Which begs the next question…how to tackle this whole situation to preserve our beautiful kitchen (and my heart!)

This is where I see our next steps and I have to wrap my head around some of this and take the best approach. My goal is for the kitchen to look as good as it did…in the easiest way possible

1. Fix leak - they are recommending tunneling instead of jackhammering through the concrete. This is very typical for Texas slab leaks and easier apparently. Anyone have any expertise here bc I don’t care which way they do it…but I want to make sure it’s done right.
2. ‘Demo’ the kitchen. They’ll remove the cabinets and counters (how can they do this nicely and where will it be stored?) and pull up the flooring (wood planks, plywood, membrane, etc)
3. Insurance will provide us a temporary home…this is the one I’m feeling resistance too. I want to not be displaced again and then have things take longer than they need to. I’m still in some denial so words of comfort here are appreciated. Y’all…our home is so beautiful and organized and lovely…and I want to be positive but I’m simply human at this point.
4. Insurance will come inspect and then discuss option for build back. We have Farmers and they’re great (we learned last time!) so we’ll likely need to determine our choice of contractor and they’ll cut us check(s) as needed.
5. Schedule trades. I have reached out to our cabinet maker and we’ll likely use our same GC for the flooring and everything else.
6. Take things one step at a time. My husband said something that was grounding…he said with everything happening to folks these days…this is one hard I can deal with. And he’s right. Even though this is UNEXPECTED…we can do it!! Please remind me this as I navigate the next few months!

If anyone has any suggestions/tips/expertise in any of this process…please do share!

We shall get through this bc our kitchen is counting on us!

(The post above took out my numbering..not sure why! But I hope it reads as 6 steps)

One saving grace with tunneling is once they’re in, they will pinpoint the exact issue and fix it.

This is ‘only’ a $5-7k fix for anyone following and wants to make a silent wish that this never happens to you! 😂

@Shazia thank you for the excellent explanation and education. I'm sure everyone is mortified at your situation and extremely sympathetic. Thank you for sharing your husband's wisdom. He sounds like a man of great strength and experience. So can you also ask if all that water took away some of your sould under your slab? Can you ask if there is a way to mitigate any loss of soil supporting your home? This concerns me.

Your water bill actually may tell you the story of what happened.

You will find out sooner or later by the Professionals who are investigating on site. They can see it in person and ask you questions in order to understand the whole story. But, in the meantime… just curious….

Did your water bill jump up suddenly at some point during the renovations?

Or possibly, did it slowly increase or fluctuate a little each month since the reno started?

You talked about this happening “again” as far as an insurance claim. Sorry, I can’t remember. Will you please remind me of the reason for you originally redoing the kitchen? Was it an insurance claim due to a water leak as well?

Regardless of the reason for the water leak this time, those old copper pipes in that demo photo are still very concerning to me.

Just curious… Did your GC or the plumber ever recommend replacing those copper lines while the floor was jack hammered up?

""

Those old copper pipes in that demo photo are still very concerning to me.

As to copper pipes.....

These last 50 to seventy years! Can go as long as a hundred. I still remember my grampa and my dad re plumbing the entire house, getting rid of the galvanized and and 40 years later not one issue as the parents moved out to assisted living,

At a connection.... some pin hole sized thing? Perhaps, But ugly pipe doesn't mean much.

Latest update: point of leak is exactly where @rebunky suspected. sigh. also to your question, the original remodel was born out of a burst pipe during the freeze of '22.

We had the entire remodel permitted by the city to ensure there would be no issue...but here we are.

Based on location, they are doing a slab penetration plumbing fix which avoids tunneling and the slab issues that introduces. We will also know then exactly what happened.

The one great piece of advice we got from a plumber was to wait until all the floors were up. In our case, b/c of real hardwoods (plastic + subfloor + waterproof barrier + the actual 3/4" wood planks), leak detection can be skewed. We chose to wait for the floors to come up and have another leak detection - which saved us money and headache and new problems introduced via tunneling -b/c the leak was ultimately detected almost 10' further than the original spot.

Tomorrow is the plumbing fix.

Mitigation is nearing the end.

Reconstruction begins next month.

I don't even want to show you pictures of the state of our kitchen b/c you will cry. No seriously, @JAN MOYER, you can't look.

Our next step is to get bids on the reconstruction. I want everything to go back exactly as it was and fortunately, everyone is treating everything as luxury product - which it is.

Our cabinet company, Prime Design in DFW, is coming out tomorrow to assess the cabinets situation and we will have them repair/build back/install our cabinetry. I trust no one else. They are the one trade that we will recommend to the moon and back for quality product and professionalism through and through.

