining table nor traffic flow since there are no doors there. You’d only have one person accessing that seat.

Yes, you should be able to change the uppers to glass since they are the same size. I thought it was strange the planner didn’t allow it. Shelves and doors are best for the shallows since they are easy to reach and it saves $.

Good news about finding a local quartz installer. Did you even inquire into IKEAs in order to save the 15%?

You’ll find this susan easy to use. I was quite surprised it holds as much as it does, nothing falls off and it’s easy to load/unload.

You’ve been busy today!!

Ok thanks that is helpful. I had forgotten under microwave is also wide storage.

I agree about the uppers. I prefer the look of ending them on the range wall. Plus the storage is more useful without the corner and it all adds up nicely. The top of your cabinets are beautiful. I have a hard time working with crown so one line would be easier.

I think I could use the extra 6" for the dining, and your photo wouldn't bother me at all, I like it. It won't be visible unless your standing facing it from one angle anyways.

IKEA quartz would work out to be $1k less or slightly more. Unless they charge a crazy amount for the sink cuts or something. They did have a couple of options for light colors - Nougat, and ocean foam. The only experience I've had working with counters was from Lowe's and it did not turn out so well. We had no bathroom for over a month while finding someone else. I'm basing my cost estimate on their advertised price per sf since I didn't ask about that yet.

I'm going back to IKEA Wednesday with DH right when they open. My help turned to someone else while I was looking and by the time I wanted to ask about counters it was kind of a zoo and I needed to get home. Fortunately it's only an hour drive. Saving that much would be worth even if install took slightly longer. I didn't ask about timing as far as the sale goes - from purchasing, to how long we can hold off on measuring and install and such.

Trying to do this while "life" continues with kids is quite the task LOL.

Yes, very difficult with kids. My daughter and her toddler moved into the whole house remodel I’m doing before I finished. It’s so hard now with the tools and daily cleanup. I can’t keep anything out and won’t do anything with fumes till it warms up.

Do you have a plan for your temporary kitchen? What did you decide about the trash and island? Will you place your order on Wednesday?

Really, only two? We got Organic White quartz, but there were at least 6-7 light options to choose from. Any chance there were more somewhere else?

So I checked the pics on how we did our floating floor. This two year long remodel is getting the best of me. We actually did install the kitchen cabs first. DH had to flatten our floor prior to the flooring but not as I described. Looking at the pics, I had the installers only run under the fridge then we added under the range because of gas line work that still needed to be done. They slid the planks under the adjustable legs, well under the toe kick. I'll need to ask DH about under the the dishwasher in the morning. After seeing how easy the floor was to install, I bought more and did the large laundry/mud room myself and did run it under the washer and dryer. This shows the island, fridge space and perimeter right after floor install. For you, I think it's definitely easier to build the island first.

HIllside House - Thanks, I'm wondering if they advertise the rest of their quartz in the actual kitchen setups. I must have missed something because surely IKEA isn't vastly different from one to the next. I was in a time crunch too today. I do want something light, and I've been looking at the "flecked" looking colors. I love the swirls, but I'm leery of going too gray, as my flooring is on the warmer side. They had one that was white with light gray swirling. Then again, my walls are SW Agreeable Gray and that looks really nice with wood. I wish I had someone to just decide for me. I would love to be able to utilize the 15% back.

bbtrix - My kids are teens/tweens and I can only imagine doing it with little ones around. I don't have as much to worry about except stock piling the freezer with food. I have the budget to order on Wednesday, so I'm just trying to decide the last few things. The problem with ONLY 1 hour drive is it's too easy to keep thinking, knowing you can go back LOL. I have time wed-friday to go so as soon as I nail it down I'll go back. I have a plan list for a temp kitchen. I'm doing food prep this week for the freezer, and dh is cutting down the wall and we will tackle the peninsula demo this weekend. Trying to do as much as we can before we lose the sink. My plan is to either empty and unplug/move the fridge and trek every time to the second fridge, or just move it and plug it in the living room. We will find a microwave soon and have a brevile oven. The waste of paper products upsets me, but I might have to get over that one.

