The more custom you get, the more options you can get. All those options may not make a difference in your plan though--the odd sizes and things often are more important in small or very old irregular kitchens.

The wood in "nicer" cabinets can be a better quality, but if the look you want is in the cheaper ones, no reason to use that as a reason (I used less expensive cherry cabinets in my last house with large expensive Wood-Mode crown molding stained by the cabinet company to match and if you bothered to look, you'd notice that the molding was definitely a better grade of cherry. But unless I was going for a very formal furniture look, I wouldn't even consider paying for Wood-Mode JUST for the better cherry.)

I think if the cabinets look good and are built well (and you've done the research to know what to look for), come in a style and color you like, and have the sizes and other options you need, why pay more?

(I don't know anything about Schuler's--post with it in the title if nobody advises you on them!)

Schuler's is Medallion by another name, a very good cabinet -- I think Lowes' offers fewer options than a regular Medallion dealer.

i have a 13x13 kitchen, i looked at omega and kraft maide and tomhasville and welcborne forest. i had everything from apntry done too 2 lazy susans to some nice twisted cloums in from of the sink. home depot bid 23k for cheap thomasville. welborne forest which i like but is not as good as kraft made i got with opgraded glaz and all softclose doors for 13k from an independet dealer and i'm very happy. the only difference between a top of the line and what i got is 3/4 inch ends vs my 1/2 inch and the backs of the cabients which you enver mess with are much thinker wood than i got

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1203411218543.html?33

Some applicable issues in this thread to your questions.

Hi
I have Schuler from Lowes but in a painted finish. I think they are a very quality cabinet. They are all 3/4 inch plywood boxes as standard. They have more modifications than any other big box line. My friend is ordering from an independent Medallion dealer and I think they offer the same things for the most part. I have a spec book and there is not much in there to add.

The counter people, my electrician, my plumber and the installer were really impressed with the cabinets. They kept saying "So how much did you spend on these cabinets?" as if it were going to be really high. I loved being able to say they were from Lowes. I think some of their prices would have been higher otherwise.

Also keep in mind that I asked for 10% off the order too. This would only be possible from a box store. I told them (actually my husband did) that I wouldn't complete my order until I received the 10% off coupon in the mail. They honored the 10% without the coupon. You have to talk to the manager up front. The kitchen people can't do much. Also, they offer free sink bases or gift cards periodically too. I got the free sink base and the 10% off. I just missed the $750 in gift cards offer the week before.

Also-if you are considering finishing the ends...the deluxe end is stunning and worth the extra money over the regular end treatment. Let me know if you want pics of any of these. I have the deluxe ends, mullion doors with seeded glass, butcher block island, pantry pullouts, spice pullouts etc. I don't have a lot of cabinets so I upgraded the few I do have. Sometimes it is nice to see them in real color that is not in the catalog.

Good luck.

Hi Sally,

'am no professional cabinet maker, but have taken a cpl
of courses in a community-college on cabinet building.
have built a cpl of cabs too.

Out here in the CA Bay Area, we have a cpl very profitable
cabinet door construction Co's. Many many local cabinet
makers take your request and have them actually build
the doors. These cabinet makers then build just the
boxes (plywood, mdf, what have you). They stain them all
in their shop in one shot to ensure uniformity in color etc.
Many hi-end cabinet makers here seem to indicate this is
the only profitable way for them to build cabinets in the
US. Door construction is the most expensive - not the
cabinet box.

I'm sure in your "region", there would be such operations.
May want to check them out or swing by the BayArea.

I think you should be able to get some good finished
cabinets in $200-300/lin.ft range.

Just a thought.
Best,
/venkat

Ok, I have to say that I think even $28,000 is way too high. Have you tried local cabinet makers? My cabinets will be beautiful high-end cherry with lots of bells and whistles for $11,000 in a 14x14 kitchen. I'm doing my entire kitchen with a new window, lighting, granite, cabinets and appliances for less than $30k...

b

I went with Schuler/Lowes last year on our custom kitchen and had A LOT of problems (mostly with Lowes - but some damage) Schuler/Medallion was excellent with replacing and the cabinets were beautiful! We have since moved and are building another house and we are choosing Medallion -but not Lowes! I really looked hard and couldn't fine any difference between the finish quality of Medillian and higher name brands (wood mode, brookhaven, etc...) I also priced out custom made from a cabinet shop, but personally - I don't care for the European frame-less cabinets.