If anyone here has a trusted GC and/or flooring trade and/or fabricator trade in the DFW, please share. I will take my time to take bids and get the right people in for the remaining work.

Now that I've become seasoned at remodeling my home (this is so funny and sad at the same time), I know that good trades are EVERYTHING.

Send good jujus and any questions that you may have. I have been thinking about how my experiences can be of help to other homeowners.

So sorry to hear this Shazia. We lived in Richardson for 7 years and needed to do extensive slab lifting on our home. That dang TX soil is brutal. We’ve been gone from that area for 10 years so can’t be of much help. Wishing you great contractors to get you back in and settled.

Pipes burst in 2022 and now a slab leak in 2026???!!! Wow - that really is awful.

I am now wondering if what I'm picturing in my mind re: the current state of your kitchen is better or worse than reality . . .

So sorry that you're going through this - again. 😢

Oh, Shazia, I wasn't able to follow your first journey, but I am just sick hearing about this. I also live in the Dallas area (Plano), have the same terrible clay soil, and have lived through a slab leak. Mine was basically in the center of the house under newly installed porcelain tile. We made the decision to lift carpet in an adjacent bedroom, cut the slab, and tunnel in to the site. The location of ours was more obvious than yours because it was a hot water line and suddenly became our cat's favorite place to lay. It sounds like you are on your way to recovery. I wish you all the best in the upcoming months.

@Shazia have you got a plumber's quote for a full rerouting of the plumbing to an overhead system? After learning about slab leaks in Texas I would have to do something to prevent that from ever happening again before I did any other kind of work. Apologies if you already mentioned that somewhere in the post.

Thanks all. @thinkdesignlive @melindas1977 - y'all know the craziness we get here in Texas! I don't even know what to say at this point b/c we've dealt with it all now in the last 5 years. Burst pipe from freezing temps b/c pipes are on exterior walls, hail storms that take entire neighborhoods out, and now...this slab leak. I grew up on the east coast and barely heard about any claims.

@kl23 we have a 2 story house so an overhead system won't work in our case. 3 plumbers all said we couldn't reroute for that reason.

Good news - the leak was fixed today. They replaced entire fittings on the hot and cold lines at the manifold. The leak was found on one of the fittings the remodeling plumbers soldered in on the cold line...so I requested it be changed at the hot line too. If there was one point of weakness b/c of soldering, it could be an issue down the line on the hot side too. The rest of the plumbing in the house seems to be solid so I'm crossing my fingers this is the last of issues to deal with. We are also going to install a Moen Flo water control meter to prevent issues in the future too.

Fixed plumbing

I'm happy that your plumbing is fixed! What is the schedule/plan for the rest of the kitchen?

Mitigation ends this week and then we’ll start taking bids for reconstruction/build back.

Cabinets came out today and said they need to remake everything bc the cabinets were too compromised. So we’re going to take things one step at a time!

So glad you took preemptive measures. I have friend who actually had two slab leaks about six months apart (different locations in the house). What nightmares are made of.......

Glad to hear they fixed the leak, and hopefully you’ll get your beautiful kitchen back just as you remember!

Jan mentioned above that copper pipes can lasts a long, long time. That is very true, as long as they remain undisturbed. They don’t like being messed with. 😤

I hope they will be extra gentle adding back the concrete!

I’m trying to remember, was their something with they cabinets that was slightly off from the final design, but that you decided you were ok with? Was it that they did the shaker instead of slab on the top drawers? I feel like there was something else too. I just figured since they have to redo the cabinets anyway, maybe you could have those few mistakes fixed?

Please keep us posted!

So we have officially been told by insurance that the ITEL report said that the cabinets are not repairable so that's that.

@rebunky yes to your question about the small things that we could get fixed this go around.

I can't believe we're here again, but here we are again. :)

Sympathies @Shazia

Hiiii!!! Do you know where I can source this hood style?

Sorry for the late reply Shazia!

If I remember correctly, I had posted way upthread a photo of a hood similar to that one in response to Rabbitt saying yours was too boxy. I agree that this curved shape would be an very nice improvement.

Look up plastered hoods. Basically, your contractor would frame out the hood’s shape and then add a plaster finish and paint it to match the cabinets.

Please keep us posted on the progress! 💕

Thank you @rebunky! That’s what our GC told us too and I didn’t realize it could be that easy! I was scouring this thread to find @jan_moyer original hood style but I couldn’t get back far enough to find it!

