There may be a point here. Keep in mind that as a general rule you get what you pay for and even then you may wind up disappointed. I have the craftmaid cabinets that was purchased at HD but I installed them myself. Their measurements were fine but that varies person to person. High quality cabinets will cost an average sized kitchen anywhere between $30,000.00 and up. It depends on the material and the maker. I will tell you this though, the cabinets are cheaply built. But due to budget constraints we had no choice. These should last 10+ years if properly maintained. But keep this in mind. The great days of quality in manufacturing are long gone. Your only choice is a private contractor and that means $$$!

The installers they use are not employees of the store. If there's enough complaints about them then they won't be used for other jobs. Remember, you're buying a satisfaction guarantee with your purchase. Our granite top we bought from Lowe's cracked at the seam (at the sink) and the installers cheerfully came back to repair it. I am perfectly happy with my granite countertop from Lowe's.

Sorry, can't speak for the cabinets. Don't they have premium grades you can purchase?

Try negotating the price if you find something cheaper somewhere else.

I am THRILLED we went with Lowes for our granite. We got a great deal and I was able to use 12 month no interest financing. No one else could come close to the price. The company who installed the granite was fantastic. I am in the Midwest and the company was TopMaster. I was able to go and pick out my granite (which was not a Lowes standard granite) and I was there for the templating. I felt an added security knowing I had Lowes to stand with me if there were problems.

The cabinets themselves are no different in construction than those from private dealers. Yes, they have "upgrades" available---to all, dealers and big boxes alike. Some door styles are exclusive to private dealers, some to each of the big box stores. Some are available to anyone who sells KM.

Some HD's have fabulous KD's who are very creative. I know a few. SOme have kids putting themselvs through school and who were in paint last week. It can be more of a crapshoot at a box store than a dedicated showroom. Some have fabulous installers who are as skilled as anyone you'd find. (Especially with the soft market, many more trades people are going to work for the boxes.) Some Design and Build showrooms have questionable installers, but the thing there is they don't last long. On the whole, you need to do due diligence no matter who you hire. You have to be intimately involved in your decisions----unless money is no object. Do your research, and find a kitchen designer whom you click with and whom you feel is creative and responsive to your needs. Then ask them what lines they carry that are "medium grade" like KM, and go from there. It's a lot harder finind a good KD than it is cabints you can like.

The reason the measurers are no good is because they are individuals coming from different careers (retired executives,Ibm,etc.) and are probably not even trained by Hd or Lowes or by anybody else for that matter.

We had some very good experiences with our local Home Depot. But the advice to be proactive with your own kitchen is correct.

To work with a Home Depot KD - find out if the KD is actually certified (or working towards same). We worked with one who was VERY part-time and not certified, then switched to the full-time, certified, KD and loved working with her.

Home Depot requires that someone come out and take measurements of your kitchen before they'll do any design. They'll charge you $100 for the privilege, but you get it back if/when you order your cabinets from them. BE THERE when they measure. My DH watched every step of the measurements, which were thorough - they took height, width and length measurements in several places.

Then sit down with your KD and have a list of what YOU want in your kitchen. Be open to suggestions but don't take something that you don't want.

HD in our area carries three different brands of cabinetry. The lowest grade is American Woodmark. The midgrade is KraftMaid. Top grade is Thomasville. We bought the latter. Our ONLY complaint about this cabinetry is that the shelves (if not sliding shelves) are put in place with shelf pins. Now this can be a good thing, but they didn't use the best shelf pins. You may want to go buy the metal ones, all we got were the plastic ones.

What REALLY varies with Home Depot are their "recommended contractors". We have yet to use one! One came out to give us a quote for complete kitchen reno. But two things bothered us - first, we HAD to make a decision THAT DAY on whether to take his bid or leave it. We were NOT allowed to bring in any other bids for comparison, and we couldn't "sit on it" for a day or two. That fried our behinds right there. To clinch it, we didn't really LIKE that contractor in the first place. He made us nervous. We went with our instincts and declined to use HD's contractor. Instead we hired our own - same guy that was finishing up the Family Room Addition.

As I said, we had good experiences. But we were right there, the whole step of the way.

DonnaR/CA

I think the cabinets will not vary, but I definitely agree that the contractors will vary as will the people in the store. Some are good, some are not. If you feel the designers are on the ball then it would be worthwhile, because they will (generally speaking) stand behind their stuff. The only thing I consistently hear bad things about is their plumbing fixtures (faucets in particular). Many on here suggest that even when the brand and model number is consistent, it will be made with "cheaper" materials. I don't know if that is true, but when I bought my faucet and sink I bought online. Some decorative things, like the subway tile someone mentioned in another post or a mirror or light fixture, should be totally fine and functional from them- maybe not the same actual product as it has less detail, but if that is not important to you, it should be fine.

sheilaaus122 - if the part number is exactly the same, then it is the same product - but if it differs by even one character - sometimes an appended letter - then it is "specially" made for the store

We originally went to Home Depot and priced out Kraftmaid. They ended up being substantially more expenseive than going with a semi-custom firm. I also found little design advice. The 'designer' we dealt with took our ideas and had them drawn in 20-20. No recommebdations or advice. She was just a part time employee trying to put herself through school - had little or no training/experience. JMHO

sorry about the duplicate post - my computer froze - and when it came back - I had posted again.

Those who've had good luck with the big box stores, I can't tell you how glad I am that you did. But I have to tell you-- you're the exception to the rule. And as for this comment:

you're buying a satisfaction guarantee with your purchase.

in general, their guarantee is nothing but a big piece of toilet tissue. I can't tell you how many nightmares I've heard from HD, Lowes, Home Quarters, Builders Square, etc..

I intended to purchase Schuler cabinets from Lowes until I learned that I had to pay the entire cost up front. I did NOT want to do that and have no leverage if there were any problems with the cabinets. Since Schuler and Medallion are the same company (Schuler is just Lowe's name for it) I went on the Medallion website and got names and locations for local dealers. Both dealers gave me estimates for the same cabinets and both were substantially less than Lowes. Even if I got 10% off from Lowes (many people here have asked and received that), the independent dealers were less expensive. I also discovered that Medallion had more choices of doors than Schuler.

Also, if I were you I would research Kraftmaid on this forum. Many people here have been unhappy with those cabinets.

Good luck.

We are in the process of buying cabinets. We started out at HD with barely any knowledge of the process. Initially we were given a rough estimate of $13,000 before any rebates or incentives. We then picked out a Thomasville cabinet and decided to proceed forward. The designer was a nice man but not too knowledgable. When preparing the design, he placed the double overs adjacent to the refrigerator (not a good idea). Ultimately, he just called yesterday with updated plans (things I told him to change) and he gave us a price of $20,000.

At the same time, we met with a designer at a kitchen store. We got an estimate for Kitchen Craft with plywood boxes for $16,500 for the same linear footage. THe designer definitely was better and will not charge for the design help. SHe did try to charge us at first but agreed to waive the charges.

We also went to a more private upscale designer for advice. We really wanted inset cabinets but most were out of our range. She had great ideas and was able to match us to Cabico semi custom inset cabinets for approximately $17,000. Little less footage but not much. She will charge for the design.

All in all, it was really helpful to meet with someone at each spectrum to learn as much as possible about the process and to get ideas. We learned a lot about cabinets in the last couple of months. Although we have not made a final decision, it looks like we will go with the Cabicos. I think they are a good price to quality cabinet.

My advice is to look around. Don't be scared to talke to someone at each end of the spectrum even if you will not buy at the high end. We even spoke to a wood mode dealer just to see the quality of that type of a cabinet.

Good luck

In general, I agree 100% with Bill V.

Here in northern CA, they are everywhere and thus are convenient. Some items are the same as sold elsewhere, but some are not. So if I take the time to confirm that the products are the same, then any time I would save by their convenience is lost. Don't forget to factor in the time spent waiting in line to return things...

