Anyone price both Scherrs and Barkers RTA cabinets

8 years ago

It looks like we will be doing a DIY kitchen. DH is very handy. Will likely hire subs for anything that we don't feel comfortable handling. I would like a step up from IKEA as I do fear that when I sell my house, IKEA cabinets even with custom doors may not have the value I need in my area. So I was thinking either Scherrs or Barkers as I am interested in frameless cabinets.

I have searched the forums to compare these two. They both seem to have fabulous reputations. It is a lot of work to get a price from Barkers. Might be worth it in the end so I wanted to see which vendor is usually less expensive or see if they are generally the same in price. I couldn't find many posters that actually compared the price of the two RTA (or custom) cabinets. I thought I would ask the question directly.

If you have priced both of them, were they significantly different in price for painted cabinets. Thanks everyone for your help as I would have never now about these two cabinet makers.

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Comments (5)

dcward89
8 years ago
We have Barker and love, love, love them. I did not price out Scherr's because, contrary to what you are saying, I found the Barker website to be so simple to price with. Scherr's website was not intuitive to me at all and after playing around with it for awhile, I just gave up. I loved everything I saw and read about Barker's so we went with them and could not be happier. I do agree with you that Scherr's and Barker's both seem to have equally fabulous reputations here on GW.
lkalzamora100
Original Author
8 years ago
I guess my problem with the Barkers website is that they don't help with design. Also I have to know exactly what I want. I can't edit the cart so if I want to change the door I have to delete everything and try again. I am afraid of making a mistake. Scherrs will do it for me. I was wondering how much I will be paying for that handholding. When I just priced doors it appeared that Barker was about 40% cheaper. Didn't know it that was the same for cabinets. I don't have the price of a Scherr's cabinet to compare.
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Frameless was why I wanted Barker. I thought long and hard about Ikea but the ability to get custom sizes pushed us over to Barker. Also have you compared the quality of things like hinges and drawer glides to be sure your pricing is apples to apples? The measuring by ourselves and getting the order right scared me as well. I won't know till they come if I got it right but what helped me was the following:. 1. Download and install the 30 day trial of Cabinet Vision that he talks about on his web site. You can then add his catalog of cabinets to the software to do your design. It wasn't too hard to learn and way less brain-dead than the Ikea planner and any of the other free ones I tried. This is real software, hence only the 30 day trial. 2. Draw it out in the software, then make a spreadsheet of all the cabinets, types, sizes, how many you need, etc. 3. Then get your spouse or another neutral party to go over the drawing and make sure it makes sense, that you have the right cabs in the right places. 4. Think and double check all the things you have learned here and from the Barker web site. Do you have at least 2" fillers on each wall? Do you have finished ends where you need them? Did you remember toe kick trim, molding etc. where you need them. 5. Check the spreadsheet against the drawing with another person, one looks at the software, one cross references the spreadsheet. 6. Take a break for a few days or a week. 7. Repeat steps 2-5 until you are comfortable. 8. Create an account on the barker website and put your items in the cart. It will save them, so don't order yet. 9. Print the contents of the cart. Double triple check the cart printout against your spreadsheet. Take a deep breath, put in your credit card number and submit the order. Tell yourself, well if one of them is wrong, we'll use it in the garage and order another one. Go have a drink and don't go over the order again :-) Last word, don't rush it, take your time. Hope that helps!
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I got a quote from Scherr's and the price was pretty shocking. They were about the same or more than 3 different custom shops in my area, all of which do quality work, so basically I would be paying the same and have to do the work all myself. And that was before shipping was even considered, which was a lot due to my location. Additionally, the local guys can do exactly the door I want, where Scherr's said they couldn't. Leon was very nice and knowledgeable, but I can't see spending that much and then having to assemble and install myself. I think we're going to go with Barker's with the toe kick removed from all the cabinets so we can still use levelers. Barker's isn't much of a savings compared to what I could spend for most semi-custom, but I would have a top quality cabinet customized to exactly what I want. They are less than the area customs, so I guess in the end there is that savings.
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I used Scherr's cabinets in my DIY kitchen remodel, and I was really happy with the quality of the construction, and with how easy they were to assemble (by the end it was taking about 10 minutes to assemble a wall cabinet) Additionally given the adjustable leg-levelers that come with the cabinets, the process of installing the base cabinets so that they were perfectly flat and level was relatively easy for a complete cabinet installation novice to do. Also I cannot speak more highly of the customer service at Scherr's, before the sale in the planning stages, during the cabinet build process as I emailed in some last minute changes and tweaks, and after the the cabinets were finished and shipped. During installation (which was about two months after the cabinets were shipped to me, due to other parts of the remodel taking longer than I planned) I discovered two problems caused by one of my last minute changes, (changing from one brand of drawer slide to another) they changed the drawer slides they included but didn't change the program controlling where the holes were drilled. When I contacted Scherr's about the problem they responded the same day and shipped a fix for the problem to me within about three days. I was also very happy with the final price from Scherr's (about $17000) I ended up with completely custom, shaker style, quarter-sawn red oak cabinets in a custom-colored finish that are both beautiful and functional, for only about twice what it would have cost for the nearest comparable kitchen cabinet setup from Ikea. The only complaints I've ever heard about Scherr's are sometimes when they get busy their lead time can grow pretty long, (like 12 weeks or so) but they seem to be very accurate with their estimate of how long it will take.
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I've got to speak up for Scherr's Custom RTA Cabinets. They are a custom cabinet maker that does RTA cabinets. You get exactly what you want. They assemble as much or as little as you require. I had them assemble my drawer boxes and I did everything else. They have more than three finishes. I had a great experience with them. I will use them again. Scherr's cabinets are made in North Dakota. Leon Scherr has been in business for at least 25 years. They were cost competitive and had really good customer service. You could actually talk to someone. They helped you answer questions and solve problems. That is why I selected them over Barker's. Scherr's does have a rather clunky, old fashioned website. You fill out a form with your requirements and send them a rendering of your plan including measurements. They put it into a CAD and cost it out for you. I think one of the reasons more folks at GW tend to use Barker's is because of Barker's online ordering system. While it's sort of efficient, many people just don't want to talk to anyone and would rather work up an order to see the price. You actually have to talk to someone about your order at Scherr's. I guess people are shy about it. It's a great product and nice group of people.
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User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Another RTA company mentioned on GW is Conestoga from the Cabinet Joint. They make doors for some of the high-end cabinet manufacturers.

