I am toying with the idea of putting in IKEA cabinets instead of something more authentic and expensive. Is this sacrilege? I love our old cabinets and countertops but they are barely functional. Our drawers aren't so much drawers as they are boxes stuck in holes. I long for something that will make better use of the space in our kitchen.

Inside the thread below is a link to an older thread with more info.

Here is a link that might be useful: old thread links to a better one

I agree with this thread. I often wish I could just sit down with the "catalog" and price out my own cabinets! Everything seems so secretive! At the big box stores they do have a "price per linear foot," however for upgrades many of the brands are different. Plus everything is list price, which could be discounted ~40% (???) I'm trying to be efficient with my layout, and here's what I've gleaned so far:
-doors with mitre cuts are more expensive than straight cut
-you pay for the "box" (therefore 30" less than 2x15" cabs)
-small pullouts are not worth it (for me)! (list price for a 6" pullout for Thomasville/Kitchencraft for me was $800-1200!)

This old thread on cabinet prices might help you as well. Cabinet prices are soooo confusing. You're right that it's nearly impossible to get apples-to-apples price comparisons.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet prices thread

I first, want to respond to your "ultra expensive custom cabs". I paid several thousand $$$ less for my solid wood custom cabs than what I would have paid for most semi-custom. I was considering Ikea, but when I found out that custom would be only a few thousand more than Ikea, and would fully optimize the space I had, custom is where I went.

I, however, wouldn't hesitate to do an Ikea kitchen.

Seconding the custom cabinet comment- I am getting every single cabinet in my entire house (kitchen, 2 laundry rooms, conservatory, great room, gathering room, 4 bathrooms and mud room) for less than what I was quoted for candelight or medallion semi-custom. What was also frustrating to me is that while my custom cabinet maker priced out every single detail from what the base cabinets cost to what the crown molding and pull out cost, the semi-custom quote basically said: Kitchen: $63,000. 3 Bathrooms: $17,000. And that was it- no breakdown, no way to know where to cut costs or what that price actually was, etc. The custom quote didn't even specify whether the cabs were plywood or MDF or what.

Anyway, cabinet price per linear foot is a good jumping off point, but there are so many different add-ons and things that had cost. For example:
- Corbels can add $60-$200 or more for each one
- A hood arrangement w/ a wood hood can be several thousand dollars
- Pull - outs add significant cost
- There's usually a premium charged for inset or full overlay.

etc, etc.

For what its worth and for comparison's sake though, my price per linear foot for solid wood painted or stained maple full overlay cabinets, 3/4 plywood, finished sides, blum full extension glides and soft close is $418/sq. foot installed including tax.

You want to compare Apples to Apples - this means you need to know what you want. Specifically, what cabinet construction you want.

For example, if you go to Home Depot and see a cabinet you like, the salesperson will start going blah...blah...blah. So, you need to know some specific parameters to ask about. For example, you like door style A, that's nice - Home Depot's standard is particle board, there is a "partial" plywood upgrade and then the full plywood construction upgrade. What do YOU want? Note, 1/2" plywood is not the same as 3/4" plywood.

So, you need to know what you want and take those SPECIFIC details to different cabinet showrooms and even a few custom cabinets makers to find out who has the best price on the exact same cabinets.

If you want to get an apples to apples price comparison, try laying out a small pretend kitchen with standard size cabinets and bring that in to the various places and have it priced out - that will tell you what the best deal is.

So, a 36" sink base with tip-out drawers, a 30" 3-drawer pot and pan base, a 42" blind corner cab. A 24" (or 27" if you want 15" deep uppers) corner upper, and a few standard uppers. ALL cabinet manufacturers offer these cabs, so this is a way to get an idea on different pricing. Make sure you compare particle board to particle board, or all 1/2" plywood to all 1/2" plywood, or all 3/4" plywood (mostly custom, rarely semi-custom) to all 3/4" plywood.

And make sure you compare equivalent drawer slides as well - here I suggest you do not accept anything less than Blum Blumotion undermount soft-close glides - you'll be miserable otherwise.

Don't go in with a complicated layout to get a lot of different prices to compare apples to apples - the more complicated it is the more the salespeople talk and throw you off your goal. Keep it simple for now.