I suspect the quality of the help varies tremendously by location. But it isn't incredibly encouraging to hear them giving bad advice to the person next to you.

My local Despot is

I once went in and asked a couple of questions of a home despot kd and decided on the spot they were a waste of time. but i have purchased some items from them...

from lowes, we purchased our KA dw/frige and trash compactor for the rental home. they had a sale with rebates and gift cards etc...the savings was amazing and worth the effort to buy there (again sales people who knew nothing....i had to help them find the items to special order in their books). we saved a few thousand on the total. they delivered as promised, and their installer (a contracted guy) was actually a darling man, trying to start an install business on his own. we'll use him again for other things because he was really a wonderful guy.

all appliances arrived when and how they were supposed to.

now lets talk about the tub and toilets i bought there...wait make that three tubs between lowes and home despot and four toilets.

one tub, made faulty
second tub, holes in base
third tub, wrong tub delivered
fourth tub, right tub, wrong features, chink out of bottom that can be repaired. out of desperation, i kept that tub. (fourth was from lowes, all others from home despot).

toilets, pretty much same thing, broken, wrong ones, etc.

Cabinets are expensive and need to be right. I will never try to save a buck on those again (long story but i tried and failed using another big box store). I want a loal retailer like live wire so that if he does screw up...i can discuss it with him and then rectify the issue because unlike lowes and their bs guarantees....a guy/gal like live wire, trying to stay in the business world in which he lives, will normally go out of his way to see you satisfied because their reputation is on the line. home despot...you're just a number. and when i buy cabinets...i want to be more than a number.

Are they really that bad? No, not in my case they weren't. I got Thomasville cabinets from HD and the contractor they used for the install was excellent. My house is old and anything but level and plumb, yet the installers were very capable, knew what they were doing, and were actually very pleasant to be around (a big relief after dealing with other trades who didn't exactly have the best attitudes). I'm sure this quality of workmanship varies a lot from store to store but maybe you can find out if the installers your local big-box uses are good.

As for the design, I basically just went in there and handed them my design. As others have said, I'm sure the quality of their kitchen designers varies a lot also.

As for the cabinets, my only quality complaint was with the glaze. It could've been better.

My local HD went the extra mile to make me happy, so overall I was very satisfied but if I lived in a large metro area with lots of choices nearby, I would've checked out the independent cabinet makers/dealers.

I got my granite from a granite yard/fabricator and my sink/faucet from a plumbing supply store. Granite choices at HD were very limited and I wanted the better quality faucet and sink than you find at the big-box.

We purchased our kraftmaid cabinets from HD but we measured, designed our layout (it wasn't changing all that much from our original footprint) and we installed the cabinets ourselves too.

We did have one issue where they came and measured and told us our pantry was not as deep as the wall next to it. We were knocking our pantry out and filling in that and the adjacent space with pantry style cabinets. The guy that came to measure insisted that we needed to have one of our pantry units custom built and it would be an upgrade, because we could only fit an 18" depth cabinet there.

Dh and I KNEW he was wrong so we ordered them based on what our own plans called for. We tore the pantry out and found that we were indeed, correct. SO glad we didn't listen to the person they sent out to measure (who, if we went with HD installation would have been the same person to install).

Long story short, if you don't have any confidence in being your own general contractor and won't be measuring/installing/planning the kitchen yourself, you are better off not going to a big box store.

We are not in the construction biz but we do ALL of our home projects ourselves (decks, finishing basements, kitchens, baths) so we are prepared for the challenge. Apparently the HD we went to wasn't as well versed in home improvement as dh and I are.

As for the quality of kraftmaid and the price, we did have our cabs priced at several different places and HD came out a few thousand less than the other people we spoke with. We were pleased with the quality as well and only had very minor issues which Kraftmaid corrected immediately for us.