http://www.cabinetjoint.com/
dcward89
8 years ago
lkalzamora100...we are pretty seasoned DIY'ers but I do understand your fear of making a mistake. I measured our kitchen at least 20 times and played around with so many possibilities for cabinets through Barker's website...it took ALOT of time to research and research and research and measure and measure and measure. I realize it's not for everyone. You can also utilize the good folks here on GW to help with the layout. I didn't discover GW until I had the layout pretty much set but I did get some good tips and suggestions when I posted what we had come up with...some I used, some I didn't but it was very helpful.
homechef59
8 years ago
I'll speak up for Scherr's. My kitchen was complicated. I needed the help of both a professional independent kitchen designer and Leon Scherr to do it correctly. If you have a simple design or you are completely confident in your computer skills, Barker's has an excellent reputation. They were having some issues with paint finish a few months ago. I hope those issues have been resolved.

Personally, I found the website ordering system to be too complicated and I wasn't certain I had everything I needed. After completing the process with Scherr's, I know I wasn't getting everything I needed with the Barker's system. If you have a more complex design or need special elements such as moldings, finishes, custom colors, toe kicks, etc. Scherr's is a completely custom manufacturer.

I wanted it done right the first time. I was willing to pay to get exactly what I wanted and needed the first time. That's why I went with Scherr's. It's a simple phone call. Leon was always available, always helpful and answered a million questions. Barker's is strictly do it yourself. Chad will answer email questions, but that is the extent of the customer service. There were issues that developed and being able to place phone call for a quick answer instead of a half a dozen email really saved on time and effort.

I know cost is always important, but so is time and effort. I don't know if I spent more because I went with Scherr's. But, I do know that the process was painless and done correctly the first time. Call Leon, he can help you with the process and give you a good idea of the process and cost. Fill out the basic form, send him a rendering of your floor plan and it will give him an idea of what you are trying to accomplish. Scherr's was outstanding. I love my kitchen and I love these cabinets.

Anyone price both Scherrs and Barkers RTA cabinets

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dcward89

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Anyone price both Scherrs and Barkers RTA cabinets

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dcward89

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lkalzamora100
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