Sally,
I seem to recall that you are looking for frameless cabinets. Have you looked into Scherr's cabinets? I found out about them through this forum. I used them for my kitchen, save many thousands of dollars over other other companies I was considering, and I couldn't be more happy with the results.

-Bob

Last post mentioning your interest in framless? I didn't think that Crownpoint did framless so I figured all were inset cabs since CrPt was in the list. If they are all inset are all of the panels veneer or some solid wood, reversed raised panel? What is the difference in the hardware with each company? All full extension drawers? Things like this could make a big difference in the price vs just seening a door.

I believe Crown Point does do frameless but are better known for their inset cabinets.

zelmar, I just double checked and Crownpoint does have a new line "transitional" that are framless. If they had it when we were there they didn't tell us nor was there a sample in the sample rm.

Hi eandhl, I believe it's a new offering--at least I had never noticed it until very recently on their website. I just check the website every so often as I dream about mudroom and bathroom, looking for ideas.

Thanks everyone for all your responses. I WAS looking at frameless, but don't have my heart set on it, especially if I have to pay extra. I think, unfortunately, that Crown Point is beyond my means. Schuler doesn't make frameless.

eandhl - All the cabinets have full-extension drawers included in the price, but not soft-close, which I don't want (I don't like the way they open). The only company that included any bells and whistles or up-charges was Schuler(!). Who knows how much the other bids would be if they included those bells and whistles? This is what I'm paying extra for:

Taller and/or double upper cabinets (they go all the way to the 10-feet ceiling)
6 mullions (requiring finished interiors)
2 trash pull-outs
cupboard ends finished
columns on the island
spice cupboard
panels on refrigerator and dishwasher
blind-corner with swing-out and roll-out trays

Fori: I hadn't thought about the quality of the wood, thanks for pointing that out. I wonder if I should get a sample door from a few of these places and compare them.

sw1347 - I read that thread avidly. $80,000 for cabinets. Wow.

venkat, chan 123, and brittu - The kitchen is 25'x14' and has quite a few cabinets. There are about 48 linear feet of base cabinets and 38 linear feet of uppers. Maybe I should get a few more custom bids as the one I got was more like $440 per linear foot.

cleo 227 - I would LOVE to see some pictures!

ellene613 and tinker 2006 - I have found a shop nearby that carries Medallion. I'll check them out. I didn't do it before because I knew that Schuler and Medallion were the same. I assumed they would be the same price, but I guess not neccessarily.

Bob - I have never seen a real live Scherr cabinet and it appears from the web site that they aren't sold by retailers. Were you able to see a door before you ordered?

Thanks again. This forum is the greatest.

I had schuler installed in my kitchen lately and they look great. I worked with a KD from lowes on the layout but I didn't the design myself mostly with her help. Overall the quality is good. We didn't upgrade to all plywood, only upgraded the finished end for some cabinets. I would definitely get plywood construction next time. Schuler's particle board is decent. But if you see how contractors handle the cabinets, you will know what I am saying. Sometimes cabinets are damaged during installation. I had kraftmaid all plywood construction for my vanities, they looks great too and pretty sturdy. You can easily get 10% off from lowes if you ask. One downside to get from lowes is that they are slow.

