kitchen design problem--what to do?

[bhnumbers]

We've had an issue come up with our kitchen and I don't really know what to do about it. Our contractors are fantastic, they are rolling right along and doing beautiful work. The problem is that our kitchen designer didn't measure out kitchen correctly. This section of the house is old, so instead of typical 96" ceilings, ours are around 99", so the piece of trim around the top of the cabinets that she designed in, isn't the right size. I already wasn't a huge fan, because it was 6", but she said that we basically had to have it because we didn't have room for 42" cabinets--but it turns out we did. So now instead of a 6" trim up there it has to be a 9" when I didn't want it at all and I'd much rather just have the taller cabinets!

But the cabinets are HERE and ready to install and nobody caught this. and I don't know who should have. should it have been me since it's my house and I signed off on the design when I ordered the cabinets? Should it have been the designer? She was in the house at least a half a dozen times, I know she took measurements. should have been our contractor? is he responsible for checking the work of the designer? (they are separate companies)

And the bigger point is that no matter who is responsible, is there any help for this? If I insist on a redo and send the cabinets back, I'll have to wait another 10 weeks or more for new ones. On one side of the kitchen, where there are just uppers and lowers, of course, they can adjust how high they hang the cabinets, but on the other side, where we have the fridge and full wall unit for the microwave and oven, there is no way to adjust them.

on top of that, there was a piece of light rail trim under the cabinets that was originally designed in. I wasn't a fan of how it looked in the drawings and asked if it could be removed. the designer said that was no problem and took it out. what she didn't tell me was that without it, my under cabinet lighting would be sticking out under there, as would the under cabinet power strips we designed in. Had I known that, I would have kept it in. So now my contractor is having to add that piece back in because we definitely need the lighting under there.

Any BTDT advice? Or just head pats, lol. I don't want to be a bitch about this, but we're paying all this damn money and we'd like it done right

[sandandsea]

Yeah that sucks. I may not be picturing the top correctly but could you add lights on top of the cabinets so they don’t have to go all the way to the ceiling? I’m not sure if 9 inches is enough for that. Can you do just normal trim and remove the 6/9 in filler all together so you have more airy space above the cabinets? Im assuming there isn’t enough space to add another small cabinet in the 9in and that exchanging for the right preferred size is also not an option.

We are doing a huge landscape project and have similar issues where there are some deviances with the design to real life and it does cause headaches. So I’m sending you head pats too.

[laterz]

Whoever was responsible for taking or providing the measurements got it wrong. I don't know that anyone else *should've* caught it. But that's a pretty significant screw up, especially if it would've allowed you to get different cabinets and avoid something you didn't want to begin with.

10 weeks is no joke, but this is also something you're going to have to live with for many years. Will it drive you crazy everytime you look at it? I might be inclined to suck it up for 10 weeks. I would not expect any increase in cost to me if I wasn't the one that provided the measurements.  eta:  I would pay the delta between the two cabinets, but i would expect the measurer to eat any other cost.

The cabinet thing would annoy me, but i probably would let it go (and fight on the cabinets.)

Sorry you are dealing with this. I'm sure you just want it done.

[Susie]

What laterz said.

[momin2013]

Man, what a headache. Honestly, I’d go back to the designer that took the measurements, and tell them that knowing the correct measurements you would have wanted the different option and you’d like them to arrange for the change to be made (and that you’ll pay for the difference with the more expensive option but obviously not the whole cost). The added wait time will be a pain, though.

You mention about the side with uppers and lowers that they could just hang the uppers higher, but I’d caution against that - they will likely end up being too high if you do that.

[boiler717]

I’m sorry, I would want the right cabinets even if it meant a delay. I would expect whoever measured to figure out the solution.

[nicolewi]

I'm sorry, that totally sucks!!! I also think I would suck it up for the 10 weeks and re-order...although I know that's awful to think of right now. It will go faster than you think and presumably you will have these cabinets for ages and ages.

My parents are building a condo and have similar situations to the "you removed the trim but no one bothered to mention that now your lights will weirdly stick out." It's so frustrating...you'd think the "experts" would be helpful in pointing out some of these things in advance!

[bhnumbers]

Thanks everyone!

I talked with my interior designer, who recommended the kitchen designer and she was not happy. She spoke to the kitchen designer and we are all meeting tomorrow to talk about options. The good news is that if we decide to replace the cabinets, somehow they'll be able to get me new ones in 3 weeks, not the full lead time. That makes a huge difference.

I have this weird icky feeling about being a pain in the ass about this, especially because all parties involved are really lovely people...ugh, I just wish this went down differently.

[redheadk]

Apr 6, 2022 13:12:25 GMT -5 bhnumbers said:

Thanks everyone!

I talked with my interior designer, who recommended the kitchen designer and she was not happy. She spoke to the kitchen designer and we are all meeting tomorrow to talk about options. The good news is that if we decide to replace the cabinets, somehow they'll be able to get me new ones in 3 weeks, not the full lead time. That makes a huge difference.

I have this weird icky feeling about being a pain in the ass about this, especially because all parties involved are really love people...ugh, I just wish this went down differently.

Mistakes happy to nice people, too, so try to not feel badly about that. The person who measured and specified everything should have caught it. They didn't and hopefully this meeting will be productive. Think carefully about what you want the solution to be and push for that. Don't accept something you aren't happy with! Much smaller scale but a tile I loved was on backorder so our kitchen was done except for the backsplash. I was ready to just pick something else but my dad (a builder) recommended just waiting it out. He said it sucks in the short term but that I'd be happier in the end and he was right.

