Dyan - I believe this is your current kitchen . . .

Thank you! My pictures are just frozen.

Those cabinets are 42" plus the soffit?

There are a few devices that can be used to discover what is inside the soffit. Yes, if it is possible to remove the soffit it would be an improvement.

OK. You've got very high ceilings.

I followed your previous threads and like most of us, you don't have some trust fund or secret swiss bank account you can tap into. LOL. So I say work with the soffit.

Perhaps others will jump in with all kinds of suggestions and beautiful and stunning pictures of double stacked cabinetry. Like this:

Or this . . .

Beautiful, but unless that mega millions ticket you buy pays off . . . it's probably not going to happen.

You can even forgo the soffit. Yes the tops of the cabinets will get dusty. But the kitchen can still look very nice. I love the humble simplicity of this kitchen:

With strategic use of moldings and drywall, you can get an effect like this . . .

And in this pictures the soffits add a nice charm . . .

Oh and to figure out what's in the soffit . . . drywall is relatively easy to patch - cut a hole and take a look.

Sometimes a soffit can hold a surprise . . . check out this discussion . . .

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/hide-plumbing-with-drywall-box-or-wood-box-dsvw-vd~5590606?n=23

What’s the distance between your countertop and the bottom of your uppers?

I had soffits. I hated them for 32 years. It was a wonderful day for me when they came down when I finally got to re-do my kitchen and get new cabinets.

Think about what is above them. My husband had nixed my idea of removing them for years - fearful of plumbing/ductwork/electrical. When I finally decided to remove them (10 years after DH had died), I realized that the space above my kitchen had been UNFINISHED attic when we purchased the house, and so there was no plumbing/duct work there at all - it would have been impossible. We did have to move a couple of junction boxes - one was so old (house built in 1948) and deteriorated so badly, that it had to be replaced - could have been a serious fire hazard.

I'd estimate that the OP's soffit is around 12". Her existing cabinets are 42". It looks like she has the standard 18" of distance from countertop to cabinet bottom. So, doing the math she has 54" or so of space. Wall cabinets would get hung at 54" (36" + 18"). That would make the ceilings 9' or so. I think the generally available standard cabinet heights are 30", 36", and 42".

In previous threads she's mentioned budget and her budgeting priorities (e.g., hammered copper farmhouse sink). So it seems for the most budget friendly approach, it comes down to two choices, keep the soffit or have open space above the cabinets. Either could and would look terrific.

Taking the soffits out shouldn't be that big of a deal ($$$) in the grand scheme of the kitchen remodel. Take a look inside, if there's nothing there you may as well remove them. If it's complicated, leave them and work with it.

It's not about the money to remove them. It's whether she wants open top cabinets. The $$$$ comes into play if you're trying to have the cabinets go to the ceiling. Many folks don't want to dust their cabinet tops.

and just have them install on top of uppers. this is not like crown molding which is $$.

@Jamieh922 I see where you're going, but easy is a relative term. Straightforward is a more apt term. But it's not exactly cheap. Here are some things to ponder:

- Assuming a 42" cabinet height is replaced, you have a 12" gap to fill.

- Are the cabinets going to be painted or stained?

- If stained wood, then the crown and frieze board (what you call the "slab wood") needs to be the same species and stained to match. Cabinet manufacturers charge astronomical per linear foot charges for frieze boards and crown - all trim essentially. It's a huge money maker for them. Depending upon crown height, a roughly 10" tall frieze board would be needed. The cost of solid wood 10" wide frieze board (if it were even offered) would add up quick and then there's the issue of dimensional stability with solid lumber of that width and length. The better, more economical option would be a veneered ply or furniture board, again, assuming that's even offered at those widths or offered at all. And not cheap.

- If painted, then the same issues apply. And do you field paint it by brush? Hire a painter to spray it? Will the color match exactly or do you have to settle for close enough? Will the texture and sheen be a match? So you might say why not order it from the cabinet company? Because the cost will add up quickly. And again, it may not be offered in the needed width.

One advantage to painted cabinets is you could "mimic" the look of wood in the field with drywall or cabinet grade plywood and make it look like you have built in cabinets all the way to top. Plywood could also be used. But the issue of matching color, sheen and texture to the finish remains. That's what they did in this kitchen - which is why I posted it for the OP to see.

This picture is your exact solution, which is a essentially a soffit flush with the cabinet face frame.

The OP's options, from low cost to high cost are:

1. Keep existing soffits and use 42" uppers
2. Tear down existing soffits, patch ceiling as needed, and use 36" or 42" uppers
3. Use 42" uppers and rebuild the soffit flush with the cabinet face frame

The biggest advantage to Option 2 is flexibility in upper layout and design.