I'm considering wrapping the uppers around the corner on the range wall if this looks ok. I feel like the space between the dining and kitchen window is too large to have nothing on the wall, and open shelving/ledges would be for decor only but I could make them to the exact length I need. Uppers on that side would be tough to line up with the lowers exactly. DH likes uppers, but he leaves everything up to me to decide. I think he's looking at all of my dishes thinking where do I put them all. Espresso is a huge part of our day. I hate to dictate based on that, but I was counting on keeping coffee/tea to the left of the sink. The espresso machine grinder side is 18" so it would still fit and has wheels to pull forward for filling beans but I'd rather not have deep uppers there. I also don't know how to continue a backsplash on the window run with no uppers since it will be full height on the range wall.

The island would still be plenty large and useful at 42x69 (with counter overhang) so I think I could really use the extra 6" on the dining side. Plus I could get close to 4 feet on all sides of it with the shortened wall. I think a pullout under the sink is just as good and we could use an offset drain.

Thank you for the last information with pictures! I LOVE that floor! DH has an engineer brain and seems to enjoy complicating things LOL. From what I understand, the rails take a lot of the weight and leveling hassle off for the base cabinets. I'm thankful we can work together and the means to DIY, because we can't afford to hire everything out but it sure turns in to a long time. We experienced the longest project to date with our property work outside. But at least we had a kitchen sink with that part.

I have every plan saved, and I saved a new one with uppers on the right window side, and the only shelves I could find to add in the planner for a visual but they are not sized correctly. I used a 36" and 30" for one side of the island. I don't think it would bother me since you can only see it from one side. I may have accidentally moved the island when I changed the drawer sizes. I thought of using glass on the island shallow middle doors for cookbooks but not sure if that's a good idea.

This one shows those changes in a new plan:

with cabinets and shelves around windows

You have all been so gracious helping me. I plan to pay it forward when I have some hands on experience and we finish this thing!

I have SW Agreeable Grey and Collonade Grey in my kitchen/living/DR. I love both of those colors and they do go well with wood! Agreeable is a very nice neutral!

Do you have a powder room near the living room? I turned my powder room into my temp kitchen. I cleaned it really well then put a card table over the stool so no one could use it. I placed my MW on the card table, and used my single burner portable induction burner as needed. Breville was on a table in the family room as water wasn't needed nearby. Kept the coffeemaker on the bathroom sink. We kept the fridge plugged in and moved it around as needed and out of the way. We also have a garage fridge, but really needed two with all the pre-made frozen meals.

If it were me, I would likely do uppers on the sink wall, mostly because of the back splash and that I like uppers near my coffee for coffee/tea supplies and mugs. Is there a reason you don't want uppers there? Just personal preference? The uppers do not have to match the base sizes exactly. What you want is to fool the eye with a sense of symmetry and balance. There are several ways to do it and I played around this morning, but don't want to go further without knowing what you like. I personally dislike angled corner cabinets. I find them in my face intrusive. I know others like them. I deadened my corner, but IKEA now has a blind corner which is what I used in these. I also put your latest changes into these plans with the expanded living space layout and back splash so you can get a better 3-D feel. The planner doesn't have the ability to stop the back splash so it shows up on your DR wall. I find the 9" Horda handy as filler. Works for cookbooks, decor, and/or wine. I don't find the 15" uppers invasive at all, especially the glass ones. You could do glass on the island base, but I think it's rather wasted there. If you might consider not using the angled corner, here are some potential layouts, with and without glass uppers. These allow 4.5" space each side of the window. Just additional fodder for thought.

1st pic is your current plan with blind corner.

Will you be using the IKEA sink trash/recycle or would you like me to show how we did it? I noticed you have Grimslov rather than Bodbyn in your latest? Is that what you decided? Also, you have a two drawer base for the MW cab rather than the matching 5-10-15? Is that correct?

I will gladly help you finish the plan and double check for measurements and cover panels if you wish. I temporarily added counters because it aids the visual for the uppers. The Bodbyn kitchen I posted pics of earlier my daughter and I put together all the cabinets and hung the rails very quickly by ourselves. My DH only helped hacking the sink base and making the island/peninsula base. Once you get the hang of it and a system it goes quickly!

