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Need help choosing kitchen cabinet brand and contactor- Ctrl NJ

12 years ago

Hi, I live in Holmdel, NJ (Monmouth County)and I am in the process of planning a kitchen renovation. The more I shop, the more confused I get ! I have quotes for Decora, Greenfield, and Wellborne, along with private lines. Nothing has really floored me and the pricing has come in pretty close. Any recommendations for contractors, kitchen designers, cabinet brands would be helpful. Thanks, Ann

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Comments (7)

dilly_ny
12 years ago
I have found it difficult to compare brands and prices. Some companies do not have very detailed construction info on their websites. Also, cabinet shops are slow to get you a price and its a very time consuming process. I also have found that your decision regarding cabinet door style, glazed or unglazed, maple vs. cherry, etc. have a large impact on the price. I learned corbels can be $500 each (my designer had 6 in my plan). You need to watch what is on the design because the KD's won't give you a detailed list of what's included or how much each individual component costs. When comparing prices, be sure to include the accessories you want and the delivery charges so you can compare a bottom line price. If I was to start over, I would hire a KD to draw a good plan - or do it myself with input from GW- and shop that exact layout to various shops. Otherwise, you spend time at each shop going over layout details and small variations make it difficult to compare apples to apples.

My best bang for the buck price was Jim Bishop cabinets.

Also, there have been several recent threads about cabinet brands. See:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0912254112656.html?13

and

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0915500123556.html?18

and

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg091333033070.html?25
Mellie0803
12 years ago
I am also in Monmouth County and we just finished our kitchen. Cabinets came from Jaeger Lumber in Point Pleasant, Ron Riccitelli is very nice to deal with. The cabs are Diamond brand, very well made semi-custom and beautiful. Included in price for cabinets was hardware, door and drawer soft closers and lots of extra trim and crown. We didn't hire a contractor as DH deals with a lot of trades people in his work, so basically he was the GC. Steve Rankin in Brielle did our installation, EXCELLENT workers: smart, clean and nice guy. Ideal Tile Fabricators did our counter installation, best price, beautiful stone and also great guys to work with. Hope that helps and GOOD LUCK!!
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@matdrew, how handy is your husband? how much time and effort does he have to devote to this project? If the answers are very and lots, then the sky's the limit. There are some amazing DIY facelifts that have been shared on this site. I included a link to one below that involved replacing the doors and painting the boxes - if you search or post specifically looking for DIY facelift kitchens, you'll find more on GW and elsewhere in the blogosphere. But it's not clear from your posts here or on the decorating forum if you have a clear sense of what's entailed, both in terms of time/effort and in terms of budget. In a previous post, you mention that replacing the kitchen would be "at least" $6k. I'd guess at least 5 times that amount and probably much more since you mentioned you're in NJ. Doing a facelift with new doors, tops and backsplash would be a lot less expensive, but it's not necessarily inexpensive. In addition to the new doors and countertops, and a new surround for the fridge, you have to factor in the cost of paint, equipment, a new sink, faucet, garbage disposal, new hood, new microwave, hardware, tile and all the other little things. Plus of course all the time involved with the prep and painting and reconstructing the fridge surround - or the money to pay a pro to do these things. You mentioned using points to pay for the counters - have you actually gotten an estimate from a fabricator or are you estimating? Depending on the stone you pick and the number of slabs you need, you may find your estimate to be off. It can add up quickly, and the only way you're going to get the result you want is if you have a really clear understanding of the work involved. Your photos look like a liveable kitchen, but the rest of your house suggest a different style. So it makes to sense to work through what changes are possible. I think what a lot of the posters here are trying to suggest is that you could do a lot to change the look of your kitchen without necessarily doing tons of work or spending a lot. If you're committed to something bigger, then it's good to get a clear sense of the time, money and effort involved. Here is a link that might be useful: browniepie's DIY reveal
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KitchenCabinetKings
12 years ago
At Kitchen Cabinet Kings we offer top of the line stock cabinet options, featuring all plywood construction with undermount dovetailed soft closing drawers. Pricing starts as low as $1,199 for a standard 10x10 kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Cabinet Kings Door Style Selection
beaglesdoitbetter1
12 years ago
Can you take a ride to Myerstown PA. Probably around 2 hrs. from you, maybe a little more. If so, I cannot recommend my cabinet maker more highly (as many people on here already know). They are completely custom, very reasonable in price and do absolutely beautiful work. I saved around $20,000 on my kitchen alone going w/ them over Medallion and their cabinets are beautiful!

See thread here for an additional recommendation. of Dutch Wood.

My kitchen is not done yet, but here are some of my other cabinets they have done:
citimom xsa
12 years ago
We had a pleasure working with ken Bauer kitchens in NJ (worth the trip from nyc). Quality and about 1/3 of the price of other quotes.
blubird
12 years ago
I also live in Monmouth. My sister, who lives in Holmdel, had her kitchen done by Flo-dar using diamond cabs. However, I had my kitchen done last year with a custom cab maker - Russ Morin, out of Howell. My sister said she would use Russ when she redoes her kitchen. We are extremely happy with the clever use of space. If you're interested email me at Blubird at optonline dot net.

Helene
Yuan
12 years ago
We had a very terrible experiene with Decora cabinets when we did our kitchen remodel in 2011. The whole project was delayed for 6-8 week due to the numerous and careless mistakes made by Decora. Watch this one for detail:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDRJJHVtryQ

I don't want people to become victim like us. So be careful, avoid Decora cabinet at all cost!

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