At least the bottles didn’t crack the floor tiles. That’s what I was thinking you were going to say.
That granite proved indestructible. Nothing phased it. It seems like a good material to build planets from. Sturdy; very sturdy.
The fridge is in place. That was the first step towards normalcy. New fridge delivered into its new cubby and then loaded by us.
It looks gorgeous! I’m really jealous of all you Dopers with renovated kitchens!
Great choice on the full coverage teal backsplash. Will there be under cab lighting?
One area I wish I paid more attention to when my granite counters/backsplash were installed is the area around the sink fixtures. Over time our water has left deposits on the stone that are very difficult to remove now. Keep the sink area dry after use!
Good advice, hopefully I can get everyone to do so. At least I’m the main dishwasher, so that will cut down on it a bit.
My wife wants to use the kitchen a little before I add under cabinet lighting. We’re thinking it won’t need a lot.
Handles and knobs are going on as I type. Oven should be installed today.
Work on the Kitchen is almost done. A few more hours to go.
View of the side side.
Stove side Natural light and artificial light.
We’re working up the load plan, where pots/pans, glasses, spices, etc, go.
I’ve talked my wife into leaving the bread maker on the counter. I think it will get more use this way. It will go in the far corner to the left of the stove where you can see a box of rags in the third picture.
Things that have been stored in either the hallway pantry or basement will not store in the kitchen. This is a very good thing.
Someday in the future, I might convert the hallway closet/pantry to a washer/dryer closet so we don’t need to go to the basement for the wash. Depends on how bad my knees get I guess.
2 years back I had converted our large hallway closet into a pantry. It was close enough to the small kitchen that it worked.
Picture of conversion in process, and how it looks right now.
It’s really nice. Well done. Let us know what the first meal prepared there is. Even making a sandwich in a new kitchen is a treat.
It’s beautiful.
So after so many long waits and odd delays. The work on the kitchen is done.
Thanks to a lot of help from my kids, we’re at least half loaded and shelf matted.
Holy crap.
We came in on budget with only an extra $603 for the permits (a known non-contract item, just didn’t know the amount) and 4 special breakers now required by the town.
My pantry is half empty.
My office no longer a break station.
Original estimate. Ouch.
Congratulations on finally having a finished kitchen. I really like the drawers on the dining side of the counters and the floor. I really, really like the floor.
Looks like the actual job start to finish was about 75 days. I’d say that’s about par for the course versus the estimate. It’s an unhappy, rocky, and windswept course, but we all sorta knew that going in. Even the OP.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect the weird delays this project had. The main company wasted about 30 days between scheduling inspections and delivering the cabinets that were suppose to be ready.
Communication was terrible. When they did communicate it was usually to ask for money I had already paid.
The subcontractor was OK, but the main company I would not recommend in the end.
But 75 days later, we have a great kitchen that pretty maximizes the space we had available. Technically we stole 4" from the dining room.
On a really sad note, our elderly cat Dot who we raised from 4 weeks old has disappeared. She may have snuck out today, the final day of work. I suspect she did and she did that elderly cat thing of sneaking out to find a place to die in peace.
We checked every possible hidey hole in the house and even flipped the couches over. No Dot. We searched outside. No Dot.
I keep hoping we’re over-reacting, but no one has seen her today. That is not at all like her.
I forgot to report.
So my son was first to cook on the stove. He made himself a box of Mac & Cheese for a late lunch.
Despite finally having a kitchen, I grilled anyway. I had some steaks that needed to be grilled and we’re finally due a lot of rain.
I went to get just a little coffee and I started to go to my wife’s office and then remembered … The coffee pot was here in the kitchen.
It’s beautiful. And I for one have hopes that Dot will return.
Good luck with Dot. 
Kitchen is fully loaded. I made myself an omelet today for lunch. 
There is so much counterspace I can keep the bread maker and popcorn machine out. The drawers beneath the counters is absolutely great. No hard to reach stuff buried away. My back and knees appreciate this very much.
We might leave the blender out also.
I’m very happy with the backsplash my wife went with. The other option was a mostly white tile. I prefer having some color in the kitchen. Cabinets are all wood, no particle board. Counters are granite.
My office and my wife’s office are back to normal. The pantry is half empty. No more kitchen stuff stored in the basement.
All that is really left is hanging up pictures in the kitchen and dining room and the corkboard in the kitchen. Tomorrow I might try to clean the paint slopped onto the ceiling ring of the new Dining room light. I even put the secretary back together and loaded it.
And on a sad note, Dot has not returned. I have to assume she is no more. No closure, but she was old and thin and a little sick before she disappeared. Which with cats often means very sick. 3 nights ago she did come up into my lap which was very rare for her. Maybe she was saying goodbye. Something like “You were an adequate servant, thank you human.”
I’m sorry for Dot. Puts a damper on what ought to be a joyous occasion.
That kitchen and the countertop appliances and accessories comes together beautifully. the whole place looks very homey - the center of all sorts of family goodness. Speaking of things to leave out or not leave out, I suggest the chocolate Bundt cake not be left out. At least not for long. It might take awhile to find a fork or three in all those drawers, but once you do, celebrate forth! 
And our first dinner prepared in new kitchen was Tacos. It was quite tasty.
My daughter cooked and her boyfriend and myself did the prep and cleaning. We had so much room to work and never got in each other’s way.
I also got pictures and coat hooks hung up.
Dot from 3 years ago before we had moved:
Dot on her throne from 2 years ago: click to expand
Dot at 4 weeks old: click to expand
Congrats on finishing up your gorgeous kitchen redo. You’ve already made it look cozy!
And I’m so sorry you lost your pretty, sweetie cat. They do know when it’s time, though. I know you gave her a wonderful life.
I’m so sorry about Dot. What a beautiful cat. The two of you look so sweet together.