Here is a link that might be useful: BM 50 Shades of Gray

This would be the kitchen we are talking about:

Here is a link that might be useful: Bee's Kitchen as seen in Cote de Texas

Here's some pictures...1 part jacobean and 1 part midnight mahogany.

It's been a long year, but we moved in a few weeks ago and we're so thrilled!
Again, I'm so thankful to all the gracious forum members here. I get so much great information and inspiration here and your encouragement with Round 2 has been so helpful!

This is a whole house remodel of a 1940's Cape that we purchased last Spring after selling our house. The kitchen is an addition. We still need to paint the window trim and wall above sink, but who knows when....Also, the black front and back door will have better handle hardware soon, just so you know...

I still seem to have giant pics from photobucket, apologies.

Information
Cabs~ Shaker, inset, BM White Dove, custom (same cabinetmaker)
Counters~ Danby Marble on perimeter and walnut on island
Backsplash~Walker Zanger Gramercy Park in Heirloom White
Sink~Shaw's 30 inch
Faucet~Perrin and Rowe, polished nickel
Pendants~ Circa Lighting Small Yoke, polished nickel
Hardware~All PN. Schaub (thanks kateskouros) for appliances, RH Gilmore pulls, RH Glass knobs, Rejuvenation utility latches, Cliffside Brass icebox latches
Stools~Cottage Maine
Fridge~Liebherr
Range~Viking (mistake, me thinks)
Pot filler~Rohl Swing Arm
DW~ Miele (I think Inspira?)
Fridge Drawers~Kitchen Aid (Love, love,love)
Microwave Drawer~Sharp 24 inch

Thanks for looking !!

Love the Liebherr fridge, thanks Marthavila.

Banquette. Will eventually have cushions, etc.

View from kitchen to front door

I am debating between Bianco Venatino and Carrara. My cupboards are a light cream color (which I am coming to terms with as I thought they would be whiter), my countertops are caesarstone concrete on the permitter and nougat on the island. The white on the island is a shaded white which picks up the tones around it. The concrete color is just slightly lighter than the raven caesarstone. The countertops will be installed on 24th. My tile will be going in that week and the builder wants to install the backsplash within a week or so of the countertops going in. So I am trying to narrow it down before. Please share your marble backsplashes with me.

The island has an eating bar that isn't shown. The kitchen is also not painted as the pictures are older.

I guess more information would be helpful!

Very traditional painted brick georgian style house. I tend towards the simple, rather than the ornate. Dark stained (Coffee Brown) 5" wide white oak floors. Kitchen opens with a large paneled jamb into the den.

I love the concept of color (love blues and greens) but am scared to do it. . . I am a white on white person, so probably will go that direction.

Here are a few more pictures of the house so you can see the style. . .

Exterior:

Rest of kitchen and paneled jamb into den

Honed or antiqued Black Pearl will read as "black".
Only up close will you see the slightly muted and mottled specks
of 'pearl,' light blue, and gray mixed in with the darker colors.
The slabs of honed Black Pearl I viewed were a bit lighter than Absolute Black honed.
That is one of the things I liked about Black Pearl.

I still don't have any good pictures of the new kitchen with proper lighting.
But for what it is worth, here is a picture from a distance where the counters
certainly read as black:

Here is an closeup showing the slightly mottled, but still very dark granite (sorry for the silly picture showing how many very large pots I could fit on my range):

Best wishes for your renovation!

Details:

Cabinets : Omega (mix between dynasty and custom) (island stain - truffle)
Range : 48 Wolf AG
Countertops: Kashmire White Granite
Fridge: 48 Subzero
Dishwasher : Kitchen Aid
Micro: 27' Monogram advantium
Floor: Porcelain tile (of hand I don't remember the name)
Hood: Rangcraft

Fishies -- I used jars from Specialty Bottle for my spices. I love the clear tops on the tins (have bought many of them for other uses, including spice rubs and peanut brittle gifts), but those containers are a little bit wider and I couldn't fit all my spices in one drawer that way. One was all I could do, and that was after getting a utensil crock. I do have larger containers of chili powder and rubs in the the upper cabinet just above -- where my salt, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and extracts, sprinkles and other baking goodies are. The flour, sugar, chocolate, cocoa and such are in the drawers right below. Everything is right there and very handy. My prep sink is a pivot away on the end of the island behind me. LOVE having that to wash egg goo and bread dough off my hands -- as well as washing after handling meat when cooking.

This is my drawer --

If you do either of these, I highly recommend Specialty Bottle for the tins or jars. They have various sizes and styles at good prices with no minimum order. I buy my bottles for homemade vanilla extract from them too. Love the blue ones.

And for the other person who asked, I checked my heated oven and my cooktop in operation before I put anything in those drawers. No heat whatsoever in the drawers. My upper cabinet is subject to some heat build up on the bottom if I have my undercounter lights on a long time. It doesn't seem to be so much that it impacts the upper part of the cabinet, so my baking cabinet has the measuring cups, funnels and my little prep bowls on the bottom shelves and the one on the other side of my range top, where the oils and vinegars are, has a couple of platters and serving bowls handy for serving on the bottom. In several years, no problems losing oil or spice quality in any of them.

I wouldn't put yours in your pantry. It's already on the smallish size. I've had spices in a drawer now for several months, and I LOVE IT!

Don't laugh at the blue tape labels. My label maker still hasn't been unpacked...

