Wow, Thank you everyone for taking the time and responding. I appreciate all of the advice (even if it isn't exactly what I was hoping to hear). I'm going to try and respond to all that I read but if I miss something, I apologize now. ~The placement of the stove: I looked at slide-in stoves online last night. I do like the look of them and think its GREAT that the crumbs wont be able to fall on the side of my stove. I didn't even know they existed tbh. It would also eliminate the need to finish the inside edges of the counters (a question I had asked earlier). I think I will purchase one. Sadly, I do not think it will stretch over enough to eliminate the 2 inches of counter on either side. Those 2 inches add a lot of expense. It creates another 45* angle and that small piece to the left just seems wasteful but if I was to pull that part out it would look lopsided compared to the cabinet above it. I thought about doing a wider stove and microwave but even if they had the right size it would make that corner REALLY unsafe.The placement/safety of the stove...I wish I could move the stove now. I would like to have an island eventually with a stove and a proper vent above it. That would be my ultimate plan when we tear down the wall but for now it has to stay where it is. I didn't know it was "unsafe" but that does make sense. I am not sure what qualifies as a landing next to it but for now if I needed to use the side counter I do have space to the right of the stove. I use that area often when cooking. It's more useful than the pictures represent. Also, if there was a pan on fire that I needed to move I would probably just throw it in the sink which is so close and use the fire extinguisher that is nearby. I have 2 young kids and I am very cautious with pans. I remember commercials from my childhood that told parents to keep pan handles turned in. I usually only put long handled pans on the inside burners and they are always turned in. Thank you for informing me about the safety concerns. It is something to consider as we plan for future renovations. ~~Many of you are encouraging me to live with the counters and save the money for the bigger reno. I do understand that thought and I have tried to tolerate it. In the pictures they don't look that bad but the laminate goes up the walls and the seems are starting to look crappy. I want a backsplash (that isn't laminate) but I just cant see doing that with the current counters. The sink I hate. I want a large-1 bowl-undermount sink. My hubby never wipes the counters when the water splashes so the caulk frequently looks dirty/stained. I want the new sink so badly that I'm going to have my plumber lower my waste pipe so it can fit. I figure that the counter will be off and the cabinet can be moved so now would be the time to do it. I can't have an undermount sink with my current cabinets bc they aren't solid surface. I did decide to think about it a little more though and I am trying to vision my kitchen with the current counters and a new backsplash but (despite the money I would save) I don't think I will be able to change my own mind. ~~In the future, when we tear down that wall I would like to change my complete layout. We have a wide but narrow kitchen. I live in a typical 4 bedroom colonial with an addition off the back that is our family room. The back 2 rooms of the 4 rooms original to the 1st floor are the kitchen (with a small area for a kitchen table) and the dining room. Both room are long and narrow. The front 2 rooms are also long but wider. I want to open up the left front room to the left back room (kitchen). The stairs and front door are in the middle. BUT, even if $ doesn't allow a full remodel/layout change, I can tear down the wall, move the washer and dryer downstairs (into what will be my dream laundry room), add a few tall cabinets on the right of the fridge for my pantry and garbage/broom closet that is currently near the washer/dryer, and move the new cabinets, fridge and current cabinet that is to the left of the fridge down. The rest of the wall and the wall that is perpendicular to will be removed. Then when you walk through my front door (that is in the center of my colonial) the entire left side will be an open sitting room/kitchen. It might sound wrong but it is exactly what my next door neighbors just did. We have the same layout. Her contractor did it for a fantastic price. I could do that now but because my kids are young my husband and I want to keep a toy room on the first floor that has a door we can close. In about 5 years we will be ready. Our basement will be finished off and the kids could move down there. That was a long winded explanation but ultimately if I can afford all new cabinets when that reno happens (and I'm planning to) I like the suggestion that someone gave that I could reuse the new counters. It might work out perfect for the new laundry room with some adjustments. ~~Someone else suggested just doing a "spruce-up". That is exactly what I am doing :-) The photos show the 'before". I just replaced the fridge (the one in the photo is the new one) and you can see in the 1st photo that I started taking down the cabinet doors to touch them up and replace the hinges/pulls. The front of the peninsula area is missing the doors in the 1st photo. I finished those the other day and put them back on. They look brand new again. The hinges fit perfect and are now brushed nickel (instead of brass). The pulls looked good also but after putting them on I found pulls I like better last night and ordered all new ones. That mistake made me realize I need to plan better. As far as the rest of the "spruce up" goes...I'm doing appliances, backsplash, hardware, paint on walls and molding/trim/doors, new kitchen table/chairs, kitchen cart, light fixtures, fan, window treatments, and accessories. But in order to start picking out anything else I need to decide on a counter and backsplash. I'm thinking I will ask for help when it's time