Are you offering this for rental? What do the other homes in the area have? They will be your competitors.

Will this be a vacation home for you? Do you even do much cooking? Then who cares?

Or are you looking to sell once you build? If so, you could consider it. It you are going to be there at least 5 years, whatever you put in will be outdated in 5 years anyway.

"do people expect high end appliances in a million dollar plus property."

This truly depends on location. In some parts of the country , 1 mill buys you a "mansion", but in others, it barely gets you a small 1950's fixer-upper. I though the formula was that a kitchen should be 10% of the property value, so your 100K might not be that far off. I would find comparable properties in your neighborhood/town and build your kitchen with similar finishes.

Yes, your desire for building is key here--not just for kitchen design, but also for all the details and finishes throughout the house.

The applicance forum is a good source of experience and opinion. For example, Electrolux ovens might be as acceptable and a better value than Wolf. LIber refrigerators might be an acceptable substitute for Subzero. It's up to you.

There are certainly many grades and costs for upscale applicances. For $1M house, however, I wouldn't expect to see white builder grade appliances or any other entry-grade equipment or fixtures.

Good luck on your project.

Thanks for your responses. More food for thought

What range in price are high end homes in your area? Medium high range?

Most true high end homes actually have restaurant style kitchens in them for their staff rather than "high end" appliances or cabinets. As you go down the ladder to the middle class and have more homeowner involvement in food preparation, the kitchens become stuffed full of all kinds of appliances and bloated in size. Some people even have "show" kitchens for entertaining, with the working kitchen being much plainer and more serious about actual food production. The concept of doing a high end workroom is a very middle class concept, and most expensive appliances go into niche market high middle class kitchens rather than mansions. And then, usually only in the foodie or fashion conscious households. Plenty of middle class remodelers who are perfectly happy with GE Profile appliances in even the very nice sections of town.

GreenDesigns, the problem with your definitions is that they don't account for location or price.

Why would you spoil your staff with expensive appliances? The kitchen belongs in the basement and if you want to be nice to your employees you can splurge on IKEA cabinets and appliances.

"As I price things out, I could wind up with a 100k kitchen, once I factor in high end appliances, cabinets, counters, flooring and sinks and faucets. It seems over the top and I'm wondering what other people did in similar situations and if they were happy with their decision."

There are several ways to minimize the cost of the kitchen without "cheaping out" on the house. And unless you are running with a really snooty crowd, they won't care that your faucet isn't gold plated and that your omelettes are cooked on a GE and not a LaCanche.

Really think through the layout so you have an easy to work in space. Impress people with the workability, not the cost.

Learn to spec out your requirements first ... move from general to specific, and think in terms of overall "look and feel" and function rather than a bucket list of "must have because it's high end" things. Remember that an "inspiration picture" is just for inspiration, not a shopping list.

1 - Decrease the size of the kitchen. Instead of a huge kitchen full of high-end cabinets to hold everything, have a smaller one with adequate prep and cooking space, enough cabinetry to store the cooking gear and spices and breakfast cereal and a moderate size refrigerator/freezer for the daily stuff like milk and eggs.

Have an adjacent pantry for storage, and another refrigerator and a full-size freezer so you can stock up. But this area is not "on show", so varnished pine open shelving will do just fine at a fraction of the cost, and the appliances can be any decent brand.

2 - For appliances, think function instead of brand aura ... If you need a range with a center griddle, get the one that works the best for you, not the one in all the magazines.

3 - Go simple ... skip the ogee edges, the mocha glazing and stuff. It adds cost without adding to the usability.

4 - Check all price points for the style you want. Yes, it's true that labor will cost the same for $2/sf tile as $20/sf tile ... but as long as the lower priced tile fits the rest of your requirements and looks good, use it!

5 - Ski resorts appreciate offbeat things and imagination: Use recycled and upcycled things, like this kitchen storage wall made of various old storage units.

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great suggestions Lazygardens. That is exactly what I would like to do- keep things simple and extremely efficient.

Yesterday, I went by an appliance store just to see some things in person and was wowed by a sub zero beverage center for 8k and when I started adding everything that I thought I wanted I was "freaking out" for a lack of a better word at the thought of how much I might spend in the kitchen.

So I admit my posting was seeking some validation or comfort. We are still in the planning stage awaiting our second concept drawing from our architect, so I have no idea exactly what we will have yet, but I appreciate all your comments and it gives me info as I move forward. Thank you all