Notes from a small kitchen renovation

In practice, the details matter more than the overall plan. Asking the right questions at the beginning avoids most surprises.
We tried a few approaches before settling on the one described here. The result is not perfect, but it has worked well for over a year. Every project is different, yet the same few mistakes repeat. If you are planning something similar, start small and keep notes.

Nothing here is new, but it is easy to forget when you are in a hurry. The result is not perfect, but it has worked well for over a year. This came up several times this year, so it seemed worth writing down. A simple checklist turned out to be more useful than any tool.