Can someone please tell me they look okay so I can get over it as that’s all I can do.
I don’t want to complain to him as he spent so long.
It cost me $2000 including the range hood which I am waiting on Ikea to have in stock.

I’m thinking I need to just get some doors with no handles as they only cost about $30 each.

I also wonder if I should keep handles on the doors because I’m concerned if I touch them with damp hands the wood could warp.

You paid $2000 for these cabinet’s. I think they look okay. Handles are useful things. I would not spend any more money on them.

I would change top handles to match the bottom ones, or vice versa.

What was specified in the contract?

It was specified in text message that it would be gloss.

& thank you yes I am happy with the work he did a good job it was just the sheen that was bothering me.

So you told him you want one thing? He texted you he was providing something else?

I suppose you can just replace the doors with the doors you originally wanted, though normally he would have an obligation to provide what was agreed upon, but the agreement seems unclear?

My concerns about doors without handles aren't about warping wood. They'd be some kind of laminate over MDF not solid timber. It's the quality and durability of the laminate, which could be affected by the touching. And the quality and durability of the opening mechanism, which wears with use.

As long as the dimensions of the screw holes are the same, it would be easier to replace the handles to match. Interestingly the new handles suit the oven handle.

The other thing I noticed is the shape/colour of the splashback.

You have said it was specified in a text message to be gloss. And that is what you got??

If you take the handles off, you are going to be left with holes that need filling. Also touching the cabinets with wet hands will not make them warp. Cabinets have to be sitting with water or constant steam to warp. Yours will be fine, and remember to use the range hood fan when cooking.

I think they look good. I’d change the bottom handles to match top.

I’ve just seen your other post with more photos. Here do not match your peninsula in colour or sheen. But they do match your tv unit. You ask about the grey blind too. And the lamp. It would be easier if all in one post,

Yes I am new to Houzz sorry.

Sorry I meant to say in the text messages we agreed on non gloss cabinets - no sheen.

I agree, I included pictures of the whole house as the cabinets do conform with the gloss in the cabinets in the rest of the house.

I also agree the cabinets do match the handle on the oven so it’s a bit tricky for me to know what to do.

With regards to the non handles idea, these doors are from Ikea and they only cost about $30 each.

The doors may only cost $30 each, but is that just for the door. Usually with push to open doors there is a mechanism as well. Or are you just going to have those doors and open manually from the bottom? Then there will be fingers marks all the time.

Yes I was thinking about just opening them manually or maybe purchasing the push to open mechanism.

Yes the finger marks could be a problem, that’s something I should consider.

"It would be easier if all in one post"

I agree.

So it's an Ikea kitchen?

When you said cabinet maker I assumed you meant the person who made the cabinets. It now sounds as if it's an installer?

Is top and bottom Ikea? I don't know if you can match non-Ikea handles with Ikea handles because of the position of the screw holes?

I suppose if a push mechanism wears out you can source a compatible replacement from Ikea. Or is it covered by Ikea's kitchen warranty?

Sorry, yes it would have been better in one post. I wasn’t planning on the cabinets being gloss.
I don’t mind them though, things could be worse.
I’m not sure where the bottom cabinets are from.
In Australia there are some handles from Bunnings that look very similar to some Ikea handles (different to the ones that are there now).
I would use them in silver / chrome of course.

I’m interested to know if you removed the bad smell from your lower cabinets? (Re: previous post)

I think I remember a question about that, quite a while ago? That was Bee Bee? I realised I replied to a question about a lamp and I saw another question about kitchen colours which I'm not sure what it's asking but it does seem to overlap this discussion so I left it.

Bee Bee, you say "there are some handles from Bunnings that look very similar to some Ikea handles" but have you checked the distance between the screw holes?

Sorry, yes it would have been better in one post. I wasn’t planning on the cabinets being gloss.
I don’t mind them though, things could be worse.
I’m not sure where the bottom cabinets are from.
In Australia there are some handles from Bunnings that look very similar to some Ikea handles (different to the ones that are there now).

Yes we checked the distance and they will fit, we checked the screw holes.

No we tried everything but could to get the smell out of the bottom cabinets so we cannot use them besides the one on the right of the oven.

The smell was caused by a leaking dishwasher hose.

Yes all this would be better in one post but I haven’t had time to sit in the living room until now to realise I needed a lamp. I just do what I can with the minimal time I have spare.