However, here’s the hood I’m thinking about bc guess what!!! I’m getting all new counters and we will get the third slab of Taj to do as the full backsplash!!! The light at the end of the tunnel.

Here’s a rendering (as good as AI can do for now). I had it show me various hood options and I loved that soft curve in the current kitchen.

My current contractor is exploring if we can reuse the cabinets bc they are in great shape and I don’t know that I want to wait another 9 months to get the same cabinets made again! And my heart and mind don’t have the capacity to redesign the absolutely most beautiful kitchen already!

But the Taj backsplash and hood are exactly the update needed (which y’all clearly wanted from the get go!). The plaster on the hood will add that additional texture and be a nod to our plastered fireplace directly across the hood in the family room.

I’ve included the rendering of the final look but obviously this has to be made to scale!

p.s. who’s interested in designing my upstairs bath together? We’re going to get it done while we have contractors back in the house. I’ll start another thread if y’all are interested! Just emoji this if you’re IN!

Oh and other small changes:

I’ll get the glass shelves y’all wanted and change out the glass on cabinets! I have to go find the name of that glass that was mentioned here.
Adding a light at the beverage station. It’s too dark in that corner.

Sooooo…great news. We are doing three new slabs of stone.

We really fell in love with this Soho quartzite we found. The picture doesn’t do it justice with the tonality and iridescence but it was both of our favorites.

I still like Taj but is it possible to be over it now? DH certainly is.

He is wanting to do this soho on backsplash and perimeter…and then do something bold on island. We’ll change out the stools too this go around. I think his idea is valid but we would have to get the stone justttt right.

Thoughts?

I like the stone! However since it is very light have you discussed how it will hold up to stains? https://seremodeling.com/how-to-remodel-a-kitchen 

Shazia I followed your previous kitchen remodel. It was truly one of the most gorgeous kitchens on Houzz. I am hoping Jan, Rebunky, and the others see your new post.
In regards to the new slabs…IMHO they don’t have the personality and class (for lack of a better word) as the Taj you had previously. Taj has a more feminine feel, with the curves of the veining, the other stone feels more masculine and that may be why your husband likes it
I’m sure whatever you decide your kitchen will be fabulous, you have exquisite taste.

"He is wanting to do this soho on backsplash and perimeter…and then do.......... something bold on island. We’ll change out the stools too this go around. I think his idea is valid but we would have to get the stone justttt right.

Thoughts?"

One decision, not TWO. Meaning NO, NO AND NO?

Sorry to DH, what goes in the backsplash/perimeter..........GOES ON THE ISLAND.

Do not mix two stones. also, make certain that IS a quartzite as they are often, varying by stone yard renamed, and confused.

It matters only to you and DH when you love a stone. I loved the Taj, and there is no argument here, that we've all used it a lot. That is because while yes, it is both calm, warm and lovely its basically very hard to ruin in even a very active kitchen,

@Jan_Moyer has entered the chat💃🏽My weekend has been made!

Happy 4th of July to all celebrating 🎆 I will certainly not be staring at the concrete hell that is currently half my house (pic attached) 😂

Now onto stone, thank the lord that you nixed the different one on island Jan! It made me think of those custom kitchens in the 80s/90s that promptly aged the mansions house as soon as the trend was over. And tbh, those stone counters were absolutely gorgeous and rare. It just dated the home and I do love timeless. I still love what I love years later. Anywho I digress.

SoHo is quartzite and very durable. The rep at the showroom was kind enough to be transparent about which stones to stay away from due to staining issues (Tahiti and Mykonos she mentioned in particular) but said SoHo is great!

We absolutely loved this stone in person. It actually glitters and when DH said it was top of his list, I did feel validated inside.

I doubt my taste at times bc timeless can sometimes equal basic but other times it’s classy…and this is why designers make the decisions and not me or DH 😂. To his defense though, he is a handsome man with refined taste. The cigar lounge to my airy feminine.

@amateurdeziner - thank you for your kind words, they meant a lot! Re: the slabs, I don’t think the pics are doing the slab justice but the stone is so pretty that it actually glitters. It’s like I have enter fairyland but on Jupiter.

But let’s talk Taj since we’re all here for it. So I love Taj. I also have 6 remnants of it now so it’s going in upstairs bath vanity, maybe in our pantry, and maybe on fireplace.

The thing is Taj is on my short list for sure. But is it possible to tire of it? I don’t have to be the most unique kitchen on the block but everyone and their mom is doing it in Dallas now. And it’s beautiful in our kitchen of course and I would be happy with it. We would do a leathered finish this go around. And we are getting 3 slabs bc I understand the assignment now and checking bundles so we’re getting full height backsplash!