I decided I use them more during prep than dumping them in, say, a pot on the stove already cooking, but I didn't have room in the primary prep area (island near the prep sink) so I put them just across the 42"ish aisle near the rangetop. (Spices don't get hot in a drawer near the rangetop.) So easy to pull out, see what you need, use, and pop back in!

Tins are from Specialty Bottle. Lids fight very tighly.

Overall, I love this kitchen. It's proving very family friendly and I haven't had any issues with the primed shiplap as a backsplash. The marble island top DOES etch, but we're closing our eyes and hoping to make it to patinaland sooner than later. With 18 years of school fundraisers ahead of me, I'm certain we'll get there. But there's NOTHING like making pastries on it and I'm going to try my hand at fudge and candies soon!

Our FAVORITE spot, where we spend 70% of our time, is firmly planted on the BOOs block. Chop chop chop. Walnut end-grain... can't say enough. A quick sudsy soapy wipe after each prep and a once a month oiling and it's beautiful.

So here are the pics of our very lived in by a young family of five new kitchen!

alt=>

I hope that worked I'm doing this from my phone so I'm not sure if the original post can be edited?

finished countertop

close up of some of the beautiful detail

i LOVE my marble!

Yes, Lisa is correct. (Thanks, Lisa!) DH brings pots home for me from work so I never really get a choice. Vollrath has been a fine brand for me so far, but I've never really known anything else. Though based on research by the always-cooking Rhome on her blog, I think I'll say pretty please to DH for a tri-clad Vollrath Tribute in the future. I'm wondering if a tri-clad pan might help simmer me better on the ultra powerful CC rangetop.

I do have a lovely yellow Le Creuset of about the same size, but it's been packed (grrrrr) in the garage for over a year now for the house reno. Now that we're back in the house, I want my pan!! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Rhome's blog discussing Vollrath Tribute

we got our LED undercabinet lighting through Environmental Lighting, just like Dragonfly08. They are fantastic to work with. Our lights are a warm white and they are not cold or blue at all. They look wonderful. We also put ours on a wall dimmer. I think our total was under $600.

I was able to answer most of my questions with a good search, but definitely used all of the beautiful "finished bath" photos for inspiration. I discovered that "shower niches" aka "shampoo niches" are a bugger to find good photos of, so I'm including a pic of that! I used some leftover kitchen backsplash tile and let the tile guy go to town.

Kohler Memoirs sink, toilet, and shower combo.
Hampton Carerra basketweave floor tile from the Tile Shop
Calacatta Gold vanity countertop
White subways, baseboard and wainscot trim also Tile Shop

hurry up and get those babies installed! i can't wait to see...

Whoooopppeeee.

But, shhhhhhhhh.......I'm not telling my dh. He liked the satin nickel we had. I think he will love these. The others I looked at that he didin't like were too chunky, these are essentially the same as the ones we have now, just sparklier.

Can't wait to share the new plan with all of you. We've been tweaking it for a couple of weeks. I think it's completely done! And quite frankly, if KD1 comes into my house (because the vanities are still from his company) he will drop dead when he sees this place!!!!

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)/Articles pages contain helpful information about how to navigate this site as well as the world of kitchen renovations.

The Kitchen Forum Acronyms will help you understand some of the acronyms used frequently in posts.

The Finished Kitchens Blog has pictures and information about many GW members' finished kitchens. Not only can you see them alphabetically, but there is also a category list if you're looking for specific things like a kitchen w/a Beverage Center or a kitchen w/a mix of dark and light cabinets. Access the FKB Categories Page via a link in the navigation panel on the right of any FKB page. Additionally, there is a link to "In-Progress Kitchens" for those members' kitchens that are not quite ready for the FKB. There is also a link to kitchens that are ready for the FKB but have not yet been added. To access the "In-Progress Kitchens", the "Coming Soon Kitchens", and the "FKB Categories", see the links in the navigation panel that is on the right side of each main FKB page.

The Appliances Forum is very useful when you have questions specific to appliances.

To start off the kitchen remodel process...take the Sweeby Test. Then, move on to Beginning a Kitchen Plan.

Other topics such as layouts, planning for storage, and stone materials are discussed in later topics in this thread. Even more information can be found by doing a search on the forum.

Tips:

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Kitchen Forum "Sides"

Discussions: This is the "side" you are on. It is for on-topic discussions concerning kitchens...renovations, use of, etc.

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Gallery: This is the "side" where members often post pictures...especially if you're posting a lot or a finished kitchen. (Note: This is where StarPooh, our FKB person, wants you to post your finished kitchen prior to having it added to the FKB.)

Again, welcome and good luck! The journey is wild, sometimes bumpy, but fun and very rewarding in the end!

Here is a link that might be useful: Coming Soon - The New Finished Kitchens Blog!

So excited to report that progress is being made. We're scheduled to be finished by the end of the month (fingers crossed). This is a whole house renovation of a 1940's Cape. We downsized a ton from our last house and we are so glad! Feels very cozy and right.

Only base cabs have been installed. Templating for marble perimeter counters was today. Waiting on island, uppers, appliances, pendants, etc. ....but I'm so happy to see it coming together.

I included a photo of the brick floor in the mudroom/half bath because someone was asking about brick flooring in a post recently.

Photos~

View from banquette

View toward front door (Built in mudroom cubbies will be on left)

View from front door

Brick in entry/mudroom/half bath/pantry

Banquette
(Yes, the cup pulls were put on upside down today. Really? Really?)

