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Amish Cabinetry - How?

SweetFish
11 years ago

I'm about 2.5 hrs from Amish country in PA and wanted to get some guidance on getting Amish made cabinets.

From experience, can I expect to save some money without sacrificing quality by going this route? FYI..I'm in the NYC area.

How do I go about finding a cabinet maker? Do I just drive out there and start asking random Amish? Im open to recommendations if anyone has any.

Do I need to know exactly what I want before going out there or will they help me make decisions?

How early should get moving on this? We are breaking ground next week...if the weather allows us.

Thanks

Comments (27)

  • beekeeperswife
    11 years ago

    I'm sorry, but the vision of you running alongside an Amish buggy and asking where to find a cabinetmaker makes me chuckle....

    So, here's the dirt....

    This is the best place to ask for info and recommendations. Dutch Wood is in Myerstown PA. Google map it. They will go 2 hours away from their place. They are not Amish, but Mennonite. A lot of the workers are Amish in case you wanted to know.

    There is also Oxford Cabinet Shop in Oxford PA. They are Amish. You can do a Google search with Gardenweb and Oxford Cabinet in the search and you will undoubtedly find lots of information on how to contact them.

    2LittleFishies used a place in Harrisburg for her cabinets. I don't know their religion, but her cabinets are awesome!

    Anyway, this is the best place to get information and some leads!

  • 2LittleFishies
    11 years ago

    Thanks, bee : ) We used Gilreath Cabinetry.

  • 2LittleFishies
    11 years ago

    We finalized the plan the 2nd week of September. We were supposed to get cabinets the first/2nd week of October but they didn't come until first week of November. Then, many drawers/doors weren't in til the day after Christmas! Beautiful Cabs but they were very behind and the hurricane and other personal issues of theirs slowed things down I guess.

  • 2LittleFishies
    11 years ago

    We finalized the plan the 2nd week of September. We were supposed to get cabinets the first/2nd week of October but they didn't come until first week of November. Then, many drawers/doors weren't in til the day after Christmas! Beautiful Cabs but they were very behind and the hurricane and other personal issues of theirs slowed things down I guess.

  • Jfay
    11 years ago

    My friend used Sam Herschberger. High quality cabinets and she thought the price was very reasonable compared to semi-custome quotes she got from kitchen design stores in the Baltimore area. Here's his company info:

    Kitchenview CustomCabinets LLC
    37 Mt. Pleasant Road
    Paradise, PA 17562

    717-687-6740

  • quiltgirl
    11 years ago

    Our cabinets are being made by a Mennonite man. We found him by riding through a small Amish community in our state. The Amish do not have phones, so unless you have a recommendation from someone, the best thing to do is go to the area and ask around. Our laundry room cabinets were made several years ago by an Amish man in a neighboring state who we found by visiting that area. The cabinets are beautiful and much more reasonable than any box store or
    kitchen cabinet shop. The man who is doing are kitchen gave us references and we were able to view his work as well.

  • motherof3sons
    11 years ago

    I don't believe you want to drive to Illinois for cabinets. If you go with a custom cabinetmaker, ask for references. As my dear father says, "Anyone can say they are a cabinetmaker." Many great cabinetmakers have been touted on this forum.

    My cabinetmaker gave me a lesson on Mennonite v. Amish. Mennonites are a sect of the Amish. They choose to live with modern conveniences. He said he is an Amish Mennonite.

  • mrsmortarmixer
    11 years ago

    I'm not anywhere near you, but do have a large Amish community in our area, as well as many others spread throughout the state (IN). Many do have telephones located outside of their businesses in a telephone booth, so if you can get a name, it's worth a try to find a telephone number for them. Also, our local Amish cabinetmaker came in double what another local cabinetmaker quoted, so don't assume that Amish made means more affordable. I also second getting recommendations. Amish does not necessarily mean quality either, but that goes with all cabinetmakers.

  • Jumpilotmdm
    11 years ago

    Be careful with your decision. Amish is a 5 letter word. So is CHEAP.

  • badgergal
    11 years ago

    My Amish made cabinets were 1/3 to 1/2 the price of other sources. So yes, jumpilotmdm they were cheap. The quality is anything but cheap. My cabinets are incredibly well made. They are like works of art. Everything fit perfectly and the install was accomplished in one day without a single issue.

    Wish you lived in Wisconsin sweetfish, I would not hesitate to recommend the shop that did mine. They did not have a phone but did on one or two occasions borrow a phone to respond to a question that I wrote to them about or to get some needed information from me. I found the whole experience to be fascinating and enjoyable. Even though they had blueprints for my kitchen, they would not start to make my cabinets until after they came to the house to measure for themselves and draw it all out on the floor. It took 5 weeks from the day they measured to the day they installed.

    Hope you find a good cabinet maker.

  • a2gemini
    11 years ago

    I second Badger's opinion - I didn't realize they were Amish cabinets - wow - with the curves and everything!

  • aliris19
    11 years ago

    Ah! So that's where those incredible, curvy cabinets of Badger came from. Just looking at them I presumed they had to be off the charts in cost - I didn't even ask. They are just works of art.

