The living room flows so nicely! The rug has a hint of the blush tone of the chairs.

I actually have the all stainless GE Cafe range. My mine is about 11 years old, so that was before they did the cute little bronze ring on the right side of the handle. It has taken a beating, but still going strong! Glad it has inspired you to start cooking!

And please start a new thread when you start your bathroom. I would love to be a part of round two! 😂

@dani_m08,

I hope you start your kitchen reno soon and please start a thread if you need help!😘

@Shazia it's all really pretty. I like the strong vertical emphasis. Are the lights on dimmers? It seems really dark in contrast with the light in the living room. Maybe it's just the photo. I don't think you need a clad refrigerator at all. What you have is great.

As mom always said?

“

All’s well that ends well!”

I’ d re read but……:) ?

It’s nothing more than the virtual conversation , albeit within the constraints of distance and strangers! Lets say we planned- and Shazia executed and that’s the short and loooong story of getting what you want in a kitchen!

The plan, no guessing,, feet and inches - its always that:)

Then the finishes…

Everyone who asks for help should read this discussion. What a beautiful room!

shazia - thanks for the encouragement and advice! My primary bathroom renovation was such a horrible experience that I haven't been excited to go through renovations for my kitchen/powder room/laundry room/primary bedroom closet.

I was just feeling ready to tackle my kitchen - until my neighbor stopped over to ask me legal questions regarding the issues she's had with her kitchen renovation.

Looking at the photos of your finished kitchen makes me wish I would have just "pushed through" and continued with all of the other planned renovations for my house!

@rebunky - I hadn't read your comment to me until after I sent my reply to shazia's comment.

I have "saved" the comment - I'm going to use it as "inspiration" to push forward re: my kitchen renovation!

Also, I wouldn't even think about starting my kitchen renovation without adding a post in order to receive advice/assistance from you! 🥰

@JAN MOYER - I'm interpreting your "like" of rebunky's comment as an offer to provide your expert advice/suggestions re: potential layouts that are posted for the space. (+ voice your disapproval). I know that your comments are all made with the best of intentions + I have pretty thick skin! ❤️

Its a long road thread?

From first query…. which do you prefer!

Jan…..” Neither”?

Thus…. along the way???

A hundred drawings, me , Rebunky, Rabbitt,

and these:)

That last might be me….

More likely its the final push when having a baby?!

NOT unlike doing your kitcen!!!

Then you arrive as Shazia did…to

:):):):):)!!!!!!😎❤️

Ha, it's like the final push when having a baby--best line ever!

Nice work Shazia, looks like a happy kitchen. dug this up from my 7 design iterations over the course of these 2 years, haha..I have lived in this kitchen already, I know every nook and cranny...fun festivities ahead for your friends and family

And that’s my kitchen! Your renderings made me realize the potential of my kitchen @Rabbitt_Design

I remember the first rendering you did and then realized it was my kitchen! I was blown away bc I thought you only see kitchens like that in other people’s homes!

@kl23, I need to post a better pic of living room and kitchen BUT the kitchen also doesn’t get too natural light while the living room is flooded with it!

So I do have all lights on dimmers and in the daytime, I keep the recessed lights on at 3000k. Then in the evening, I’ll turn on the pendants for warm light.

The cabinet lights and sconces we use as needed. One thing I wish I had done and may change is to make the cabinet LEDs 3000 too. I didn’t realize the sconces were 3000k so now the lighting is off when they’re both on. But I’ll just choose one or the other to turn on

@Shazia good tip for everyone. Thanks. Again...very pretty.

Hiiiii y’all! Popping in to say I still wake up every day and feel grateful for my home. We have hosted ample times and I still don’t tire of hearing how beautiful the kitchen is. Someone the other day said it should be in a magazine!

But what’s most important is the amount I love it. Bc I’m the one who uses it. And as promised I still don’t cook much but do make my daily eggs in the AM 😂

Also I have zero regrets bc of taking all the advice you gave, especially about clearances. People need to understand what a difference that makes!

Happy new year to y’all and hope you have a great year and designs ahead!

Happy 2026!!!

Your kitchen is gorgeous!

Such a nice comment, Shazia! I do wish others on this site would realize that seeing the big picture, i.e., not focusing on the tiny little detail that the OP posted, makes a huge difference. The difference between a meh room and a great one, like your kitchen!! And it's not done to hurt or insult you, it comes from wanting you to have the best possible project. And for free as well.

Y’all.

We have a slab leak.

Somewhere under the kitchen 😭😭😭

The gorgeous hardwood is warped. It’s buckling under the island.

Writing this to you from the hotel room as insurance is going to handle this…but I can’t help but think…not another reno 😭

Not in our beautiful kitchen.

Not in the place I love waking up to daily 😭😭😭

I shall keep you posted. Not because you asked but because you’re my kitchen family and it’s only appropriate you are kept abreast of our space.

SERIOUSLY???!!!??? 😳

How many months (years) was it from the date of your initial post to the date you posted your finished kitchen? I know it was longer than the amount of time you've been using your beautiful kitchen.

Do you have a basement? Fingers crossed that it won't be a huge issue to fix. 🤞🏻

Please provide updates!

Aurrggghhhhhh!!!

It's Texas! The whole house I assume is on slab? Basements, I believe are very rare in Texas.

What are they doing while you're in the hotel? Actually ...WHY are you in the hotel?

More details please? When did you notice the warp, and who is doing the fix? Same as earlier?

Maybe @Millwork will sound off....

Yep! It’s on a slab. We don’t have basements bc of the clay type soil. Where we live is a bit more rocky but still no basements at all.

We had to stay at a hotel bc the water was turned off until they can mitigate and find the leak. In short - we need to use the bathroom!

It all happened so quickly so insurance is moving quickly and mitigation team is coming out today to dry out and dehumidify.
Tomorrow American Leak Detection services comes out to pinpoint the leak.
And then we go from there for repair.

I’m taking it one step at a time but the cabinetry is sitting on the wood floors and the cabinetry is all connected to the ceiling in our kitchen design so I don’t know how they can take it apart and put it together and keep the original integrity.

But I’ll cross that bridge when we get there…unless anyone has any suggestions.

Clay and rocks.................and a shift of the soil beneath is just my own guess.

Upper cabinets should be unaffected, unless something at the corner of the foundation near the bar area?

Maybe more than anyone wants to know.......did you have a ton of RAIN?

I'd get my cabinet folks, the contractor, ( the Taj folks as well) all there with the insurance folks, as soon as the extent is made known

Lets' ask the AI genius.........?

"Clay and rock topography cracks slab foundations through uneven support and moisture-driven movement. Expansive clay swells when wet, lifting the slab, and shrinks when dry, creating voids. Rocks beneath the slab create rigid, unyielding high points, causing the concrete to break as it settles around them or is lifted by the clay. How Topography Cracks the Slab:

• Differential Movement: Expansive clay soil expands up to 5,500 pounds per square foot (PSF) when wet and contracts when dry. This constant upward and downward movement forces the concrete to bend and break over time.
• The "Paperclip Effect": Similar to bending a paperclip back and forth until it breaks, the seasonal shrinking and swelling of clay soils gradually weakens the slab.
• Hardpoints (Rock) vs. Softpoints (Clay): A mixture of bedrock or large rocks (non-moving) and clay (moving) causes uneven support. The slab may crack at the point where it sits on a hard rock while the surrounding soil has shrunk, leaving a void.
• Upward Heaving: In wet conditions, expanding clay pushes up against the concrete, creating pressure that leads to cracking, often causing interior cracks and misaligned doors.
• Void Formation: When clay dries, it shrinks and pulls away, leaving empty spaces (voids) underneath. The slab then cracks under its own weight or the weight of the structure because it lacks support. "

Uncommon to see MDF trim wicking that much moisture unless the leak is in that wall or the water level was to the top of the baseboard. This does not seem like a slab leak to me at first glance, seems like a leak from a water supply line. You would need a ton of hydrostatic pressure for it to effect the floor in that way, especially if you have an impermeable membrane under the slab.

So

first though is supply line

I somehow missed the original post, despite the activity on it. Just chiming in to say that I'm so sorry you're going through another disaster in your beautiful home! I'm hoping the cause is easy to pinpoint and even easier to fix. Sending good vibes for blessings from the kitchen gods.

Oh NOOOOOO!! I am so sorry to hear this Shazia!

I agree with Rabbit in that it doesn’t seem like a slab leak. But, looking at the time frame from when everything was finished to now seeing the damage, I would guess one of two options.

One is a screw from the sheetrock hit plumbing. Or, when installing the baseboard a nail got shot through the plumbing.

It temporarily seals itself off until electrolysis takes place. Slowly the leak starts and spreads across the slab under the wood until you see the damage to the floor.

Try pulling the baseboards around where plumbing is located in the wall. You should see the water damage on the sheetrock. MDF baseboard is like a sponge so the water will also go up. Whereever you see the most damage to the baseboard is probably where the leak started.

Let us know what you find out. 😩

Okay, I just looked back through the thread and saw photos of when they busted out the concrete slab during the demo. The copper pipes in the ground run directly behind the bar stools and then turn to connect to the new island sink plumbin. It seems like the floor buckling is mostly behind the island stools and on the sides of the island. The copper pipes look very green/old, so could those old pipes be the culprit?

Maybe something happened during the demo to the copper pipes because they were older and thin to cause a leak? Then it took this long for the moisture to finally rise up through the concrete?

But, then wouldn’t they use a water barrier between the concrete and wood floor?

Oh man, I am just so upset for you! Please let us know what they determine caused this.

"But, then wouldn’t they use a water barrier between the concrete and wood floor?"

"seems like a leak from a water supply line. You would need a ton of hydrostatic pressure for it to effect the floor in that way, especially if you have an impermeable membrane under the slab.

So

first though is supply line"

Which leads to WHO said the slab had a crack? !

Rabbit and Rebunky have the same thought.

Thank you everyone, means a lot!

Here’s where we’re at so far. Mitigation company came out Thursday so we know where the moisture is. I’ll send pics when I’m back downstairs. (Currently we’re holed up in our guest room upstairs because the bed is here is more comfy than the hotel and it’s quiet from all the fans).

Insurance will cover the full restoration of everything bc it’s a slab leak - this was confirmed by American Leak Detection Services yesterday….which brings us to the discussion of what is actually a slab leak. I researched a lot to understand and this gpt explanation is a good one bc it’s exactly our situation - the water meter kept running when everything was turned off. It’s a cold water leak which is why all the water has been off since Tuesday.

——-

A slab leak is actually a type of water supply leak — but the key difference is where the pipe is located. The symptoms overlap, but there are some clues that help you tell them apart.

1. Slab Leak

A slab leak happens when a pipe under the concrete foundation of the house breaks or leaks.

Common signs:
• Warm or damp spots on the floor
• Floors suddenly warmer in one area (if it’s a hot water line)
• Water pooling along baseboards
• Cracks in flooring or foundation
• Mold or mildew smell from floors
• Sound of running water when everything is off
• Water bill suddenly increases
• Low water pressure
• Flooring (wood/vinyl) starting to warp or buckle

Why it’s tricky:
Because the pipe is buried under concrete, the water may travel under the slab before appearing somewhere else.

One strong clue:
If you shut off all faucets and still hear water running inside the floor, that often points to a slab leak.

⸻

2. Water Supply Line Leak (in walls, ceiling, yard, etc.)

A water supply leak is a leak in any pressurized pipe not under the slab — typically in:
• Walls
• Ceilings
• Attics
• Under sinks
• Crawl spaces
• Yard line from the street

Common signs:
• Wet drywall or ceiling stains
• Dripping sounds in walls
• Visible pipe corrosion or dripping
• Water under sinks or cabinets
• Water pooling in yard
• Sudden pressure drop
• Mold on walls or ceilings

These leaks are usually easier to locate because they eventually show up visibly.

⸻

Quick Test You Can Do (Very Helpful)

Water meter test
1. Turn off all water in the house
2. Make sure no appliances are running (washer, ice maker, etc.)
3. Look at your water meter
4. Wait 10–15 minutes

⸻

Signs That Strongly Point to a Slab Leak
• Warm floor spot
• Leak noise coming from floor
• Water appearing from baseboards
• Flooring buckling
• High water bill with no visible leak

⸻

So essentially there is a leak somewhere in the concrete (or below) which is common in Texas bc of copper pipes and the nature of the soil.

Thats why the water came ‘up’ from the slab and there was warping only and no visible water anywhere. Theres no water damage on the walls where the baseboard was ripped up where moisture was detected…but this seems to be more an instant type of leak, not slow going. The hardwood showed us right away and the warping happened so quick…within days after noticing the first sign.

@rebunky did I also look back at those pics of the concrete being busted too to see and also think what you suggested…yes. And I asked the leak technician about it. They use a Doppler type machine to pinpoint the leak and they found it’s under the cabinets/floor on the right side of the stove. You can hear the bubbling like you’re listening to an ultrasound. But I’m still suspect something is happening in the area behind the barstools because that’s where the warped floor first showed up. The only other explanation is the grading of the floor (bc there was always a slight dip in that area) caused the water to run down to that area and pool.

There is warping by the oven too and we don’t know the extent of moisture or damage on the back wall yet bc the cabinets have to be removed 😭. However the wall behind the fridge had a lot of moisture too so next step is they’ll be removing the cabinets…which is basically the entire kitchen bc everything is continuous in our kitchen.

To be continued…

^^^^^

OMG.................................................: (

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