I think it is quite normal. And if you are like me, a year later the pain will be mostly forgotten.

I'm 1 week today and going crazy. I told my husband *I'm not cut out for this no kitchen stuff* everything is covered in saw dust. I can't find anything. I'm doing dishes in a bucket in the back yard. Lol.

Totally normal!

Laser beam focus. Keep your eye on the ball.

That...and some wine.

Well, I hope it's normal, it's certainly where I am, though I'm nearly done--final coat goes on the floor tomorrow, I *think* I'm done with decisions contractors need (and on to ones about inside-the-cabinet organization, that I'll do after they are gone). My contractors have been fantastic, don't get me wrong, but SO tired of everything. I recommend plentiful chocolate. And accepting that everything else won't happen (like, say, gardening).

Thank you everyone! Runs-with-scissors6 - depending on how long you are going to be without a kitchen, think about getting an Instant Pot. I ordered one on sale awhile ago just in case. Now that my reno is dragging on, I pulled it out last week to give it a try and, wow, I almost feel like why did I buy an expensive new induction range instead of lining up a couple of Instant Pots on the counter and calling it good. I'm making scrambled eggs in the am, steaming veggies, cooking chicken and just made a terrific pot roast. It's taken the sting out of no kitchen.

My reno starts Thursday. Thanks for the tip on that Instant pot!

I'm in the middle of week six and am tired of workers in my house, am miserable when no one shows up at all, and really sick of take out/deli food! I am trying to stay positive and excited but I too am worn down.

Hugs! What you're going through is a totally normal part of the creative process. My mom was a house flipper before flipping was cool and I saw her daily frustrations. My brothers and I swore we would never renovate ever. Ha! Didn't work out that way and we all now constantly feel the way you do. It is worth it in the end! I must warn you though that there is a worse feeling coming - it is such an amazing rush when it all comes together, and you will have learned so much, you'll be itching to move on to another big project before you know it. Once the design/reno bug bites, one is never satisfied again...

Just starting week 3. Things were going well but hit a few snags this week. Trying to stay positive and patient. We're fine with the grill, crockpot and microwave. Check with me in another 4 weeks.

It took us 68 days and we finished today! Hang in there, it is worth it.

"I'm realizing I am a wannabe DIYer where I can try things and think about them."

That is exactly how I felt and still feel. I was so fed up with all the screw-ups that I even considered making my own cabinets and watched some online videos.

I know it'd take me forever to get all necessary skills, so I am not going to attempt it.

But during the remodel, I approached everything as if I were to do it myself, so I tried to think through every detail from that perspective.

It took forever but it might have helped me avoid any major disasters. So far, all my disappointments and mistakes have been small compared to what might happen during a remodel.

Hang in there, it is just the nature of the beast.

ETA: The outdoor grill, crockpot, microwave, and your neighborhood take-out place are your friends. I would also highly recommend a portable induction unit. I got mine at Tuesday Morning for about $80 and it was worth every penny (it is a cost of one or two descent family dinners at a restaurant). I have taken the induction unit to many car trips since then.

Jesslake - you are right that it is a combination of stressful and kind of addictive. I tell my husband every night that this is *killing* me but I would not say "never again." I think I would look forward to doing it better next time now that I've learned more - about the particulars of renovation and also more about myself. Linae - LOL, you must be my sister from another life! I haven't gone so far as to investigate making my own cabinets but I am always thinking I could do something myself if only I had the right tools and a little more time. We'll see if I remain happy about that approach when it's time to DIY the Marmoleum Click floors with the help of a handywoman I can pay by the hour. I'm excited about it! I just couldn't go along with a $4.50/ft installation bid. I couldn't get the image out of my head of essentially taping $5 bills to each square and watching - click/$5, click/$5 - and I'm sure there would be limited enthusiasm to making sure my pattern comes out exactly right. I like being responsible for my own destiny/mistakes.

I've been looking for a reason to buy an instant pot...we call it the "magic pot" around here. My best friend got one, but she was always more of a crock pot user than I was. We're probably ordering cabinets in January or February. We're in TX, so we'll still be able to grill, but one pot indoors at short notice because I forgot to defrost the chicken sounds perfect for mid-reno. I guess I'll be picking one up for Black Friday!

I'm so not looking forward to being without a kitchen. I lived through my parents' kitchen remodel when I was a teenager. Doing dishes in a bus tub is miserable.