Hopefully more interesting photos coming soon! Thanks for indulging me, as always.

Katie

--pip aka pipdog

Here is a link that might be useful: Original post with all the details

Not done:
light fixtures
tile
knobs on uppers
pantry door handle
drywall repair around outlets
paint
stools
kitchen table, banquette, chairs
DR chandy
DR chairs

Excuse any dirt or mess you see in the backgrounds!

Details

Perimeter: Carrara marble, honed 4cm
Island: Black Walnut
Custom Cabinets: Cornerstone Cabinetry, painted BM Simply White
Hardware: Restoration Hardware Aubrey pulls, 4', 6' and 8'
Rangetop: 36' 6 burner Capital Culinarian
Hood: Rangecraft, Viser model
Fridge: KA built-in
MW: Sharp 24' drawer
Sinks: Blanco silgranit in metallic gray
Faucets: Hansgrohe high-arc

From the Dining Room.

Closeup of beverage serving area. (Wow, that's a lot of booze. We're really not alcoholics!) We entertain a lot so I plan to set up beverages, which end up to mostly non-alocholic, here. I rotated this in photobucket, but it shows here the other direction.

I bought these pendants on sale and plan to do a DIY mercury glass technique on them to see if I can cut the glare but not make them look cheap. If they don't work, then I'm not out much and will continue the hunt.

I'll put a link to my photobucket album with more pics. My flickr account was full so the album will only have pics since we moved back in.

Oh, and I said I'd post some pics of the new cats, too. That's next!

Here is a link that might be useful: more pics

If the cabinets have intervening fences/ stiles, it may be difficult (or impossible) to form a continuous led section. Notching the cabinets is difficult once they are installed.

Corners should have the bars fitted perpendicular to each other to avoid interesting shadow zones.

The next is to decide whether to use direct wire or low voltage. This is more a logistical/ financial than technical issue as it requires selecting possible candidates and pricing out all the components involved in setting up the system.

Low voltage
If the sections are too far from the DC power supply (usually misnamed transformers) and/ or power requirement for the section too significant, additional DC power supplies may be necessary.

A thicker gauge wire may also be necessary. Many sites have a calculator for figuring out the wire gauge for a given power draw.

The cost of the transformer could be a significant component of the system which could result in the low voltage system costing more than equivalent direct wire systems

Direct Wire
eW profile is supposed to be good for up to a section as long as 50ft.
Direct wire lights are probably easier setup for installs with multiple long sections to be controlled from a single switch since there is no need to compute the wire gauge to compensate for DC voltage drop and figure out the correct power supplies.

Some reasons to use direct wire
1. High output desired for multiple sections spread out over a large area/ where low voltage equivalents could become too expensive.
2. No desire to deal with low voltage calculation, DC power supplies which need to be located in an accessible location. Or greater familiarity with AC devices.
3. Possibly better component quality (more likely for Philips eW profile) and CRI.

Reasons to use low voltage
1. Lower output. Low voltage bars have smaller conductors and/ or heat sinking that would limit the ability to drive/ over drive the LED emitters. This differentiating factor is likely to become less important as the LED emitters become more efficient.
2. Small enough install where the costs between Low voltage and Direct wire (AC) are not too dissimilar.
3. Requirement for low profile (~ 0.5")
4. Exact fit requirements, curved surfaces - low voltage tape can be cut, some bars may also be modified.
5. More vendors, more options.

Low Voltage UCL characteristics
a. The low voltage option requires a separate transformer.
b. The lights have typically lower profiles than the direct wire equivalents.
c. The bars may be cuttable unlike direct wire equivalents. This is true when low voltage LED tape lights are used.
d. The required dimmer will depend on the transformer used. If a magnetic transformer is used the dimmer needs to be a magnetic low voltage (MLV) dimmer. In small installations, a rheostatic dimmer may be used/ deployed. However, such dimmers do not save energy.
e. Most installations will be 60W or less for practical reasons.
f. The cost of the transformer(s) must be accounted for as it is typically a significant item.
g. The dimming load is (are) the transformer(s).
h. There are many vendors and a great variation in product quality and abilities (e.g. - flexibility, color rendition index or CRI, output, dimmability, wiring constraints - most are not forgiving of wiring mistakes)
i. Choices available - LED tape, bars, panels.

Direct wire UCL characteristics
a. The height is ~ 1 inch. The Philips eW profile bars are 0.88" tall, but the optional junction box could be an unwelcomed protrusion.
b. The light output could be greater than low voltage LED tape lights.
c. The dimmer for the Philips eW bars will have to be of the electronic low voltage (ELV) variant.
d. Longer runs may be possible than with the low voltage equivalents.

Common to both options
a. Having flat bottomed cabinets without intervening fences is a great advantage as you will be able to form continuous sections of illumination.
b. Separate sections of light bars should be wired in parallel so that problems in one section do not affect other sections. Consider the transformer as a simple junction box for direct wire configurations. Each section will be AC in the direct wire configuration (using romex 14/2 or 12/2)

c. There could be interesting shadow zones depending on the relative position of the bars. This typically happens in corners where the light bars should be placed perpendicular to one another rather than on the hypothenuse. There could be a shadow zone between bars that have a significant spacing between the ends.
d. If the light bars / beads of light are not to be seen reflected off the countertop, the light output should be directed towards the backsplash. An alternative could be to use edge lit light panels which really is the equivalent of aiming the light at something other than the countertop.