I met with the designer at Lowe's and was ready to sign on the dotted line, but when my husband asked for references, the response was, "We don't give out references." We could not even meet the contractor who would be doing the work until the day it started. That turned us off. We went with a small local company who handed us a typed list of references the first day. (It helped that I knew one of the people on the list) I'm sure we're paying more but I think it will be well worth it for the comfort level.

We bought KM from HD, had a knowledgeable, talented, patient KD who asked all the right questions to guide us through design and helped out with how-to advice on installation (we DIY-ed). Cabinets were on time, faulty parts were replaced promptly, they accepted returns no questions asked on any of it, and they hounded KM for 4 months over the last decorative panel that KM insisted they had shipped but we never received, until they finally coughed it up. And the prices (with a slew of discounts) were comparable or a teeny bit less than 3 other places I tried.

I think the lesson is that every big box store is going to be a bit different, so no blanket statements can be made. Include them in your initial evaluation and see if their staff have what you need.

HD had someone come out and measure our kitchen for new cabinets. We had also measured ourselves but they wanted their people to measure it. Later when planning with their KD, I said I wanted to put 2 cabinets in an area only to be told that I didn't have enough room and would have to make them smaller than I had stated. She continually checked her measurements and said my sizes would not fit.I finally said I know they will fit because that is the size that I have there now. She then double checked his measurements and found them to be wrong. He had measured a wall space wrong but that's not all. Then same thing happened on another wall. She said she would report him. I can only say to be careful and double check all their figures before signing.

My best friend had a totally new kitchen from HD installed in her house several years after her husband died. I can't begin to tell you how awful it was mainly because the various contractors they used were so bad. She and the corporate headquarters were on the phone very other day, they sent their regional and upper management to assess the difficulties. Finally she had to resort to her attorney to get it all resolved. And the attorney had had so many cases, that he was able to point out areas in the kitchen that HD still missed! This whole process was over 9 months. But the one good thing that came out of it was meeting a carpenter in our state that HD sent out on the high end kitchen jobs to correct the damage. That was the last job he did for HD and ended up doing a kitchen and a whole basement conversion in her upstate house, a new Ikea (carpenter quality that is only available to see in select stores) kitchen in her son's condo, and now will be doing my kitchen in the fall.

How far the big box stores will work with you to correct deficiencies is debatable - supposedly in our area, HD is better than Lowe's but they all have their ceilings...

I recommend you shop around, especially contact carpenters who have kitchen experience. A co-worker did that and saved himself big $ rather than go 100% with a KD firm.

But still it boils down to who is working in your location - who are the subcontractors, etc. Obviously some posters here have had good luck. Personally, I would be very cautious. This is a MAJOR investment!!

I couldn't be happier with my cabinets and my KD from Lowes! I ended up at Lowes after getting estimates from several bath and kitchen people. The price, the service from the KD, and the subcontractor who installed the cabinets were great. I have a fairly large kitchen and wouldn't have been able to afford the prices that the smaller guys were giving me. We got Shenandoah maple cabinets in cognac from Lowes. They are beautiful. Our KD has won several awards with Lowes and knew I was skeptical about contractors based on a previous bad experience (not with Lowes). The sub that he chose for us was supposedly the best they had and I have not been disppointed. I can not say enough good things about my KD. I know they aren't all as good as he is but I am very pleased.

Good luck! Be sure to ask lots of questions and do your homework!

I was really unhappy with our Kraftmaid cabinets from Lowes that we got for our master bath. Neither Lowes nor Kraftmaid handled the problem to our satisfaction. We paid alot of money and had issues with the craftmanship of the cabinets. I know that people go to HD and Lowes thinking that they will have someone to turn to if things go bad but that is not really the case. You are also paying a premium on your labor charges. They mark up the labor portion 15-20%. I know someone who does alot of work for them. So now that we are remodeling our kitchen we are not buying Kraftmaid cabinets. We also aren't using the same granite place that we used for the master bath due to poor craftmanship. In our case doing a smaller project first helped us road test companies. Ask around to find other contractors and cabinet companies that will probably do your job better and for less than HD or Lowes. Good luck.

