You may also find the following threads to be useful

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• Best advice from this forum: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0720293613004.html
• Care to share your best kitchen storage ideas?: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0716483024815.html
• kitchen layout suggestions: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1022032814279.html
• 4" Broom Closet from IkeaFans: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg021226537119.html
• Rev-A-Shelf Spice Racks for Fillers -- Have you seen these!!!! [discusses filler pullouts]: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1020292023561.html
• pull-down vs. pull-out faucet: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0309302313055.html
• Drawers vs Roll-Out Tray Shelves (ROTS):
• Drawers over pull outs in Cabinets: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg030118382423.html
• Kitchen drawers versus pull-out shelves?: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0417384431048.html

Tips for saving the budget...

• Scrimp on this, Splurge on that....: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg101324514831.html
• Where to splurge and where to save??: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg080040367553.html
• Scrimp and Splurge - Where'd you hold back, where'd you go nuts?: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0507102221365.html
• Now that I have [X], I think I could have lived without it: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0719430319398.html

Regrets?

• What do you wish you had done differently?: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0722355328974.html
• What do you wish you had done differently? [Part 2]: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0220533912060.html
• What 'cons' did you choose to live with?: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0703072225663.html
• Things I would NOT recommend or things I dislike!: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0413285931465.html
• Things I would NOT recommend or things I dislike! #2: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg061407013201.html
• What are some things you regret in your kitchen remodel: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5044891/what-are-some-things-you-regret-in-your-kitchen-remodel

• biggest regret: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2696538/biggest-regret

Meant to add the "Building a Home" forum above!

If you're building a new home, the Kitchen should be designed along with the rest of the home. So, while working on your Kitchen design, also work on your home design. There are architects and others who are extremely helpful and very good at spotting issues for both the interior and exterior of a home.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/build

+++++ Please do not bump -- this thread is replacing the FAQ and will be referenced from the "Read Me" thread. +++++

Another piece of sage advice. Tips for customers selecting a contractor and for contractors selecting a customer (yes, both ways!)

10 Tests for You And Your Contractor’s First Meeting

• https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5332686/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractors-first-meeting

Local Custom Cabinetmakers -- Good or Bad?

This topic is again becoming common, so I am posting what I've posted in the past. In addition, see this thread (https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2679023/custom-cabinets-really-cheaper-than-stock) and the post from GreenDesigns about half-way down.

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Just a word of caution..."local (custom) cabinetmaker" is thrown around here a lot with the implication they are superior to the various cabinet manufacturers. They may be, but there is no guarantee. "Local custom cabinetmaker" does not necessarily equate to "high quality" or "low cost". There are many very good custom cabinetmakers out there, but there are many not-so-good ones as well. Just b/c someone is a "custom cabinetmaker" does not make him/her a good cabinetmaker. And, it's not just their skill at cabinetry...how are their business skills? E.g., How are they at meeting schedules? Do they stay within the cost they quote you? How do they deal with issues? What is their warranty? What recourse do you have if they drop the ball? Sometimes you can go "over the heads" of people at cabinet stores or even go to the manufacturer (at least for warranty issues), but you might not have that option with a local cabinetmaker.

If you go this route, be very diligent in your research:

• Contact several recent references, including at least one who had problems so you can see how s/he handled those problems. Ask about:
  -- How was the cabinetmaker at keeping to the schedule she promised?
  -- Did the cabinetmaker stick pretty close to the cost estimate given to the customer (no hidden fees, undeclared upgrades, etc.)?
  -- Did the cabinetmaker let the customer see a sample of their cabinet order for approval of the finish, quality, etc., prior to completing the entire order?
  -- How did the cabinetmaker handle construction issues?
  -- How did the cabinetmaker handle installation issues?

• Contact several not-so-recent references, ask them how their cabinets are holding up (joints, face frames, drawers, doors, finish, etc.). Try for some at least 5 years old and at least 10 years old.

• See actual installed kitchens with the same type of cabinets you are looking for:
  -- Type: frameless, framed overlay (partial or full), inset
  -- Wood species: cherry, maple, alder, oak, etc.
  -- Finish: stained, glazed, painted

• Look at the construction details: Wall thicknesses, box material (plywood, MDF, etc.), interior finishes, box construction (joining, etc.), drawer construction, shelving, etc.

• What is the cabinetmaker's warranty on his/her products? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? Lifetime?

• Does the cabinetmaker have a kitchen designer s/he works with or does the cabinetmaker do the designing? Is the cabinetmaker open to working with you as a designer or with a kitchen designer you hire independently from them? [You really should work with a good designer to catch the "details" that might be missed by you and/or us (most of us are not pros)]

• How is the cabinetmaker with "unusual" requests? (Farmhouse/apron sinks, deeper cabinets, deeper drawers, toekick drawers, inset cabinets, etc.)

These are all the same questions you should ask of a manufacturing line as well, but all these things are usually spelled out somewhere and they have staff who specialize in these areas. You usually have some "standard" recourses if there are problems. In addition, their quality, including finishes and construction, are generally pretty consistent (yes, there are glitches occasionally) and they have the advantage for those finishes that are better when manufactured than when done by hand.

I'm not saying don't look into local cabinetmakers, I'm saying be careful. We have had several threads where people have gone this route and have had major issues in all the areas above...construction quality, finish quality, installation issues, difficult to work with, etc. And yes, there have been similar threads from those using cabinet companies (but those are usually resolved fairly quickly once the person gets up the courage to say something.)

If you can find a great local custom cabinetmaker that has wonderful quality at a price you're willing to pay, then by all means, go with them...just do your research.

Good luck!

+++++ Please do not bump -- this thread is replacing the FAQ and will be referenced from the "Read Me" thread. +++++

From WeedyAcres...rehabbing cabinets and building drawers for rehabbed cabinets.

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• We re-purposed used cabinets
• We built new ones. But even here we economized, working from a stack of 24"x48" plywood sheets purchased for $3 each on CL, repurposing the dining room paneling into drawer boxes, and supplementing only when required with some $50/sheet purchased plywood.

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Full post here: https://littlebeau.weebly.com/cabinets.html

+++++ Please do not bump or post to this thread -- this thread is an FAQ and is referenced in the "Read Me" thread. +++++