Fortunately we'll be able to do most of the framing without removing cabinets, so we're hoping to start (and finish) that while we're waiting for cabinets to arrive.

In your case and mine, it will all be worth it. A little like having a baby...the pain goes away and you're left with something wonderful that you made. And you'll look at it every day and wonder at the fact that it was so hard, but you're so proud of the result.

Ugh, melis918! I hope you are getting close! I'm stressed when the workers are here and I'm stressed when they don't show up so I can't win. This has been a good "getting to know yourself" exercise for me in terms of sorting out what are their issues that need to be fixed and what are my issues that have nothing to do with their work.

Wine and chocolate. The irritation and frustration are normal. The wine and chocolate will help. You just need to focus on the task at hand and have one eye open to the next. Trust no one. Watch everyone. Ask questions. Don't doubt your decisions. Don't feel bad when you tell the workmen to do it the hard way, not the easy way. At the end of the day, you will be exhausted, need a bath and a glass of wine and some more chocolate.

Homechef,

We don't have a bathtub where the water will actually even come up more than 5 inches. Maybe I should redo my bathroom before the kitchen? :D

We are starting next week.

Yup, the process is much too long. My reno was a cabinet install nightmare from beginning to end. Missed meetings, mis-measurements, mishaps (installer was in a bike accident) you name it. Our reno took over 5 months for what should have been a 2 month project. My best friend(s) were my portable induction cooktop, microwave oven, bbq, and wine.

My best friends were the induction cooktop and microwave oven too. But also included a portable dishwasher by the laundry sink in the basement. I pretty much set up a kitchen in the laundry room and sealed the vents and door as best I could. I was so glad to have a space to cook and eat that was pretty much dust free. We even had a TV in there for the kids. :) Sometimes I wished I could drown in chocolate while renovating but I'm not allowed alcohol or chocolate... :(

We are almost 5 weeks into ours. With a 2-year-old running around, it has been a little difficult. We put all my kitchen toys to use. We use the microwave, sous vide machine, air fryer, crock pot, instant-pot, outdoor grill, and camping stove to cook. It has been okay.

But the biggest issue wearing me out is the lack of communication from my GC. I have been trying to get ahold of him for 5 days now. HAH! Literally while typing this he finally called!

Communication is a huge deal, Jason - I agree. Most of my distress has been tied to over-promising where I probably would have been fine with how things were going if it wasn't spun as if it was going to be so much better.

About the Instant Pot - I thought of getting it but it sounded a little too good to be true. And then I saw Amazon reviews saying it could explode and that was enough for me. :-)

Here is what one reviewer said:

"This pressure cooker has had such great reviews that I had to have one. That was until I was cooking a roast for thanksgiving in the one pot and it exploded on me. Hot grease, water and steam covering my right hand, arm and abdomen. Having to be rushed to the hospital and burn unit 90 minutes away for 2nd degree burns. I have had to take off work because of being unable to use my right hand and have continuously been ignored by the manufacturer. It might be a great product but it has caused me over $5000 in hospital bills and scarring on my hand and abdomen. I don't want this to happen to any one else."

Sigh, in then things like this happen and I am slightly devastated. There goes a finished kitchen by Thanksgiving! 3-4 week turn around for a replacement :(

It's sort of like being pregnant and giving birth. You stress over every little thing, the birth is painful, but when you look at that beautiful baby, I mean kitchen, you forget the pain. Then sometime in the future you get the urge again to do it all over.

Oh dear. Sigh.

I'd rip that edge off and/or reprofile, stuff some glue in that crack, clamp it, and have that top fixed in 20 minutes. It's wood. The stuff grows on trees. There is no promising that the replacement top isn't going to do the same.

m_gabriel:

Same subject, different perspective.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Amazon is exchanging for free, upgraded shipping to 1 day (once the John Boos factory ships it), and gave me a small refund. We actually are cutting it down to size, but the crack was longer than where we were going to cut unfortunately.

Ill try one more and hopefully get one not beat to heck.

cpartist, I don't think I will ever forget this pain! LOL

And I know some moms who - after giving birth - decided against having more children because their first (or last) experience was so bad. :-)

Jason, it is a beautiful wood, otherwise.

Can't wait to see the final product. Please post pix when done. Good luck!

I also look forward to the final product!

That countertop is heartbreaking.
Making your own cabinets is nice if you have the "right" tools, but it's not hard and you can use "wrong" tools, too. It's all in how you approach it. Ask me how I know. Or not! LOL! You could also make that countertop in a weekend. Ask me how I know. Or not!

