Before you order from Kitchens Pro, read the horror story I linked below. Definitely order the cheapest cabinet you need first before placing a full order. This will give you an idea of the color of the door and frame, and overall build quality. If you decide to go with something else, it is probably more cost effective to keep the cab than pay for return shipping. You can always use it out in the laundry room or the garage. A few weeks ago, I ordered the the Autumn Shaker series made by GHI and sold online at thertastore.com and the rtacabinetstore.com. I signed up for their e-mail newsletters while I waited for my sample cabinet to arrive. Thertastore.com has slightly higher prices, but had free shipping on all orders at the time, plus they sent a % off code in the newsletter that made the deal too sweet to resist. I got a kitchen full of cabinets for a little less than half what the big box home improvement stores and a custom cabinet maker wanted. Some of the sides are a little rough (stained plywood), but they sell finished end panels to cover it up. There were a couple of doors that need a little stain touch up, but most of the doors and frames look great. I installed all the base cabinets this past weekend, and will work on the uppers this weekend. The only negative I see is the doors are pre-hung, and some will require the hinges to be moved to the other side for functionality. I also ordered a sample cabinet from the Sturbridge shaker series that JSI makes from instockkitchens.com. It was a darker stain than I liked, and it needed some more stain around the edges of the inner panel of the door. It lacked the beveled edges on the boards of the door frame where they come together, yet were more expensive than the Autumn Shaker. Just my 2 cents. Here is a link that might be useful: World's Worst Cabinets?

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.

I've never had steel cabinets in a kitchen but I know they're quite popular with the retro-crowd. And they look gorgeous in the photos. I LOVE that last kitchen with a mix of wood doors (I think?) with the steel. Thanks for sharing. What is ADU?

Conestoga Wood Specialties manufactures high end RTA cabinets at it’s American factories. You can buy them online through The Cabinet Joint. Assemble with wood glue and either a finish nail gun (costs $150 with compressor) or finish nails and a hammer. Assembly is not difficult. The drawer boxes are pre-assembled. Assembly videos are available on the site. Prices are not posted; you must get a quote. Most RTA brands have a limited number of door styles, finishes, materials, etc. CWS has as many or more options than major pre-assembled brands such as Kraftmaid. Big price determinants: particleboard vs plywood, door style and birch drawer boxes vs maple. Available in standard sizes but they are fully customizable to 1/16” in height, width and depth. Comparable in quality to Schuler line at Lowe’s. I spent $13,000 on 18 cabinets and trim, including optional top and bottom finish panels and special order galley rails. White maple cabinets, plywood construction, full extension soft close Blumotion drawer glides. My kitchen is not barebones. It includes twin 34” wide pantries with 5 adjustable rollouts each, 4 30” wide 3 drawer base cabinets, a 39” wide refrigerator surround — all of these things added to the cost, but I still saved about $10,000 on comparable Schuler cabinets. The vertical spacing on the pantry rollouts can be changed easily without tools for even greater storage efficiency. Here are some photos as I was nearing completion: