Suggestions on reasonably priced kitchen cabinets

9 years ago

We're building a house and have met with a couple of kitchen dealers who first promised to meet our budget and then ended up giving us final pricing at double the cost. We live in Colorado and we want something that's durable and semi-custom, but not extremely expensive, solid wood doors, melamine interior, alder, shaker style. There are tens of cabinet mills and producers, and it's hard to choose, but does anyone know which brands have good quality cabinets for reasonable prices(?) Also, I know that every dealer/reseller adds their own mark-up, so maybe does anyone know of a dealer that doesn't add as much up(?) Or is there a mill in Colorado that will deal directly with the consumer and have a product that's reasonably priced. I can't believe some of them add 100% or more to what the furniture actually costs. Please - any suggestions(?)

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9 years ago

No dealer has 100% margins on cabinetry. None. They wouldn't be in business. Average for consumers is 30-50%, with some being higher, and some being lower. Builders can sometimes get discounts from that, but that totally depends on the volume that they bring in. One offs, never.

If every cabinet dealer is above your budget, then it might be time to revisit your want list. Like I tell every customer, "YOU are in control of the costs here." Every budget can be met, but not every wish list can be met for that budget. Figure out what your must haves are, and what are nice to haves. What amount of DIY can you bring to the project to be able to cut the costs of the overall project.

Good budget brand cabinets include Waypoint and possibly Aristokraft, depending on your want list. Ikea, definitely, if you have DIY ability. Barker, again, with a bit higher DIY skill level. Do you have a design that you could post? That would help to see exactly what might be needed in the space. Also, what is your budget?

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Comments (8)

amykath
9 years ago
We are building too. I am super excited about getting Barker Cabinets. I have received 4 samples and they are fab. Nothing but great reviews and they are super customizable down the 1/4 of an inch. Customer service is superior and the product is super super affordable and very nice. The only caveat is you assemble them yourselves. I have seen videos on assembly and it is a breeze. All door and drawers are soft close and drawers are fully extendable. I am doing a larger kitchen with ALL of the bells and whistles and should come out to a little over 7,000.

Just a thought.
sushipup1
9 years ago
Be sure to give a good hard look at IKEA. Top quality, great reviews, wonderful products.
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Susan, I'm so sorry to hear about your DH's health. I hope all is well with you two. Your cabinet selection sounds beautiful. I think, judging from your description, that you and I have similar tastes. I agree with lazygardens about the pot drawers. My aunt has them and they're great. Below is a link with a picture of the sink that I was trying to describe. It's called either a farmhouse sink or an apron sink. As I said, they're not cheap, but sometimes, we have to decide what we're going to splurge on. I hope you can save that butcherblock. If not the whole thing, then perhaps, re-use the top, and discard the base. If the top is too big, maybe you can cut it down. Wood is wonderful to work on. I still stand behind my choice of a Maytag dishwasher. As I recall from consumer reports, they rated at the top, along with another brand, but the maytag rated better for quietness, and I HATE noise. Whatever you choose, you may want to consider the fact that some, but not all dishwashers allow for a front panel (usually wood) to be installed that matches your cabinets. I specifically checked for this feature since I knew we would be replacing our cabinets eventually. Concerning your windows: A lot of times, in old houses, the windows extend closer to the floor than in newer houses. If you don't want to replace the window with a shorter window, which would involve patching exterior siding, which would in turn alter the facade, then you may want to look at it as an opportunity to incorporate a baking center. Even if you don't bake, it could be a selling point when you go to sell. Plus, it will break up the long line of identical cabinets, and provide a shorter piece of countertop for when you're doing something that requires leverage. Maybe this is where you can re-use that butcherblock top? Or, you can add a chair and make that space a built in desk with a view. Does your cabinet retailer offer free kitchen design services? I'm just thinking that with your time crunch, you don't have time to wait on your cousins. You need to get these things purchased! I recently re-designed my Mom's kitchen using a program called 3D Home Architect Deluxe 3.0. I purchased it several years ago for $30. After you design the house (or room) in 2D, it allows you to see it in 3D, from any angle you choose. Very helpful, and very easy to use. Here is a link that might be useful: farmhouse/apron sink
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GauchoGordo1993
9 years ago
Ikea boxes and hardware with custom fronts and panels for Scherrs or semihandmade.
redheadeddaughter
9 years ago
Have you discussed with your builder yet? I know I went around to 6 or 7 different kitchen cabinet places before we picked our builder. It turns out his cabinet guy could provide cabinets for about the same price as Ikea - but custom and beautifully made. Our budget was very small when we got to the cabinetry - and he worked with that.
juddgirl2
9 years ago
I would shop around with your local cabinet makers. I received a 50K cabinet quote from a local kitchen design firm and a 26K quote for the same design from a reputable custom cabinet maker. All construction, materials and finish were the same, except the higher quote was for inset and the lower quote was for frameless. The local company also offered inset but I don't think it would have cost twice as much.

Barker also seemed like a good option except the cost savings over the custom cabinets would have been minimal when taking into consideration that we'd be responsible for measuring and installation. We've since decided to do just a minor upgrade with new doors and drawers from Barker.
User
9 years ago
Builders Are notorious for giving crap allowances for cabinets. Like 8 K for a whole house when it really ought to be 40. They push you into using thei crapenter's site built "custom" so you can stay in budget. And then you have garbage that has sawdust and bugs staring at you daily. And you only get a few years before starting to chip an peel and fall apart from him not using actual cabinet grade ply and decent hardware.

If several places can't meet your budget, it's the budget that's the problem.
HomeChef59
9 years ago
I'm costing cabinets from both Barker and Scherr's. I will also try two different custom shops.

I want painted cabinets and probably will end up painting them myself in order to get the brushed finish I desire.

This won't be first time I've painted my newly built kitchen from scratch. This will be the first time I put my own cabinets together.

I don't believe I will be compromising on quality. My rough estimate will be $12,000 to $13,000 without any sacrifices. My independent kitchen designer estimates that ready made cabinets will come in at $40,000 to $45,000. That difference makes it worth my while to think about RTA cabinets. (ready to assemble cabinets)

While it is true that you could get a cruddy finish, if you are careful, you could get a better finish doing it yourself than if you used a cruddy low cost manufacturer.

Suggestions on reasonably priced kitchen cabinets

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amykath

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