hope everyone has their power back soon!

Ladeda -- Our fabricator was Alpha Granite. We were on the verge of having them install Caesarstone but when I went to pick up C'stone samples from their office I saw some pieces of soapstone from Dorado sitting out on the counter. My husband and I had been to Dorado earlier and loved the soapstone we saw but couldn't find a fabricator from the list Dorado gave us (I called a bunch of them and they all tried to talk me into granite!). In any case, Alpha gave us a great deal on the fabrication because they had just decided to start using Dorado as a supplier and needed to get some soapstone installs under their belt. Sorry -- probably more information than you need. The bottom line is that they did a good job. We only have one seam and it's fine. I've always wondered what it would look like if a more experienced soapstone installer had done it but it's not bad. Just a bit more noticable than I had hoped for. I can take a picture of it if you'd like to see it. And, as far as finish, I don't think they did anything to the stone once they got it from Dorado. At least it didn't seem any different to me. Our install was done nearly 2 years ago so they probably have more experience with soapstone now and maybe can give you names of other customers you could check with. Or maybe Dorado has a better list of fabricators now. In any case, we love our stone. It's probably my favorite part of the new kitchen (or maybe the dishwasher . . . ). Good luck.

Thanks again everyone. I just wanted to add that we definitely shared the "trepidation" some of you mentioned when we first contemplated renovating the spaces. I think in retrospect it was a good thing that the job of selling our previous house prevented us from moving into this home until a month before the demo began. I think if we had lived here for very long it would have been much harder to take on such a big remodel (and I can definitely relate to why the second owners chose to change nothing.) We couldn't have accomplished this without our fantastic GC and cabinetmaker. Our cabinetmaker took our original vision and made it so much better. It was he who designed the shape of the bar table to match the angle of kitchen counter and designed almost on the spot the boomerang shelves when we discovered that the fireplace stone didn't go all the way down to the counters. His company does custom work at very reasonable prices -- if you live in the Twin Cities area, I can recommend them highly. rhome410 -- below is the original floor plan. The home is a split level (the floor plan shows only the top floor of the split levels) The only structural changes we made were: 1) to eliminate the wall of cabinetry and shorten the half wall between the kitchen and dinette area; 2) lengthen the half bath by removing the doggy bath in the laundry area ellendi -- great idea! in fact, our home will be part of a home remodeling tour later this summer AngAx -- I agree that homes in WI are more standardized than we were used to (we are originally from the west coast.) However, after buying our home, we became more attuned to finding the MCM gems.... they are here and SO much more affordable than on the west coast. p.s. I love white kitchens too :) flyleft -- your enthusiasm cheered my DH up amazingly! (He is overall very happy with the move and renovations but at times laments the year of our life dedicated to it :) Re: the pottery on the boomerang shelves, the vintage cannisters were a gift from a dear friend in France. The rest have been purchased from artisan potteries in France. louisanapurchase -- "looks more original than the original" -- wow -- thanks so much. We couldn't have hoped for more. javachik -- It sings to us too! Thanks!

Regardless of your decision, it sounds like you plan to spend all the money. It's not a matter of getting the low-end cabinets to save money overall, what you really want is advice on where to spend...kitchen or boat. For the kitchen cabinets, will they last 10 or more years? Our low-end cabinets starting falling apart well before our remodel at 12-1/2 years. This is really a question of the quality of materials and construction and since we don't know the particulars of either, we can't advise you. BUT, will you be able to afford to replace all the cabinets again in 10 years' time? You say your DH has retired, do you see your income increasing over the years or do you see it as either fixed or decreasing? If you were going to sell in the next year or two (flipping a house like Live_Wire_Oak's client), then you could go low-end b/c you wouldn't care how long they'd last...they'd be the future buyer's problem. You could make them look nice, but that doesn't mean they would be nice or even last. [BTW...I see this as an increasing attitude in our society, buy what looks nice 'cause you can always throw away and buy cheap again.] Not all bells & whistles make a kitchen "fussy" nor do they preclude you from "tromping through it in [your] hiking boots" most bells & whistles increase the functionality and ease of use of a kitchen...both of which become more and more important as we age. Things like: Drawers instead of stationary or pull out shelves Full-extension instead of 3/4-extension drawers Trash pullout instead of stand-alone or under the sink trash [Our female dog figured out how to open a foot pedal operated trash can but has yet to figure out how to get the trash pullout open w/nose & paws! An under the sink trash can is too small for our family and, unless they're attached to the door or mounted on a pullout shelf/tray, they're not as easy to use.] Organizers (drawer & cabinet) that make it easy to store/find things Pantry that's useful rather than a "black hole" (cabinet or step/walk-in) Under-cabinet task lightning (especially as your eyes age! Trust me on this one!) A sink big enough to use for dirty dishes & pan soaking/washing Decent plumbing & electrical Counters that stand up to long-term use (this could be laminate, wood, solid surface, stone) Yes, there are bells & whistles that are all for aesthetics/show rather than function, but other than appliances, they aren't nearly as common as you may think. As to the sailboat...that's up to you. How important is it to you? Can you afford to maintain it and run it over the years? The initial outlay is only the beginning! [My DSis & her DH owned one once but had to sell it as the expenses mounted. In their case it wasn't just the operating costs but also the docking costs...which you might not have if you live on the water & can dock it on your property.] If your dream has always been to sail and you really don't use a kitchen (eat out or on...