Hey Deburn..love your last line--this girlfriend thing takes a lot of time...lol.. Don't forget it was she who bought you a really nice gift. lol. Deburn, are green/red berries that grow after Murraya flowers, seeds? If so, do you sow the entire berry, 'after it's mature/red,' or are smaller seeds inside the berry? Two of my units take two bulbs, the others, one..Since your kit takes one bulb, go with a Gro-Light.. Home Depot sells one Gro-Light type, 'at least our nearest HD,' but many nurseries, 'local and online' sell different varieties. For instance, Gro-light for flowering plants, a second for foliage types. Do you mean two prong plug with a ground? Another item you can buy at most hardware stores. Prongs are slipped into the adapter, 'adapter has a hole for ground.' The adapter then fits in a two-prong, standard outlet. No biggie..Adapters are usually under 2.00. So, have you set up your kit? Toni

I do not have time to read all of this, but want to encourage you to peruse and search this site for lawsuit, shoddy cabinets, etc. There are quite a few of us that ended up in court because we hired the wrong person. Knowing all that I know now, and knowing how the courts operate, I would never give my good CASH money to any small business again. NEVER. Now, IF you use a credit card and have a GOOF-PROOF, most excellent contract with every dot and tittle expressed, numbered, named, excellent drawings and inspiration photos all signed by you AND the cabinet maker so there is no mistaking exactly what you want or expect at the end of the contract, and have a finished sample door style and color (usually half goes to you, half goes to the cabinet maker), THEN and only then would I consider doing business. The credit card company will do and CAN do what no court will ever do without it costing you big dollars, the CC Company can credit you back for bad cabinets or not being satisfied. You see, the small guy has a contract with the CC co. and he is not guaranteed money "no matter what" he does. My case in point is just as suggested you do above, however, I paid CASH. I won in court, but CabFiascoGuy (as I call him here on GW) was incorporated and changed his business name. I would have had to hire another company to chase down his assets. The judge just said to call it even and we both go our own way. I got shoddy cabinets with a hideous finish, not as I ordered, crappy paint job, appliances did not fit, etc. (research my name). I am almost THREE YEARS OUT and am just now finishing my kitchen. I have hired five people to help do different aspects. Repainted four times (another story, but I ended up finishing them myself). Had to have all cabinets taken down, modified, reinstalled. 34 or so new doors ordered (all with a profile I HATE and did not choose.) . So, knowing how crappy it is to get involved with a company with not much to lose except a business name...is not anything I will EVER do again. I will MAKE myself be happy with something from a big box store. An extra month to wait for cabinets should something have to be reordered??? PUH=LEEZE!!! I have the patience of a saint now. I'm so patient now, I haven't bought a new car in almost 7 years because I'm willing to wait until the new models come out...then for a spring sale...then year end...and so on. I was NEVER like this before this cabinet fiasco. Thanks for listening. Be cautious. Even "nice people" can end up in court. Desperate people can do despearate things. Promise you the moon for the right price and persuade you to do business. I cannot afford to ever make the same mistake twice. PS. If a local guy will do business with about 25% down (using cc still), then I would be willing to pay cash once the cabinets were installed and I was smiling. This is about the only scenario I could agree with using a small cabinet maker.

You're probably hearing about "local custom cabinetmakers". Sometimes you can get quality cabinets & service less expensively through a local custom cabinetmaker, but not always. There is a lot of misleading information out there that makes it sound like all local custom cabinetmakers are less expensive and of higher quality than larger manufacturers (like Bertch, Omega, etc.) What's the real scoop? Some local custom cabinetmakers are less expensive Some local custom cabinetmakers have as good as or even better quality Some local custom cabinetmakers are good installers, businessmen, etc. Unfortunately, you may not find all of the above in the same cabinetmaker! All of this is regional as well...not just the availability/cost/quality/service of local custom cabinetmakers, but also the availability/cost/service of those from the larger manufacturers (quality should be the same, regardless of location for manufacturers). Here's the "blurb" I usually post when people start asking about "local custom cabinetmakers": Just a word of caution..."local (custom) cabinetmaker" is thrown around here a lot with the implication they are all superior to or at least as good the various cabinet manufacturers. Some 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 for the specific cabinetmaker(s) you are considering (they are not all alike): Contact several recent references, including at least one who had problems so you can see how the cabinetmaker handled those problems. Ask about: How was the cabinetmaker at keeping to the schedule s/he promised? Did the cabinetmaker stick pretty close to the cost estimate s/he gave them (no hidden fees, undeclared upgrades, etc.)? Did the cabinetmaker let them (the customer) see a sample of their cabinet door w/finish 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....

Hi I chose the Schuler cabinets from Lowes. I think the quality is outstanding and Lowes was easy to work with. This is my third kitchen in 5 years so I do have some experience. I would choose to use Schuler again without hesitation. I also wanted to let you know that I just asked for the 10% off my cabinet order. They had to approve it through a manager but it was not a problem. I just let them know that I was not going to order the cabinets until I received the coupon in the mail. So they gave it to me without the coupon. It saved me $2500; basically paying for my advantium Important things if you use a lowes KD....Or any KD for that matter... Lowes KDs are usually beginners. My KD was great but I am sure there are some bad ones too. You will need more than average understanding of the process. Bring copies of the appliance spec sheets for the KD to keep. That way there is not any confusion. Bring all measurements, elevations etc. Recheck your measurements several times before you order. Learn the codes so you can check everything. My Lowes KD gave me an old spec book so I could work on my design at home. It is really not hard to do. Bring pictures of your space. Anything like that will help the KD get a visual of your space. Also bring pictures of things you want in your kitchen. For instance, I wanted a hutch looking run of cabinets. It saved time describing what I wanted. Order extra fillers. they are cheap. It takes 2 weeks to get extras if your installer makes a mistake. You can go in Lowes in between your visits and sit with the spec book. Don't count on them to cover every detail. My KD missed a few things because she didn't order the modifications correctly. Schuler can do more modifications than most cabinet companies. But it costs a lot. If you are doing a lot of mods- you will likely be better off with custom. Depth mods usually add 15%. End treatments another 15%. My herloom finish was an extra $5000. It can really add up. Good luck.