Hope there's enough food for thought.

Overall I love it. I had noticed some water condensation on the top of the door, but hadn't given it much thought.

Last night I realized that the wood under the formica counter top above the dishwasher has begun to swell.

Has anyone else had this problem?

We will be remodeling in the Spring and will have soapstone tops, so that shouldn't be an issue later, I don't think.

Any suggestions about what the issue might be?

Anyway, here are the details:
Appliances: all KitchenAid, except for the Sharp MW drawer
in the island. Range is 36" dual fuel, with a
griddle.
Cabinets: Mid-Continent, maple painted white, with soft
close drawers and doors. We chose all wood
construction.
Perimeter counters: Honed Carerra marble
Island top: Dark walnut, with a mineral oil finish
Floors: 5" wide white oak, stained 75% jacobean, 24% dark
walnut.
Lighting: Pendants, Quiozel, I think. Breakfast chandy is
Overstock.com!

Things I love so far: 1. Soft close!! Love!! Although we have it on all the drawers in the house, we only did the doors on the kitchen and butler's pantry cabs. Wish we had done it everywhere.
2. KA dishwasher and range...both of these have been wonderful so far, DW is so quiet and cleans really well. Range and oven are very easy to use and have nice, consistant heat. Plus, I think very pretty! :)
3. MW drawer...so awesome, love it to pieces!
4. Under cab lights...never had these before, we have them on a dimmer, they are wonderful.
5. Walnut top...everyone who visits swoons over it...it is a wonderful, warm surface.

Things I DON'T love:
1. Fridge! Counter-depth french door is awful! We had to buy an auxiliary fridge for the garage, and I am contemplating adding a fridge drawer to the island.
2. The distance from the range wall to the island seems a scooch too big, I think it is 48". I could have moved the island a few inches closer to the range.

I will do a seperate post about my experience with honed vs. polished marble (I have polished in the master bath.) There are pros and cons to each, I have found.

Anyway, Nini's kitchen!

On your list, for each issue indicate EXACTLY where the problem is located.... What room, what wall, Where on the wall, what the problem is, and what needs to be done. Eg., 1) Living room; on north wall, 4 ft from east wall & 18 inches above the floor; there are gaps in sheetrock around electrical outlet; need to patch gaps, smooth patch (or texture to match wall texture) and prime and painted to match wall. 2) 1st floor powderroom, floor 20 inches from west wall & 2 ft from south wall; cracked tile; remove and replace with good tile, regrout - make certain replacement tile is set level with surrounding tiles and that grout matches surrounding grout. The more detailed you are, the more likely the fixes are going to be done satisfactorily. So, a laptop with an excel program can be helpful for making your lists because you can copy and paste the correction instructions everytime you find yet another electrical outlet with gaps around it.

So, if it were me, I would ask to postpone the walk-thru with builder until after this weekend - even if that meant postponing my move in date by a week or so. Then I would take a couple of very persnickity (sp??) friends with me to the house over the weekend and spend several hours going over each room and making lists of punch list items. People seeing the place with fresh eyes will see problems that you noticed months ago, that your builder promised to fix, but then somehow never got around to doing. Keep a copy of your list and then check issues off as they are corrected. Otherwise, chances are, half the stuff you point out will never get corrected. Don't rely on your builder putting sticky notes on walls. Sticky notes have a way of disappearing without the work ever getting done!

Some things you need to check:

Whole House
_ Turn every light switch on and off.
_ If you have ceiling fans with multiple speeds, check that they work on every speed.
_ Test every electrical outlet (both top and bottom as we've actually found that on a number of outlets in our current house - which was purchased from a previous owner - only one half of the outlet has power and the other half is dead!)
_ Check that both heating and air conditioning work, and that you have an adequate flow of air from every register. This will require turning the AC down so that the house gets extra cold and then, after checking AC, turning the heat on to make sure that works. While it'll be a bit of a waste of energy, you don't want to find out that the heater isn't working the first night that temps suddenly dip below freezing.
_ Open and close every window. Make sure they open easily and close and seal completely. Look for any light entering around the edges of window (between the sash and the jambs.) If light can enter, so can water! If your windows tilt out to clean, check that function on every window as well.
_ Open and close every door, interior and exterior.
_ Check that all doors are plumb and square. The crack around an door should be even on all sides when the door is closed and you should not be able to see light coming from the other side except at the bottoms of interior doors.
_ Check that exterior doors close and seal completely. You should not be able to see any light coming in between the door and jamb or the door and the sill AT ALL.
_ Lock and unlock every lock
_ Check that walls are plumb and flat, that there are no nail pops and that the texturing and paint is even. BTW - nail pops are where the nails holding sheetrock to the studs back up slightly. You see them as little round bumps in the paint. You should not be able to tell where the edges of sheetrock panels are. Nor should you be able to notice any dips or high places in the walls where they taped and floated the sheetrock.
_ Check walls carefully around all outlet plates to make certain there are no gaps where the cuts in the sheetrock were made too large and then never fixed.
_ Check every piece of molding looking for cracks or gaps where two pieces of molding meet. Check the paint or stain on molding - particularly cut ends.
_ Check floors. Tiles should have even and straight grout lines; hardwoods should not have gaps between boards; seams on vinyl flooring should not be noticable; carpet should be tight and should not show seams; etc.
_While the house is quiet (late night is best), walk up and down the steps and across all portions of any hardwood floors. There should be no creaks or squeeks.
_ Check ceilings. You should not be able to tell where the edges of the sheetrock panels are.
_ Check stair spindles, balusters, and handrails to make sure they are solidly installed. No shakiness.
- Take a sprinkler with you and set it so that water falls down against your windows (simulating rain) and check for leaks on the inside. You should not see ANY water on the inside. (Caution - don't spray water UPWARD against your windows as you may drive water through the drainholes, set the spinkler so that water falls downward against the windows.)
_ If you get lucky and it happens to be raining while you are there, go into the attic and look for leaks.
_ Check that smoke detectors are working.
_ Turn everything in the house off and unplug the refrigerator, then check the electric meter. It should no longer be running. (Be sure to plug appliances back in afterwards!)
_ Make sure all water spigots are turned off and that your water heaters are full, then check your water meter. It should NOT be moving. If it is, you may have a leak somewhere in your plumbing system...possibly even under your slab.
_ If you have a real wood fireplace, build a very small but smoky fire (damp wood and newspapers) and make sure the chimney draws properly.
_ If you have a gas fireplace, light it and make sure all the vents work properly and that the flame heights are as you would expect them to be.
_ If you have natural gas or propane, find the inside gas cut-off valves. (NOTE that these should not be hidden behind an appliance - you need to be able to get to them easily in case of a fire!) Make sure the gast cut off valves turn easily. Light the appliance then turn the gas off at the cut off valve. The flame should go completely out. If it doesn't, the cut off valve is working properly.

