Thank you! Now I can print this and keep it handy. Too late for some tips, but plenty to keep in mind at this point in our project!

Great idea for a thread and will be so useful to those starting out. I agree with so many of these and I would reiterate trusting your own instincts and tastes. Go with what you love, whether or not it is what is currently hot.
I would add that I wish I had chosen all or most of my finishes together in the beginning rather than one at a time. I spent lots of time choosing a cabinet finish independently of what I wanted to do on the floor and the countertops. So after choosing the cabinet stain, I found it hard to match with a granite I liked. It worked out fine eventually, but it would have been far easier if I had chosen them together and not limited myself.
Also, INSIST on seeing and
inspecting all your granite slabs. Yes, this is a no-brainer, but our granite fabricator assured me that I didn't need to see the second slab because it was the same as the first, and needless to say, that didn't turn out to be true, and I will spare you the trauma and wasted time that followed. The larger lesson here is make sure everyone you deal with is scrupulously ethical.
I also agree that big drawers -- and lots of them -- are great.

Excellent idea!!

If I had it to do differently I'd have found GW a couple years ago instead of suffering with the old kitchen and wondering where to start! :)

I wish I'd not followed the popular suggestion to live with the kitchen for awhile before choosing a backsplash. Truth is, it hasn't gotten any easier. And if I'd *had* to make the decision at the outset, I might have changed some other elements and avoided the situation I'm in now -- with everything else locked in, not being able to see the perfect solution.

I love my new kitchen, but I would have made some minor adjustments if I'd known about this forum from the start. I'm trying to spread the word to friends/family so they can have the benefit of all the ideas and wisdom it offers from the get-go.

Thanks for compiling this list!

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I'm not completely finished so it's hard to say anything about the kitchen side of things ... but I would have spent more time on the design before starting interviewing contractors. I think I scared them off too much by having several versions of design and not having at least little clearer idea about the direction of my remodel.

On the other hand, maybe they were just jerks and thought my job too small to prepare a bid (I got 1 bid out of 5 contractors I initially talked to). :)

Which I had brought my greenhouse windows down to counter height. Still not quite sure why I didn't?

Could have avoided problems and disappointments if I would have insisted on seeing samples of everything in person. Way too many things ordered sight unseen.

Thanks! I started the thread because I was just getting ready to 'sign on the dotted line', and hoped I could get some advice on what isn't worth the money and what is. It did help, but unfortunately my home is semi-custom, so walls/large adjustments can't be made.

Hearing 'testamonials' on granite, tile, fixtures, flooring, etc., did help me come to some of my ultimate decisions. I already knew what cabinets I wanted, cause i've been dreaming about this house for a few years. I couldn't quite 'see' the other things, so this forum is definitely a great place to come when you're stumped and need to bounce around ideas, or just vent.

My kitchen is not started yet, but all decisions have been made, and I can envision it very clearly, down to the accessories i'll be using. The only thing giving me a slight problem is the light fixtures I want~they're just so darn exppppppppensive!! I might have to forgo 'my wants' in another room! ;o)

I have one tall cabinet that I wanted to sit directly on my butcher block counter, an appliance garage of sorts where my mixer lives. Got the idea from a magazine photo, but unlike my inspiration cabinet I neglected to think to order it without a bottom, so now the mixer has to be lifted up and over the lip of the cabinet floor instead of just sliding out. Grrr.

I DID however remember to spec my trash pullout cabinet with a solid divider between the pullout and the drawer above, thanks entirely to this forum.

frankoma, I'm not very good at picturing things, but why did you need the solid divider between the pullout and the drawer above. Wouldn't the bottom of the drawer have been enough?

Thanks!

Having a wood divider is just an extra precaution to keep potentially icky garbage odors from seeping into the drawer above. In reality, my trash/recycling bins are so small my garbage doesn't sit around all that long, and the drawer above only contains storage bags (and not flatware, for instance), but I still like the idea of keeping the garbage as contained as possible. Total non-issue for some, of course, but a great example of the little details that come to light thanks to the gardenweb.

We ordered the Blum soft-close hinges for the doors for our kitchen (which has yet to be installed) and also for our den cabinets (which were installed early-December) and frankly, they've proven to be a total waste of money.

My sole reason for doing so is because my husband is, after forty years on this planet, clearly incapable of closing a cupboard door. He must be missing a gene .... I erroneously thought that with these expensive hinges ($7 a pop) at least if he started the door closing it would just take care of the rest on its own. WRONG. Instead, it's just like before (door ajar), only expensive. I really rue it.

I'm going to reserve the right to re-post after the kitchen is done ....

rmkitchen - cheer up! YOU can still enjoy those hinges. Every time you find an open door you can work out your frustration by giving it a good slam shut, and then smile as your expensive hinge softly protects your new cabinet. :-)

frankoma, thank you for the explanation. Great idea!

Trudy

I had trouble picking a stain color for my cabinets. I took several samples home from the cabinet store to view them in my house. I only kept them a few hours and never looked at them under artificial light. I wish I would have kept them overnight. My cabinets are lovely in natural light and remarkably hideous under flourescents. =(

frankoma -- thank you for your great suggestion! I like the idea of "safely" acting out my frustration ....

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I wouldn't have used so much backsplash tile. I think I would have put it only on the wall with my range and left the remaining walls untiled.

I would then be able to add some color (and a different focal point) to my kitchen with paint. It would also make picture hanging a whole lot easier.

My island is 12'long and 49" wide. There are 3 heights - 42", 36" and 30". To me, the 42" height is useless although it is where DH sits when he is in the kitchen. It was his idea and he now admits that 36" would be better. SO--- I would have 8'at 36" and 4' at 30". I get to correct all my mistakes as I have 2 more kitchens to do - maybe 3. Not looking forward to it! I'll be around here for a long time.
I made a lot of good decisions - the best being changing the layout to a galley from a square.

My biggest mistake was choosing a finish in the cabinetmaker's office. When the cabinets were installed in our kitchen they were a nightmare (part the unfortunate striped quality of his finish; part my poor choice of stain). Instead, I needed to have the potential choices in the light of my room to make the right one.

That little error cost us nearly $2K. But, in the end, I'm glad we made the correction.

Another thing I would do differently - get *smooth* tile instead of textured. When the floor in my kitchen was done, the tilers forgot to clean the grout off before it dried. When I pointed it out, they spent from sun up to sundown scrubbing the tile until a lot of the grout was off. But a year later, I'm still trying to get the rest off. Ugh!

My advice - pick smooth tile!

I would have put in another trash pullout just for newspaper recycling. (but where?)

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