Must Decide on Cabinets! Custom or Pre-Made...

12 years ago

The time has come, whether I'm ready or not. I have got to make a decision and get this kitchen started. Contractor would rather use his recommended custom cabinet maker. I have met with the CM several times. CM seems fine, but after taking a look at CM's finished product, I don't really see or feel a difference. Both are all wood doors, plywood boxes, etc. However, I have a bias against custom in favor of machine-made things with machine-made finish (the finish is really important to me). Less opportunity for human error. More consistency in construction and finish. I also get to micro-manage the cabinets a little, since I have poured over the catalogs (Thomasville and Kraftmaid), been back to the store 3 times and know what is available, what extras I might want, etc. I recognize that you lose something by working with a big box such as HD or Lowes, which may lead to delays, etc. Have any of you been down this road and opted out of custom or vice versa? Thoughts? Thanks!!!

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beekeeperswife

11 years ago

Another thing that we did that was "one of those touches you only get with custom" is the double oven and fridge cabinets are a little deeper than necessary. This made it so when the granite hit that side of the cabinet, it didn't stick out beyond that cabinet. It is going to be a much cleaner line.

When the granite guy was here doing the template and measuring everything, he would point out where the granite would go, etc.....and whenever we went over that part, he would say something like "it will end here" pointing to a place that wasn't beyond the oven cabinet...and I would respond with "you're welcome", and he'd follow with a "thank you". Since he went over the entire kitchen multiple times to make sure I agreed with every angle, it was like a comedy sketch.

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Comments (11)

beekeeperswife
12 years ago
But custom can give you the special touches you might need. Just because they are custom doesn't mean someone is back there carving them out of wood,they are using machinery too, probably computer run machinery.

There should be no inconsistency in finishes or construction. If there is, look for another custom shop. This isn't Uncle Bill who is making you a couple of cabinets....this is a professional. Or at least it is supposed to be.

Where are you located? Maybe someone on GW can point you in the right direction to find you someone who is consistent.

The small things that I couldn't get with stock cabinets, but I got by using custom makes all the difference in the world.

Bee
mommyatlaw
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, Bee! I am in Houston. Your opinion means a lot (and your kitchen is one of my inspirations).
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Merrilat Claasic andTimberlake are at the lower end of semi custom so not the best reference point. If your finding local cabinets at the price of those your doing well. Biggest concern is the finish-what are they using? A pre catalyzed varnish is ok, not as good as factory catalyzed but a sight better than urethane air dry. Wood stability is a second thing to consider, ask about it You will likely be finding pocket hole construction for frames. That would be the same as on the brands you mention. Moving up to the better semi custom brands you can start to find doweled frames, a big improvement. As to custom sizes- there are a lot of semi custom brands that will do sizes in 1/8 inch increments. My entry level cabinet does. One advantage with mfg cabs if your looking at line that do modifations and offer a good choice of accessories is engineering. I've seen a lot of odd approaches from local makers, course I've run into a few with mfgs but less often. And if there is a quirkie detail a brand uses the dealer should know enough to have you avoid it. Bottom line is check the finish, see if it's domestic sheet goods, actually Blum AND price compare apples to apples knowing what the frame and box construction is. How do they attach the box to the frame? A lot of folks on this board say they've gotten good deals. I don't know. What I do know is that when I built em, made everything, mortise and tenon frames, glued into dadoes and fastened- my prices were on a par with mfg brands, not much lower. Alas I had to use pre catalyzed varnish so to me they were better. I could not compete with the semi custom brand I carry now even with the same (pocket hole) construction. Certainly not if I did not outsource doord and drawer boxes. YMMV :)
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Good quality cabinets are not available with a short timeline from anywhere, locally or nationally built. Yeah, the only thing you're getting FAST is big box /off-the-shelf. Think twice about that choice. You're going to live with these cabinets for DECADES. From a function perspective, a well-designed custom kitchen will virtually always be superior because it is tailored to your specific needs by definition. If you can afford it, both in terms of money and time, I’m not sure why you wouldn’t go custom. Semi-custom can be tailored to your needs as well, especially if you're building new ... the difference in "your specific needs" can be only a matter of inches over the entire project. But projects vary. My random thoughts, somewhat contradictory: - I have custom cabinets in my current house. They are original to the house and are very close to 50 years old. In spite of being custom, I don't think they were ever top quality; or maybe it's more truthful to say that standards were lower 50 years ago. Some of the doors are warped, and they are out of style. The moral: Even custom cabinets will wear out and/or go out of style. - My mother remodeled her kitchen roughly 25 years ago -- I remember she was painting the beadboard ceiling blue the night I went over to tell her she was going to be a grandmother, so I'm pretty sure of the timing. Because she was remodeling an old, old house with odd dimensions (and had a chimney running smack-dab through the middle of her kitchen), she spent A FORTUNE on lots of unique sizes ... and she splurged on solid-solid maple and all the bells and whistles. They're absolutely gorgeous, they feel so solid, and they're made for a short person. In spite of my small nephew and niece living in that house now, those cabinets still look brand new. Quality is worthwhile. - I have already decided to go with semi-custom. Why? I'm building new, so I don't have to deal with the oddball dimensions in my Mom's old-old kitchen. I want the solid-solid wood like my Mom's kitchen, but I don't have any unique issues/sizes like she did, and the quality of the building will be just as good. The price difference is significant, and it seems that -- for my simple choices -- the only sacrifice will be the couple inches necessary to combine two cabinets (instead of having an 11' run of cabinets that're brought in in one piece). - Are you the person who wants top-quality and will still be happy once today's styles have changed? Or would you rather spend less today and accept that you'll replace it all in X number of years anyway? - How important are bells and whistles to you? No matter what type of cabinets you choose, simple box cabinets will be cheapest ... drawers will be mid-priced ... and specialty cabinets like spice pull-outs will cost the most. How many "special things" do you plan in your kitchen? Personally, my number is one. One Super Susan in the corner. - Remember that cabinets that are hidden on three sides are the least expensive ... islands, which must be finished on four sides, are the most expensive. - Other people have talked about types of cabinets. Definitely read up on Full overlay, partial overlay, and inset. Definitely consider frameless vs. framed. These things will affect your price. - Consider the size of your cabinets /drawers. Say you have a 6' space to fill ... you could choose two 36" cabinets or three 24" cabinets ... all things being equal, the two wider cabinets will cost less than the three smaller cabinets. - Insist upon the heavy duty hardware.
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dseng
12 years ago
Another big advantage of custom vs "standard" is that you have the chance to maximize your use of available space rather than having to use fillers or other space wasters. Odds are high that your local custom cabinet maker has probably done a lot more kitchens and knows a lot more about the "gotchas" and opportunities of kitchens and houses than the big box employee who took a class in 20/20 and is now a "kitchen designer". (not dissing all of them, but I've seen some doozies!)
windycitylindy
12 years ago
We went custom, and I'm glad every day. It ended up costing us just a little more (about $1000, which was about 7% of our total cabinet cost). That extra money was well worth it to us to be able to get just exactly what we wanted.

