Would it make a difference if the boxes are nailed, not dove-tailed? Because they are not dove-tailed. My gut tells me it should be fine--I never would have thought "no, we shouldn't do that, it will warp". But what do I know, I'm not a cabinet expert. But, this guy is starting to freak me out. this morning, he said again "these are going to warp". He also told me a spliced drawer front would solve the problem. I really hate that he is making me question this, because after all, I am not the expert, and frankly, neither is the KD (or GC for that matter). I just can't figure out why the cabinet guy is saying this and everyone else (including me) thinks it will be fine. Thanks for letting me vent!

Our lighting is bad (at some point we will put in a few more recessed lights) so it's hard to see our coloring. Pick your cabinets first, get a sample (i.e. tiny size drawer door) and then countertop shop. We picked Silesstone and I ran to the Silesstone installer (they don't sell directly) who gave me the 12x12 tile and when I got home I hated it. So, that began our great granite search. Ours has whites, off whites, and lots of other browns and some black (not in the original plan to have black). In the initial stages, my husband wanted granite and I wanted Silesstone so I won but in the end, he did as I hated my first choice (which would have looked nice too). And, I never would have guessed I'd pick an granite with movement, but we have a small kitchen so we figured we'd go for it. In person it looks really nice - it would look nicer if we ever finished it. Oh, we still haven't cleaned the grooves well so you can see it doesn't show that much but if you look up close you can see some dust. I tease my husband with that and the windows - I only design, buy and install, I don't clean.

Here is a blog post by someone who painted her cabinets. She is still very pleased with the results 3 years later. Some of her cabinets show wear, which being a DIY person she quickly and easily repaints the worn areas (which do not show on pics taken from a distance.) This is the sort of wear I have seen. Whether this is a problem or not depends on the temperament / DIY skill of the owner. Some see this kind of wear and shrug it off, get the can of paint out now and then and do touch ups. Others are disappointed because it bothers them a lot and don't like or don't feel able to refresh the paint job. https://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/painted-kitchen-cabinets-three-years-later/ A little wear: Here is another with similar outcome. Neither of these people regret painting their cabinet though both also show what the wear can look like. Both feel that their cabinets have held up well. That depends on ones expectations. https://www.dukemanorfarm.com/2016/02/pros-and-cons-of-painting-kitchen-cabinets-white.html

How many years off is the addition to the front of the house? I wouldn't invest too much money now since it will be ripped out - when - in a few years? For now I would build much wider stairs with a wider landing at the top. Have the stairs come out further into the yard so the grade is not as steep. I'd do wood stairs and inexpensive railing. Remove the shrubs and do an easy, inexpensive landscape job now since it will also be ripped out - throw in some inexpensive large hydrangia and tall grasses. Because the stairs will start much farther out in to the lawn, make sure to extend the foundation planting bed out to where the stairs begin. It will be a much deeper bed but will help with the scale of the front of the house. Use tall plantings in the back. Make the landing at the top of the stairs big enough for an urn next to the door. Beautiful home, congrats.