I must say, as I've been wont to do, if you're already worn down, what are you going to do when life throws you curves you didn't bring on yourself? Take a breath and look at the end goal. 5 weeks? 1 week? Oh, come on. Just imagine those annoying people getting a nice, vigorous enema. Or the idea of drywalling them in behind the sink so they can hear you everyday complain about the shoddy work you have to have redone. Something like that.

But your end is in sight. Imagine someone DIYing because they have no choice and can't hire anyone. Imagine how 5 weeks sounds? 5 months sounds?

Come on. Are those Big Girl pants in the corner waiting for you? You admitted it was a love/hate relationship with the work. End goal, people! Love the progress and enjoy the fight. 'Cause fight you will. But you have the magic scroll and wand. It's called a pen and checkbook. Use them wisely!

Well, the broken butcher block may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. In our center island, we are doing a piece of quartz 80% of the way and a butcher block top the other 20%. They are supposed to butt up against each other to form a single surface. That means the adjacent side of the quartz cannot have an edge on it. That was well communicated before templating and at templating but they put an edge anyways. That means the quartz and butcher block would not come together properly. We based the length of the quartz on a standard width butcherblock countertop, 25". By reducing the size of the quartz part, the butcher block top would now not be wide enough.

I gave the quartz company two options. Redo the whole slab at the correct length or pay the difference between a standard butcher block size and a custom one. They decided on option 3 and will be having a custom block made themselves. Now I get to return my butcher block and get a new one for free. A lengthier process, but financially a better outcome.

See! LOL! It's all a game...

I don't like your island detail. Butting a raw quartz edge against wood and expecting the seam to stay nice is dreaming. You must accommodate, not fight, dissimilar materials. Make one 1/4" taller, profile the edge and rabbet.

This is what we are doing: https://www.houzz.com/photos/cherry-hills-transitional-kitchen-denver-phvw-vp~572006 or https://www.houzz.com/photos/new-england-home-kitchen-traditional-kitchen-new-york-phvw-vp~14671907 

You cannot do that with the quartz has an edge to it.

The top detail is as your picture shows. I would do a rabbet which would have the advantage of turning a horizontal caulk line into a vertical one which is much more durable and easier to clean. Easing the unexposed raw estone edge reduces the chances of stress risers, which can cause cracks.

And don't even tell me they didn't caulk between the dissimilar surfaces. There's something going between them; it's either caulk or crud, take your pick.

The second detail also allows more freedom of movement for the wood and we've seen how yours misbehaves.

If you don't want to see the rabbeted edge, make it blind by continuing it down the front and rabbeting the estone. It will look just like the top pic. Depending on the severity of the wrong edge profile, they could make the rabbet cover it.

Interesting. Thanks for taking the time to draw that out. If we did the rabbeted edge over the quartz, we would be even more short- either way we need a larger butcher block top now.

I was thinking about attaching the butcher block top with clamps- similar to an undermount sink, so it can be removed and cleaned as necessary and also allow the wood to breath.

My kitchen renovation lasted 8 months. My cabinet salesman ordered everything wrong to many times ended up selling the first kitchen for a next to nothing and ordering a custom kitchen local just so that I could get it installed in a decent amount of time. Eight months of no kitchen was horrible. I would never do it again. Good thing is all the things I regretted not doing with the first kitchen that the salesman never did get me correctly I got perfect with my second. Good luck on yours hope it comes together quickly

What a nightmare, virginia lynn! I hope it was long enough ago that the annoyance is beginning to recede. You are right that having another chance to fix your regrets is a bit of a silver lining. All I think about with my kitchen is all the things I should have done differently.

[snicker] Whiners!

There is NOTHING that cannot be changed.
It's just how much it's worth to you to change it.

I'm here to tell 'ya.
The very most important thing about having the kitchen of your imagination is not to settle.

Jason, he's right. Vertical is far better than horizontal. We all want pro experience and advice and you're gettin' it here for free. (And many times with consummate patience, I might add!) Run with it.

Hun, it's very nice of you, but it's not necessary to thank everyone for their comments. This is an old board with most members who don't care about that. Many are probably unaware of it, as a matter of fact. It's nice, when someone actually posts something of content (unlike my posts) but there's no netiquette here on Kitchens, nor most Gardenweb boards for it. It was a function that didn't exist, so it's just extra email in our inboxes no one needs.