Just to clarify, the Amish do have phones-- they are usually in their shop so the wires are not attached to their house. They also have cell phones. (Nothing like listening to an Amish man complain about the service he gets at his house...) And our Amish plumber actually uses email....he says "shhhhh, don't spread that around" And as always, just because a cabinetmaker is Amish, (or whatever) doesn't automatically make them good at what they do. So, really getting references is the best thing. And seeing the work in person is also critical. The people who just give you a verbal "they are great" might have different standards than what you are looking for in quality. Except if they are GW members whose standards are pretty high! I know DW will make sure you can get to see their products in real settings if you ask. (Oh, and you can take a picture of the Amish contrary to popular belief--our plumber explained that people don't really understand the religion--maybe you just have to ask first).

My contact at Ayr was also Ken, same as salviastreet's. ooooh, I can't wait to see your kitchen, please share pics as it's going in :) Ken was phenomenal!! He never said no to anything I asked. My kitchen is 100% custom and was designed down to the 1/8". I have 30" deep cabinets with full depth drawers on two sides, not one single filler or wasted inch of space. I have a pull out cutting board, a spring loaded cutting board, toekick drawers, pullout pantry, bread drawer, a trash can that pulls out on both sides of the peninsula and the list goes on - you name it, Ken and his guys made it happen. When we had problems with our built in fridge and freezer units, Ken came through with replacing the panels with completely new ones to fit the different brand units. When the electricians butchered my cabinets, Ken got them fixed so you would never know. The guy is a genius and super nice to boot. Heck I would have been frustrated with me and he never was (or if he was, and actually he must have been LOL, he absolutely never once let on to me.) THANK YOU KEN!! SO that's my recommendation and I am sticking by it!

This is a very broad question! 1. Do you want builder grade, semi-custom, factory custom, local cabinetmaker? 2. What is your allowance from the builder? $10K? $20K and does it include bathrooms, laundry and all countertops? What is your allowance for JUST kitchen cabinets? 3. Is you kitchen small, medium or large? How many cabinets? A kitchen with 8-12 cabinets is fairly small. A kitchen with 12 to 16 is medium/average. A kitchen with over 16 cabinets is larger (this is in my opinion). Holiday Kitchens is made in Wisconsin and they offer semi-custom to custom. Shiloh is offering inset at the price of standard overlay! Almost all main stream cabinet lines are offering some kind of promotion right now. I would focus on the type of cabinet you want first....then go with the company you love and the best price. Kompy

Ah! My sister lives in Waukesha! There is an Amish community in Brodhead which is near Janesville, and also in Cashton which is up towards LaCrosse. However, I have never heard of any of them being known for their cabinet making. I once knew someone, who many years ago, had some cabinets made by an Amish guy up near Cashton. At that time they were just doing wood finishes, no painted. Don't know names or contact info though. If you are willing to take a three hour drive or so, you might go down to Arthur Illinois where there are many very good cabinet makers.