Chapter 6: Kitchen Renovation

Whew – it’s finally decision time! Just to recap, we officially met and obtained quotes from three kitchen contractors – Home Depot, Columbus Brothers and Cabinet World. Home Depot was pretty much factored out of the equation immediately due to a lack of customer service. The decision then came down to Columbus Brothers and Cabinet World. Both had very similar pricing, but the comfort level and relationship we had built with the folks at Columbus Brothers far exceeded Cabinet World. We probably spent an additional 5 hours just talking with Columbus Brothers compared to Cabinet World. To us, the decision became pretty clear and apparent...Columbus Brothers won the job!

So off we went to yet another meeting with Columbus Brothers, but this time it was to finalize and place our order. Yay!

Here is what we finally settled on:

• Merillat Classic cabinets: Maple with Sedona stain, portrait style
• Amerock door hardware: Pull for the drawers and round knob for the doors
• Apex granite: Malubay style
• Island with brackets to support the granite – and enough space for 3-4 bar stools
• Stainless steel appliances (more on that soon!)
• One bowl, stainless steel sink with faucet
• The two corner cabinets will be glass
• The one shelf next to the frig will be open
• Hardwood floors (more on that soon!)

So if we reference back to my vision wish list back in chapter 1 of our kitchen renovation post, you’ll see that there are only three items that I’m not getting: white cabinets, pedestal legs for the island and a farm sink. And I’m probably only bummed about the farm sink, but I do have a practical side and realize this was a frivolous desire. I feel 100% certain that the dark maple cabinets are the right decision for our kitchen.

Now that we have that all settled, it's time to relax - right? HA! There is still a lot to do on our end as Keith opted to remove the cabinets, counter, appliances, bulkhead and floor on his own. Plus, we’ll be installing the hardwood floors ourselves (a.k.a. my hubby and his dad, grandpa and brother Andy…I’ll just supervise!) Stay tuned!