Remodel Runs Amok (aka: Broken Dishwasher Costs Household $30,000 +)

Beware of appliance breakdowns.

5 years and $30,000 ago, our dishwasher packed it in. Apparently, you can't just buy a single replacement appliance, because it makes more sense to buy a matching set of all four appliances. And then, if you are going to buy appliances you may as well buy a good brand, and go for the upscale stainless steel instead of the run of the mill white or black. Then once the new appliances are delivered, you realize that they sort of 'overpower' your small galley-style kitchen and upstage your cabinetry, so you feel the need to install skylights, tear down walls, pull up tile from the 80's era, and install new cabinets, hardware, fixtures, Corian countertops, and hardwood flooring so that the appliances don't look 'out of place'. Just when you think you are done, you notice that the rest of your main floor living spaces look woefully forlorn compared to your sleek new kitchen, and so phase 2 of the remodel begins to take shape...