That is a VERY expensive high end want for a first house. If they are built well. More like for a 5th house. Very little of a tree ends up as rift sawn solids or veneers. You have less than 10% yield. Which is why it is so high priced. Frameless isn't the US norm. Framed is. Which is why it's so high priced. In additon to needing some higher priced equipment to produce and meet tolerances.

It’s ok my husband will be paying for them! (Just Kidding 🤣)
In all seriousness- what is the price difference for MDF RTA cabinets like those from wholesalecabinets.us or buywholesalecabinets.com vs. Custom cabinetry?

Would MDF still be preferred over solid wood if our plan is just to stain them (not painting)?

P.S thank you for your replies

" Would MDF still be preferred over solid wood if our plan is just to stain them "

Yes. Still much more stable.

" In all seriousness- what is the price difference for MDF RTA cabinets like those from wholesalecabinets.us or buywholesalecabinets.com vs. Custom cabinetry?

My gut says those two suppliers are importers of Chinese flat packs and the quality will be dubious at best. Only way to compare pricing is to figure out exactly what you want and need and get pricing. Look at IKEA (king of the RTA) for the boxes and Barkers or the like for the doors.

Absolute garbage import cabinets should never be on anyone's radar. You don't get champagne on a bottled water budget. You don't do unfinished box store dreck at this level. Everything comes finished, from the manufacturer, in the finish you select from samples. You DO do high quality veneers, with a stable HDF or ultra refined MDF as the core.

Thanks for your help! Looking into Barkers now as an option. Any other companies you recommend? My eyes are hurting from sifting through garbage

https://www.ultracraft.com/door-style/marshall/?mid=126&fid=397

Ultracraft has dealers all over the country. I don't know if you're in Miami or Naples but you can find dealers on their website.

Barker does not offer a slim shaker, nor rift sawn white oak. They do offer a standard shaker and quartersawn white oak. But by the time you have them finish it, you could have bought already assembled cabinets elsewhere. Look somewhere else. Like a high end local true custom manufacturer.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/3032345/barker-cabinets-kitchen-designer-layout-help

We used Cabico cabinets for out kitchen and family room. It was not cheap and they are not full wood. I am not exact on the price. This was just before covid. I believe my husband paid $38 thousand for our cabinets. He joked that it was more expensive than furniture. But, We don't have fancy furniture.

A great aticle on cabinets and prices as of 2023

Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen Cabinet prices

Cabico Elegant Whispers (looks similar to what you are looking for)

Somerville, MA - Multifamily Renovation · More Info

The Shiloh Eclipse line is frameless and they have alot of white oak options. I think they will have a door style that you might like. This is the line my custom cabinet person uses for clients wanting something less expensive than custom. I have had their walnut in my office for 8 years - no issues. My daughter did her kitchen with their MDF line painted to save some $$$.

Boxy offers frameless construction, and they have a diverse range of cabinet designs, including a slim shaker and lots of white oak options. Compared to solid wood, it doesn’t require a big budget.

We just installed ours last year and the MDF doors are holding up great.Here is their website if you want to check it out https://www.boxycabinetry.com/