I do look at doors, but more as to what it says about the quality of the house, if that makes sense? The house we live in now was outdated - classic "grandma special" - but has solid wood doors throughout. We looked at another home in the neighborhood with a similar layout that had been "updated", including with cheap big box doors and you can just tell the difference. To me, it spoke to the quality of the build/improvements/home in general, etc. That being said, OP: I would say don't bother with the doors, unless, as stated, there are obvious issues with your current doors. The investment won't be worth it in return on price, but you might get a return by way of a quick sale - so it may depend on your situation. Many people don't care much one way or the other or notice these things - many are more concerned with aesthetics, which is why "Menards flips" persist. (And, no, Bry911, I know you do good work, not talking about your flips :)

Thought with lead times and prices going up across the board, it seems, let's share what we know. Medallion Cabinetry: 14-16 Weeks. Price increase end of June, approx. 6/25/21. 3-5% increase Shiloh Cabinetry: 8-12 weeks. Price increase 7/23/21. 5% increase.

I really appreciate the thoughts and input from every one of you. Great discussion, and you’ve given me lots to think about. (And TIA to any future posts.) I’m pretty obsessive about finding the lowest price for what I’m looking at, so do shop around. There’s just no excuse not to, when we can find so much information literally at our fingertips. I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart. I don’t want to go into why (I hinted above, but there’s so much more) because it’s firsthand knowledge and involves people I know. But they will not be getting my money. Azon has it’s own evils, I’m not saying they’re better. That’s why it’s conflicting. I try to shop anywhere but those two, but inevitably read something bad about Overstock, or Wayfair, or [insert online company or superstore here]. So I try to go local, or smaller online companies, or Etsy, or Ebay, etc etc … but they aren’t always ideal, either. Any one of those can be problematic for various reasons. We watched an interesting movie yesterday, ”Land” with Robin Wright. It’s about a grieving woman going completely off the grid to try to come to terms with the new life she certainly didn’t want (I could relate to it very well at a certain time in my life). Anyway, I thought of this topic a bit. It’s pretty much the only way to stay pure. No matter where we shop, there can be, or is, something bad about it. Unless we grow 100% of our own food, spin our own rugs and blankets, carve our own furniture, and boil our own soap … we are going to be part of the capitalistic cog in society. An overly simplistic view? Maybe. My dilemma is: what makes any of these better or worse than the other? We all want to do the right thing … what is the right thing? What is the perfect way to acquire goods? I’m kind of all over the place with my thoughts, conflicted, as I said …. if I’ve said something you don’t agree with, let me know! I’d like to hear it, I promise. We’re all trying to figure things out; the more information shared, the better. PS: Finance and budget limitations are of course another societal factor in all this. Not everyone has the same choices … but that could be another thread, I guess.

The contractual issue is whether the counter material is "trim" pursuant to customary and standard usage in the construction industry. In my limited knowledge of construction the counters and other equivalent stuff was referred to as finishes but I am a lay person and am basing it on how counters are referred to - e.g. a place has expensive finishes versus builder grade finishes which covers stuff like tile and counters and other visual elements that are discretionary rather than structural. Perhaps some of the builders can offer input as to what "trim" generally means. Being "locked" into the software probably has no legal significance unless there is something more than it being "saved" but provides some evidence of when the parties were informed of a specific price - however it doesn't mean that price was firm if counters are "trim". Your contract isn't particularly well drafted unfortunately so it is a gray area. Find out what the current market price for the quartz is from a third party vendor. Find out what "trim" generally means in the construction/remodeling/home building industry and then attempt to negotiate with your builder. There is a $6000 differential and maybe you can come to terms especially if there are markups charged by the GC in that amount. On some level you can stick it to your GC and win the battle but not the war because they might find ways to make up lost profit in the long run. This isn't legal advice - adding that disclaimer.