It's important to know that a majority of cupboard customers all choose essentially the same thing, so that if you are looking for an oddball design, be sure that you're a good match with a custom shop. I have touted the shop we're working with and have no particular reason to think that the cupboards won't be good, but I can definitely say that I anticipated more customization from them than they can deliver. We priced the same bank of plain "shaker" cupboards from one of the better brands at Menards, Thomasville at HD, a semi-custom company I can't recall name, and two custom local companies. This shop met the HD and Menards on roughly comparable product but with much better drawer construction. Then together we started changing the plan somewhat. One of the best things in our new plan is that this shop has decided to create a large box instead of the two smaller boxes in the position each side of the range hood, plus incorporating the spacer area between the box and the wall, giving us an extra 8 inches within the box to the side of the second door. This will allow us to put more large items and irregularly shaped items into the cupboards, esp. the top shelves where less-used stuff is stored because there won't be a divider panel between the two sections on each side. From the floor, it will look like the two sets of cupboards are symmetrical. All four doors will be hinged on the side away from the stove so that there is no door that smacks against the range hood. Yes, I know that the shelves inside will be very wide, but I'm not worried and I doubt that I will do much custom repositioning of them anyway. Another good thing is the willingness to include four (yes, count them! four!) custom pullout cutting/bread boards. The shop knows how to do this in such a way that the cupboard frame will be able to handle the meat pounding and other downward pressure that I know will be applied by moi and DH. The contact man has a lot of on-the-job experience so he says "I've done that" or "that usually doesn't work so good" and it helps me understand. He is very patient. When I walked in with the items which I wanted to embed into the stove-side countertops (knife unit and utensil tubes) he understood and counseled as to how to work up two shallow-depth drawers to compensate. His software doesn't seem to be as fancy as the big company software, so I don't have lots of printouts of elevations from various perspectives, but he does email me a PDF with the latest changes in it, always b&w. But... He is best at the most common styles. I suspect he can rather easily set up a router to make custom designs on slab cupboard fronts. But the custom applied trims on the inside of various doors that I see in catalogs and store displays are not ones that he frequently makes. These things put him out of his element and is discouraging me from making them. He is best at doing the most common things in a custom way. This does not bother DH at all but it has disappointed me. Also, he says that he has trouble making a toekick drawer that really works well, that these don't always work out as being up to the shop's standard of quality, so he's reluctant to give it another try. On the positive side of things, he has a KD client on the other side of town (he keeps her name anonymous) who has set a standard of quality that he constantly quotes. "The KD would say that here [fill in topic] I should [fill in solution]"and I find is almost always good advice, which I am tapping without extra cost. Both of the custom shops that we approached had been enjoying the lush years of the pre-recession building boom. They did a lot of stuff for condo units, stores, etc. Now, out of necessity, they're going after small projects with homeowner contractors in order to give their employees some work. It's a new thing for them, I think, especially the part of the story in which they let the amateur contractor pick up part of the work, esp. the finishing and the planning. They're going to have to learn how to listen and how to give advice gently. To rookies who are just starting on this journey and are talking to such a local shop, be sure to watch out for... 1) whether the bid includes sales tax, transportation, storage, wood finish, deadline date, hauling into the house and dodging damage to floor, and the exact cupboard style you think you have stipulated 2) whether you will do part of the installation, the finish, the countertop and if so, how much they will counsel you or help set you up to succeed 3) what their web of local contacts is...who else do they scratch backs with, such as designers, glass people, finish people, drivers, wood suppliers, etc. 4) whether you or the shop will buy and install the custom inserts such as lazy susans or specialty drawers and whether these are in the bid 5) the quality of the hardware: closure device, rails, knobs if they're provided 6) the drawer box construction 7) the amount of guidance in design and advice you will need 8) how the shop proceeds with the bidding process, including when the money is due and whether it's by check or what 9) how the shop will deal with decreased personnel in this economy--fewer drivers, fewer specialists, fewer people to answer phone or respond to email, more demands on each individual's time, even the complication of an obscure address for the construction site, etc. [These shops don't have dedicated delivery staff who know the entire city because they do this day in and day out] 10) their understanding of your top priorities: deadline? color and finish? trim? kitchen design? or whatever Pay attention to the way they court you and answer your queries, etc. If they are slow or seem eccentric in the beginning part, what does that tell you? Do you have the kind of personality who can be understanding of this? Also, take a look at yourself and how you present your side; in these almost intimate interpersonal situations, you have to think of things from their pt of view--Have I scared him so he won't make suggestions any more? Does he understand that I want/don't want his input? etc. When we were near to shaking hands on the deal, I asked, "What should we do if there is a problem?" We also shook hands on the answer to that. Basically, he said that he would address and fix the problem. Not long after that, he arrived for a remeasure that uncovered a 9-inch measuring error in the computer diagrams. The diagram was too short. He gulped, said, "we'll still honor the quote" and we readjusted the plan. I am not sure that the big box companies would do that. A bonus because we look to be good to work with: He has offered us a chance to be guinea pig on a new product for $100, a new kind of plywood that has birch instead of plastic for the insides of drawers, etc. We said yes, we'd try it. His publicity person has indicated that they might want to use our kitchen for advertising. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Stay tuned.

