I built a beach house with Hiline Homes 2 years ago. I actually blogged about it specifically so people could see what our experience was like because I too could not find anything online. I haven't updated the blog with what the house has been like since we moved into it because I got burned out. But overall, I think the house was pretty solidly built. The build experience was far from perfect but that is also true of my sister's super high end build that I got to hear about going up as well. I will say the fixes and responses to getting things fixed on the higher end home were a lot better than what Hiline has done. But our house itself seems like a very good value to me. All inclusive with our land, permits, driveway, excavation/ground prep, etc, we paid about $118 per sq foot. With the builder we quoted with, the cost would have been $160 per sq ft. and the quality at that price would have been comparable to Hiline's since the builder also would have been using similar materials to get their quote that low. (By similar materials I mean the finishing touches like countertops, carpet, flooring, etc. They would have used the same construction materials, and in some cases, Hiline's construction materials were actually nicer.) So, I think you could go with one of these companies and come out okay, though I can only speak for one of them. We had a terrible project manager but he was fired after our build. Hopefully their next one is better.) Here's a link to my blog if you want to read about it. I always meant to go back and pull out the salient details that people would want to know, but I never did. So it's mostly an online journal, I'm sure it's incredibly painful to read! http://myhilinehome.com/

mls99, I think you'll find in the US it means a beautiful, custom, Smallbone-type "scullery" period (or period-inspired) kitchen, the kind that one would likely only find in the most lavishly "done up" high-end homes and London flats! That said, a look at B&Q online these days (I snooped around just for fun) suggests that the American-type fitted kitchen now dominates in Britain too so perhaps as houses are being redone over the years the kitchens are more functional. I remember when we left we actually had a wonderful Hotpoint fridge/freezer of a size and shape that would actually suit in my small home here - it was smaller than the average AMerican sarcophogus but well designed and held loads. I loved that the bottom freezer was nearly the size of the fridge and fitted with several internal drawers (great for organizigin! That said, although it was a single unit it looked like a pair of stacked separates as was still often found in homes. Interestingly, from my reading it seems like "high end" London is now going for the minimalist look again - in fact I remember reading in the Guradian Gaurdian Guardian (sorry, British in-joke) a while back that somebody took a GORGEOUS traditional intact Pimlico 4 story house and spent a FORTUNE gutting it, and replacing all the early 19th century charm (including the fireplaces, moldings, floors - everything) with Scandinavian modern/urban loft style. Personally I consider that sacrilege, but I guess times change..... It's not QUITE as bad as the millionnaire who had a period house in Bath and somehow got planning permission to gut it and replace the glorious Regency with Andy Warhol modern.....

OP returning to update. So push came to huge shove (framing started and kitchen along with it) and I had to just jump. So here is how it shook out (framed shaker style, white premiter, stained island): Custom: $17,000 (bummer!) Shiloh: $12,596 Koch: $13,188 Medallion Silverline: $11,478, Medallion Sliverline: plywood upgrade: $12,923 Home Crest: $9,333 - so low it kinda scared me? Showplace: $14,184 Based on KD which I have read and read how important that is plus you can 'hear' it in the KD's posts on here - it was down to Shiloh and Medallion. Medallion had a promotion which brought the price down a lot and the KD really quoted aggressively. I really also liked her style and she was very helpful/knowledgable. Medallion also has been around a very long time, good reviews - that also weighed heavily. The Shiloh KD also very helpful/knowledgable. I liked them from the start. They have free glaze although I'm not sure I'll use it. Still thinking on that one. A little unsettled at the recent bad review on GW regarding them. BUT, that was just 1 review and nothing is ever perfect. In the end - it came down to PAINT color and door style. I like the bevel in the Shiloh lancaster shaker and Medallion's was a straight 90 degrees. I could get over that though. The paint however - for Medallion the White Icing seemed so bright white while the Divinity felt too yellow. That was the clincher. Shiloh has 4 shades of white and I like a couple of them. I am debating between Polar and Soft White. Side note: I had so much time but felt like I waited until the last minute getting quotes, etc.. So worried about making the wrong decision or paying more than I needed or getting a better cabinet than I really needed.... I ended up not getting the last quote until Sunday (as in 2 days ago - KD super busy) and they started framing yesterday. So I showed up at the job site to see they had framed the kitchen windows (spaced incorrectly from the printe) and had to decide right then and there. Just like that - decision made. So thank you all for your help thus far with determining where costs are and how/where to cut them. This kitchen quoting business has been quite the process. Now I need to fine tune the design and choose a paint and stain and away we go. Gee that sounds simple doesn't it? ;)

FWIW we did our own kitchen remodel and used Ikea (Side Note: They do ship and the price can be reasonable depending on where you live!). We didn't want to spend a lot and we only needed to purchase 3 base, and 1 wall cabinets. I was weary of the quality but we are very handy and took steps to further strengthen and reinforce them, especially when building our custom island with them! The two biggest things we did to strengthen them was we (#1) constructed our own cabinet feet out of lumber and (#2) reinforced the back wall of the cabinet (it comes with thin/flimsy MDF type material) with thin plywood (we did this for the island only because the back side would be exposed, so we used cheap plywood to backfill the gap and then nice plywood for the finish). My 2 favorite cabinets from them is the 36" wide (two huge drawers!) where I keep all of my pots and pans, and more! I currently have several stainless pots and pans, a large heavy copper sauce pot, and a cast iron wok in the top drawer and in the bottom drawer I have a set of 3 pampered chef rectangle stoneware baking dishes, 3 Ikea ceramic baking dishes, and a couple more big stainless soup pots, plus all the lids to my pots and pans. I may be pushing its limits but after two years I'm still really happy with them. I may eventually reinforce the floor of these because I do have a LOT of weight on them and they're really long drawers. I also love the wall cabinet that actually sits on top of the counters. It has two glass doors where we keep glassware and plates, and two skinny/long drawers on the bottom where we keep our silverware. It gives a custom feel without the custom price. Really neat piece and everyone comments on it! Having said all of that, we know this isn't our "forever" home. We don't have kids, and take care of our things. Within the next 3-5 years we are looking to (potentially) build a custom home that will hopefully be our forever home (if not, at least long term) and we will not be using Ikea. Simply because I'm not sure how they'll hold up over time. I've only heard at how some renters can really trash a place so I'd be really weary of Ikea for your situation. Maaaaaybe consider it only if you're willing to do some extra work to reinforce their weak points. But even then, after watching my two brothers grow up, I'm not sure Ikea would've survived in my parent's house. I'm a bargain shopper, and you'd be surprised what comes up for sale on Craigslist and Facebook marketplace. Also (if you have the time) check out your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore (and the like). We used to live in a high cost of living area and we'd always find high quality antique furniture, grand fireplace surrounds, marble tops, and yes, nice cabinets! Of course it's always timing game. Have to be in the right place at the right time, but it might just be worth a call or a stop. If I were going to have a rental I'd probably start by looking at these places first.