We did this several years ago, and it worked out ok for us, but just barely. Make sure that there is no chance for a construction lien to attach to the house after the closing--make sure that the title insuance company deletes the construciton lien exception from the title insurance policy and make the builder provide all of the lien waivers that the title insurance company needs to do that. As I said, we lucked out, but our builder went bankrupt soon after we closed and the person who bought the partially completed house down the road wasn't as lucky and construciton liens did attach to their house after the closing so they ended up paying for lots and lots of things twice. They did get a big digger out of the bankruptcy--just what they wanted--but they paid thousands and thousands of dollars extra for that house (One thing I remember is that it was two story brick colonial and they had to pay for the brick and the installation of the brick twice!). The only other thing would be to make sure that you get a homeowner's warranty as most (but not all!) defects will become appararent within a year of construction. We had several problems from shoddy, but hidden, construciton/plumbing/wiring elements that became appparent within the first few years after we purchased the house but our builder was already bankrupt--we had to get a back hoe and plumber out to our house on Christmas eve one year because they didn't use galvanized fittings (I think that's the term) to bring the water into the house so the fittings rusted and got holes in them flooding the basement, etc. 5 houses in our subdivison that were built by the same builder had this same problem--just not on Christmas Ever. And then there was the . . . . If you are involved in construction early, you can watch what the builder is doing. But if you get involved when the walls are in, lots of defects may be covered up.

Hey, flyleft, I used some doors with the big holes in them on those cheap oak face frame cabinets in my kitchen. (I can't remember now why I bought doors with those holes in them.) I used the regular overlay hinges where just the little hinge edge is visible. It was a little tough getting the hinges secured because those huge holes were just in the spot where hinges needed to be. So some of my hinges had less than the optimal amount of screws holding them on. I think to do it properly, you'd have to fill in those holes. I'm sure the woodworking forum can give you some good advice for cutting out blanks and glueing them into the holes. Are you choosing IKEA for the style or the price? Seems like it would be easier to get a custom ordered door and stain or paint it yourself.

So, as for some of liriodendron's specific points: At the amount that wholesale sheets would cost me and the ease of obtaining them, I don't think I would have to worry much about them wearing at the edges or getting polyester-y. I don't sleep in AC at the timeshare condo in August and the sheets are fine. I sew a lot and making fitted sheets + pillowcases would be trivial for me. You know, I have to admit that part of my motivation for switching to wholesale hotel supply sheets would be that I am sick of the retail sheet industry and would love to stick it to them in my own small way. A sheet is a plain, basic staple of bedding. Everyone I know buys and uses them. They're not inherently a specialty or luxury good. Now, I know that sheets *can* be indulged in as specialty and luxury goods. I know that people *do* make a hobby of learning about bedding fibers and collecting their favorite types. In no way do I have anything against people who want to do those things, but my point is, it shouldn't be necessary for someone who just wants to buy a household staple that won't fall apart or cost them an absurdly inflated price. In order to do this, no one should HAVE to collect esoteric fiber information. Nobody should HAVE to pass along clues by word of mouth as to who makes a decent product this month or year. Nobody should HAVE to scour eBay or find specialty stores to buy a plain, staple household item! The retail sheet industry seems to have done its best to twist and obfuscate facts in order to sell millions of poorly made products with planned obsolescence and few real alternatives. I would love to opt out of their marketing horsepoo and intentionally shoddy goods, and simply never worry about it again. $125 or so every handful of years, even if the sheets wear out faster than I would hope (and I think that rotating between 3-4 sets would do much to extend their lifespans), seems to me like a very small price to pay for that freedom.

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.