  • aliris19
    11 years ago

    I recently saw a program on PBS that featured Amish pushing west and so thought to look for this article. If you're in Colorado you may be in luck too: http://amishamerica.com/colorado-amish/

    Here is a link that might be useful: Amish in Colorado

  • ArchitectMamma
    11 years ago

    We used Dutchwood as well. They are coming this week to finish the install. I gave them our drawings in September. Overall we don't have quality issues but I think they are extremely busy due to all the GW work. The whole process took much longer than the 6-8 weeks they say is their typical turn around time.
    I would work with them again but would be more proactive with the schedule and making sure they were working from the right set of drawings. A number of items arrived fabricated from a set of their design suggestions which I had rejected. I think they are experiencing growing pains from such an increased project volume. That said, they are remaking the items and I think the finished product will be good quality and less than half the price of the other 3 quotes I received.

  • quiltgirl
    11 years ago

    Badgergal where was your Amish guy located in Wisconsin? Also, can you post pix of your kitchen again please?

  • quiltgirl
    11 years ago

    Found your pix Badgergal. Beautiful cabinets and beautiful kitchen!

  • gw1997
    11 years ago

    I couldn't be happier with our Amish cabinets. The quality is excellent and the price was less than our other mainstream quotes. Cheap is absolutely the last word I would associate with my cabinets. Lumping cheap and Amish together is so silly. Cheap can be found in many locations.

    I loved that I could choose any wood and there were no upcharges. We have beautiful walnut cabinets for less money than the quotes we got for maple. They also built our railing to the lower level out of walnut for less than all of our other quotes.

  • badgergal
    11 years ago

    Quiltgirl,
    The Amish cabinet maker we used was located on Highway 44 in Markesan. Let me know if you need exact address.

  • beekeeperswife
    11 years ago

    Just to clarify, the Amish do have phones-- they are usually in their shop so the wires are not attached to their house. They also have cell phones. (Nothing like listening to an Amish man complain about the service he gets at his house...) And our Amish plumber actually uses email....he says "shhhhh, don't spread that around"

    And as always, just because a cabinetmaker is Amish, (or whatever) doesn't automatically make them good at what they do. So, really getting references is the best thing. And seeing the work in person is also critical. The people who just give you a verbal "they are great" might have different standards than what you are looking for in quality. Except if they are GW members whose standards are pretty high!

    I know DW will make sure you can get to see their products in real settings if you ask.

    (Oh, and you can take a picture of the Amish contrary to popular belief--our plumber explained that people don't really understand the religion--maybe you just have to ask first).

  • aliris19
    11 years ago

    I'm fairly certain that these broad-brush rules do not apply to all. I personally knew a family (long ago, another life) that would be mortified if you photographed them. I think all those parameters -- telephone use, photography, email use, driving, expertise -- they're all dependent on the individual, that individual's sect, etc. I think there are Amish who are more fundamentalist than Mennonites and vice versa. I think you just, unfortunately, cannot make these generalizations. There are numerous communities, in several countries, even, with unique customs and expectations.

    sorry...

  • jain_rupali
    11 years ago

    We are using Dutchwood too. Our cabinets will be delivered on Wednesday. They told us it will take them 8 weeks and once we finalized everything they gave us a delivery date . So far my experience has been very good. Jason sent me pictures of unfinished cabinets and then some after stain. He was not happy with the stain and wanted to get our feedback. He said they will fix the stain. I am excited and nervous to see my cabinets.

  • quiltgirl
    11 years ago

    Badgergal, thanks, I now remember you posting that somewhere before. We found a Mennonite man near us. He just called with the final bid. Now I am a nervous wreck! Have to re-check the plan and make sure I have everything like I want. He wants to start them next week. Turn around time is 4-6 weeks! The plan includes 27" deep cabinets, all drawers (full extension and soft close), 2 trash pullouts, couple pull out pantry cabinets, fridge and D.W. fronts, hood, 6' x 4' island, floor to ceiling pantry pull out, french plate rack and many built in drawer organizers. Painted with a light rub thru, inset with hardware for under $20,000. Hope that is a good price for what I am getting.

  • finestra
    11 years ago

    We used Dutchwood, and I would say they are reasonably priced not cheap. They give you a detailed quote. I did painted with wipe off glaze (horrors!) beaded inset cabinets. They did a custom hood that was a combination of two hood that I showed them photos of. I wanted my glass fronted cabinets to have leaded glass and they took care of that with an outside contractor. They were very accommodating. We are not yet done because we are waiting for a railing install and those people are behind. But the cabinets are very well made and we have had no problems since they were installed 9 months ago. The cabinets are loaded - lots of draws, full extension, slo-motion close etc.etc.

  • ginny20
    11 years ago

    My Mennonite cabmaker (cab artist, really) was Ray Hoover, owner of Whispering Pines Woodcraft, in Penn Yan, NY. That is probably too far away for the OP, but thought I'd throw it out there. He's fabulous. He has a phone - his wife usually answers, or there's an answering machine - also a computer, a showroom, and a truck with a non-Mennonite driver. His phone number is (607) 243-8618. I started talking to him in late March,2011. At that time, he needed about a 12 week lead time from order to install, just because of jobs in the queue. Depending on work flow, it can be shorter or longer. But once I was in the queue, I could make changes to my design up until he started construction, about 2 weeks out. He was great to work with. I knew what I wanted, but he also knew things to suggest.

    One thing to remember - to the best of my knowledge, most Amish and Mennonite cabinetmakers do not build frameless cabinets. I got partial overlay framed. Ray also does full overlay, and I think he could do inset.

  • htyen1
    10 years ago

    SweetFish

    did you ever figure out which cabinet maker to go with

    i am also in nyc

    looking for kitchen as well as built in around the house cabinet makers

    hy

  • sarahbr2
    8 years ago

    Any updates? We are in the same predicament- Dutch Wood currently has a 6 month wait so I don't think we can use them (though I desperately want to!)