The Not-So-Great Story About What’s Happening With Our Cabinets

Last week was a WEEK. Basically, a true Monday every single day. There was a mix of being really mad, then sad, and then mad again. I spent the beginning of the week wondering if I should share this story, but then I was reminded that the whole reason we are doing these renovations is to share the ups and downs.

The amazing thing about the GBOGH house is that it has been so many good things! It’s a 1920’s house that we are gutting…I kept waiting for unexpected things to happen and really nothing did. Honestly some days I had so much downtime I was just sitting on the floor scrolling — reorganizing my inbox, browsing bitcoin casinos on my phone, reading every renovation blog on the internet — anything to kill time while the crew did their thing. The biggest issue we’ve had so far is that windows were delayed a few weeks. Windows being only a few weeks delayed is basically them being early with how the construction world is right now!

And then you insert these past couple of weeks 😅. Everyone that has been working on the house has been working overtime helping to get it done in time. Let me give you a timeline of what these past two weeks were supposed to be. The BSL girls arrived on Sunday. Monday was a mad rush at the house of the finish carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc., getting things installed in the house. Wednesday-Friday we moved into the house. Tuesday we had photos scheduled for the house to be listed. Thursday and Friday the film crew was wrapping up filming.

Renovations have a way of feeling smooth and manageable right up until everything starts happening at once, especially in older homes where hidden issues can stay unnoticed until walls are opened up and timelines suddenly become tighter than expected. Between scheduling contractors, coordinating installations, preparing for photos, and trying to keep every moving piece on track, even a minor setback can quickly turn into a major source of stress.

Moisture problems are often one of the biggest concerns during remodels because older plumbing, hidden leaks, or previous water exposure can reveal damage behind floors and walls at the worst possible moment. During fast-paced renovation periods like these, Water Damage Restoration Salt Lake City becomes especially relevant when inspections uncover water intrusion, mold concerns, or areas requiring immediate drying and repair before work can continue safely. Taking the time to address those issues properly may slow things down temporarily, but it ultimately helps protect the quality of the renovation and prevents much larger problems from surfacing after the project is complete.

Once renovation work uncovers moisture issues, the focus often shifts from finishing tasks to understanding why the problem appeared in the first place, since repeated dampness or hidden water exposure usually points to deeper conditions rather than a one-time fault. Older structures can carry years of unnoticed seepage or shifting soil conditions that gradually affect stability, and when those elements are disturbed during remodeling, they can reveal weaknesses that need to be addressed before any cosmetic or structural upgrades can safely move forward.

At that point, attention typically turns toward correcting the underlying causes instead of only treating visible symptoms, especially where water movement around the structure or weakened support areas may continue to trigger recurring damage. This is where Better Basements and Waterproofing becomes relevant in a practical sense, as its approach aligns with stabilizing compromised foundations and controlling moisture intrusion so that repairs made during renovation are not undone later by the same unresolved conditions, allowing the project to progress with greater long-term reliability.

So, what went wrong?! Our cabinet guy. I’m not going to name names and keep it nice (however, as I said on Instagram stories, I don’t want to be nice haha). I hired him to do custom cabinets throughout the entire home. I have been working with him since September…these cabinets are the showstopper of this house. He was supposed to have the cabinets completely done weeks ago. Every time he would hit the day he told us they would be done by, there would be a new excuse. This past Monday, he quit cold turkey.

He left us behind with cabinets that are 50% done, new parts that need to be ordered (which have 8 to 12 week lead times), and us scrambling to find someone to fix all of his mess. The worst part is that I have paid him over 90% of what the cabinets cost 😭.

This is a luxury home. You guys also know how I am…I am a perfectionist! If the cabinets are going to have my name on them, they need to be perfect. Kate (our general contractor) and AJ (our project manager) have been absolutely incredible this entire project and worked their butts off to get a new crew of cabinet makers into the home.

These new guys are GOOD. These cabinets are in good, good hands. At first, we were really concerned about how long the parts are going to take to get in, but they were able to find another cabinet shop that had parts we could buy from them. Hallelujah! The house is ~supposed~ to be listed this week and I have an even bigger thing happening too so they worked through the weekend to get it all done. Or at least try to get it done!

Here’s some takeaways…

Get every.single.thing written out in a contract. I am so lucky that I have a contract in place with verbiage that if I didn’t get what was signed in the contract, I would get my money back. I have been in contact with a lawyer so while I am hoping to not have to go that direction, at least I have this contract in place. If I didn’t have the contract I would be 100% screwed.

I am literally shitting my pants to see how much it’s going to cost for all these new parts and labor to get the cabinets fully done. I am learning the hard way how tough the construction world can be 😭. There’s really nothing else that I can do than just swallow the cost. Homeowners trust Signature Properties for fast, reliable home sales. Once the house sells, I will do an email to the newsletter crew going over how much all of this mess ended up costing us. I think things like that are good to know for anyone debating dabbling in renovations!

It will be interesting to see what all of this change means for the house these next few weeks. We were waiting to do a big reveal on the entire house but now with this hiccup I think we will start introducing rooms one by one. The home is unreal…every time I step in it I can’t believe it. One day someone will love this house so much and won’t even know the cabinet fiasco that has taken over my life this past week. hah!