With custom, you don't have to have any "filler" pieces. You feel like you have more control with the big companies, but, in reality, with a good custom cabinet maker, you'd have way more control. We were able to get deeper uppers to accommodate our dishes, dividers for pans and cutlery, and unique sizes--all for no extra charge. If we had added those to one of the big manufacturer's quotes, the cost would have quickly exceeded our custom price. (Not every custom maker will include all of that at no extra charge.) If we'd gone with a big manufacturer, a lot of the features that make out kitchen work for us wouldn't even have been possibilities, or would have incurred massive extra charges.

If you really feel like you don't have much control with your GC's custom cabinet maker, I'd urge you to look at other custom shops. If you're seeing inconsistencies in quality, get some other quotes from other shops.
mommyatlaw
Original Author
12 years ago
GW'ers - You are so helpful. Thanks for the feedback.
Shareher
12 years ago
I have a wonderful cabinet maker in Houston, if you are looking for one. He deigned and built out master bath and we are just finishing the kitchen. He has a good eye for design. If you are looking for someone, I'd be happy to send his name. His work is beautiful.
carybk
12 years ago
Very glad I used custom. We specified certain materials to reduce formaldehyde etc. Maximized use of space. But you're right, finishes can be an issue.
cabinetsbyalan
12 years ago
Many custom shops outsource doors, drawer fronts, moldings and frames from companies that specialize in making just these products. They make cabinet components any size the cabinet maker requests. Most of these companies also finish these products with a top of the line finish. You get the best of both worlds, custom cabinet maker with factory finish. This is nothing new to the industry, many of these component suppliers have been around since the 60's. Hundreds of door styles, fronts and finishes are available.
jerryp
11 years ago
We recently selected a custom cabinet maker over big box stores. Ours is a high volume, high end supplier of cabinetry in our area and surprisingly was less expensive (about 14%) for better product. His standard cabinets offer features that would cost a lot extra with national companies. He does the same finishing that the national mfrs do so I do not see any downside.

Also, he is local so if there is a problem, it can get dealt with much simpler than dealing with mfr and middleman combined.

If you decide to go with customer, check out the company to make sure they do good work. Best wishes.
kateskouros
11 years ago
i know it's been said before, but i am in the middle of customizing my drawers. ALL of my drawers. try that with a semi custom line and see how much it will run you. $$$$$$$$$.

when we first decided to build i went out looking at different cabinet lines. i am so happy i decided to do custom.

Must Decide on Cabinets! Custom or Pre-Made...

beekeeperswife

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Must Decide on Cabinets! Custom or Pre-Made...

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