We installed (ourselves) shaker inset white Conestoga RTA cabinets from & worked with Cabinet Joint to order. Would I do it again?... not sure. It was a lot of work & since RTA and factory painted, you have to plan everything super careful to account for seams, joins, etc. No t sure I would do insets again as those shows any misalignment unlike overlaps which can hide door alignment issues. The cabinets are very high quality wood and construction for the price BUT factory (white) is beginning to show yellowing around stove and garbage bin door where you touch it, etc - in other words, hard to keep factory finish looking great for long if you use your kitchen like we do. So we saved a ton of money over semi custom or custom but it was a lot of work to build, install, rewire, etc. Took me months of working by myself to do it and probably could have done a bit better job. There are some limits as to what you can do RTA but I found out after the fact, I probably could have done a bit more custom orders on a few cabs with Conestoga but I went with a more standard size which left a couple cabinets not exactly custom looking but fine (like a gap between frig and upper cab is not a exact fit but show a gap of 2-3 inches (I would have preferred it to be a built in, custom made look but nobody really notices its a nitpick. I am think they will need to be repainted after 10-12 years (white shows alot). Out painter does repaints of old cabinets and uses a specific euro product to do so . Never realized how many necessary steps there are to do a cabinet repaint correctly but here is a video (he has q couple which discuss the product and steps). https://www.facebook.com/toddthepaintr/videos/195740918684028

Thanks everyone. Well, I found out that J & K cabinets (a large RTA cabinet distributor) had a local dealer not too far from me, (Global Home Products in Beltsville, MD) so I called them and they actually had the size and color vanity I wanted in stock. The price was $199, and assembly was only $10, for an all wood, painted white shaker style vanity. Even the center panel on the doors was solid wood --a true reverse raised panel (almost every RTA cabinet seems to use MDF for the center panel!) The cheapest, similar, special order cabinet from Home Depot or Lowes would have been between $300-400 (American Woodmark or Kraftmaid, etc.) I checked with Barker cabinets and they were quite expensive in comparison. When I got to the dealer, I was surprised to see what a large showroom they had and how busy they were, even on a weekday afternoon. I believe that all their cabinet lines were RTA, and they had very good prices. The display kitchens and vanities looked very nice. The place seemed to be run mainly by Chinese people, ( a little hard to understand their accents, but very nice and helpful) so I imagine they don't have any problems communicating directly with those factories that make their cabinets over in China if they need to! Anyway--I'm glad that I had them put the cabinet together, as when they opened the box there was some minor damage to the face frame part. So they used the face frame off the identical vanity that was on their showroom floor and were able to assemble my vanity. It does look gorgeous--esp. the doors. Even the back is solid plywood with wood bracing. I suppose that makes it more sturdy, but it will be more work for my husband to drill holes for the plumbing. Hope this helps someone else who might be wondering about RTA cabinets.

RTA cabinets don't vary much from one brand to another. It really comes down to how handy one is in putting them together correctly and even more important installing them. I wouldn't let anyone scare you off from considering them. Call them at their toll free number, ask a lot of questions and maybe buy a sample door to see if you like it. I get a little tired of all the, but it's probably made in China mantra on this site. Lots of US companies either manufacture in China who put together products from components made in China. This company is selling out of California warehouses. Sort of doubt they would be in business here if they sold cheap off gassing cancerous stock. But here everything is labeled as a hazard. Crazy. Like you said, you are putting them in a beach house. You are not trying to build a showplace kitchen out of them. You want cabinets that look relatively nice and hold things without coming apart. I don't remember the brands but we've used RTA cabs for several projects over the years (last time in a rental) and they have always worked and held up well. But DH is a good detail guy who can make a cardboard box look good. ;-)

I used Scherr's RTA Cabinets. http://scherrs.com/ While they have a very clunky old fashioned website, they are a high quality custom shop. That means they do pretty much everything. You fill out the form with your choices and your contact information. Leon Scherr will talk to you over the phone to explain the process and refine your choices. This is NOT a budget product. It's a custom product made in North Dakota. I think that by the time you go through the process, they will be a little bit more than Barker's, but you will get more customer service, custom cabinets, your choice of finishes, if desired, and someone to talk on the phone when you encounter a problem. Here is a link to my renovation: My Kitchen Renovation Using Scherr's RTA Cabinets Begins Here is a link to my cabinet installation and kitchen reveal: Kitchen Reveal Scherr's RTA Cabinets My kitchen designer and I estimate that we saved 40% by doing the assembly ourselves. Plus, we have the satisfaction of knowing we contributed to the process. I love the frameless cabinet. A lot of people will use IKEA boxes and Scherr's or Barker's doors. I know Scherr's has the jigs and measurement to make IKEA doors.