Everyone says that when remodeling an existing kitchen (particularly in an old house and mine is 68 yrs old), there is always "the unexpected". Since I was not changing plumbing and I know where plumbing has been in the kitchen (we moved the sink 31 years ago), and no gas lines were moved, I figured wiring was the only "surprise" and it wasn't really a surprise at all - we had to notch some wiring into the studs when the soffits were removed.

I should have been forwarded but didn't pick up on it. When my wallpaper man came to remove the wall paper (I have had two different wallpapers in this kitchen over the years, and did it the first time myself), he said he could promise that he wouldn't tear the paper coating on the drywall on one wall. I told him this house had plaster walls and ceilings except where they had been changed, and that this wall had never been change - it had to be plaster.

Well, we were both wrong! When they removed the upper cabinets yesterday (the lower come out on Mon), we realized that the backsplash (which had also been wallpapered twice) had a thin masonite board over the plaster. It wasn't even fastened to the wall - the upper cabinets held it in place! Then, we realized that that wall the wallpaper guy thought was drywall, also had a thin masonite board covering the entire wall. Of course, when the cabinets were removed, some of the paper (with new paint) as the edges was torn. So now I have to try to get my painter to come out and skim coat the rough edge and repaint it as I sure don't want him doing this right up against the edge of the new cabinets next week. Another wall must have been spackled by the former owner and it had been wallpapered as well. When the cabinet came down, it took the spackle and new paint with it. That entire wall must now be skim coated and repainted. It's not as big a problem as there is just the one free-hanging cabinet on that wall and they can come back and hang it later.

It's just a big headache on a tight schedule as I'm hoping to be without a sink for as short a time as possible. Best laid plans...