Kitchen/Laundry Room/Pantry
_ Check that every appliance is working properly
* Refrigerator
* Freezer
* Dishwasher (run thru a cycle to ensure no leaks and that it actually cleans dishes. We bought a house once where the dishwasher seemed to work when we tested it but when we actually tried to wash dishes, they never got clean. It turned out that the water had never been attached and the little bit of moisture we were seeing was just moisture from the air!)
* stove top - check every burner
* vent hood - make sure it is actually hooked up and venting to the outside.
* oven
* microwave
* garbage disposal - put some garbage in it and make sure it chops it up.
* washer (again, run a cycle to make sure its not leaking and that it doesn't dance around)
* dryer (run a cycle with some clothes to make sure it doesn't dance. Also, make sure the dry vent is hooked up!)
_ Open and close every cabinet and every drawer to make sure they function properly.
_ Look inside each cabinet and drawer to make sure it is finished properly, that there are no missing shelves, etc. Also, look for scratches, nicks, and stains. Once you move in, you builder will assume that you made any mars on your cabinetry.
_ Turn both hot and cold water on at the sink. Fill the sink with water and then, after a while, check under the sink for evidence of leaking. Check around the sink to make sure that it is properly sealed to your countertop.
_ Check the countertop for flaws. Check the edges of countertops especially carefully as these can easily get chipped or scratched (depending on the type surface) during the building process.
_If you have a granite countertop, inspect it carefully. Run your hands over every inch feeling for any rough spots. Also, get down on your hands and knees and look across the granite from a height just an inch or two above the surface - places that are not properly polished will be more visible.
_ Inspect every light fixture installed by builder to make certain it was not scratched, dented, or marred in the process of being installed.

Bathrooms
_ Actually step into shower stalls and bathtubs to make sure they feel solid underfoot. Acrylic tubs and shower bases that "give" underfoot will crack over time.
_ Run water in every sink and bathtub and make sure they hold water without leaking. (Look under the sinks for leaks).
_ Run the showers.
_ Make sure you get hot water when you turn on a hot water spigot. Try it at every sink, tub, shower, and in your washing machine.
_ Run water at several locations at the same time to make sure you have adequate water pressure.
_ Test that bathroom fans work.
_ Flush all toilets several times to make sure they STOP running when the tanks refill. (Having a bunch of friends out for several hours also means your toilets may actually get "field tested" to make sure they really flush adequately... which not something you are likely to test while doing a walk thru with your builder!)
_ Make sure toilets sit solidly and evenly on the floor and are properly bolted down. There should not be any "rocking" motion when you sit down.
_ Have someone flush a toilet times while you run hot water in the shower and feel it. Flushing the toilet SHOULD NOT cause the shower water to suddenly get noticeable hotter.
_Make sure shower faucets are grouted properly so that water does not get into the wall behind them.
_ Check the cabinetry the same as you did for the kitchen.
_ Make certain that mirrors installed by the builder don't have flaws in the silvering.
_ Test that toilet paper holders and towel bars are firmly affixed to walls.

MISCELLANEOUS
_ If your builder installed blinds or operable shutters (inside or out) make sure they work properly.
_ Check that you OUTDOOR water spigots work.
_ Check all outdoor electrical outlets as well. These often get over-looked.
_ Check your garage door openers. Also make sure that, if something is in the way of the door as it comes down, that the door stops and goes back up.
_ If you have an attic access ladder, pull it down and make sure it works smoothly.
_ Climb into the attic and make sure you have the amount of insulation you are supposed to have.
- If you're really lucky and it rains while you are checking out your house this weekend, go up into the attic with a flashlight and look for roof leaks.
_ Make sure gutters are fully attached to walls and designed to drain water away from your house. Pull downward gently on the downspouts and make sure that there is no movement where they connect to the gutters. If downspouts have not been properly connected to gutters, they can fall out.
_ Check that ground around the house has been graded so that it slopes away from the house.
_ Get as high above the ground as you can safely manage and look to see if your roofing shingles appear to be flat and tight against the roof.
_ Check all exterior concrete for cracks.
_ Check the siding on the house to make sure everything that was supposed to be painted has been painted.
_ Check that exterior sprinkler systems work and that landscaping plants are alive and appear healthy.

