I just had my cabinets custom made by a West Hartford cabinet maker. He was great to work with and put up with me and all my indecision. The quality of his cabinets is excellent. Everyone, the GC, fabricator, plumber, electrician, are all impressed with the quality. I found him to be very reasonably priced. I'd be happy to share that info with you...I just hope nobody thinks I'm advertising? His name is Bill Petrunti of Petrunti Designs and Woodworking.

remodelfa- I could do that (standard depth) pantry, but it would make the clearance to my island only about 37 inches or so...kinda tight. But doable..my main holdup is I really didn't want a deep pantry- wanted that very convienent 12 inch deep one..hmmm.... buehl- Can't recess into that wall, family room (not large) behind it. I am so torn. This is NOT my dream house. I figure we'll be here anywhere from 5-15 years (sorry can't narrow that down more!) :) So I have 2 choices: ECONOMY VERSION: keep OTR micro and recirculating vent (right now my Jennair electric cooktop has downdraft that I never use). Would be an efficient use of space- plus its the GE Advantium which I have a sneaking suspicion I'll be using a LOT- so I need it in convenient spot for me. To keep costs down I can also resist the urge to go induction cooktop w/a wall oven, and just get an electric slide in. LUXURY VERSION: if I move the micro elsewhere (say to under the island), then I'll need to purchase a hood, pay to vent outside (not sure how much that will be- if its possible to hook up to the vent that already goes outside from the downdraft part), buy induction, buy a wall oven etc... I'm already going to do hardwoods (~3500$ for kitchen and family room), granite (~3500 depending on which granite), I've already upgraded to stainless DW and fridge (spent ~$2400)...and good chances the cabinet guy plus install will end up being around 14...we're also extending the hardwood into the bathroom, so need to replace the toilet and vanity while we're doing that (~1K).. Eeeek! PS here are some pics to give an idea of what I have now: PS There's a bullentin board on the pennisula (held down by toaster oven) to try to mimic where my island will go...bulletin board is 36 in across...also I put a 48 diameter round glass top (from my patio) on top of my kitchen table to visualize the 'rounded end' of my imaginary island...

The kitchen shop I dealt with had designers, too. It also had two different companies, each with cabinets at two different price levels. I had innumerable meetings with the owner/designer. He came out to my house and took measurements. Then I paid him $1000 for a design and a detailed bid (I had a good ballpark figure already). For that money, I now owned the design and could take it anywhere, with all the specs as well. If I chose to go with this company, the $1000 would be credited toward my purchase. That is what actually happened. I had considered using a local cabinet maker and might have saved some money, but I didn't for various reasons. First, he was a flake - constantly losing his cell phone, not showing up for appointments. Second, he was strictly a cabinet maker - I would have had to hire someone else for demo of the existing kitchen and installation of the new cabinets. I was already hiring someone to remove the soffits (I wanted it done before the demo - needed to find out what was up there and wanted the final demo/installation to be done in as short a period of time as possible). I had also hired someone to install a new ceiling and paint it, and a painter to paint all the woodwork and walls. I had all this done ahead of time. I had put new lighting in 12 years before, and the same handyman came back and removed the under cabinet lighting and later reinstalled it. He also added one more pot light in the ceiling and dealt with the electrical stuff that was revealed when the soffit was removed. So, I needed a company that would do the rest. I used Shiloh cabinets and 18 months later, could not be happier. They are Shaker, painted in Repose Gray. They're wonderful and I'm thrilled with my kitchen! If budget is a big concern (is usually is!), then nix the wood hood and go with a simple stainless one from Vent-a-Hood. It will be far easier to keep clean and cost about half what the wood one does.

1) Regarding the screws.... For the drawer faces: Pocket holes should be drilled into the face frames if they must be attached permanently vs using the hardware to keep them on. The pocket holes should have covers attached (either the plastic or wood options). I personally prefer if they are removable via removal of the hardware so they can be changed out or refaced in the future & since you're going the custom route I'd defiantly want it! Inside the cabinets: A pilot hole should be drilled prior to screw if the wood hardness requires it & the screw counter sunk (slightly below the side walls) with or without plastic caps (depending on the company). Cabinet/Wall Brace:Are all the cabinets secured to the wall with simple screws?? I was really surprised to see this! How are they making sure the bases are secured to studs & not just drilled through into the gypsum board? In the past I've seen cabinet makers use a base board across the run anchored into wall studs and the bases are then secured to the board. Holes: The hole that will be exposed once the dishwasher is installed needs to be fixed. The fridge cabinet with the double screws and the blank hole is ridiculous...whomever was doing the install rushed and didn't care about screw placement or taking the time to properly aline things before drilling. Again= Custom built should = quality control and care! Yes there are MUCH better ways of finding the studs...even just using your knuckles to knock on the wall can get you close enough that a max of 2 holes might need drilled if you miss it the first time....again, sloppy work installing. The range microwave: Did they know that cabinet was going to support a microwave/hood? I'd ask about the install and max weight support. I don't believe 2 screws is enough to hold it (especially if they only screwed it into the wall & not a support board!) but don't know...I'd just hate to have it come crashing down a year from now! *You need to make sure the cabinet makers know that screw placement & finish result is important to you and you expect no screws will be felt or seen once the install is complete. 2) Shims: Yes, it's totally normal for wood shims to be left under the cabinets. Floors aren't completely level and in a new build the house will settle over time and the floor will change so it's important that the cabinets can be leveled. This is why RTA cabinets like IKEA have adjustable feet on the base that's hidden with a toe kick. Custom cabinet makers use wood shims to level on site during install and those can then be removed or added to as time goes on and any changes are required to keep the cabinets level. 3) Fixture & Outlet Holes: Yes, it's common to have large square pre-cut from the backs before install as plumbing is different for every job & since fixtures change depending on the choices made in faucet, garbage disposal, dishwasher lines, etc they can't make exact cuts. Again, this is why a lot of RTA cabinets are backless and if the backing is ordered it must be cut by the installer to fit the existing fixture spaces. HOWEVER- I totally agree with your being upset about the range plug placement and their solution to cut another hole into the side of the custom cabinet boxes. Although- I'm not entirely sure I understand correctly if it had to go through another base to reach the outlet or just the base of that unit vs the back side where a hole was already cut? I don't know what another solution would have been.... 4) Cabinet Face Gaps: Are you doing a full overlay with the new build as well? I completely agree that the gap's should be consistent and you definitely shouldn't be able to see the contents of the drawers! If the cabinets are full overlay why is the frame not hiding the contents? If they are custom inset then I'd be very picky about how it all lines up since this is a fine craft that requires skill & time to get right (hence the excessive cost)...plus wood swells & contracts so they need to fit properly with a slight consistent gap after install.