It's part of the "character" of having an old home...

I only noticed it after staring at it for five minutes. The only way you can get it to be straight is to smooth out the ceilings, which in an old home will be a big challenge and expense. It's easy to get fixated on the small things during a remodel.

Every ceiling is uneven, even new construction. With an older home the issue is more pronounced. I agree with other posters that adjusting the crown the way your GC did is the only way to handle the issue other than leveling the ceilings at great expense. Unfortunately, yours looks more pronounced because of the column you have attached to that cabinet. It draws the eye to asymmetry, draws the eye to the narrower end of the crown, and also weighs down the whole so that the crown doesn't appear to float as well. That was a design choice on your part that cannot be undone.

Personally, I thought the column attached to that cabinet made the crooked crown moulding LESS obvious. It makes the whole thing purposely asymmetrical and therefore, the accidental asymmetric of the crown moulding line blends in more.

When things are perfectly symmetrical, things that are off are more noticeable. IMHO

Just realized these issues have also been addressed in your other thread. Responses also indicate as I mentioned that your detail of columns and other design choices are part of the problem.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5519988/different-height-base-cabinets-wall-cabs-not-straight-crazy-crown#n=12

I read you other thread too but for some reason can't comment on it. My thoughts are similar to others':

-An old house is predictably wonky and you have to accept that. Really accept it. In the psychological sense, not in the "take responsibility for it" sense.

-As long as the cupboards and counters are level to the horizon (i.e. your dishes aren't going to slide around on a slope) your installer has done the right thing. That may mean they look slanted relative to the ceiling or floor.

-It would drive me bonkers. It's the reason I didn't choose crown in our old house. And it would give me vertigo too. The second I stepped into your kitchen I would get woozy and I would know exactly why, and in fact looking at your pics makes my head spin a little. But I would also realize that it comes with the territory of an old house and I would laugh it off. Hopefully *with* you because you have come to that place of acceptance, but certainly not *at* you because it's completely to be expected. (And because I would never laugh *at* someone else's home, of course)

I don't see it can you put an arrow for me?

I don't see it can you put an arrow for me?

The red boxes in the image below are the same size. Notice the extra space between the one on the right and the bottom of the crown moulding.

I saw it immediately, but I was thinking was not that. In my opinion it's horrible, I will ask an opinion and let you know

I suspect it's b/c of the ceiling height differences. They did exactly what is usually done in these cases. The cabinets are leveled/same height and the crown molding is used to accommodate the height discrepancies.

Short of tearing out and redoing the ceiling, I don't think there's much else that can be done.

I think one of the reasons it's so obvious is that you have only a small filler space for the crown. If you had larger a larger filler space, it might not be as noticeable.

Oh, and that post (or whatever it is) that ends just below the crown is probably also contributing to it since it draws attention to the top where it ends and the crown on the cabinets behind it continue.

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(See my comment on one of your other threads: [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/wall-cabinet-distance-to-countertop-dsvw-vd~5520040[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/wall-cabinet-distance-to-countertop-dsvw-vd~5520040))

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ETA: Just read friedajune's post -- same comments!

That's cause I learned from YOU Buehl!

the only way is remove crown molding, put another layer of drywall. there are ways to fix a sloped ceiling, but you need to start over. Removing all the drywall and sistering joists.

Welcome to the wonderful world of remodeling.

The crown, panels and other elements have strong horizontal lines that make it easy for your eye to see the out of level condition.

What I recommend for the specific case of the wall cabinet in the photo is to run the piece of trim installed under the top crown closer to level and notch it at the little pilaster at the left. I think the groove in the trim will die into the top of the crown on the pilaster and camouflage the issue.

There are two fixes I see at this point: Hold the crown down so that it reads closer to level which will result in a gap at the ceiling and then "float" the ceiling with compound. In concert with this you can also likely back plane the crown to help "bend it" and that will help. You will likely still see it but it'll be an improvement. It is a known technique to address this issue. Your guy should know how to do it. Second option - rip it out - rip out the sheetrock and shoot the ceiling joists with a laser and level it. Sounds extreme and it is at this point but it's also your house and you should be happy.

Now, I completely disagree with everyone that's saying its an old house and its a remodel. It's relatively easy to get this right if you are paying attention. It always comes down to time, price, and/or quality. As the saying goes pick two. As you are the client, you set the tone. And if the tone you set is speed or price then this is not an atypical outcome. If the tone you set is quality then frankly your GC should have shot the ceiling with a laser before he rocked and hung the cans and got a sense for how much he was out. Then told you, perhaps showed you with the laser and provided a price for leveling it down. Then you own the decision. Frankly, that's our standard operating procedure - primarily because you hired our firm and we do it once and we do it right. but also because I don't want the call and I certainly don't want you unhappy. But there are levels of contractors and it also assumes that you have sent the signals that you care about quality. If you are at them to finish and they are relatively on schedule then you are culpable as you set the tone. Is he on a bid and did you go low or push for him to catch the low bid ? Do you want it right or do you want it right now ? But if you were all about quality and paying a fair wage then it's all on him.

You have to decide what you can live with it and where you are budget wise. I'd have to see the rest of the kitchen to make the determination as to the preferred course of action. But as we like to say Do it Right and Do It Once so I think you should talk with GC and come to some arrangement to at least try to remediate the problem. Heck, it's right in the kitchen and the job has his name on it. And don't be cutting any checks until you have the conversation.

I know this is an old post but wouldn't the recommended method be to keep as many horizontal reference lines parallel to the cabinets? Assuming the cabinets are level, work your way up and use the crown to flex to the ceiling? It looks as though they went the opposite direction.

scobob:

Unlike casing or base molding, crown follows two planes, not one, simultaneously, therefore making "flex" an impossibility.