to make the other decisions because I am not ashamed to admit--I need the advice! ~~Someone asked about the brand of fridge...oh boy was what a pain in the a** that was-lol. Every fridge I wanted and that was rated good enough in Consumers Reports was also too big for that space. I wanted a bottom freezer w/french door which didn't help. My husband wanted to know that it wasn't a lemon. I also didn't want water in the door because we have Poland Spring delivery (which we LOVE). After weeks of measuring and searching we finally purchased an LG Model #LFC25765ST 33inch 24.9 cu. ft. from Home Depot for about 1800 although its on sale right now for 1596. I am very happy with it. The fridge is the biggest headache for for the future reno though bc I cant figure out a proper place to put it if I do change my layout completey (but that's a future thread though-lol) ~~Ok, Now that I've written a novel, I want to thank everyone for all the encouragement and advice. I am going to start calling places in my area to get an idea of what the process is locally. I didn't know it varies from place to place. I live in CT, in Fairfield County. I am also going to go look at different solid surface counters in person. I am not 100% sold on granite. I think I should see all of the available surfaces and then go from there. Once I make some decisions I will check back in and let anyone who is curious (Or reading this in the future) know how it turned out. I am also sure I will have a million more questions about the rest of this kitchen. Thank you gain, GHG

You are all so nice! Thank you very much! a2gemini: we are hoping to get the new cabinets and countertop/backsplash within 6-8 months after we put in the new appliances, so it was reassuring to know you didn't have any damage despite remodeling 2 years later. Peonybush: Ditto! ( substitute 9 months for 2 years :-)). Fori: Your post encourages me to ask away :-) - you'll probably regret your recommendation! I didn't even know there was an appliance forum - duh. Thanks for making me think about future paneling for the new dishwasher. I'm in two minds about getting stainless steel appliances ( we have black right now and the surfaces are so hard to keep streak-free - which I heard can also be a problem with SS). Plus I keep wondering how soon some new trend in appliance material will pop up and make stainless steel passe. Pricklypearcactus: Thanks for the heads-up. Luckily we won't be changing sizes or types. Best of luck - I hope you are able to sell your range with minimal loss. Finally a note to Joaniepoanie: I saw the pictures of your new kitchen on another thread - it's beautiful! Thanks for posting them!

Sujafr - “We also discovered that you absolutely cannot go by the manufacturer's specs to know the height.” That is so terrible! What’s the point in giving specifications if they’re not accurate since that’s the whole point, you know? I think I remember seeing a small note on a set of specs saying they may not be accurate. *smacks head*. :) “That second pic looks like they pieced the panel between the upper and lower...not the best IMHO” I agree that looks a little strange. Our crown, I believe, is 2 3/8”. It’s ok, I was just thinking something a little larger, would look nicer. I don’t want to crowd the ceiling crown though. I suppose I could just buy small replacement piece if needed. I’m still concerned about the stain matching. I’ll have to do some test runs for sure. About your neighbor, I didn’t even realize they could do that with the hinges. Thanks for the link! Bee - DH did poo pooed that idea, but I think just because it sounds like a complicated pain. The laundry room is on the other side, and the wall behind the fridge is where the wall drying rack is. I could live with a bump out in there. With recessing it into the wall, I would need someone for cutting/new drywall as well as a plumber and electrician for the water line and electrical outlet, right? Unfortunately, I don’t thinking taking away the cabinet space would work well for us. Hmm… as for the cd, my current fridge is 21 something cu ft. and works great. However, if my kids end up with an appetite like DH during the teen years we’re going to need another whole fridge somewhere. :) The cd one I was looking at that fits is 20.7 or .9. Is the size really going to be that different? I know it’ll be wider vs. deeper. I’m hoping to get out this weekend to see it IRL. Suero - I agree with you. I think I’d rather see the side panels match the fridge even if it sticks out past the cabinets better than having it boxed and the fridge sticking out past the box. Since my fridge isn’t on the end I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to think it looks much better that what I have going on now (I’m referring to the cabinet set up - I know ss will look better). It’s the sticking out part that bothers me so that’s why I was thinking the counter depth fridge would take care of that. Hi Val! Thanks for the panel info. I really know nothing about kitchen stuff and what’s available and I’m finding this whole process somewhat frustrating. As for boxing the fridge, do you just go in as far as you needed to accommodate the fridge size or is there a standard depth for this? If we went this route, which I don’t really see me being able to convince DH at this time, I’d rather not have a bump out in the laundry room. “Put the refrigerator at the end of the cabinet run by swapping the refrigerator cabinet with the cabinet to the right.” At some point in life, this is going to happen but I was going to wait until we replaced the counters (& floors) or redo the kitchen. I’d like to have the fridge on the end with a wall beside it. “If you are not replacing counters, consider putting a butcher block counter top on just that section.” I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that done. I’m off to look for photos. We are keeping the counters at this point. I only got a few responses from the kitchen