If the soffits come down, then you have to deal with the overall height plus the crown molding height. The usual stack is a 30" + 18" + 6" of molding.

But it how did you go from doing a 10K budget refresh with keeping some nice cabinets to a 50K+ gut replacement redo with some structural repairs? What is your end goal? How long will you live in this home to recoup that added 40K investment? Or are you OK spending that to get what you want regardless of what else you can do with the money?

Sounds like you you really need to be working with a good Kitchen Designer to help you sort through the cost benefit of all the changes.

Just some info: My budget refresh was not 10K. Granite alone was only 2400 removal and installation included. As far as what we are getting ready to spend, I'm sure we could easily spend 50K but we are not. We can do this for a lot less than that. Yes, it's possible. We have no plans on moving and would like to retire in this house. I am meeting with the cabinet store as soon as I have a list of what I want. I don't want to go in blindly. missenigma thanks again for info! We will be doing 42" cabinets like we have now. We are purchasing white cabinets so we will not be painting any cabinets. As far as your three options (thanks for narrowing down for me) I am only interested now in 1 or 2. That whole above cabinet situation can add up fast it seems. So my choices now are to leave the soffit and have a nice crown moulding on the top of my cabinets? Or remove the soffit (I like that idea better) and just have that space. The bad part is the cleaning. I'm not ever going to decorate up there. I guess when I get old, I can have one of my kids come over and clean it for me? haha I think it would look more "airy and open" if I take them out? I just remember our last house. They were open above. When we built this house in 2002 I specifically put the soffits up so that I didn't have to deal with it. But that was 2002. Hmm. Need to think about this.

I wonder how much it would cost to have the soffits removed and have empty space up there? Can anyone give me a realistic ballpark or is that too hard because we don't know what is in there?

I love the look of the additional cabinetry to the ceiling,as well as the faux crown molding but it does seem to be rather pricey.

In my last house, we had a similar kitchen and I wanted an update. We were lucky and had our contractor look at what was in the soffits. Fortunately there was really not much. There was a pipe which needed an "adjustment" but this was all found beforehand. ( They drilled holes at a few points and used a flashlight to see). The soffit were removed, and we added molding to the top of the existing cabinets. It looked great. There still was space above the cabinets, but if I remember it was less than 12 inches.

When I thought about it, I used a feather duster on an extension pole and dusted above the cabinets. It really wasn't bad.

This is my wordy way of saying that removing the soffits and having space above and molding on top of cabinets looks pretty good as well.

salonva thank you. I wonder since I could choose if I wanted it - if that means there is nothing in there. We will find out.

The general consensus is if you don't NEED them let them go, if you can't then pretend they are taller cabinetry. I do LOVE LOVE LOVE the look of cupboards where the soffit was disguised to look like cabinetry and crown molding. Confusingly open space above cabinets is also "out" right now. As in most situations it comes down to cost and trade off. How much would removing them cost and what could you do with that money if you leave them be?

I wish I could remember but since we had them doing a bunch of work, I just know that it truly was not very costly to remove them. My guess is maybe $1000 or so and as I look at your kitchen , we had a very similar layout.

That is what my husband just said. Is there a pic above where the soffit was disguised as cabinetry? I will look into that - thanks!

We took out a similar soffit for next to nothing (we did it ourselves), and installed 42" cabinets with molding on top. We are so pleased with the way it turned out, and it was not expensive. Nothing to lose by getting an estimate, anyway!

Patching drywall is easy but matching knock down texture isn't so if you have that its something to consider. You already have very tall cabinets so I'm not sure is worry about taking the soft its down..

Our story: We had always had a soffit, and DH thought they were necessary, so after the cabinets came down, he rebuilt the soffit. After looking at cabinet options, he took it back down, He did great work, and it really was a nice looking soffit, for an outdated, useless area above the cabinets, LOL. We both agreed it was lovely work he did, replacing it that way, but also agreed that as long as we had to spend cabinet $$ and redo things (ours was a forced remodel after a flood), then it didn't make any sense to keep parts of the house that were dated and served no purpose. He was hesitant at first about cabinets going all the way to the ceiling ('those shelves will be too high to reach, virtually useless' he said). Rather than having totally useless space (soffit), we now have lovely to the ceiling cabinets that yes, all have one very high, hard-to-reach shelf . . . that is perfect for rarely used items that would just cause clutter in the lower cabinets. Even he is amazed that he ever thought of keeping it. Note: although the flood did not destroy the upper cabinets, the original ones were old and not particularly great, so we later removed the uppers as well, and waited until we could install the cabinets we wanted. It's amazing how well a couple of large metro racks and folding tables can substitute for cabinets and counters during a (really long) renovation. We also got rid of the popcorn ceilings while we were at it : ))

Oh wow - TJW those are the exact cabinets I am looking at. What an incredible after picture - looks great! Do you have 8 foot ceilings? karrilouwho we have 42" cabinets, 9 foot ceilings and a 12" soffit. Plus I'm short. The 12" above my 42" cabinets is too much space for just crown moulding alone. On the other side of my kitchen - I wish my soffit ended at the cabinet but it goes the entire length of the room. :( :( So I can't "paint and pretend" it is a cabinet.

