This document summarizes the planning and construction process for renovating a homeowner's kitchen. It describes 7 key challenges that arose during the project, including fitting cabinets around a stairwell, dealing with an unlevel ceiling, improving the neighbor's view, incorporating all of the homeowner's desired storage features, upgrading to a built-in microwave, discovering a water leak, and ensuring tile transitions looked seamless. Photos show the "before," "during," and "after" stages of the renovation. The kitchen remodel was completed on time despite these challenges.

1. Before:
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Cabinets were carefully removed and sent to a family member in North Texas.

2. AFTER

3. Before
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During
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4. Before:
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After: Hearth like feature over the window
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6. Planning of Countertop edges:
APRON FRONT Undermount Sink
Cloud like shape for Island
Bevel Edge - 2 cm Lam Granite

7. Range Hood Area
Before During
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After

8. Before at Refrigerator Wall
Before
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During

9. Before:
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In

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After

11. Filler overlay custom laid into corner for oven cabinet clearances and appearance.
Apron front sink fit into cabinet multiple times for fitting of the fixture,
“blue or green tape” often used to protect or mark surfaces.

12. BEFORE of Inspiration piece for their kitchen.
After – Granite sills, wood trim of cabinet material and hand-scraped floors

13. AFTER:

14. Challenges of planning and in-process:
1.) Cabinets were going to the ceiling, and stairs were cutting through the upper left corner
of this wall in the Fur-down or Ceiling soffit that we were taking out, we just were not sure how
much of the stairs would show.
The Microwave is set at the NKBA recommended height of “between the clients elbow and top
of the underside of the arm.” Our Client is a little over 5 ft tall.

15. Challenges (continued):
2.) Ceiling not level with cabinet to ceiling:
Before at this location After
In-process – planning for Crown

16. Floor needed a lot of shimming and make ready for wood flooring.

17. Challenges (continued):
3.) Before:
Original view from the neighbor’s home
New View from the Neighbor’s window!

18. Challenges (continued):
4.) Including all the items she wanted for inside features in the kitchen:
Beverage refrigerator
Spice storage pullout
Roll outs for storage in multiple locations
Waste basket by coffee making station
Tray dividers and some of the other features are not shown.

19. Challenges (continued) :
5.) Client wanted to use their original microwave at first. We had it built for matching interior and
yet planned for the future.
(Planned to accept the built in later… looked a little awkward with old unit. Got new unit sooner
than planned.)
Cabinet as originally designed for built in microwave, this looks much more polished.

20. Challenges (continued):
6.) What was thought as a bother, was wonderful instead! The
lowering of the pipes another 1-1/2” for the “drains with
disposer in apron front sink” helped us find the water pipes
with a VERY slow leak in the wall!
No other reason to open this wall. Saved brick work from the
outside later. Hurray!
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21. Challenges (continued):
7.) Tiles were not mitered, nor “cut”. No room for grout!
They were given the same “dovetailed” around the corner to look as same as stone tiles.
8.) Window sills were given the same attention to detail on trim

22. The homeowner was going to seal the connections to the floor, was out of town on business during
the planned time to do this process. We just did it and documented this by photographs.
It is calming for our clients to see a pictorial progression,
especially when the client is not there when work is done.

23. The Kitchen complements the décor at the pool area.
The Hearth area in Counter top reflection.
Evening sun, Relaxing Calm nights.