This is all just "off the top of my head." I'm sure if you think about it you can add dozens of other things to check for. And, no doubt other posters will chime in with other things to add to your check list.
Ultimately, you don't have to insist that the builder fix every little tiny thing. If something won't bother you - or if you can fix it easily yourself and don't mind doing so, point it out to your builder anyway and, once you've gone over everything you can cross those items off your list as a way to show you're being reasonable but that the rest of the list IS important to you.

We had a slab leak in February. The entire downstairs had wood floors and water had been leaking into them for weeks/months? we don't know. But long enough that the walls and cabinets were wet as well. So they gutted and we got to work.
Our old kitchen was a dark place for me. We have north facing window and the light was always dim. We also had light wood cabinets and dark greenish black granite (Uba Tuba?) on the counters, island and backsplash!!!! ugh! what a light sucker that was!

I had always known that if we changed the kitchen it would be to white. I know people say timeless doesn't exist in kitchens... but every decade I can think of has had white as an option. So I never thought of this a trendy thing. -til i got here, lol.
Anyway, White cabs and grey counters were the only things I had in mind for sure. The rest fell into place the more I looked around and if you see a part of your kitchen in here... THANK YOU!!!! I stole SO many details from GWer's.

Details...
Apparently we have a small kitchen,lol... didn't think so til i got here either, it's 13'x12'

Counters.... Qortstone perimeters in Cemento
Island & Bar is Statuary Marble
Butcher Block on Island.... oiled Dark Walnut End-Grain 18"x38"
Cabinets .... shaker, inset, framed
Paint on Cabs ...BM Cloud White
Paint on Walls ... BM Smokey Taupe
Hardware is mostly RH & Rejuvenation for the Latches (way worth that investment!) All Polished Nickel
Island now measures 38"x 84"
walkways are 38" on sink side; 42" on oven side; and 36" on fridge side... all plenty wide, i was worried about pushing these measurements.
Bluestar RNB 36"
Proline 36" Hood
Sharp MW Drawer
Kenmore Elite French door Fridge
Fisher & Paykel Dish Drawer Washer
Sink.. Krauss 33" double Bowl Stainless
Main Faucet is Hansgrohe Pull Down PN

Befores...

and after...

Fridge wall, Appliance garage on right and coffee station on left

Island with BB and Rubbish/Recycling Bins/drawers - love these!

Bluestar tee hee

I'll post some more pics of fun details. Things i liked seeing from other's kitchens and ended up adding to mine.

At one point, I had chosen everything and had a huge set back of worry that the whole thing would be boring instead of calm and bright and peaceful. Thank you all for your encouragement and opinions on various choices and ideas. This is such great forum with wonderful people.
I love how my kitchen turned out!

xo

Thanks very much!
Our cabinets have a single bead on the recessed part. The top drawers are all slab inset and I like that look, as well. What helped me was to go to Crown Point's website (my cabs are local custom) and look at the inset slab doors (also look at Erikanh's kitchen for this) and the beaded inset (look at JBrodie's kitchen for this). The pics of their door styles are large and clear & helpful.

The hood is ModernAire PS26 or PS29 with polished bands, rivets & a pot rail. My contact person there was Pat Hartman.

Hope this helps!
Katie

the cabinet maker came in today to work on the folding doors for the baking center and breakfast bar. i love the hinges we found for the baking center (non operable) but we need a few more for the upper glass front cabs.

i think the appliance garages for the breakfast bar look cool, but i can tell already that i went a little crazy with all the doors. while it will be nice to hide that section away when company is here it will no doubt remain open for business the other 363 days of the year!

we're waiting on the flooring to be completed to install the legs for the island. while i initially thought it would be a little too big, i find the size is comfortable for the space. it affords a lot of extra storage as well as houses my turbo-chef oven. while i HAD to have that oven, i'm not hot on the look of it. -i know, everyone loves it. except me.

i also thought i'd include a pic of the mudroom pendant. i bought it from an ebay vendor. it may sound crazy, but it is one of my most favorite things about the house! it's absolutely stunning IRL!

they finally started doing the millwork on the fireplaces and our stairs are being installed. as soon as they're complete we'll go over our punch list, paint and do the floors. while some lighting is in, i wouldn't let them hang any more until the floors are sanded. yeah, i'm crazy like that.

i'll be back soon. i have to break into my bottle of happy pills.