(SQUEAL) thank you for all of this and the mock-ups. I love them all. Been running around like a beheaded chicken all day. I agree about the uppers. The only reason being was that we have a large espresso machine. We can pull it forward to fill the beans, and I hate for that to be the only reason I avoid uppers. Maybe since I'm not going to the ceiling it would be ok to fudge an inch higher. My cabinets now are hung with the usable storage space at 21" and it's fine. Open shelving makes me a little batty with all the dust. DH told me good luck with your new job because he knows my issue with collecting dust on things like that. I just feel lilke I could use uppers. I didn't realize how far the diagonal corner sticks out and the usable space is cut by the odd shape. The blind corner would work well I like that. Do the bottoms need the trim? I think it makes them look more finished but it takes up 2." I think there is one that is thinner.

I did decide on the Grimslov. Not sure why exactly but I kept going back and forth and just needed to pick one.

For the trash I'd just like a pullout under the sink, I'm not picky how/what exactly so that would be great. I decided I'm ok with the island having a 36 and 30 since it's not so visible from all around. That's a good point about the glass on the island, and my cookbooks are kind of ragged anyways LOL. I could save cost and do some glass uppers.

And dh threw a wrench in my microwave wall plan. Although it is a good wrench. He really wanted a microwave drawer, and since IKEA quartz would save so much I guess he can have that now. He just told me later last night he's been looking and found one, so now I need to tweak that wall. I just need to look tonight at sizing before we buy one. From what I've read the actual microwave drawer size from 24" to 30" is the same, and I think a 30" cabinet is more balanced on that side. This also gives me 30" extra counter space. I think we have some time to find the drawer since we can use the 30" base either way. That might take some cabinet hacking. If it were me I'd get any old thing and a trim kit, but I'm not complaining. The high cabinet was so it's at a good level but a drawer works fine in a base and I'd rather have the counter. That's awesome you hung them yourself! I enjoy building for some odd reason. I have a strange affection for building things from IKEA.

It's probably going to be friday before I go order since I need to fine tune. I could even go monday I just want to do it as soon as I can so I can get on the delivery schedule and order counters.

I LOVE the agreeable gray color. It seems to go with everything. I was nervous at first but I just kept going. Our walls were the color of butter so it was throwing it off when I started painting. Now I just have the living room to finish.

The powder room is such a good idea. I hadn't thought of that! And I have a small folding table. It's small, but IT's right in the foyer off the living room so we could also pull the fridge out there. Our foyer is pretty large and empty right now still waiting for furniture. We have a garage fridge and separate freezer but everything is pretty full so we probably still need our house fridge.

The darn ikea planner is glitching on me again and I cannot open the link so I'll check it again in a bit.

Thank you for all of this!

The planner is ticking me off and i can't load any of it, but I love the one with glass uppers to the left of the sink. That is a good mix of display and closed

Whoops. I don't like that the planner is a pita, but I agree that the glass uppers left of the sink are a good choice :-)

What does the planner do when it glitches on you? Does it close down and tell you you’re logged out?

well now it won't even load. It's just a blank white screen. This happened recently and it took until the next day . It's sooo annoying!

I've only got a few minutes right now - gotta to go cook, but will check back later.

I have to pull my coffee machine out to fill the beans and it rubs on my trim. Aggravating! I did not pay attention close enough when DH hung them. Without the tall cabinet (which determines the height so tops line up) you can increase to whatever you please, so 21 clear space will work for you. Yes, do the thinner trim at the bottom and top. It's difficult to determine which ones they are in the planner, so make sure you point it out with the associate to make sure you have the right one. It's nice having extra uppers. You know I prefer glass! I have a 36" upper with top shelves having infrequently used bowls and bottom two shelves full of bell jars of pastas, beans, peas, assorted grains, nuts, and snacks. I have five glass uppers in all. I love the look and the space feels so light and bright!

The Grimslov doesn't do the paned glass and if I'm remembering right the color has a very slightly pinkish tinge? Not sure. The micro drawer is an excellent choice. Ikea has a 30" drawer base for it.

Here's my latest link with your latest changes. Hopefully you can get in. Here's three views of that plan.

I added deco strips, soffits, and cover panels to this plan if you want to use it for your tweaks. You'll need to have them add the 3x8 cover panel for the left side of the fridge.

