My finished kitchen

Oak cabinets and soapstone were through a local cabinet shop. Only issue was that the dispaly cabinets on top came with the wrong glass - a very contemporary opaque wavy glass that reminded me of shower doors. I had ordered a vintage looking glass with bubbles and imperfections. There was a slight disagreement as to whose mistake it was. The glass was replaced quickly without charge.

Stainless steel backsplash ordered from archpro.com (thanks happycooker!!) Very easy DIY installation

Tin ceiling ordered from American Tin Ceiling Co. Again, very easy DIY installation and a great company to deal with.

Flooring is Armstrong Nature's Gallery laminate in Stone Creek Sage. We already have this in a bathroom and foyer and have been very pleased. Ordered through fastfloors.com for $300 (including shipping) less than Lowe's (and Lowe's refused to price match)

Sink: Elkay ELUH4020
Faucet: Newport Brass 945-1 bridge faucet with sidespray
Both ordered from Ira Woods - best price and very nice to deal with!

Hardware: Berenson American Classic bin pulls and knobs ordered from hardwarehut.com Cheapest price anywhere

Counter stools were made by an Amish company in OH.

Appliances: A friend works at a higher-end appliance store. I was able to purchase an Aga that had been used at a home show for far, far less than retail and also received a year's worth of Persil and Somat products. A scratch on the freezer gave us a few extra bucks back as well.
range: Aga Legacy 36" in brick
refrigerator: JennAir JFC2087 counter depth french door
dishwasher: Miele incognito G858 w/custom panel
microwave: GE Profile JEM31S
disposal: Kitchenaid KCDS250X 1 HP continuous feed w/air switch

Also included in the budget were appliances for the laundry room

Freezer: Amana AFU1767B frost-free upright
Washer: Whirlpool Duet GHW9400 in pewter
Dryer: Whirlpool Duet GHW9250 in pewter

This was a DIY kitchen. Demolition, construction, electrical, plumbing and cabinet installation. I paid for installation of the soapstone because I waited a long time for any slabs at all and had nightmares that we'd drop it on the way in the door.

Budget: 40K including addition and laundry room. The original kitchen had a very small galley which housed 2 falling apart, rusting metal cabinets (the ONLY cabinets - I used the concealed back staircase as a pantry), the sink and a tiny counter. The range was in the main kitchen underneath a window (certainly not ideal) and the frigerator was across the room plugged into the only other outlet. The house had 2 covered porches in addition to the wraparound, so we expanded out a bit and turned the galley into a first floor laundry (so much nicer than the creepy basement with 100 year old huge spiders!)

We came in at 39.5K, thanks in large part to DH's handiness and my haggling. The fabricators put an extra hole underneath the faucet. My particular bridge faucet does not have a center post and they did have pictures and templates of the faucet. My choice was wait another 2 months for more suitable soapstone slabs or take a refund. Haggled for a $500 refund and ended up installing the airswitch under the faucet and ordering a soap dispenser for $100. When I finally get the dispenser, no one will be the wiser.
During delivery, the cabinet truck hit the pole supplying power to the garage. knocked down the pole and ripped the wires from the house. Their insurance paid $427 and DH ran new lines underground himself. Actually cost us $223 and getting the lines underground was something we were going to do in the spring anyway.

I love my stove, but as far as I'm concerned, the dishwasher is the star of the show! I've never had a dishwasher and boy! it sure is a treat. That it's a Miele is just the icing on the cake - love the cutlery tray!

I saw a triple bowl many years ago and always wanted one. I cook and bake lots - hosted 3 open houses and baked 436 dozen (yes- that's 5232 cookies, not counting the ones that disappeared during cooking)! cookies over the holidays. I had muttered and cursed for years hunched over my chipped, stained, way too shallow porcelain single bowl and swore I would "one day" have a big, big sink with room to drain things, soak things etc. Frankly, the dishwasher has made the need for a big sink rather redundant, but never having experienced the joy of a dishwasher, I didn't know!

I love the Aga. In addition to the wow factor, it's a serious workhorse (see above cookies). I cooked a 19 pound turkey, 8 pound ham and assorted sides for Thanksgiving and everything was piping hot at the same time. Lovely!

- posted by starpooh @ 3:09 PM