From reading about other people's experiences and from my own, it may be worth checking custom cabinet makers. Local or even not so local. I am not near you but perhaps someone here can even recommend a cabinetmaker in your area.

With semi-custom you may be (I am saying "may be" because I don't know the brand and your specific kitchen plan) paying a lot of up-charges for odd sizes and other customizations which can be more expensive than getting it custom-made to begin with. And then there is a cost of a middle-man factor as well.

Since she has been working with you for a long time, did you pay a deposit?

Yes, I paid for design services ($500) with the understanding that the plans were mine to keep. Kitchen is "U" shaped no odd pieces and I even got the basic corner piece...no lazy susan, etc.

That is really cheap for design services, especially if you like the plan. Definitely take the plan and shop around. It will take some time but will be well worth it. May be start with posting a message with a subject like "looking for cabinet makers in Northern VA".

I think that is on the high side based on my estimates, but I live in Charlottesville(central VA). I have a large kitchen with a 12 ft island and am using custom cabs from Greenfield made in WVa- my final total was around 18K, not including installation. I'm not using inset cabs, just full overlay and a very simple door design (traditional Shaker design) but they are painted but not glazed. I don't know, I think I would be inclined to at least get another quote with your current layout, since you've payed for it. You want to be happy- it's a big investment! GL!

I agree with the other posters about getting a quote from a custom cabinet maker. We shopped around getting quotes from several semi-custom lines and even though we thought that custom was out of our budget we went ahead and got 2 quotes from custom cabinet makers...and they both came in under the semi-custom lines!(and the quality is much better) Also, the custom quotes that we got included installation, because most cabinet makers want to install their product themselves. I would definately think that it is worth a shot if you are interested in custom to check out some of those vendors.

I have to agree. We have 235 sq ft kitchen (small to average--I live in the midwest). We actually checked a low end kitchen cabinet place asking for a price of their high end cabinet and then we got a custom cabinet maker's bit. He was 1200.00 less with a lot more added features. It is nice to be able to tell him if I want a large drawer or two small ones. He can make whatever I want. I would definitely check around. Just my two cents! Good luck.

It's hard for us to tell you if you've been quoted a good price on your cabinets because we don't know what actual items were quoted.

But, if I were you, I would take my plan to several other vendors that have products that you are interested in: custom cabinetmakers, big box kitchen departments, websites that offer free quotes on cab lines you like, etc. The more info. you can gather, the more likely you are to recognize a good price when you see it.

And I agree with annab6. Your design price seems extremely reasonable at only $500.

You've already receieved great advice. Definitely keep looking until you feel comfortable with your design and price. I also found a local custom maker to be cheaper than semi-custom, although I'm still looking just to be sure. It's a huge project and you want to feel in control and comfortable with spending that much money to get what you want.

shop shop shop.....it is worth all of the time and all of the effort. I did the same until I got to a comfortable place. What I found interesting is that my quotes for the same basic product under differing manufacturers varied considerably once I made it clear I was shopping around. Some things were "thrown in" and they got creative about finding ways to chip away at the costs while still providing the same overall design.

I am in Howard County, MD, so not so far away. You have a lot of resources (aka competition) there in NOVA and the surrounding areas.

Good Luck!!!

I have yorktowne cabinetry and found the price to be equal to other major brands. I checked Kraftmaid, Diamond, Thomasville, etc and they were all around the same price. One thing that may really be running-up your price is the trim/molding. Our trim added thousands to our total. Also, when I ordered my Yorktowne they had a promo that included the soft-close drawers for free so be sure to ask about that. Last year they were running a different promo each 30 days (I know because it took me almost 6 months to finalize my design and I kept wondering if a better promo would be given the following month).

Also, you could stain an end panel yourself. I have cherry cabinets with sorbel satin and I was able to stain cherry corbels to match (made my own stain mix-the one from the company didn't match-go figure!) and I bought 1/8" (I think) sheets of finished plywood (maybe birch) and stained it for the underpanels of the cabinets. The birch or whatever it is Lowes sales, matches perfectly with my custom stain. Infact, had I known I could match non-cherry wood so closely I wouldn't have ordered so many end panels and finished plywood pieces and saved a bundle! Oh well....

We also looked at custom - same price- thought wow lets do this. Long story short, 3K and 1 bath later we decided to order cabinets. If you go with custom, make sure your cabinet guy works with your specific wood type- an'oak' guy can't necessarily do other woods like cherry well-especially the stained finishes...

Whether that's "average" for where you live or not, I don't know. Regardless, I recommend you take your design and shop around. Look at other cabinet lines. It may be that b/c your KD's company only carries one line they don't worry about competitive pricing b/c there's no competition w/in the store.

Check custom...but

(1) Custom is not a guarantee of quality...so be sure to see his/her work in several finished kitchens, not samples in the workshop.

(2) Just b/c some people were able to find a custom cabinetmaker for lower than purchasing from a big box or specialty store does not mean you will. In reality, many custom cabinetmakers charge more in the end once you factor in the "extras" that come standard in some lines, good drawer glide/door hinge hardware, trim, installation, etc.

(3) Be sure the custom cabinetmaker has done kitchen cabinets in the past, not someone who does furniture and has an attitude of "they can't be too hard"...b/c cabinets are different than furniture.

There have been several horror stories around here about major problems w/custom cabinetmakers...quality, customer service, etc. So, do your homework...thoroughly...if you decide to go the custom route. Yes, there are also horror stories about cabinets from stores, but you usually have a management chain to climb if the person you're working with isn't responding or stonewalling you.

Oh, and if you want opinions on the layout your KD came up with...feel free to post it here. However, people here won't pull punches...especially considering functionality, so if you can't take constructive criticism or absolutely do not want to change it, then don't post it.

Good luck!

I was in a very similar situation. I selected my kitchen store (design/install place) based on how responsive the KD was and also had 2 recommendations from friends. We began designing the kitchen back in November. First estimate came in a bit under 20k. A few months later we finalized the design and it came in at 27k. The KD told me that the cost of the cabs were 20k and he was making 7k profit. He was extremely helpful in showing me less expensive door styles and stain finishes. I also made a few modifications to the design. KD was also flexible in his profit margin. I was able to negotiate his profit down to 5k. In the end my cabinets are costing me 22k and 4k (originally it was 5k) for installation. I appreciated that my KD was willing to work with me on the cost of the cabs and his profit margin, especially in this economy. If I were you I would definitely shop around. You should feel that you're happy with your cabinets and the price that you paid. My cabinet order is going to be placed this weekend...I hope! Definitely, take the design and have it priced at other stores. You may even find a style and finish that you like better. And if you end up going back to the original KD, at least you know you're getting a fair deal.

Good luck,
motherof3

Thanks to all for such great advice and support! I went to Home Depot tonight and the Decora line looks promising. KD there seems to think he can easily work with my budget. I'll be hitting a few kitchen showrooms tomorrow. I'll keep you posted!