Oh, and we have smooth ceilings.

Hey everyone - I think my soffit saga is over. I just thought of calling our builder (even though we built this in 2002). The lady on the phone was so helpful and knew my exact house. She said that YES - I have a lot of plumbing in that soffit above my sink/stove/sliding kitchen door. It would be too major of a budget constraint for us to deal with all of that. So - I am going to live with these soffits and figure out a way to make them look better! Yes yes I know we could have work done to still remove them but she said it would be a major project. So that was a hard NO for me. Thank you! Why didn't I call her earlier???

Isn't that just one side of your kitchen? A recent thread mentioned doing some kind of work-around for the one section of cabinet that had issues inside the existing soffit. Understand if you choose to keep it, but I tend to research things until there is no possible way, and I would be very tempted to (a) ask for a copy of the plans that she must be looking at that show exactly what is up there and what it is connected to . . . . also would be useful when getting bids, (b) cut into the sheetrock to see for myself . . . . would be useful to show potential cabinet folks to see what options they can suggest for that one section, and (c) actually get bids before making a final decision. Most people who have written about kitchen remodels tend to want them done quickly (or as quickly as possible). Our situation was different because we had so many other priorities (walls, floors, doors, one functional bathroom) so we had plenty of time to consider what to do for kitchen cabinets. We looked at RTH online, Ikea, got bids from several cabinet makers, Lowes, HD, etc., before making a decision. Wasn't fast, but we had the time to plan, save, plan, shop, and then plan, save, shop and plan some more.

Interestingly, one of the reasons my husband initially wanted to keep the soffit was that he thought there was 'a lot' of things behind it. There was absolutely nothing, he just *assumed* : )) Your case is a little different as you were told by . . . . I'm guessing the receptionist at your builder's office? I would totally want to see those plans . . . and then would look for myself and get bids to see if it was reasonable to build around it (my thought is 'okay, that ONE upper cabinet has plumbing or electrical inside the top shelf of one cabinet . . . let's add a little panel to cover the pipes and and let's go!' But that's just me : ))

We got bids from 3-4 cabinet makers, drawings from 2, and prices for different levels of cabinets from Lowes. 2 of the cabinet builders were individuals, both did good work - one had a shop, the one who did not had done cabinets for a friend so I examined hers. We ultimately went with Chandler Cabinets in Pilot Point, TX, about 45 minutes from our house. I liked that they were a real business (not knocking the two guys who did it on the side, though, their work was great), with a fully operational shop, had samples of their work, were very responsive in answering all of my millions of questions, and I especially liked the idea that the same cabinet builder had regular employees who installed cabinets all the time. That was my primary objection to RTH or Lowes -- the install. A great installer can improve the look of less-expensive cabinets, but a poor install can trash even the best built cabinets (from my hours and hours of research). Plus, the bid from Chandler was comparable to Lowes, actually cheaper than one of the Lowe's options, and they were entirely measured and built FOR OUR SPACE. Our older home, not all that level, walls not square home. I liked having a business that I felt confident in because this was our biggest single expense. They even designed and built a little drop-down table top for our tiny laundry so now I have a nice surface for folding that can be dropped and out of the way when not in use. I think we made a great choice after first getting a strong recommendation from someone who recently had their cabinets installed, 3 visits to the shop, and multiple bids from others. I had read here on Houzz that it's wise to compare the full cost between a custom cabinet builder and the big box stores and other options; DH assumed Lowes would have a better price . . . I went along and got their quotes because all the info on Houzz convinced me that it was *safe* to get that bid . . . because it very likely would be as high or higher : ))

If you have attic space above the kitchen, odds are that there isn't anything in the soffits.

If you have living space above the kitchen, look for clues upstairs? Bathrooms above the kitchen? uh-oh. Odds of plbg. in the soffit go way up. Note the location of plbg and how it relates to the space downstairs.

There is a recessed light over the sink. Remove that light and look thru the hole. Or put your phone up there and take a pix.