Edited to add: You will need to cut down the 3x8 to fit and extra can be used for any other filler you need. It is big and heavy. There is filler between the glass cabs to the left of the sink to balance the clearance around window. You may need some on the range side depending on your range and hood.

The veddinge goes pink for sure. That's what I have. Is grimslov the shaker like Adel White? That's what I had in last house. Loved that foil finish!!

Yes, it's the shaker like. Good to know you liked it. I have the Adel Beech in my rentals. I thought the Grimslov and Bodbyn had a slight color difference but it's been too long since I compared.

Thanks I'm really hoping IKEA stops kicking me off tomorrow morning. Good grief. I didn't notice any off color in the Grimslov, and while it isn't as white as my white Bosch dishwasher it will have to do for now. If I did it again I might do a cover panel ready dishwasher, but the bosch works too well for now to spend there. The Bodbyn is a different white for sure, maybe more white. I prefer the Bodbyn glass but I like the shaker style of Grimslov (old adel). I'm getting to the point where I'm putting DH on the spot and saying "PICK ONE!" I just like everything, that's my problem.

Oh the IKEA microwave. I thought that was more like a regular microwave that opens like an oven

Finally I can use the planner. Thank you, it is so nice to see the entire space in the last plan!

I had to start making decisions so we made a few. I like every configuration which doesn't always help decision matters LOL. Dh ordered a 30" flush microwave drawer this morning. 6" more on the dining side, and a trash pullout in the island seems the most practical to me. This way no matter what we end up with for plumbing under the sink we have a full sized trash/recycle plan. Plus my bread baking clean up on the island will be a cinch. I like the idea of symmetry in the island AND trash so I cut the middle down to 30 with the 18" sides. After taping the floor out and arranging my pots and pans I found that 30" is still plenty of room, plus I still have several other drawer stacks. It's all so much more than I have now and I was getting hung up things.

I'm planning to wait for opening on friday to put the order in! I am prepared to need to make another trip after delivery, as I'm sure there will be something. We live only an hour away so if something is missed or anything it's not a bad drive back. Hopefully delivery isn't too far out because we're getting near the end of the sale and I also will need to get my counter order in time. I'm going to go back another day for counters, because I want to check and recheck again for measuring after we demolish the peninsula. From my understanding the quickest way to counters is to be accurate the first measurement before they come out to template.

THis is the same most recent plan with shortening the middle drawer stack, except i cannot figure out how to change to a trash pullout. I think you can keep the drawer stack look and somehow fix them all together? I think I just need one pullout on the bottom and no drawer on top?

Latest plan with trim details and 18,30,18 island

Great news! And lots of decisions made.

They only do the 5/10/15 look for trash/recycle with a drawer on top. You can still fit two pretty tall bins. I’m mocking it up with that. You can ask an associate about attaching three door fronts. I find the attached ones a bit wobbly. You should check that out when you go if you haven’t already. If you want symmetry and just a one door front, you could put another matching 18 pullout with inner drawers on the other side.

bb- you're awesome.

-bb :-)

Agreed. I wish I could mail hugs because I'm feeling quite poor as of now.

Oh that makes sense. I was wondering about the wobble. And that would be a very tall trashcan anyways. I'm sure I could find use for a top drawer. I could also do the trash with one door and then the inner drawers on the other side, I forgot about that option.

You're all so very awesome!! I was afraid to post initially. but it's either DIY or nothing for us. We would hire out the living room wall dilemma for part of it, but we just don't have the budget to go on vacation and come back to DONE LOL

Thanks!! And benje is super awesome and puts so much time helping everyone!!

I hope you’re not getting sick right before you start!! JK, I hope you’re not feeling poorly because we’ve chosen to help! Don’t ever be afraid to post here. Many of us are DIY, so totally understand where you’re at, what’s involved and just like helping!!

I’m not sure if they have an 18” trash pullout on display. They do have the sink one which uses 36” drawers. I really didn’t like it’s flimsy feel. The drawer fronts are bound together with a metal brace which you see on the inside. I didn’t care for that either. Just a few more details to look at when your there. I’m sure you are inundated with stuff to do so I won’t mind doing a few mock-ups and post pics. I’ll also strip out the MW and countertops. The associate should go through item by item making sure everything is right, but you should also check your item list. Sometimes the planner doesn’t delete things from the item list when you delete it from the plan this is also the time to decide if you are using their lighting. By default it’s added to your list. Their drawer lighting is pretty so more decisions!

