I don't have any issues doing the project management by myself, but I had secretly hoped that by hiring it done, I would be looking at a short, sweet project. That said, I've hired a GC to do jobs in the past and none impressed with their ability to coordinate trades (plus, I hated paying their markup on stuff I hustled all over town to find at the best price!). About the only time any contractor I've hired has ever shown up on time and as expected was on draw day. Not that I'm bitter. :-) I went under the house yesterday and there is absolutely no reason why a raised house with a standup crawl space *and* with services exactly where I want the new services should come in at $6500 for plumbing. A plumber charges $75/hr here. They are not supplying fixtures - just some tie in PVC - and I hardly think this job is anywhere in the ballpark of an 86 hour job for a competent plumber! Hell, I'm a crappy plumber and I could do it in less than 86 hours! Bobby99 - love that Sarah Richardson kitchen! That's basically exactly what I'm seeing in my mind's eye - an updated traditional space. Getting back to a home-y kitchen. Not so much a pseudo professional space. A kitchen where I don't have to have a microfiber rag tucked in the back of my apron or to chase off anyone who dares sully the SS appliances. I'm tired of those days. The heresy is that I might not even put in a BS as we never had one the entire time I was growing up, save the 4" piece. I'd probably put stainless behind the range because of the heat from a top venting range, but I rather liked my 4" backsplash that I installed in my last kitchen in New Orleans.

nancy_east -- thanks for your nice words! How exciting about your kitchen -- this will be fun to watch develop! The widest walkway we have is 36 1/2" (countertop to countertop), with it going down to 34 1/2" where our apron front sink "jumps" out. From our cooktop to the widest point of the bowed island countertop is 35 3/4". The only times (or rather, areas) our aisles feel tight are when the dishwasher door is open and there's only 12" of clearance (between the open door and the island cabinetry). But so far, no barked shins! We're careful and aware. The other area is our refrigerator (which is 30" wide, all refrigerator so it's a wide door): when it's open the only one who can sidle by (and then it's just barely) is our two year-old. But neither of those conditions are permanent (meaning, the dishwasher is mostly closed and the refrigerator door is mostly closed as well). While 36" for an aisle isn't "ideal," for us it's working out fine. Our only alternative would've been to give up the island and that wasn't an option! We need the storage space. Your aisles will work out fine; if it there's an impediment in the 36" aisle (like a dishwasher), then you all will learn the same careful two-step we and many others have as well! Good luck with your kitchen-in-progress! (and whole house, too!)

Well, I know it has been a while, but I realized I forgot to post an update! We finished everything in Dec '11, and have really enjoyed it. The house went on the market this weekend, so we got a little over a year in our 'new' kitchen. We got a full price offer today, and our home is priced higher than anything in our neighborhood (the house 2 doors down in 500 sf larger, and priced $5k cheaper). I think it was worth it - total cost was right around $7K. Granite: NVG light Gel Stain: Java (General) - 3 coats Tile: Home Depot Backsplash: Home Depot Here is a link that might be useful: More Kitchen Remodel Pics This post was edited by leightx on Tue, Apr 23, 13 at 12:40

OP here. My Julia soapstone from Stonemasters in Kennet Square, PA, which I picked for the hardness, has only one tiny chip on the flat counter that you can't see unless you look for it. I had the fabricators round over all the edges and there are no edge or corner dings. It has only had three applications of the oil wax mixture on it in over three years and is truly a no-maintenance counter. We put hot pots on it, have had lost of spilled juices and sauces, tomato and red wine, and continual coffeemaker drips, but all clean up without problems. Sorry to hear that dataw1127 did not have the same experience. Stonemasters had given me 2x2 inch samples of all their soapstones and I took them home and experimented before choosing the one with lowest maintenance. Maybe that is a key to selecting soapstone? PS I also had my overhanging counter corners rounded and did not realize what a difference that made until this past week when I stayed at my sister in law's home and banged my hips several times on her very sharp 90 degree granite counter corners. Apparently her 4 year old grandchild had a bad run in with them earlier also but with his head. Thankfully he is OK.