Sorry for the delayed response. I haven't been on GW as much lately. Thanks for your kind words. I think mine is a "coming soon" kitchen on the FKB. Here are some photos that won't show in the thread anymore. Don't know why. Any questions, I'd be happy to help. Good luck!
Katie

-Attic fan & whole house fan
-outdoor speakers
-outdoor uplight landscaping lights;
-outlets placed in the floor of my family room so I could have a light placed behind the sofa on my sofa table;
-all four corners of the home with motion sensor lighting; connected to both back doors and master bedroom as well as front door sconces
-TV/Cable/internet in my kitchen; under cabinet tv
-low voltage-xenon under cabinet lighting wired to switch on dimmer
-wire for outlets above cabinet for rope lighting connected to a switch in kitchen
-a lot of 4 light switches/switch plates for almost all my rooms so I could add something!
-carbon monoxide sensors
-surround sound in rec room & playroom
-Place outlets in my mantle
-Wired for Cat 7 whole house audio.
-We knew in advance where we were planning to hang the plasma televisions, so we wired the wall where they were hang so there wouldn't be any visible wires.
-Outside outlets
-outlets inside bathroom cabinets such that hair dryers can be plugged in and placed inside a drawer rather than being draped over the countertops.
-'boogie-man' lights switch and switch to room lights by the bed
-outlets on either side of the front door for Christmas decorations wired to interior switch
-outlets in ceiling of porch above pillars for decorations
-switch for gas fireplace starter
-Outlets under roof eaves/soffits for Christmas lights – wired to one switch inside foyer closet
-Outlets under inside of windows for 'candle' lights
(and place them on switches as well).
-Where are you going to put your Christmas tree?
Place an outlet in that corner controlled by a switch!
-Place an outlet at front of the side base for a lighted garland up the staircase.
-Place outlets on every exterior wall for landscape lighting or yard work.
-Several outlets in walk-in pantry
-Outlets on both ends of island
-Place an outlet adjacent to telephone jacks for cordless telephone base.
-GFI outlet under the sink for the instant hot water dispenser and garbage disposal
-If you are putting in a security system or intercom
(or are just pre-wiring), be sure to provide
electrical service to these areas.
-Light switch in hall, etc. for attic
-For furniture placed in the middle of a room,
place outlets and fixtures directly above or below exact location.
-Place outlets in convenient locations at bathroom vanity – inside drawers for razor, electric toothbrush, hairdryer
-For a home office, fully consider computer, scanner, printer, answering machine, lamps, chargers, radios...need I say more?
-Do you need a plug-in for a laptop computer? Where?
-Where your TV is located, don't forget the DVD, VCR, CD...
-what else did I forget?...oh, yeah...satellite receiver? Dvd and all other peripherals in cabinet and wired to tv
-In a bedroom, don't underestimate the number of plug-ins at your bed stand: alarm clock, cordless phone, lamps. A quad outlet may be needed. Put outlets on opposite walls too in case room is changed around.
-Add outlets in exercise room – closet for treadmill & elliptical
-Wire for flat screen tv in exercise room
-Remember that your dishwasher also needs an undersink (usually) plug, so you might want a 4 receptacle outlet -- of course, GFCI.
-dimmers on every entry point to kitchen, living, rec, foyer and mud
-Quad outlets in study for printer/wireless router/etc. and kitchen
-Outside closet light switches.
-I think running 3/4" or 1" PVC conduit for comm wiring is probably the smartest thing to do. That way, you're pretty much ready for anything that the future throws at us.
-Floor outlets in middle of family room
-Dedicated circuit? Outlet in master closet for ironing and outlet for charging cell phones
-Step lights on front porch, up stairs and in area under stairs
-put a motion sensor on the wall next to the door to the deck so we can carry stuff out there from the kitchen and the lights will go on automatically.
-lights for our deck along the top rail
-rope lights under bathroom vanities
-lighting for backyard
-outlets for cable and electric behind the tv
-sconces next to entry to study and family room, sconces in hallways - upstairs and on sides of mirrors in bathroom
-quad outlets rated for 20A in front storage area for air compressor, etc.
-wire for lighting in storage area
-interior switch to exterior outlets
-light in area under stairs
-run 2 inch pvc pipe from attic to first floor/crawl space for future wiring purposes
-bedside lamps wired to switch
-outlet and gfci outlet for future bar area near kitchen
-make sure all outdoor lights aren’t only on one switch so they can also be turned on individually instead of lighting up the entire outside when not necessary
-outlets in storage area set at 4ft height
-switch for lights above island on the island

My kids have closets with bifold doors...do I need a light in those closets?

Rope lights under vanity? How do you feel about them? Just for the kids' bathroom if at all?
I know I'll forget something, but I'm waaaaay better off than I would have been if I didn't have GW.

Thanks in advance!
Lori

Here's a few photos of ours:

We are almost done. Just a kitchen table, island stools, desk area chair and accessories to go. Our project started in June and was substantially complete a few days before Christmas.

Unfortunately, I don't have before photos handy and used my iphone to snap these shots. Sorry for the quality. Our old kitchen was L shaped as well, a galley style with eating area. We had white 80's cabinets (solid door) with soffits. Counters were white square tile. Our worst feature was the powder room in the kitchen space and window that faced into our neighbors house (current range wall.) We expanded our kitchen by pushing out the range wall. Other than that we had to work within the space. Our main goals were moving the powder room out of the kitchen, storage, fitting in an island and eating area and respecting the age of our home (1906).

I am happy to share any details if anyone is interested.

Thanks again to all esp. those who helped me through a mini-marble crisis.

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Wow-thank you for your wonderful feedback! It means a lot. We acted as our own GC on this build & had no kitchen designer, so I was really flying by the seat of my pants. We did find an amazing cabinetmaker and I couldn't be happier with his work. I'll reiterate it-this forum was amazingly helpful.

Here are the details below. I will post some more photos of the adjoining rooms and half walls (drjoann) during the week as I unpack & organize. The room with the baskets is the playroom and our carpenter built the built in based on a Pottery Barn Kids picture. Rhome, the area behind the range wall is a mudroom with lockers & cubbies. We moved from a 2 bedroom in the city so I often just wander into the mudroom and stare. LOVE IT.