Are you going to tackle the wall? Just curious because it makes sense because of flooring.

Anyway, you are so close now and the real fun begins. If during any phase you have questions please post or direct message. I’ll go ahead and post a link to your stripped out plan and pics tonight for you to do your final final.

And for future reference in case you want to do undersink pullouts later, here’s pics of how I did it under my daughter’s 30” sink with center drain. It has less space and shallower pullouts but still keeps everything organized. You simply use a piece of wood or extra cover panel the correct thickness to create a short wall to attach the drawer glides. They sell different depth drawers. This enabled a trash bin on one side and cleaning supplies on the other with easy access.

If you think you may want something like this have your plumbing run as far back as possible. It’s a nice addition.

Poor because we're getting to the end of our budget! I'm grateful to be able to do it though and for all of the help here. Our house is only 12 years old, no drafts or leaks or structural issues so I cannot complain. It has good bones.

Even with trash in the island I still want pullouts under the sink, but I was leary of having the giant drawer pullout so that's a good alternative adding drawers behind the sink doors.

We will do something with that wall but I'm guessing it won't be until late summer. I have enough flooring for the entire downstairs and then some. I really like benjes idea of moving the traffic flow to the other side. I'll get a couple of bids for that. We've learned a lot recently, and I've definitely learned to get more than one opinion. DH wants to have one more opinion for removing the beam entirely. Trying to decide what is worth the cost vs what we can live with. But it could at least be improved from where it is now. For now we will replace all of the flooring from the beam across so we can have a proper sitting area, dining, and kitchen with cohesive floor that is not carpet. It's the best I could come up with for a somewhat finished look for now, without needing to replace much of the new flooring product when it comes time to tackle the wall. We also have a hideous corner fireplace with a deep corner on top, and need to come up with a plan for that, which makes more sense to do with the wall since it's in the same half of the house.

What direction are you running the flooring? Hopefully so you won’t need a transition strip at the transition later.

we are running it the same direction it is now, I think that is the right way? So basically with the length of the island. That's how it now, but we only have hard flooring in the kitchen and foyer. In the foyer it is also side to side instead of toward the length of the house.

It's all a snowball effect. We cannot replace the foyer flooring until we are ready to tackle the powder room which will be at the same time we tackle the wall, fireplace and living room/mudroom off the garage

IT says no transition strips are needed, but our house is soooo long and not very wide I can't see running that long of a flooring stretch. But it looks fine now running the width way so we figured that was correct

That’s good. It can be hard to replace flooring in phases and have it be contiguous.

so far we have been very lucky with our subfloor. It was in excellent condition upstairs when we replaced one bedroom and bathroom. I was shocked.

I so appreciate the mock ups. It always gives me something to think about and I am only starting to understand how all of the pieces fit together in IKEA kitchens. I never knew it was quite so modular

I've mocked up two here. First, with the one you had with the double door trash bin and 5-10-15 drawers. This one may be a problem symmetrically with handles for the faux bottom drawer. The metal that connects in the back may interfere depending on which handle you choose.

The second has both with single pullout. Trash has one 5" inner drawer and the other can have as many inner drawers as you choose.

I added pulls for visualization. Here is this plan. Have them go over the cover panels. They aren't right in the item list. Big ones are cumbersome to return so you want to get that right. The fridge cab needs to have one 25x80 and one 36x96 cover panel. The list shows a 15x80, there may be a reason but I don't know why. they may also recommend cover panels on the cabs each side of the DW for counter top support.

Let us know how it goes tomorrow!

Thank you!! I actually popped in to IKEA for a few today. My sister had a babysitting emergency and IKEA was on my way home. I'm glad I did, because I looked at all of the quartz and found two options. I'm going to flip a coin or ask DH because I like them both. One is less cost, so maybe that will win out.

