We are keeping the soffit in place. Demo will happen later this week. New cabinets will be installed around June 5, granite 5-10 days after that. I'll post pics as the process unfolds.
27 year old kitchen :

We actually added soffits for lighting. Our cabs go up to the soffits. Perhaps you have room for some small cans if the soffits are over the sink or stove. We painted them the same as the wall color making the trim stand out even better.

Melinda

I left the soffits in to avoid having to re-route whatever was in there plus it did not bother me.

We kept the soffit on one wall. There were no soffits on the other 2 walls so I figured there must be a reason why the one was there. Still, I wanted to know so I poked a hole in the end and shone a flashlight in. Sure enough, there was a big ole plumbing pipe running along there. I would have preferred no soffits and cabs to the ceiling, but rerouting the plumbing wasn't in our budget either. For that matter, taller cabinets also weren't in the budget. So we have dust collectors on two walls and a soffit on one:
{{!gwi}}

We have a soffit now hiding pipes in one corner. We are getting tall cabinets and hiding the pipe in the back of the cabs. It's only one corner and the cabinets in that corner aren't used on a daily basis. Just another option for you... HTH.

We have the dreaded soffits, too, and aren't spending a fortune to reroute the plumbing they conceal. Ours is a DIY. I think that at some point, dh will wrap the soffits in wood to match the cabinets and put in crown molding. It's not going to happen right away because we have two months this summer to get the kitchen functional (dh is a teacher), but the belief that it will happen someday is making me less upset about the soffits.

We too decided to keep our soffit instead of having to deal with whatever might have to be moved. We even added on to the soffit to accomodate our new (display) cabinet, make room for pendant lighting above a widened peninsula and extended cabinet above the fridge.

Before and after...

Jodi-

I added soffits in my remodel, simply because I couldn't get the look I wanted without them. (I love how the camera makes everything look wonky!)

I still (after nearly 2 years) don't have ceiling trim, u/c lighting or the DR door reinstalled, but those have been really easy to put off. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: My Eventually Almost Mostly Finished Budget Craftsman Kitchen

We had to keep our soffits because they were full of wiring and plumbing. I don't have pictures,yet, because we are in the middle of our remodel, but the soffits are flush with the cabinets and we covered them with panels that match the cabinet doors. I think I'm going to like the look. I'll try to post pictures in a couple of weeks.

I was afraid of taking out the soffits because of the fear of the unknown. We punched a few holes - voila- nothing in there. They came out one afternoon :)

Plan A was to remove our soffits and have new cabinets that go up to the ceililng. So, DH began to remove them and lo and behold, we find some plumbing in them. :-( We now have a call in to a local plumber to see what would be involved in moving it. I really want the extra cabinet storage space!! So, we shall see.

Wishing you lots of luck!

Jodi in So Cal, I am so happy to see your before and after pictures. I, too, have the 80's dreaded drop ceiling. I told hubby that's the next thing (or maybe the floor will be the next thing) that I'd like to change out. We're a pay-as-you-go couple. Hubby doesn't think there's anything wrong with the drop ceiling, HA!

We actually suffered some serious exterior damage to our home over the weekend (tornado). With a granite install scheduled for tomorrow and a summer contracting roofing, windows, siding and more it will be a while before we get back to the kitchen again. But I will copy your picture and start researching alternatives to kitchen lighting! BTW, I see no plumbing when I remove the drop panels, only the flourescent fixtures. Shouldn't be too hard for a qualified electrician, I think.

If you look carefully at my "before" kitchen and Laurie_2008's kitchen photo, you will notice that she and I have the same oak cabinets. That's because she and I have been neighbors for 27 years. She lives in a different model home, six doors away, but we both have to deal with (or ignore as we both have chosen to do) that archaic soffit.

Jodi-

People around here think I'm crazy (and maybe they're right), but I opted to build a soffit. We have a very high vaulted ceiling in the room in which we plan to build our new kitchen (not the room the kitchen is in now) and I am short. I did not relish at all having to scramble up there to clean my cabinet tops or anything I chose to display or store up there. We are building taller upper cabinets with a soffit that will extend past them so we can put lighting in. Our ceiling will end up looking somewhat like Jodi's. I was worried about how it would look, but now that I've seen some of the pics here, I am relieved. They look great. Thanks!

I hadn't noticed how similar Jodi's and Laurie's were! She (Laurie) must be using Jodi for inspiration...I'm sure many GW's are.

Petlady, thank you for the link to the snapping turtle. I wanted to let you know that my hubby was able to get him out of the window well and he promptly headed towards the direction of the pond. That OT thread disappeared and I wanted you to know that he got out okay, no worse for the wear! BTW, I am a shorty too!

neesie - Yes!, Jodi has been a great source of inspiration and encouragement for me : ) I was just telling her this past weekend how honored I am to live so close to her FAMOUS fire & ice backsplash. If you could see her kitchen in person, you would believe me when I say it's even more stunning than in the pictures! Jodi has great taste & natural instincts working with color and design...plus she's a down to earth, nice person.

I put soffits in, even though I don't have anythign in there.

I didn't want to deal w/ gunk up there; I didn't want a space that would tempt me into cramming stuff into it; I thought it would be good for my sleek, modern look.

These pics don't get back far enough to truly show it--but see that bump--out by the stove? I think the soffits helped me it less noticeable.

Ahhh, Laurie, you made me blush. :-)

Jodi-

I have a question. I redid my kitchen a year ago. I wanted to remove the soffits but the contractor said it would cost an additional $5000. So I left them but have hated them ever since. I started finding sights where the soffit is covered in molding and wood to appear as if it is part of the cabinet. My problem is the soffit extends a few inches past the cabinet and there's no room for molding underneath. Any suggestions?

I suggest you start a new thread of your own with a descriptive subject. This is an old thread with a slightly different topic and you may not get many responses.

Even before I realized that we would need to put HVAC ducts in the soffit area, I'd decided I wanted soffits in our 9' ceiling over the 42" high upper cabinets. Also, an architect I consulted said that whatever else I did, to be sure and have a 3' wide (wall to wall) soffit over the length of the peninsula separating the kitchen from the eating area to define the two rooms in the 30' x 13' space. In the lower level kitchen, due to the path of the duct for the range hood, the upper cabinets are 36" and the soffits are 18". I also put soffits above the laundry cabinets (9' ceiling), the mudroom cabinets (due to plumbing & HVAC), and over my bath vanity that has one upper with a 9' ceiling.

In the remodel in my previous place, as well as that of my son's kitchen, we were able to take out the soffits and put 42" upper cabinets to the 8' ceiling. In the house we rented while building which had 8' ceilings and 30" high uppers, they'd extended wood trim up to the ceiling, which I thought was attractive.

I hate cleaning, so wouldn't want open space above the cabinets. However, I also like the look of soffits with 36" or 42" cabinets when possible, or with extended trim. If I needed additional storage space, I'd try to work around any plumbing/HVAC and have cabinets to the ceiling. I'm also not concerned about having the latest style. Our house is rather expensive, but I don't think anyone will ultimately buy or not buy it because of the soffits.

Anne

Here is a before and after I found online and I definatly like it without the soffits. It maked the ceiling look higher.

And the after.

When I do my kitchen I'm going to try to remove our bulk heads.

Renosarefun, I love the renovated kitchen! Amazing how tall your ceilings look now! What is that beautiful counter? Please when you have time, tell me. I love the counters and backsplash with your warm cabinets.