As posted, there is too little information to provide meaningful input.

Also what kind of deal do you have with the builder? In my experience cabinets are installed in a certain sequence so you can't finish certain aspects of a kitchen or bathroom until the cabinets are installed.

I did a gut remodel and my cabinets were fabricated and installed by a local cabinet company. My GC coordinated with the cabinet guy as the designer, GC and cabinet maker all knew each other. I paid for the cabinet guy directly. Other stuff that I had done was a mixture - e.g. I provided and paid for the tiles but the GC provided his own tile setter and the tile setter was paid by the GC.

Most builders allowances for cabinetry is pretty lean, so prepare for a possible budget difference. Also, our custom cabinetry fabrication is all that we do- to compare apples to apples, you would have to significantly upgrade a standard US cabinet manufacturers product...

We work with a long list of local builders. Some have their carpenters install and some have our carpenters install. Communication is key. Timelines must be honestly discussed. And usually, if not always, the homeowner has to pay extra dollars to get the cabinets they really want.

I would never settle for cabinets that don't meet your needs now- UNLESS- I knew that I was moving within two years.

I modified the post. Please throw in your suggestions.

Were I a builder, I'd never go along with such a deal. What if your cabinet guy creates delays and I'm powerless to do anything about it? No thanks.

You get what, where, when, and why, but the builder, if he has any brains in his head, always keeps who and how.

Not a professional but based on your clarifications

It is not called "builder grade" for nothing :-) The cabinets are more expensive than would cost if you were remodeling a kitchen and getting equivalent cabinets. The business model of builders is to charge excessively for upgrades because the base package offered is generally not desirable to most buyers.

I would doubt you would be able to get a builder to agree to use a third party cabinet supplier - too many potential issues as builder homes with these kinds of packages are essentially assembly lines. If you were building a true custom home, that would be different as your initial contract would provide for your providing various components.

You cannot swap cabinets in a year or two to upgrade. Cabinets are probably the most expensive and disruptive component in any remodel and by changing cabinets, you are essentially remodeling. Everything would need to be taken out and reinstalled. You would not find any GC who would be willing to guarantee that the counter would not be damaged when it was reintalled. Even though you can reuse appliances, they would all need to reinstalled. If you wanted to upgrade in terms of under cabinet lights, that would be an upgrade.

I would suggest that you consult with someone knowedgeable about home values and what is generally done in your neighborhood. In other words, you don't want to overbuild but you also don't want to underbuild. There are certain components like cabinets which are not generally swapped out easily and certain others like backsplashes, faucets and even counters which are often upgraded because they are discrete changes - you can change and upgrade these items without creating a chain reation of other items as would be the case for cabinets. That is why standard advice is to get the best cabinets you can afford and possibly save money on other more easily upgraded items.

You need the cabinets to get a CO and I would guess close on the house. If you take a credit (and IF it is allowed) you would get back pennies on the dollar. Why would you upgrade countertops and not get cabinets? Get the better cabinets and builder basic tops and upgrade them in 5 years or so,

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. Yes

4. An arm and a leg

1. Drawers

2. NO

A. The food probably will not taste any different no mater how you decorate the kitchen.

I upgraded my kitchen in my home but I knew I would have to going into the project. To me that is where we spend A LOT of time both as a family and entertaining. I wanted something that would be visually appealing and stand up to the test of time, along with being much more functional. Lots of drawers and where we have cabinets, I wanted them with various pullouts. We ended up going full custom with inset doors. We also had our uppers go to the ceiling at 9ft height. That more than doubled the builder grade allowance. To us it was worth it, to others maybe not so much. And as @Mark Bischak, Architect said, your food will all taste the same regardless so do what you like and what you can afford.

@Ryan Nobrega thank you for sharing your experience. That is my dream kitchen given I spend most of my time in the kitchen. But I m not sure how much I would end up spending on the kitchen. basically no quotes.

@Mark Bischak, Architect - You are right though. I am just looking for a more appealing look.