I've procrastinated in posting at this topic. I knew it would be a long one!!! First, I am a KD for a small dealership in Ohio. And Yes, most of the home centers are that bad, IMO.

When they used to give out their designs, customers would come in to my showroom and ask for a quote. The designs were always 'auto design' and terrible! The computer would just line the cabinets up. No thought went in to the design or the homeowner's family. When it was obvious that the designs weren't autodesign, they weren't any better!

I have one other story to tell you (grab a cup of 'your drink of choice'):
Let me back up here about 2 years ago. We were going through a slow period. We have been in business 25 years and we have weathered out slow periods before. However, my 25 year installation subs told us that they decided to give Lowes a try since we weren't keeping them very busy. A new Lowes had just opened up in our town of 30,000. So, they were added to the list of subs. Lowes should have kissed the ground these guys walk on, because they are that good! But anyway....at first, our installers would come in and tell us how much they loved it. They would say: "we're in, we're out...nothing too detailed...just hanging cabinets on the wall and we're done". He would also tell us how much Lowes marked up their labor. He enjoyed telling me this because I always thought my crew was a little high (money-wise). Lowes markup on labor was something like 40%. He would joke, "Lowes Knows...how to make money". Over the past couple of years, he would occaisionally tell me about this job nightmare or that one.
He would say, "those people over there have no idea what they're doing". In fact, sometimes when he would do a field measure for Lowes...if he realized it was 'too much' for them to handle...he would tell the people, save yourself some time and check out XXX store. I know that's probably not very ethical, but he probably saved the home center and the homeowner a lot of misery.

Ok...fast forward to the present: I talked to my sub last week and he told me that he pulled their name from the Lowes list. He said he just had to go though it to realize how messed up it was. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. The kitchen salesperson is basically out of the picture after you place your order. It goes to a project manager. I think they call them expediters. So, when there's problems it's just a mess. He told me that EVERY job had issues and the homeowners they worked with were very frustrated and ticked off. He finally got tired of dealing with Lowes problems.

I know several of you have heard me say how much my business is up this year. We have our subs booking in to Sept. now. They are thrilled that we are keeping them busy again!

I went to HD and Lowes then 10 different private cabinet shops. I was shocked at the amount of local shops there are here and I'm in the country. I did my own layout and the shop I choose had a far better build quality, was far more flexible than HD and since he did all his own work, measurements, and installs he had many good ideas all of which we incorporated at no extra charge. He custom mixed stain to match what I wanted and made the cabinets fit a 2" bump out on the wall where I added a closet on the other side. No extra charge. He took pride in his work. This was his lively hood not just a job.
The price was about 1/2 of HD. The cabs are 100% wood no particle board. All hardwood dovetailed drawers. Plywood boxes. Hardwood face frames. I also furnished my own slides which I got a deal on. He furnished better hardware than I found and we liked them better.
I realize, that he is probably the exception but I never would have found him if I didn't look. Many of the shops were just assembly lines. I prefer having more of a say in what I got than I could have with HD or Lowes. I also view our cabinets as quality furniture and purchased them as such.
The adage " you get what you pay for " is not always correct. If you look sometimes you get more.

We decided to go with Lowes after my Mother and Father-inlaw used them and were very happy. They are the biggest perfectionists I know and just on the strength of that, I interviewd Lowes. We had the most patient, knowlegable designer...we went back a few times to firm things up and I was impressed with his knowledge and professionalism. I told him I wanted the "best install crew you have." His exact words to me were "We have five install crews...one I won't work with, three that are very good and one that is the best and that I try to get whever I can." We got that crew and I have to say that we have been very impressed with the cabinets (Schuler), the kitchen design help and the installation.

We found granite less expensive somewhere else, but that may vary from area to area. We also are using someone else for the flooring, as they did not carry what I wanted. But as far as the service, quality of the product and follow-up that we have had from Lowes, we have been very happy.

