10-15% of the home's cost should go to the kitchen. But, that's everything, appliances, flooring, lighting, etc. About 40% of that figure should be cabinetry. So 20-30K for cabinets would keep the home within the bounds of the neighborhood. If you don't have resale in mind, then you could do 100K worth of cabinets if you really wanted!

I dont think 25k is unreasonable for a 500k build

I would not put IKEA cabinets in a $500,000.00 house.

I think it might depend on where you live. Sometimes a 500,000 house in an expensive area has less expensive finishes than the same priced home in an inexpensive area.. A lot of the cost could be the land costs- like 150,000 to 200,00 for the property and 300,000 for the actual home.

Wouldn't the IKEA kitchen also require appliances and granite?

I'd go about it a different way: I'd see how much it cost to get what I wanted and then see if THAT was reasonable for the neighborhood (and then probably do it anyway).

There are plenty of expensive builds around here, now million dollar homes, that did not do top of the line cabinets. The homes are very nice and the cabinets still good 15-30 years out, although they will not stop you in their tracks for their beauty and fine woodworking or finishes. They sell. Those people are quite wealthy, btw. Probably charged by the builder based more on that fact than the quality of materials and construction delivered.

I did put ikea cabinets in a a $500,000 house. Actually in a $750,xxx house. We sold 18 months later (unexpected job transfer) to specific rave reviews about the kitchen from the brokers open and the open house. Ikea cabinets were one of the steals of the kitchen world. I can't comment on the new line.

What's the difference between the quotes? Just because the cabinets are more expensive, doesn't automatically make them better. What are the specifications? Sounds like some things are included in some quotes and not in others.

Are you building with the idea of selling in the near term? If not, I'd be looking at what you want in a kitchen first and price second.

Thanks to all of you for your great comments.
To cri - not planning on selling soon (or ever) - this is a retirement home.
To fori - the Ikea quote included appliances and countertops, but not granite. It was for the old style, so I don't know what will happen after Feb. 2.
To Karenseb - my house price is in addition to the land - we got the land first and are now building.

As I said, my quotes don't include labor (installation, plumbing rough-in, lighting, flooring, walls, etc.).

How big is the kitchen?

The Kitchen is L-shaped, 15' along an outside wall, and 7' wide. There is an 8' island in the opposite corner. There also is a small walk-in pantry, not included in the quotes.

I'm going to write as a consumer -- for a custom forever home, I would not want the Ikea appliances (in any case, high or low budget) and would budget according to what I really wanted. 8K is a mid range budget for a full kitchen -- it won't get you that pro style range, if that's important to you or could be overspending if your needs are simpler. And $1K for plumbing fixtures is low for decent quality -- assuming both a main sink + prep sink.

I think they pros will come back with general feedback that your 10K cabinetry budget is at the mid-lower end of a spectrum for something of that size. But it comes down to construction, features and style and your prioritization of that.

Yeah. Personally I wouldn't do ikea appliances, at least not without some research on each particular appliance.

I'm in an expensive area and many of my neighbors are redoing their 60 year old homes. Turns out, about 90% of them can't tell IKEA from American Woodmark from Woodmode. It's amazing. I have had people with $million+ homes admire the pretty wood on my cabinets (which are 1950s cabinets refaced with vinyl wood-print stickers).

Most people just can't tell. They can tell if the cabinets look good, they can tell if they function well.

(I agree about the IKEA appliances--don't get those unless you've researched each on its own. I would have no qualms about IKEA cabinets though if they fit my space. I might personally want different door styles and there are well documented ways of getting that, but they are nice cabinets with great accessories.)