I have been following this thread for several days. I think some posters are coming down too hard on the cabinet maker. It is easy to say well "all he has to do is" when you are not knowledgeable about the process of building or manufacture. Every change order requires a new setup. When he quoted the job he took into consideration his time, his labor,things he would have to supply to finish the job and his overhead. Yes he built the cabinets more to form over function but he's a cabinet maker. He's not a kitchen designer or a chef! When I saw the pictures it was obvious he was going for symmetry and scale. According to the OP he wasn't given a plan or told what the functions of the cabinets should be. He was merely given a picture to show an "idea" of what was wanted. He's probably lost money on this job. The op hasn't said anything about change order charges so he's eating the difference. He was merely being honest by his comment that tradesmen don't like to rebuild. It COSTS them money. This is his livelihood. I credit the op with her honesty. She knows she didn't have her ducks in a row. She is lucky he is willing to work with her to make things somewhat better. Mistydatn - It is very easy to get caught up in all the things that are brought up on this forum. People end up wanting things they would never want or need but get sucked in by all the "dream kitchens". In reality a lot of people who come here buy things they don't need or want. I am always amused when I see questions here and on the appliance forum like which is the best, what do I do with it now that I have it, I didn't think it would be that big, that small and on and on. There are a lot of folks that put in expensive ranges and end up doing all their cooking in their micro and wall oven. Some buy infrared broilers but never use them. The add grills instead. Prep sinks are never used. Work islands become cluttered with mail and homework. People think that buying high end will make them good cooks. A good cook can cook over a campfire. The most expensive kitchen and all the bells and whistles will not make a bad cook into a good one. This doesn't apply to everyone but there are enough to make one shake one's head. Look at Julia Child's kitchen. It was ALL about function. Recently there was a post about pot racks. pretty easy to see who the real cooks are on that thread. LOL My brother was a cook by trade for years. he now cooks for himself in a little manufactured home kitchen. My son is a bit of a gourmand. He regularly cooks for 30 or more friends in a kitchen the size of closet. The only counter space he has is the spot over the dishwasher. He built his own sous vidi. He makes most everything from scratch, cooks most of the meals and his GF does all the baking. You are going to end up loving your new kitchen because it is better than what you had. Don't let kitchen envy get in the way of how you want your life to be. Make your kitchen about the meals you prepare for that family of your. Make family memories in that kitchen. Good parents have t done that in postage stamp kitchens for generations. You sound like a good parent. The kitchen is just things. It's the people in it and the food that comes out of it that makes it real. yes there will be things you wish you had but that is human nature. Enjoy your home, your family and your new kitchen. Perspective.

This is one of the easier transformations that has such a huge impact! I have done this on my MBR cabinets, along with a few in the kitchen. It's pretty incredible how the look changes! I've also bought a few beaded face frames and put them right over existing cabinets' fronts. Then, inset the doors there. I could only afford a couple, but now I've learned how to bead a face frame and I can make my own! Yeah! Teach a man to fish, but teach a chick to bead.... This kitchen is lovely!

I don't think I was being brutal, I just wanted to state the technical details of why the overlays were wrong. However I see a few people disageed with me, I can assure you that I know what I am talking about when it comes to technical details of a kitchen, especially hinges. To do a full overlay with butt doors and face frame cabinets you would have to notch the frame out to 3/4" and use a frameless hinge to get the gap that you want. So as I was saying the cabinets should have been built differently(not your fault) If you cabinetmaker is buying hinges from home depot, he is not a cabinetmaker but a carpenter. No offense to any carpenters but a jack of all trades, master at none, is a pretty common theme. Yes the finish is subpar, and is probably the most difficult aspect of cabinetmaking. I know that I can spay a finish that is on par or above any factory finish. All in all the design looks good, to most people the cabinet quality and overlays would never enter their radar. As far as the finish goes, did he show you samples beforehand, I would have requested that so I could approve the color and quality. Most of these issues you have I think would be tough to fight in court because there is no documentation, however I am no expert in litigation, because my work does not lead to lawsuits. I also always try to steer people away from maple unless they are going natural with glaze, it is a very difficult wood to stain with consistency. The grain tends to show variation and looks "splotchy" Again another reason to see samples before you buy. When I hear about the horror stories on here it drives me crazy to see people paying good money for subpar work. I guess the point I am trying to make is that everyone has different expectations of quality you have to trust your judgement. To answer your question igloochic, your inset doors open with minimal gap because you cabinets use inset hinges, not facefame. You may have a concealed hinge but it is still designed to open with zero clearance, it is not designed to overlap a 1 1/2" frame, or you may have butt hinges, and obviously you can see how that would not give you an overlay on a face frame cabinet. I was not saying it was not possible to have full overlay on face frame cabinets, I was saying that it is more difficult, and I did not think this builder had that knowledge or skill.

IMO removing that wall will create no end of issues not to mention the flooring needing some TLC. You will need to block off a doorway to move the fridge and make that wall workable and unless you have the budget to replace flooring you can.t remove the raised bar area to maybe accommadate an island. I think you need to step back and wait to do this properly.Mixing cabinet styles and colors is best left to real pro or it will be a mess. Moving plumbing is another issue along withthe electrical in that LR wall. IMO cabinets for bases are a bad choice and drawers are just a better way to go so I don’t see the point in adding more useless storage.