I chose Plato Woodwork over P&F. As a designer, I look for quality in the product as well as people and manufacturers who can provide the proper service and deliver on time and on budget for my clients. And Plato has done that for me in the past 3 years. During my initial debate between the two lines, I considered the quality of the finishes and their abilities to make custom parts and pieces and I'd say they are both great products. In terms of quality, I was particularly drawn to the fact that Plato's finishes are much more unique and stands itself apart from the masses. Their cabinet boxes are sturdy and well engineered, and as an added bonus, they are a green product with a formaldehyde-free finish and glue. (see http://www.platowoodwork.com/ and their green website http://platowoodwork-california.com) While I cannot speak about P&F's customer service, I can definitely share some experiences about Plato. Their customer services and engineers actually review your kitchen before making the cabinets, as opposed to just another cabinet order being pushed through an assembly line. So they actually know which cabinet goes where and look at your order as a functional space, versus just a cabinet list. If/when there are problems, their customer service jumps all over it to make sure a reasonable solution is provided to ensure proper customer satisfaction, which both my clients and I value highly. Having been in the business for years now, I have had enough of different finger pointing and am glad that I haven't had much of that to deal with at all from Plato and their service reps. And at the end of the day, I think we are paying the same, if not less than what most other cabinet makers at this level of craftsmanship, so then at the end of my debate, it was really more of a question, 'why NOT Plato?' I hope this helps and good luck with your project! Eric eric@mtkc.net www.mtkc.net Here is a link that might be useful: MT Kitchen Cabinets, Inc

Factory finish or custom made cabinets built in a shop are always sprayed finishes under very controlled conditions requiring ventilation, respirators, sealed switches and light fixtures, etc...much like the spray booths in an auto body shop. These conditions are hard to duplicate in a house. Also, the factory finishes are always lacquer based finishes. This is done for a reason. Lacquer is a quick drying product. The cabinets are sprayed with one coat and immediately sprayed within thirty minutes with a second coat. These finishes are thin bodied products specifically made for spraying and are extremely volatile in nature. These products are not available to the average homeowner because of their volatility and health hazards. (Lacquer finishes will kill brain cells when they are sprayed) Most painters are not properly trained and equipped to handle these products in a home because of the explosion hazard. (No pilot lights ignited, no flippng light switches, loss of brain cells, etc...) There are water based lacquer finishes available as well as brush on lacquer finishes, but they are not the same as real lacquer products. The most common name in lacquer is M.L. Campbell Finishes, providing most cabinet makers with finishes.

we build custom, and we can and do source almost anything. I am not sure everybody works like this though.