Do I understand correctly? You are not getting rid of the damaged cabinets you are not using or checking for damage behind them, but you have invested in additional top cabinets for storage instead.

We have checked for damage of the cabinets and as I have said the bottom ones have been damaged and have a bad odour so I do not want to use them.

So, the cost effective option was to install some above head cabinets.

At a later date I will change the bottom cabinets.

As you can see the bottom ones look okay and bench is also in good condition so to me it seems like a waste to replace them when half of them are usable and the drawers can also be used.

I also have a pantry. I only needed a little more storage for some cups etc.

The plan is to install bottom cupboards / drawers and a bench to match the top ones at a later date.

To change the whole bottom section would involve removing floor tiles etc.

I just don’t have the time to manage a project like that and I like to save my money for emergencies.

P.S I have enough storage now, the extra wall cupboards I had installed have given me the space so I can keep cups, plates, chopping boards and my lemon juicer in the top cupboards.

This has given me the room to move my sauce pans and cooking pans into the cupboard next to the oven (which smells fine as it wasn’t affected by the leaking dishwasher hose), & this has freed up the pantry.

Also I searched behind the cabinets that smelled bad with a camera (special one plumbers uses). I could see no cause for the smell. The issue is caused by a leaking dishwasher which was broken and had lots of food clogged in it. The liquid seeped into the particle board. No amount of cleaning could fix that smell. The people who lived in the house before me had the dishwasher with the issue. I have bought a new dishwasher and had the problematic one removed.

Ideally I would love to have the bottom cabinets removed eventually and that is the plan. As I said, I don’t want to retile the whole house.

Cost effective would be a cheap freestanding cupboard which you don't need to pay someone to install until you are able to do the necessary repairs and then repurpose or resell. What you have now is upper cabinets which somehow turned out to be not what you wanted and which in due course you will be trying to coordinate with. Well, it's installed now, but I'd suggest prioritising a proper repair rather then spending more money around the edges. I don't know what you mean about retiling the whole house.

Yes it’s done now. It will be easy to match the upper ones later on as I picked a neutral white.

If I have the bottom cabinets removed, the new cabinets will be a different size to the existing ones, meaning tiles will have to be removed.

Removing titles often causes tiles to be damaged and I cannot find the same tiles I have in the kitchen anywhere and they extend throughout the whole house with the exceptions of the bedrooms.

Regardless, the upper cabinets are useful whether I find a way to repair the bottom cabinets or replace them.

I have had two seperate tradesmen say it’s not possible to remove the shelves of the lower cabinet without replacing the whole cabinet.

Also I am planning on having one of the lower cabinets turned into a bin.

I didn’t want to waste money on a temporary cabinet that will just end up looking out of place.

As you said it’s done now, I’m just trying to make the most of my current situation.

Or Kmart for $35.

The tradesman are correct that the cabinets need to be replaced that are damaged by the water leak. But I do not understand why new cabinets would be a different size. Your home looks relatively new. And kitchen cabinets are a standard size. Yes this could cost you around $2000- $4000, for new cabinets. But, this is what you just spent on the overhead cabinets. A mould problem in the cabinets can not be ignored. This is a health issue. With respect to your decision about overheads being purchased, but I think your priorities were incorrect.

,,

Dreamer, if Bee Bee is using IKEA cabinetry then the sizes can be different.

Bee Bee - Bunnings/Kaboodle or other flatpak companies will have the standard sizes that would fit for the bottom cabinetry. Beware that sometimes tradesmen can put up reasons to not do stuff that can actually be resolved.

Yes you are correct @bigreader. But if a standard cabinet size is used, then the problem of tiles is alleviated. Good suggestion about using bunnings/kaboodle.

Here is a good example of what you are describing. This is a kaboodle kitchen. Work out what carcasses (internal cabinets) can be saved, and look into replacing water damaged cabinets, cabinet doors, and bench top, which might be able to be saved as well. OR Save up your money, and get the entire kitchen done. As mentioned on another post. Don’t get ikea unless you are going to replace entire kitchen, because the cabinets are not standard Australian sizes.

https://www.kaboodle.com.au/design-blog/bring-your-dream-kitchen-to-life-today
Do not spend anymore money on your kitchen, in its present state.

Okay thank you that’s helpful information as I didn’t know Australia had a standard cabinet size.