forum. I suppose I know what my options are at this point I just am having a hard time making a decision. We don’t have a large budget for this mini makeover and have decided to spend more on appliances than originally planned. I’m trying to sort my options out. I like details and I'd much rather have someone present me with a plan of options, lists, and prices and us pick one. ...And this is why people hire designers & GCs. And just because I feel like being chatty, my actual plans are to replace the appliances, stain the cabinets (GF Brown Mahogany), I like to replace the cabinet crown, add a 6" can above the sink and remove the wood valance, paint the walls BM Shaker Beige to coordinate much better with the counters and floor, paint the island a TBD color, change out valance fabric/considering making a cornice, replace fabric on chair cushions, and I’d like to replace the current art (main wall behind the table) with a set of botanical prints. I'm not sure what I'm doing with the backsplash area. I need to see some of these changes first. This post was edited by sheesharee on Tue, Mar 4, 14 at 23:03

Thank you so much for all the kind words, your interest and your support! I have been on this board for 3 years...just not recently. I took a break from these boards a little while ago, just because I was kind of getting depressed at all the gorgeous kitchens! I admit, I even felt a little jealousy! Then just recently I stopped coming because we had already made our decisions and I did not want to get confused or torture my DH with some possible tweaks and changes. I am so happy to see some familiar names here on this thread. I know this sounds cheesy, but all the kind comments almost made me get teary eyed. Like I said before, this really is the only material thing I have wanted for a long time. But I know that Gardenwebbers on the kitchen forum know that a kitchen is not a material thing ONLY...for folks like us it is (cliche time, sorry) "the heart of the home." I have been cooking incredible meals and/or entertaining non stop. It is such a joy and pleasure to me. outsideplaying-thanks for your comments and for your excitement for me! Maine_Mare-That is good to hear! He actually did not even do these as well as he could have, because he truly thought they would be in for a few months. Where he adhered the counters to the undermount sink, you can see some clear caulking. Also, the end of the peninsula has a gap where he came up a little short! But next time, he will do an even better job and if we can keep them for 7 years like you...then we will be doing great! But I am fine the way they are, truly. Very minor flaws. frmrsdghtr-I really really do not have an estimate. I think my husband said awhile ago that the cabs were about 5k? I could be wrong, and he just said that figure off the top of his head. Thanks for the compliment! Hi colorfast! Your kitchen is lovely, too! Originally we wanted wood stained cabinets, but the darkness of the kitchen (no natural light) plus wood floors and a desire to have butcher block counters (eventually) made us rethink that! I never dreamed I would have white cabinets, because I lived in a townhouse for 14 years with white formica cabs and I wanted a big change from that. I am happy with our white now, tho! I have considered SS for the hood and I have seen your style before, but for some reason I am stuck on white. I attached a link below of an idea, although I have heard mixed reviews of that futuro futuro company. I *really* liked some of their other styles. They look more like light fixtures than hoods. onedogedie-thank you for being so kind about my long post! It's true, it was such a crazy and long journey, it seemed it warranted a little more than "here is my kitchen!" I have read so many "finished kitchen" posts here, and whether long or short, I like the ones where I can *feel* the pride in the post! I wonder why plywood is not mentioned more often as an alternative, whether temporary or more long term? I just never hear it mentioned and thought my hubby was crazy when he told me that was what he was going to do. I had no idea it would look so nice. As a matter of fact, even he gets a little frustrated when the first thing people notice when they walk into the kitchen is the countertop! LOL. Good idea about the kick plate, I will mention it to my hubby. Thank you CEFreeman! :) Lake_Girl-Ohhh, you should see what he is doing with the chicago brick pavers that are the walkway in front of the barn! They were put in half assed by previous owners, so he has his paving equipment here at the house and is using fill and making it look PRETTY. A total do-over. My friends ask me if he can do stuff at their house (they are willing to pay, of course) but I say NO WAY...he still has too much to do here! I think we compliment each other well because I NEVER nag him. To be honest, there are some other things I think he should be doing rather than the brick pavers...but I also know that feeling when I feel "inspired" to do a project and I wouldn't want someone nagging me to do something else instead. mmhmgood-lol, inside the cabs we left it the natural wood color! So that is what you are seeing, it isn't orange, LOL. I can see how it looks that way, but heck, even *I* am not that daring or funky! lol rhome-I had posted to you awhile ago about the oven. Your comments made me VERY excited. So far I love it. Do you think if I do not use the self clean mode, I will be ok with the blue porcelain? Or do you think I will have issues either way? I will try to find out about the door, but I have a sneaky suspicion that it will be pricey. It doesn't bother me *that* much. Thank you for your comments and help! marti8-he had ear plugs in. He had already purchased that tile chipper years ago. he said it does chip up thinset, but you have to use a different blade. Thanks for the comments! Thank you soooo much, gscience, catlover, About togetdusty and KrisMA! Here is a link that might be useful: