Document your concerns in writing with photos like you've done. State what you think should be done to correct the issues and give them a deadline for response. Send the letter via certified mail with a delivery receipt request.

Good luck!

have they been paid in full?

The certified mail is what I'm planning to do, but I really loss confidant in them even they said can fix the problems. Look at the quality of that extension piece of the dishwasher panel. And I don't think they will redo the wall of my fridge to fix that 2 inch gap, very likely I will just get some filler pieces to hide the gaps.

More photo of my kitchen can be found here: http://s857.photobucket.com/user/babyfish00/library/

Only 5% left on my side and they requested me to pay by Sat, when they will sent installation crews to rectify all these problems.

The gap on top of your fridge allows for warm air coming off the top to dissipate--necessary for circulation so your fridge will work properly. It really is not noticable in the long short, and you also have gaps on the sdies that are the same. I wouldn't worry about that. As far as the dishwasher goes, I'm not sure what you are trying to show us in the picture. Shouldn't that match the toekick, so it becomes invisible? Is your dishwasher a tall-door model, or is it two pieces? If it is a tall tub, maybe it is just a matter of cutting the bottom of the panel just a little bit, so it will open properly. If it is an older model with the door over a stationary panel, a long panel will absolutely not work.

A) I would review the installation specifications for each of these appliances.
The refrigerator may require the air space on all sides. Otherwise warranty issues would not be covered.
Dishwasher - the gaps at the sides do not look TOO big. Couldve been smaller. When they talk about cutting it into 2 pieces are you referencing the door, or is the picture shown the toe kick?
Cooktop - solution is simple.

Hate to draw attention to another hazard, but the ovens are mounted HIGH. yikes. The top looks to be a microwave (drop down door). I hope that you are 6' tall otherwise the safety/hazard here is huge, your arm will get burnt or worse yet - you will pull out a dish that is full and it will spill on you. NKBA planning standard: bottom of microwave should be 3" below the should line - no higher than 54". By the looks if it, you might be close. Overall it looks much higher than normal based on the size of the drawer below !!

Dont pay anything until the finished product meets the installation specs.

The gap at the top of my fridge is not my concern too, I'm talking about the sides of the fridge which should be just a few mm away from the cabinets, rather than 2 inches. The cabinet opening I have now is 800mm compared to the specification 756mm. It is a semi-built in model. The last pic in my first post is the same fridge displayed in the showroom of the cabinet company, notice how tight the sides of the fridge to the cabinets with gap on the top (and bottom) only.

For the dishwasher, it has to be two pieces now because my toekick is low. But in the design is one piece only, so that's why they have to modify the piece on site and cut it into two. The plywood that attached on the side of the extension piece is not necessary to be there, they have a clip system to install at the back of the panel piece which will do the job of holding it in place. And yes, the plywood should be invisible and not with rough paint on. For the brown panel in the photo below is the dishwasher in the company showroom using that clip system, you can compare it with mine to see the difference. It is subtle but it is there.

Refrigerator opening? I would make them follow specs. end of story. 2" is huge.. even with free standing units.

For what it is worth, the kitchen look amazing!!!!!! The gap around the fridge is normal. those fridge cabinets are pre-built to fit correctly. Honestly , I don't even see the other problems. Of course, you should be satisfied with the job, but, so that you can sleep tonight, I think your kitchen is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Designs by BSB, appreciate your comment. I just take a quick measurement about the microwave, the bottom of it is 48" from ground. It is a drop down version and when the door open, it level with my chest.

The one show in the picture is not a toe kick, but it is not attached to the dishwasher either. It is there just to complete the look.

schurer, thanks for your kind words. Renovation is really stressful and frustrating, but is a very nice experience. I paid a fortune for this cabinet company, you can tell I don't have much cabinets or drawer in my kitchen (150sq ft) and they charged me >30K including cabinets installation and design. I have no complaint about the quality of the cabinets and panels, super! From their showroom models, I can see why they charged that price on their products because of the attentive to details. But what I see in the showroom and paid for is not what I have in my kitchen now. A big disappointment. Maybe I shouldn't have such high expectation, anyway.

you are not wrong for your expectations. your kitchen is beautiful - the details and mistakes should not have happened - no matter what the cost.

I love your kitchen! What color/wood type of cabinets are to the left of the stools?

I wish the technical director of my kitchen cabinet company has the same work ethic as you, Designs by BSB!

Yes, I can see that these are high-end cabs, with mitered edges... think I know the company. But there's no excuse for a shoddy job, you should possibly consider legal action.

Kellerj, are you talking about the brown kitchen in my first post? That's a demo in the showroom. I know it is not solid wood, but don't know much about the rest. sorry!

Here are my almost finished kitchen in glossy white and light grey.

Give them a chance to fix all the issues. Have them in writing so you can go over each issue.The main thing is, do not pay them anything further until you are completely satisfied and the job is finished to your satisfaction.

ccclaxton - I'm reading my contract twice this morning and find no "dispute resolution clause", and even worst, they stated clearly that the last payment is due at the end of installation. I ordered my countertop and backsplash through this cabinet company also, and the countertop has installed but need repair today (misalignment) while the backsplash is coming on this Thu, and they agree to sent people to my house to fix all the problems in this Sat so I have a reason to retain my 5% in my pocket until then.

For the fix in this coming Sat, the technical guy offer:

a. Fridge - putting filler around the fridge to hide the gap.
b. Cooktop - cut down the back of the drawer.
c. Dishwasher - I copy and paste his response here, he totally don't get my complain on the work quality of the extension piece.

"DISHWASHER: The extension piece of the dishwasher is correctly installed to fit your dishwasher, you requested the piece underneath to be removable, and we are doing this for your satisfaction, although it is not required nor an obligation"

I'm still waiting the response from HQ (2 days) and am wondering should I reply to this fix offer. My concern is the filler around the fridge maybe a shoddy job, or the outcome is not better than it is now. The drawer is made of metal rims (shown in the photos), I'm hesitated about the quality of the metal edge after cut. For the dishwasher extension piece, he still don't want to admit the poor work quality.

I think I need tons of luck.

Filler around the refrigerator is a bandaid to their mistake. Period. They should have followed the specs, not make up their own! Please stand strong and do not pay until they make it right! When u are ready - give us their name/website and I for one will give them a piece of my mind -- this is shameful.

I feel your pain as I had issues with my kitchen remodel however take comfort knowing that when its all over your guests at least will not stair at the issues in the same way you will. In fact most remodels have their drawbacks and less glamorous parts. Of all the issue you face the gap around the fridge would bug me. However I can't think of a good solution besides putting a piece of trim to close the gap. Honestly I think this will look fine once done. Good luck and don't pay that 5% till your happy.

Oh and by the way your kitchen looks awesome! Nice job on the design and layout.

--- UPDATES ---
I thought I made myself very clear to this company regarding my complaint on their works, still the technical guy said he doesn't understand the complain after all what he did to satisfy me and he even went over their standards to help me get the details following my taste!!!

Noticed the past tense he used, what I have now is already over their standards and all the fuss is because of my *taste*.

and I found out that during the cabinet installation, the crews glued a plywood on my tiled floor to give an extra 2 inch height for my dishwasher. The extra height is necessary, but why need to glue it down? and without asking me...

at this point? I would see if there is a way to print off this entire discussion and hand deliver it to the owner of the company. Better yet, set an appointment with the owner and ask them for the use of their internet. Login with your account and let them read this whole conversation. You have nothing to lose. They have A LOT to lose.
p.s. the end is in sight and your will learn to love the beautiful space you have.

Who, actually, was the kitchen designer? Who laid it out; who placed the order? The buck stops with that person. Get him/her back into the house and get an explanation.

I am sorry to hear about your situation. We are always willing to listen and offer an opinion to someone who feels like they have been mis-treated in our industry.

Personally I would focus on the facts and real problems and try not to let your emotions get the best of you. Maybe you have a friend in the industry who can give you an unbiased opinion.

Give the owner of the company a call and send him/her a written explantation of your concern. If they are not responsive or understanding of your situation then file a complaint with the BBB or other appropriate agency in your area.

Double what iplay10s stated. Who order the cabinets, you or the designer, if it was the designer, get them heavily involved. Even if they did not do the ordering contact them ant let them know what is going on and that YOU ARE NOT A HAPPY CAMPER! Word of mouth can do both the designer & cabinet maker problems.

Designs by BSB - thanks for replying my post until now and your support.
iplay10s and berinlist - It is the designer to come up the order list of the cabinets, not me telling her I need this or that.
Lathrem Homebuilders, LLC - I'm not familiar with BBB but will look into it to see how this bureau can help.

This company will sent people to my home for a fix tomorrow morning, for the fix:
1. Dishwasher extension piece - will remove the ugly painted plywood and will fix it with brackets which will then be unremovable. ( I don't really get what that "unremovable" means)
2. Fridge gap - will put filler around the fridge because they said either I loss the cabinet above the fridge and replace with a cut panel or put filler to retain that cabinet. Even so, I still get a 2inch gap all the way from top to bottom.
3. Cooktop drawer - No work will be done because the technical guy said the required 3.5cm for air flow is counted from the drawer bottom to the cooktop, not from the rim of the drawer. blah blah blah .......

-- updates --
Finally they put on some white fillers around the fridge cabinet and here is the result.

For the dishwasher, the plywood piece is still there, but they modified it with a nicer edge. (photo on this coming soon, out of town for this week)

Cooktop drawer - no change.

mitcfish

Sorry about not getting back with you sooner.

It's a good thing there is no 'dispute resolution clause' in the contract. That way they cannot force you into binding arbitration which is very expensive and not often friendly to the consumer.

Regardless of when the contract says the last payment is due, you do NOT have to pay the final payment until you are absolutely satisfied. In fact, you might be entitled to keep it for all the time and frustration they have caused by their shoddy workmanship which is a breach of the contract because you did not contractually agree to their mistakes.

Most of these companies will never admit to shoddy workmanship. I don't know if it's an ego thing or whether they actually believe their work is good. However, a really good company will go the extra mile to satisfy a customer even when the requested changes are not in the contract. But the photos show your requests were reasonable and their attempts to claim the work was good were not in good faith.


As for not paying the final payment. I wouldn't worry. They would have to sue you to collect the final payment, BUT you could then sue them in the same lawsuit -- it's called a counterclaim -- and your claim might be worth more than theirs in which case they might have to pay you.

Or you could sue them for what it costs you to have another company fix their mistakes. You have to give them the opportunity to fix the mistakes - but you do not have to let them try over and over and over. If they have had fair opportunity to correct the mistakes and they have not fixed them, then you can hire another company to do the work and you would be entitled to seek reimbursement or damages from the original company for having to 'cover' their mistakes. Before you do this, be sure that their mistakes are fundamental breaches of what they agreed to do.

You say your designer made the decisions and the order? If so, s/he should be dealing with the company to correct the mistakes - that's what you paid him or her for.

Also, you mentioned you had not heard of the BBB -- it is the Better Business Bureau and there is a local office in your city. If the company is a member, then the BBB will be in a better position to assist in a resolution. If the company is not a member, you can still file a complaint and the BBB still might be able to help but, in any event, the complaint against the company will be public and probably posted on the BBB website so others will be able to evaluate whether they want to deal with this company.

Again, hang in there and don't let the jerks convince you that you are being too picky. You get to be reasonably picky when you are paying someone to do something.

CCC

Your kitchen DOES look beautiful. BTW, who makes your frig? Thank you! amanda