For cherry, the amount of heartwood and knots that a manufacturer considers to be OK will vary among brands. The lower the price, the more heartwood and knots. Also, there is a world of difference in the door finish level on cabinets. Some are finished to fine furniture standards and some are more slap dash. Some are veneer panel, and some are solid cherry. Not all "Cherry Shaker" is "Cherry Shaker". The method of construction of the actual box, the thickness of the materials used, and the quality of the hardware also varies--even if it looks similar. There are a LOT of subtle details that aren't exactly apparant at first to a novice cabinet buyer. Some cabinet lines are just better quality, even for tthe "same" look. Now, whether or not you think your home and lifestyle will notice the difference in the time that you have in that home before you move, that's a decision up to you. The look is important, but so is fit, finish, and longevity, all of which (usually, but not always) improve with higher $$ cabinetry.

dandan74: That's probably good advice for any cabinet line. I have really only thought about the boxes in terms of their longevity, not how well they will survive the installation.

live wire oak: Thank you, your comments are exactly why I posted this! I have remodeled two kitchens before, both times as a complete idiot. This time I want to do it right and have, consequently, become TKO. I AM the novice buyer you mentioned and I feel completely inadequate to wisely make this decision. I have researched different cabinet lines, but all I can find are cabinet companies' web sites, which are good for finding out specific cabinet components, but can't be counted on to accurately represent the quality of their product. Then there are the consumer comments on this site and some others. If I see enough complaints about a certain line of cabinet I don't consider it. However, people who have Schuler seem to like them. People who have Brookhaven seem to like them. The few comments I have been able to find about Fieldstone are positive. People LOVE Crown Point, but I can't afford them. What I really wish I could find is a comprehensive list of cabinet manufacturers with descriptions, comparisons and ratings of their products; all, of course, done by a completely unbiased cabinet expert. Anyone have a list like that?

I am hoping to live in this house for the rest of my life. My kitchen will not be the highest end, but will be pretty nice. My appliances are Thermador built-in double ovens, warming drawer, induction cooktop and microwave. My dishwasher will be a Miele, my built-in refrigerator will be a 48-inch KitchenAid. I want cabinets that will reflect the quality of everything else in the kitchen. Can I get that with Schuler? Or do I have to spend more?

We recently added an in-law apartment to our home with a full kitchen. We went with Cabico - they offer tons of options and I felt they were decently priced. We bought through a local cabinet company who also did the layout and installation.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabico

Here are some photos of various things. The color is way off.
My digital camera is broken but here is an older picture of the finished ends with the larger base molding.
{{!gwi}}

Here is the mullion seeded glass and deluxe finished ends on an upper. It is the classic crown molding. Also measure your dishes-I should have gotten a 15 inch deep cabinet instead of the standard 12 inches.
{{!gwi}}
Here is the island end with wainscotting and butcher block.
{{!gwi}}
Here are the cabinet supports.
{{!gwi}}
Base pantry pullouts.
{{!gwi}}
Extended depth sink with 3 inch fluted spice pullouts on each side and a french foot. I don't really like how this turned out. I think the angled fluted fillers would have looked better but I wanted the spice pullouts. Oh well.
{{!gwi}}

If you are getting bottoms of your cabinets done with legs, make sure it is ordered correctly. I wanted my bases to have the French foot as an integral part of the cabinet. Instead, they came separately and had to be attached. It turns out the KD did not code them correctly. When I looked in the spec book modification section, I realized what she did wrong.
Refrigerator cabinet. Six inch fluted fillers on each side are hiding plumbing. I ordered the wrong size cabinet hence the basket. It was too close and I was scared.
{{!gwi}}

sally,

Regarding Scherr's, yes you can have them make a sample door in the style and wood of your choice. If I recall correctly there is only a $25 charge, and that is taken off the order if you order from them.

To some extent, the fact that they aren't available in retail stores is a good thing. Their is no markup for profit and sales commission tacked on top of the cabinet price. Although it really does make it difficult to see and compare them to other cabinets.

Included below are pictures of my cabinets which are a simple shaker style in quarter-sawn red oak, and total for the cabinets pictured here was about $17000. And I really couldn't be more happy with the quality of the construction of the cabinets.

{{gwi:1567518}}

Have you looked into Cabinetry Direct? (www.cabinetrydirect.com) That is who did my kitchen and bathrooms cabinets. Mine are cherry beaded inset with a raised panel door. The price was very reasonable and the quality is amazing. Even our installer was impressed. They have all door style, including Shaker. They don't do frameless.