Haven't read the thread, just wanted to quickly offer my 2 cents. We used the HD design service for 3 separate kitchen remodels. The first two were in California, and our designer was awesome...he really knew his stuff. The designs turned out great. Then 3rd was in Texas and our designer was not as knowledgeable and quite unprofessional. Unfortunately, the design ended up having some problematic flaws and HD had to jump through hoops to get them dealt with. They did take care of them though, it was just very stressful.

We did not use HD for install, only our own contractors each time. So our experience was based on the designer - certainly good with the designer who knew what he was doing. Not so good with the other.

What type of service are you looking for? If you are building, maybe your builder or architect could help you with your kitchen layout. As for me I have a bad experience each time I am in a big box store and would not buy my cabinets there.
My relatives are currently building and buying their cabinets online. They have only said good things to me about their experience. So far the service has been amazung and the price was the lowest!
I would continue to do your research until you feel really good about who is helping you with your kitchen.
Good luck!

My experience has been that some items sold from the big box outlets are different from those being sold through other outlets. I have found this to be particularly true with certain plumbing fixtures.

I guess the experience with installers is going to be somewhat the same as what you find in the general marketplace...some are going to be good and some are not.

My Lowes refrigerator purchase was great...wonderful machine, careful and skilled installers. Go figure.

We got our kitchen and bathroom cabinets, granite, bathroom fixtures and some appliaces from Lowes (tried several small dealerships first, but their costs were more than we could afford for what we wanted). We were fortunate in that our local Lowes had an excellent KD who went out of her way to make our kitchen redo as painless and enjoyable as possible. I already knew exactly what I wanted for the kitchen and where I wanted everything placed, so she didn't have to do much design work. But she was able to be very proactive - letting me know what wouldn't work or where we might need a spacer or something. She also made sure we got an installer who did excellent work. He was very careful and choosy - sent back two glass cabinet doors because the mullions weren't 100% straight - we hadn't even noticed! Our particular Lowes bent over backwards to make sure things arrived on time and replaced the few things that were damaged in transit. We ordered a bathtub that we thought we wanted and then didn't like it when it came. Lowes was just great about taking it back and replacing it with one we liked better - no argument or extra costs. We got Kraftmaid cabinets (I know a number of folks have had bad experiences with them) and were delighted with them (bisque painted maple). They've held up so well for the past two years that we ordered similar ones in white for our bathroom remodel this year. People always make the difference. That's what makes the difference in different stores.

Yes, they really are that bad. I'll never use their (Home Depot) installation services again and try my best to avoid the store altogether now. By doing so I've discovered a wonderfully helpful local plumbing supply place and another fantastic place for paint, etc.

- D

Lowe's experience - flawless - with my KM cabinets. Of course I eliminated almost all the variables; I planned and researched the cabinets on KM's VERY detailed spec website and planned every cabinet and measured the space to the inch. I'm also installing it all myself. So Lowe's "KD" was merely an order- taker for me; pricing was best by far plus free sink base AND $750 gift card. All arrived in good shape ( lucky). What would I do if I needed a professional installer? I'd find a recommended one perhaps. Mkae sure the room has all the basics that you need to be aware of before you order; plumbing , electrical locations, "out of square" issues that need to be considered ( leave a certain small amount of room for adjustability). Most importantly I believe you should research , design and scrutinize every inch youself. Hire a KD a if you want to get more ideas, but ultimately know exactly what you want, read magazines and become an "expert" and and be familiar with it if you want to go the Lowe's route.

I priced cabinets at lowes years ago for my last house. They were overpriced for the quality of materials used. This time around, I priced custom cabinets and also IKEA. Believe it or not, I am getting custom cabinets for only $1500 more than IKEA would have cost me. I elected to save some $$ and am installing them myself (just as I would have with the IKEA), but these are truely custom, made for my kitchen. Solid oak fronts and drawers, all Blume hardware, 3/4" birch plywood boxes. This guys does fantastic work too. I paid half up front, the rest is due when they are done.

We used HD for our design and cabinet order and install. We ordered Thomasville. We are very pleased with our kitchen designer from HD, as well as the quality of our cabinets. We got in on some kind of sale, and it came with a couple of freebies. We feel that we got a fair deal as far as the price goes, as well as a better design, as compared to other places we went which included a kitchen store with an educated kitchen designer.
All of the measurements worked from our KD at HD as well.

As so many have shared here, it really seems to be a function of the particular store you are dealing with. Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you.... or not. I guess you really need to seek out local references to determine if your big box store is a winner or not, and if the wonderful employee is still there.

I didn't use Home Depot myself but have a friend who did. For the most part she was happy with the design. There was a small problem with one corner cabinet that has such a narrow access she finds it hard to use so only puts things in there she seldom needs. It looked good on paper but wasn't practical when it came down to actually using it.

The main problem she has had is that in her cabinets with 2 doors, shelves that she keeps dishes on began to bow with the weight of the dishes after the first six months. She replaced them with a thicker board. Most of her lower cabinets were drawers rather than doors and now after 18 months, she is finding her wider drawers have the bottoms bending or bowing with weight of items that she has stored in them so those will have to be repaired. I don't know the make of the cabinets she had installed but they were one of the less expensive lines. She had a very small budget and chalks up the bowing shelves and drawer bottoms to "you get what you pay for". She is happy with the look of the cabinets and finds they are easy to clean and she feels satisfied that they are doing not too badly considering the low price she paid.

Lowes was great. Our installer was very, very meticulous (I couldn't believe how many times he came back to sand some areas he patched). The prices were good-- I ended up getting 10% off the cabinets and a great deal on my Advantium.

For our budget, it worked out really well. THeir customer service is good too-- a cabinet came in with a small scratch and within a week I had the replacement.

Nightmare kitchen reno stories are certainy not just the domain of box stores. I congratulate anyone who gets a good kitchen they are happy with at a fair price by laying their cash down and just buying it without a lot of research and comparison shopping. I don't think many people have that experience and for the rest of us it's research, research, research. I found this thread really helpful in preparing me for the box store experience.

My Mom in doing her kitchen started pretty cold at a Home Depot and found the experience less than pleasant. Design was poor and after paying $50 they didn't want to let her have the drawings to take home and think about. They were also quite indignant when she informed them she was comparison shopping. She walked away and I offered to help her navigate the process outside a box store. Now 6 months later we are waiting for measured drawings from HD so we can place our order. Part of the reason is that one of the HD's exclusive lines (in Canada) was the best constructed cabinet we looked at behind the doors in her price range that came in the colour and style she wanted and could be configured in her desired layout without too many major compromises.

New Depot, new Kitchen Consutant who isn't a CKD but has a design background and has worked in kitchens in that store for 2 years. Store has 1 installer who has been working with them since they opened. He comes and does the measure and he comes back for the install. I asked to see his work and they made arrangements for us to see a recent kitchen (if things go well we would offer to do the same for someone ese). He gets paid the same to install her entry level product kitchen as he does Thomasville and KraftMaid and he has years of experience working with the product we are buying (not always true when you are working with a GC or a store with inexperienced installers). I haven't seen the labour quote yet but I have estimates from other companies so I will have a good idea how inflated it is.

Basic design evolved from other consultations so we are not looking for a lot of layout advice and I plugged the product we are getting into my rough measure (I actually made a product list and had another Depot give me a price quote before we went too far). Once we have measured drawings from them we will verify the dimensions they are using as well as double check the order to make sure it is correct.

They are frustrating to deal with in terms of service compared to dedicated showrooms but so far so good. My Mom will get 10% off the cabs and 1 year interest free by putting it on their card. We probably won't get the countertop through them as they sub-contract it and I can get it direct without their mark-up.

I may yet end up here cursing them but I think each circumstance is different and people shouldn't automatically cross them off their list without seeing what is happening in their local stores. I'll update as we move forward.

Lowes contractor used wrong tape to install microwave was not fireproof.