Any questions or details I miss, please just ask. I'm happy to answer anything.

Ceiling height is 9 and a half feet

Floors: 8 inch heart pine, tung oil & satin finish

Cabinets: Local cabinetmaker. Inset, shaker style with single bead in Ben Moore White Dove

Perimeter Counter: Soapstone (Green Mountain Original)
Island Counter: Calacatta Marble (Honed, 5cm)

Backsplash: Horus Art Tiffany (crackle, bianco)

Pendants: Restoration Hardware Benson (smallest size)

Hardware: Cup pulls are RH Gilmore, pulls are RH Aubrey, latches are Rejuvenation, and ice box latches are Clifside Brass. All are polished nickel.

Stools: Holsag Bulldog in Heritage Walnut (online through cymax.com)

Hood: Modernaire PS 26 (42 inches, 18 inches height)
Contact person was Pat Hartman

Range: Thermador Pro Harmony 36

Microwave: Sharp Drawer

Refrigerator: Sub Zero 42 inch Side by Side

Dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel double drawers

Sink: Shaw's 30 inch

Faucet: Rohl (modern architectural series)

Potfiller: Perrin & Rowe Country series

Thanks for looking!
Katie

Just finished playground, dog walk, supper, tubbies, bedtime and logged on and got all excited again because of your enthusiastic support!

I'll try to answer questions:

Soapstone meets the window behind the sink (thanks GW). Carpenter now needs to trim the window.

Cabinets are inset, single bead in BM White Dove.

Marble is honed calacatta, 5 cm

Soapstone is "grey soapstone" according to the slab info, but based on its origin (they said Vermont or Brazil) & its appearance, my guess is Green Mountain Original.

Both slabs came from Marble & Granite in Westwood, MA. I went for my first visit way back in December & picked both within minutes. Then waited 8 months!

We don't live there yet, new construction-but I'll be making visits to caress those counters...

Can't wait to have more progress pics to share.

Thanks all,
Katie

Everything went very smoothly and I am so excited.
Thanks to GWers (stoners) who shared all their marble and soapstone experiences, pictures, and info-made me confident when I chose the slabs and I'm so pleased with the results (giddy......hugging the installers!)

Now we're waiting for the cabinetmaker to return from vacation & put in upper cabs... Excuse the mess.

Thanks for looking,
Katie

Cabinets: Crown Point - Paper and Black Walnut Polished Nickel Hardware
Counters - Calacatta Marble
Island - Black Walnut from Grothouse Lumber with a durata finish (satin)
Pendants - Hudson Valley 8" Polished Nickel
Backsplash- Ann Sacks 2x2 onyx and 3X6 crackle subway tile
Range - Lancanche Cluny
Original leaded glass butler's pantry
Floor - QS white oak
wall color - SW Repose
Butler's Pantry color - BM Edgecomb gray
Sinks - Shaw farmhouse and round prep sink
Main Faucet - Newport Brass in Polished Nickel
Soap Dispenser- rohl polished nickel

Trisha

Yes it's Crown Point and that is indeed a glass cabinet. Here's the whole piece:

The interior of the regular cabinets is unpainted wood, also pretty. Let me know if you'd like to see a photo.

Erika

Here is a link that might be useful: http://photobucket.com

Ok, it's finally up! The hood is much quieter than I expected. The lights are nice and bright.

Katie, I hope these photos help you. Now go order your hood, girl!!

P.S. Do you have walls now?? And I meant to ask you, are you getting the new dish drawers, the one with the taller drawer on top?

Hope I'm not putting too many pictures!

Quick description (feel free to contact me if you have questions)
-Soapstone: Julia
-Cabinets: Custom, inset/flush shaker style with single bead (waiting to see if we get some issues resolved before I recommend the cabinet maker)
-Bookcase and desk tops: walnut
-Sharp microwave oven drawer (love it!)
-GE fridge
-Shaw 30 inch apron sink
-Wolf range top
-Thermador double ovens
-Vent-a-hood hood
-Dal tile
-potfiller: Newport Brass
-hot/cold faucet Newport Brass
-Main faucet: Mico
-Door to garage: one panel painted with chalkboard paint...fun! The kids love this and it's fun to put messages to guests, each other, holiday wishes, etc.
-Pull out baskets (love these...I keep bread in one and potatoes, onions, etc. in the other)
-Wine shelf--love it!
-Bar stools from Sturbridge Yankee Workshop (love these and they were so reasonable!)
-What would I do differently? More than 12 inch overhang on seating area of island (maybe 14-16 inch). And I might skip the bead board in the backs of the bookshelfs and glass cabs.

Happy kitchen designing to all! Thank you again!

Details:
DW, Fridge, microwave/convection oven (Kitchen Aid)
6 burner dual-fuel 36" range (Thermador)
Thermador Traditional Silent 42" Hood w/remote blower
Perimeter countertop Black Minas Soapstone from Dorado Soapstone
Island Countertop Honed Statuario Marble
Perimeter Cabinets custom built with BM Simply White paint
Island Custom Built Alder
Floor Owens PlankFloor 6" Walnut with Satin Water Based Polyurethane
Delta Allura Faucet and soap dispenser
Danze Pot Filler
Cabinet hardware from Restoration Hardware

Cabinets- custom built, inset. Color- SW8180, almond white
Counters- Antiqued Nordic Black