BUT DH is officially over Taj. And I wouldn’t be sad without it.

SoHo would look darling in our kitchen (but tbh, any stone would look darling in our kitchen!). They have a honed option in Austin that I may formally ask to be brought over so we can see it. We do like the matte finish in most slabs unless y’all say no.

And that is the current slab saga.

The End.

Ignore me if you want, but wasn't it perfect before? Why not replace it exactly as it was? Like I said. Ignore me if you want.

I'm getting the hint over here re: taj, lol! Definitely not going to ignore you @kl23! you're part of the team too.

it really was perfect before but also, it would be even more perfect with the full height backsplash and different hood (I still need to go through this thread to see what Jan's original hood plan had been before we had to work with the limited stone in round 1). since we have to build back from scratch anyways and are getting new slabs, it did open up pandora's box...

Thanks @Shazia

I'm planning the renovation of my own kitchen and have chosen to extent the backsplash to the ceiling and also beyond the cabinet area to include the entire wall ending in an interior corner. So I couldn't argue with your backsplash thoughts.

I have chosen an invisible hood that tucks inside cabinetry. But I like a contemporary look, and you are heading towards more traditional. I can't even choose my cabinet stain and tomorrow will be my third attempt, so you ready can ignore me, especially with someone like Jan helping you.

@kl23, is someone helping you with stain?!

Also I’ve never heard of a hidden hood in my life

Oh you’ve seen hidden hoods in many kitchens. They’re the ones integrated into cabinets and are usually called “inserts.”

Ohhhhh, the actual hood vent! Yes, we have one of those too, lol!

haha!

My understanding is that Soho quartzite is more accurately categorized as dolomitic marble. It can scratch much easier than true quartzite and is highly porous. It has good heat resistance - but takes much more maintenance in order to minimize potential staining. It also is subject to etching.

You need to take a piece of it home with you in order to test it out with various substances that could stain (mustard/wine (I know that you don't drink wine - but I would still use a little red wine to test the slab)/oil/etc.)

@Shazia yes, I hired a local interior design who uses Houzz in addition to the contractor's kitchen designer. We chose a stain now. Part of the problem for me is that the small sample was perfect but the larger door sample was noticably darker. I've since decided that's ok. The hue is perfectly chocolatey. Here's a link to my downstairs project with links to previous projects:  https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6372549/renovating-the-main-floor-of-this-1979-split-level-builder-grade-home

Quick paint question as they’re going to repaint in a few weeks.

Sherwin Williams Greek Villa
Cashmere line
Wall paint - Flat
Baseboard - Satin
Cabinetry/Trim - Satin

Is this correct?

Wait are you all saying that contrasting island countertops is a no go? I feel like I see that all the time on here. We were hoping to do a contrasting island with both cabinets and countertops. White/off white cabinets with honed black granite on perimeter, and darkish wood cabinets with light non busy granite or quartzite on island. Is this a bad idea?

Edited to add a few inspiration photos. None of them is exactly right but this is the idea. The island and floor will be dark wood with no red tone.

Ok, we listened to y’all and selected this stone. Leathered Taj!

But now send good jujus bc the third slab is on hold so only 2 slabs available.

However, we’re not looking for a unicorn so if this one doesn’t work, we’ll look at other bundles of leathered Taj.

DH loves Crystallo (I don’t)

And we both loved this marble but…it’s marble. 😭

Does anyone have experience with this marble? Volakas? It’s 2cm and marble/dolomite and I have to confirm the measurements will work but it’s absolutely stunning.

Here is the marble in question above…

Too much drama for me...........: )

Thank you @jan_moyer. Will stick to Taj Mahal then!

I like the leathered/honed finish though unless you have any experience to say no to that otherwise?

Leathered/honed is fine !

Thank you Jan!!

Also I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of watching IG videos and the algorithm knows that I’m working on my house and well…I have some questions…

Should I do a different edge this go around with the Taj instead of eased? Ogee or DuPont maybe?

Should I consider a new cabinet color? I do love Greek villa so happy if you tell me to stick with it…but should I consider a different color? We have the opportunity to start over with any color.

And lastly do you like this hood shape and doing it in plaster or Roman clay?

Here’s my kitchen before the slab leak to refresh memories 😍

Shazia, I love the new hood you’re considering. I think it has a beautiful curve to it…like a woman’s figure, as opposed to the previous one you had…which had more of a square box feel. I think it would look lovely with a plaster finish. However I would default to Jan on the finish of the hood and the color of your cabinets, as she is the best!