The other soffit--you can cut an inspection hole in the ends of it and have a look-see. Or remove some cabinets and cut a hole on the underside and have a look.

If there is nothing up there, like plumbing, heating etc. You can remove soffits for very little money. I didnt even change cabinets, but, took a peak in there on mine, and then tore them out, and sheetrocked. I did have a spot over the stove area with a vertical vent pipe. I built a wood frame and sheetrocked around that area. Also had an area above the sink, that had some electrical etc in it. I built a box and sheetrocked around that too. It looks fine. I like having tops of my cabinets bare, and I am one of the odd ones that actually likes something interesting sitting up there too. :-))) I thnk the cost was scraps from some other sheetrocking I was doing, and some wood pieces cut to size, and some sheetrock tape and mud and some sanding, and some priming and some paint.

Dyan - You are smart to take your time, research, learn, etc. Excellent idea contacting your builder.

Here's a general Google search "disguising kitchen soffits":

https://www.google.com/search?q=disguising+kitchen+soffits&oq=disguising+kitchen+soffits&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.5773j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I selected a few links from that search results:

"10 Ways to Disguise a Kitchen Soffit."

https://www.thekitchn.com/15-ways-to-disguise-a-soffit-reader-request-week-204890

A good Pinterest page showing what others have done:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/461407924305596928/?lp=true

Here's a link to one specific project and how they dealt with their soffits:

https://www.hometalk.com/4157726/kitchen-remodel-soffit-ceiling?expand_all_questions=1

A neat tip I read somewhere about dealing with dust on open top cabinets is to spread clean, white newsprint on top of them. The dust settles on the newsprint. Periodically remove and toss the paper along with the dust. I have some built-in bookcases in my living room that I do that with. I bought a box of U Haul Wrapping Paper which is clean, white newsprint for $11.95.

Hi Missenigma. The tip I read was wax paper. Microfiber clothes have made dusting so much easier.

Since you are getting new cabinets, please think about reworking your layout for a more functional kitchen.

The lady from our Builder's office seemed really confident when she heard the model of our home - that there was plumbing in our soffits above our sink - that really long one that goes the whole width of our kitchen. Our master bath is straight above it with tub and shower. Now the one on the other side I need to look in further. She said there is electrical in there for sure but Hmm. I would have to have each side different which I guess is ok?

I am really looking forward to tomorrow. I am having a cabinet company over to measure my kitchen and show me their options (and leave me with a drawing). I will have more than one company do this! I can already tell that I am going to have to pay attention to the TOTAL price - installation and all - that is where it can get tricky!

Cat, when I tore out the soffits in my kitchen there was nothing in them except for the exhaust vent. It was a rectangular vent so I didn't even need to build a box. Just friction fitted carefully cut sheet rock around it, held the outside corners together with long T-pins (like you would use in upholstery fabric) and mud/ taped it in place.

TJW: Can you tell me the length of your upper cabinet doors and also the length of the molding above it? Also, do you know the color of white of your cabinets? Love your finished kitchen!

I can measure later when I get home. There were two *big* decisions we had to make, actually 3. The one we did NOT do was add glass in the top section of 5 upper cabinet doors to reduce the cost. The two choices we DID make (and would make again) for additional cost was (1) a no-reveal design . . . instead of a gap between cabinet doors and between drawers, they are, for lack of a better term, 'sleeker'. Chandler had both styles side by side, and the gap looked dated to my husband and I. We were willing to pay a little more for the better, more modern look, and (2) After much internal wrangling, we chose to have the cabinet color applied by Chandler in the shop. My research on Houzz and elsewhere + people I know who have worked with kitchen designers overwhelmingly said that was the best way to go. It was a good decision. They offered 2 shades of white, and we chose the brighter, whiter, less creamy one after carting two painted cabinet doors around to the slab yard, hardware store, etc., and looking at them both in our own light. I can email and ask what the paint color is, but there was not a brand name on the door samples when we chose our color, just the color name on the sample doors: Cotton (that was creamier) and 'Chandler White' that was the brighter white we chose. I can say that it was definitely worth the additional cost, although it took my breath away at first. Here's where I asked for help on Houzz:

[Is It Worth the Cost[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/is-it-worth-it-to-have-new-cabinets-painted-by-the-cabinet-maker-dsvw-vd~5424802?n=14)

.

@Dyan Weis Tell him he's free to wallpaper the doghouse he'll be living in. :-))

Oh that's perfect! Haha! I will use that one next time!

No you dont want each side different. You need it to look cohesive. If there is wiring and plumbing in there, then probably best to leave them alone.

ci_lantro I used corner bead and taped and mudded mine. Its not easy working up in there either.