99% complete

Still not done, but the kitchen has been 95% functional since the start of August and 99% functional since last week.

Allow me to explain the breakdown....

After most of the work following the granite install was done by Bryan and Jeb, approximately a week passed before the granite people could come back and buff out the scratched (I hound a few more) and to fill in the silicone where needed. I had it scheduled at the same time as Bryan was meant to come in and do some work so that there is somebody to look after them and we wouldn't have to take the time off. But there was a lot of work done by the granite crew so Bryan couldn't do any work in the kitchen. They actually screwed up more than one cutout but they managed to correct them. Anyways, since Bryan wasted his time, I had a case and managed to knock more money off the granite balance, which was to go to Bryan for his time. I have to say that they have been fairly reasonable.

Bryan has other jobs so for the next few weeks he was trying to squeeze us in and little by little the kitchen reached the 95% mark. The paneling from Decora arrived very fast and I have to say that the back of the peninsula looks fantastic. Bryan stained the window to match the cabinets, as well as the wooden wall plates. Garage was cleared out of all the junk and the "tools of the trade".

Nearly 2 weeks ago, however, we ran into some additional issues. As Bryan was getting ready to connect the dishwasher (which was off since it needed to be secured first to the countertop, which in turn required a piece of plywood to be glued to the granite) he discovered that during the granite install, the cabinets to the right and left of the dishwasher got shifted. So, in order to get the dishwasher in, the sides of the cabinets had to be sanded down. Additionally, all outlets had to be replaced, because the granite installers had somehow managed to damage the parts of the outlet where the wall plate would be attached to. ARGH!!!!! Another wasted trip, another week of unfinished kitchen. Granite people continued to be reasonable and we got some money from them that should cover Bryan's additional efforts.

Bryan was back on Monday and Wednesday with new outlets and a sander, and at this point the kitchen is 99% complete. All the wall and floor molding was finished as well. The window got new molding with a ledge. It was nice to be able to use the dishwasher since April! I am still trying to get the soap dispenser to work (I got an attachment called Never MT so that instead of a bottle, the dispenser is connected straight to the detergent bottle).

What remains to be done:

- finish the wiring for the phone inside the wall cabinet (wiring was too short). Once it's done I claim the last empty cabinet.
-bring out the trio switch set (too recessed in the box) and replace ceiling light switch with a dimmer
-Fill in all the little holes from the nails on the paneling and molding.

I have a few boxes that need to be emptied out and a heap of stuff to take to the Salvation army. Since the kitchen was more or less done, I have hosted 2 dinners and a barbecue. It's getting back to normal!