I agree with momin2013 about not just raising your uppers. The lowest shelf will end up being weirdly high and it has the potential for making everything look off. We have tall uppers in our kitchen and I can only realistically use the first 2 shelves for things I access daily. I love the storage but I would be unhappy if the lowest shelves were any higher.

[momin2013]

Apr 6, 2022 13:12:25 GMT -5 bhnumbers said:

Thanks everyone!
.
I have this weird icky feeling about being a pain in the ass about this, especially because all parties involved are really lovely people...ugh, I just wish this went down differently.

Honestly, you shouldn’t feel bad about this (especially because it wasn’t even your error) - mistakes happen all the time in this business, and it’s their job to work to get it right!

[sandandsea]

Yes I’d wait it out for three weeks for sure! Hopefully the meeting goes smoothly and you reach a good resolution.

[definitelyO]

ugh - so sorry - glad to hear it's only 3 vs 10 weeks and in that case I would 100% wait (and hope there aren't additional costs) and if there are - then the designer pays.

and yes, they should tell you implications of all your decisions - you want to remove the bottom piece - SURE - but know that now you'll see your lights. that's their job.

[Roc A Bee]

I’d for sure wait the 3 weeks and get what you want.

[woowoo]

bhnumbers, you feeling icky shows what a nice person YOU are. But I agree that you shouldn't feel bad about this - it was a mistake - perhaps an easy one to make - but a mistake nonetheless.

We had a similar situation with our pool reno - we had specialty tile for our built in spa and they installed the incorrect tile that did NOT look good with the waterline tile for the pool. They really didn't want to swap it out (almost a half days work to rip out and reinstall, let alone the costs of the tile) and offered us a full 6 months of free 2x weekly pool service, but we just couldn't get passed it and asked them to fix it.

We made the right decision and you are too. Good luck.

[dr.girlfriend]

I also have icky feelings about stuff like this but in your case I would definitely push past it and get what you want, especially when it's a possibility and the delay is not as bad as you might have thought. It's not like you agreed on something and just changed your mind, it was a factual mistake the kitchen designer made and it had major downstream effects.

[libbygrl109]

Apr 6, 2022 13:12:25 GMT -5 bhnumbers said:

Thanks everyone!

I talked with my interior designer, who recommended the kitchen designer and she was not happy. She spoke to the kitchen designer and we are all meeting tomorrow to talk about options. The good news is that if we decide to replace the cabinets, somehow they'll be able to get me new ones in 3 weeks, not the full lead time. That makes a huge difference.

I have this weird icky feeling about being a pain in the ass about this, especially because all parties involved are really lovely people...ugh, I just wish this went down differently.

I’m glad you won’t have to wait as long, but either way the fix would be worth the wait. You should not feel badly - you have paid people a lot of money to get things right for you.

I wish we had known ahead of time all of the ways our original kitchen designer messed up. Thankfully the majority of them were easy fixes, but if we hadn’t stumbled on them by accident, it would have been a major issue. There is one issue that we’ll unfortunately have to live with. I really screwed up by not asking enough questions and trusting her expertise.😞

[bhnumbers]

Update! Had the meeting today with the kitchen designer, my interior designer, and our contractor and it went really well. The kitchen designer apologized and said she will do whatever she needs to do to make it right. She said she already talked to the cabinet manufacturer and they can get up all new 42"uppers in TWO WEEKS actually. Amazing. And there's no expense to us and she'll cover the extra labor costs as well.

Everyone was great about it and it ended up not being awkward or tense at all. What a relief! The designer was a total pro about the whole thing and made it very easy.

Meanwhile, they are installing all the lower cabinets today and it's so super cool to see it really taking shape

[simpsongal]

yay for the update - and people doing their jobs and not making you compromise on design b/c they made a mistake.

bhnumbers do you mind if I ask who you're using for cabinets? I used a place twice now, and I'm having a little trouble w/drawer spacing on our office cabinets and getting crickets from the maker. Sort of glad I tried them out before spending $$$$ on our kitchen cabinets.

[bhnumbers]

Apr 8, 2022 9:33:38 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

yay for the update - and people doing their jobs and not making you compromise on design b/c they made a mistake.

bhnumbers do you mind if I ask who you're using for cabinets? I used a place twice now, and I'm having a little trouble w/drawer spacing on our office cabinets and getting crickets from the maker. Sort of glad I tried them out before spending $$$$ on our kitchen cabinets.

Sure, the cabinet company is Prevo, but the kitchen designer has her own business. She also does kitchen design for a custom home builder in the area. I can send you her info. She's also doing the kitchen of a good friend of mine and they love her, too. 

[redheadk]

bhnumbers, what an awesome, professional response! Mistakes happen and she's handling hers gracefully.

[TR]

Glad it all worked out! Speaking of mistakes, didn't someone have their entire custom build house foundation poured backward? Was it aprilsails?

[aprilsails]

Apr 8, 2022 16:07:19 GMT -5 TR said:

Glad it all worked out! Speaking of mistakes, didn't someone have their entire custom build house foundation poured backward? Was it aprilsails?

Yeah it was me, good memory!

The contractor just offered us a $7000 reduction on the price of the house and redid the laneway and curbs.

To be honest, now that the house next door has gone in, I’m glad we wound up this way, because they have a bedroom extension at the rear that would have really boxed in our screened porch on that side. We only had to put in more expensive blinds, which we might have needed either way, so overall it is not at all a disaster.