We're in the middle of assembling a Scherr's kitchen now. We had planned on an IKEA/Scherr's combo for a long time, but in the end felt that our tiny kitchen would be best served by going the all-Scherr's route, so we could customize things as needed (and because the closest IKEA is almost 5 hours away). We ordered sample doors (unpainted and two wood types) and went back and forth with Leon, the owner, over the details. When we were finally ready to place an order in late October, the lead time was 10-12 weeks. However, there was a last minute cancellation/delay of an east coast Scherr's project due to Hurricane Sandy, so Leon pushed us up and we got our cabinets in 4 weeks. Cost for our 10x10ish kitchen was a couple thousand more than IKEA and a couple thousand less than a local cabinetmaker (also frameless cabs). As I said, we're still sorting through all of the boxes and assembling cabinets, but communication and customer service have been great so far.

Quick update. The painters are finishing up today. The electricians, plumber and carpenter all showed up as promised. The carpenter installed a routed board that goes over the sink to create a soffit that contains two lights. He had delayed because he wanted to make sure the electricians could access the wiring. He also helped the electricians install our 12 year old Thermador double wall oven. Man than thing is heavy. It's a double convection oven with a small microwave. I'll keep it as long as it keeps on working. It's dirty because I don't run the self-clean cycle. The outside is stainless and in good shape. Every year that I don't have to replace it is a victory. The electricians wired up the Vent-A-Hood. I confess there was a moment of female superiority with this installation. They were complaining about the small amount of wire that was protruding from the hood. I realized they had no idea how to install it. So, I handed them our socket tool, told them to take off the black motor and wire it from that side. Nice guys, but a little red in the face for a minute or two. Chalk one up for the little lady. They also finished wiring all of the outlets and switches. We have to wait to the painters to finish the ceiling before we can install the ceiling lights. The LED can lights were considered a fixture. That meant I needed to go get them. Home Depot had what I needed. The LED under cabinet lighting was delayed, also. We had another miscommunication. I thought the electricians were providing all of the necessary equipment for installation. We had a discussion three months ago. Who can remember three months ago? None of us. They thought I was providing it. Therefore, no supplies or equipment was available. I got on the horn to InspiredLED (Thank you GW) and Garrett hooked me up with everything we need. The components should arrive Friday. The plumber did his magic. He installed our old Bosch dishwasher. It's over 10 years old and was the top of the line in it's day. It still works beautifully. It will work even better now that it is properly installed. He installed all of the faucets. Unfortunately, the Hansgrohe pull-down faucet at the main sink has a leak in the sprayer unit. One call to Hangrohe and a replacement hose is on the way. He hooked up our new Insinkerator garbage disposals. We hooked up the Forever_MT soap dispensers. (Thanks GW, again.) We had to call back the back splash installers. Two of the boxes for light switches and outlets were too small. We couldn't get the covers on them. Even thought we could have done it ourselves, we didn't want to damage the tile. Their boss insisted on sending them out to make the fix. We started moving back into the kitchen. I've started cleaning house. We washed and cleaned off the back porch where everyone worked and all the supplies were stored. I can cook in the kitchen. We are still camping out in the temporary area waiting for the painters to finish. The painters started working on the final touches yesterday and will be finished today. It looks great. We will need to let things dry for a few days. Now, we find ourselves with a small to do list. It never ends. We need to install the under cabinet lights and ceiling can lights. We have the replacement hose for the Hansgrohe faucet. I've looked at it and I'm going to get the plumber back out to install it. I'm sure it's a simple fix, but it's not obvious to me. We also need to fasten the HVAC vents to the cabinet toe kicks. I think that's about it. Pictures next. I'll do the big reveal at the end of the week. Thanks for all the encouragement.

We had Scherr's paint them. I got Scherr's to give me couple of quotes, unpainted, primed only and fully painted. It just wasn't that much more to have them painted in the big scheme of things. I am glad we did. I've painted primed cabinets before. I got a much better finish. One thing that you need to know is they use a catalyzed varnish finish. While it's color matched, it has a slightly different cast due to the way the light hits it. It is much sturdier than basic paint. So, be sure to get any directly adjacent trim painted by them, too. I had a piece of trim a the top that was hand painted. It was noticeable if you looked at it really closely. The rest of my trim was separated by drywall and you didn't notice the difference with the drywall separation. The only way you would get an exact match is to use the same paint product on both. Small, but noticeable if you really look. It was a really good experience. We enjoyed putting them together.

I used Scherr's RTA Cabinets. http://scherrs.com/ While they have a very clunky old fashioned website, they are a high quality custom shop. That means they do pretty much everything. You fill out the form with your choices and your contact information. Leon Scherr will talk to you over the phone to explain the process and refine your choices. This is NOT a budget product. It's a custom product made in North Dakota. I think that by the time you go through the process, they will be a little bit more than Barker's, but you will get more customer service, custom cabinets, your choice of finishes, if desired, and someone to talk on the phone when you encounter a problem. Here is a link to my renovation: My Kitchen Renovation Using Scherr's RTA Cabinets Begins Here is a link to my cabinet installation and kitchen reveal: Kitchen Reveal Scherr's RTA Cabinets My kitchen designer and I estimate that we saved 40% by doing the assembly ourselves. Plus, we have the satisfaction of knowing we contributed to the process. I love the frameless cabinet. A lot of people will use IKEA boxes and Scherr's or Barker's doors. I know Scherr's has the jigs and measurement to make IKEA doors.