I also looked at trash pullouts again. The ones with the stacked drawers connected are wobbly. As is the giant sink pullout. Maybe it's just the way they were installed, but I don't want to worry about that so I'll go with one door on each side of the island. Cuts down on hardware too which I still need to pick out. There are so many options I think I could ponder for the rest of my life so I'm taking this plan first thing when they open.

The only thing I'm wondering about is the fridge surround. Do I need them on both sides or is the right by the wall just a filler piece? I'm guessing the panels are to mount the upper cabinet and support? Everything else seems pretty self explanatory but I am not finding anything on the IKEA website to explain this. Right now we have a panel on the left which does not cover the sides of the fridge enough, so we will build that forward, but there is nothing on the right wall.

Remember that the panel on the left must be the 36x96 so you can size it to fit and cover. I had the 25x80 on the right and the 36x96 on the left. It’s likely best to eliminate the 25x80 as it probably won’t be tall enough since you are raising the height of the cab line. You don’t necessarily need the right panel for support as the cab hangs on the rails attached to the blocking spacer (make sure it’s attached to studs) you’ll attach to the wall behind. The left side of the cab is also attached to the left panel which is attached to the cab to left of it. I would still want the right side attached to the right wall if you don’t use the right panel, which may require some blocking since you may have about an inch there. You can then cut a strip from the finished edge all fall remaining from the 36x96 panel you cut for the left and use it as filler on the right side. This can be just enough depth and width to fill the gap after allowing for the fridge clearance specs. Hopefully you can visualize all of that!!

Ok thank you that makes perfect sense!

Now all I have to do is decide do I want Bodbyn or Grimslov (shaker) doors. I'll likely ask DH or flip a coin. I prefer the Bodbyn glass for sure but I like both. I'll never decide on my own!

I had the hardest time with that decision!! The glass doors were my deciding factor. Either will look great! Glad you found a quartz you like.

Hurray my order is in! I was only left with one door that was out of stock, so they added it on to the giftcard. It was MUCH easier than I was imagining. The guy helping was great. It probably helped that I waited at the door for opening. He walked around with me to view different trimming options and such, and I also got a quote for the quartz. I'll go back on Monday to get that ordered. I went with Grimslov. I was so back and forth I just decided while there and it feels good that I don't need to keep wondering what to choose. There are so many options and in the end they all look nice.

Thank you times a zillion for everything!! And Thank you to everyone. This was so eye opening and helpful in so many ways.

Now starts prepping for my temporary kitchen, stockpiling the freezer some more and getting ready for demo. Everything will be delivered Thursday the 22nd.

Fantastic!! It feels good, doesn’t it!! It will be a bit of hard work but so fun to watch your space transform! Take lots of pics and maybe start a progress thread. They are always fun!

Oh, I forgot to ask. Did they mention what you need to do at delivery? You’ll need to check each item against your list to make sure nothing is missing or damaged. When I had mine delivered, the rule was that we had to do this before signing the delivery paperwork. My delivery guys helped. Did they mention expectations? Just as a heads up, I did experience incorrect items and damage.

I'm sure that will be a FUN day LOL. He said we have 48 hours to double check everything. I got an itemized printout with each cabinet number and corresponding parts so I guess we will make stacks and check off as we go. I'll hopefully have everything built and ready to install prior to demo. I have a big space to put everything but it will be tight space for a few days. I've prepared myself to have something missing or incorrect. The weird thing is that they added the gift card and then charged me tax. So it's like paying tax on the gift card. Oh well, at least it's a good chunk of change towards counters, which I"ll get another gift card for.

I'll definitely do a progress thread! I can't wait. Strangely I like the process. And it's not a terrible thing for teens to learn how to "rough it" for a few weeks - ha!

I used a magic marker to write on each box what cabinet it corresponded with, which helped a bit when we went to assemble. Also, don’t make the mistake I did, and start with the most complicated cabinet. Work your way up.

Absolutely! And your kids should learn something from the process! So glad IKEA has improved the delivery process. I’m excited for you and can’t wait to watch your progress!

Thank you, me too!!

Hillside that's an excellent tip I hadn't thought of. I'm so glad you mentioned having the counters. I'm actually getting a better product for less than I've been quoted elsewhere. The subcontractor here has plenty of good reviews

Exciting times. Good Luck!