As for pull-outs: Yes, there is a HUGE upcharge on ordering cabinets with them already installed. It is MUCH cheaper to order the pull-outs separately online yourself (Rev-a-Shelf, Hafele) and install them yourself or have your cabinet installer put them into empty cabinets BEFORE they are installed on the walls.

This, unfortunately, is the only way to ACCURATELY compare prices among the gazillions of cabinet manufacturers out there. After that you can do a real layout and compare the pricing on exactly what YOU need amongst the 2-3 cabinetmakers you know already offer the best value for the money.

The custom route may well prove less expensive than any manufacturer and will give you complete flexibility. We have inset face frame glass door uppers, frameless fulloverlay drawers beneath, and so many custom details I can hardly begin to enummerate them. The installation took almost three weeks and everything is perfectly scribed and seamless. If you find the right custom cabinetmaker, he or she will have a vested interest in the installation and I believe you get the most value for money by going the custom route. You might want to consider at least one custom quote to add to your comparison.

Oh yeah, you have to compare the SAME door styles as well!

The EXACT same layout with the same pull-outs etc, can cost you DOUBLE or more just based on how fancy / complicated your door style is!

So, if you want a French Country cabinet with beaded inset raised panel doors white a white painted finish and cinnamon mocha over-glaze, that's gonna cost you!

The same kitchen with standard overlay Shaker flat panel doors in plain white will cost a LOT less.

Beaded Inset = Moocha Moola! Paint with glaze = Moocha Moola. Standard inset = Moola. Paint = usually more than stain.

If going the paint route, many people on here order unfinished and paint it themselves with Fine Paints of Europe (the best paint). The paint may seem expensive, but it's still cheaper than pre-finished cabs in most cases.

And yes, one 36" wide drawer base will cost less than half the price of two 18" drawer bases. They need to make twice the number of drawer boxes and use 2x as many drawer glide sets = $. And, if that can be avoided you will benefit greatly, because you lose at least 4" along the width with face-frame drawers as it is (18" drawer base = approx 13" useable drawer interior). You can always add removable partitions to a wider drawer.

Don't bother with the price / linear foot unless you know what you want. There are lots of online places that say 10'x10' kitchen for $3,000.00 That's nice, problem is they are barebones (mostly useless) layouts and configurations.

Do you NEED a corner cab? Do you have 36" along EACH wall from the corner to fit a standard corner (lazy susan) cab? If not you will need a blind-corner cabinet instead.

Do you want base cabinet DRAWERS? Base-pricing usually is for base cabinets with doors - NOT drawers! (Personally, I would SCREAM if I ever had to suffer with standard base cabs that make stuff disappear like Mary Poppin's carpet bag again!)

On uppers, do you want plain wood doors or glass doors? If glass with or without mullions? Maybe you want a lift-up mechanism = moola!

In otherwords, you really need to know what you want in order to compare pricing. Then you can compare apples to apples by linear foot.

Basically, shopping for cabinets is NOT easy! Sorry.

one more variable to consider: my custom cab estimate included installation and a hardware allowance. If you are getting semi-custom estimates, remember to consider installation costs. Locally, it's at leat 90-100 per "box". My cabinet maker also installed the cabs, and included that price in the estimate.

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I have a cabinet dealer friend in New York who tells people that pricing cabinets by the lineal foot is like pricing a car by the pound. It gives you a number that can be replicated but does not tell you anything.

Yeah, the New York dealer has it right. It is nearly impossible to compare by-the-foot pricing because there are so many choices to make that will affect the final price.

And lots of cabinet manufacturers are good at making it confusing ... calling themselves one brand in a home center and another in a dealership ... offering three different price points, each of which are affected by additional choices you can make within each price point. Some sell through buying clubs, but crank-up the price so they can give it back in a big-looking discount.

That's why we love Showplace. One price point, one brand name, easy to navigate choices, always-and-only found at kitchen and bath dealerships who provide the necessary hand-holding that most homeowners need when working on a project.

Ask your friends, family, co-workers, clergy, etc. who they recommend as a trustworthy DEALER and let them help you choose a brand. Trying to go it alone seems like a good idea, but it is unlikely you can navigate the nuances between brands to get it right. But, if you find a dealer who has earned a great reputation, you can be reasonably assured you'll be happy at the end of the project.

Here is a link to a Showplace creative guide, regardless of which brand you are evaluating it will give you an idea of the many choices you will make that will affect the price (except with many other brands you will also have to choose an initial price-point product which will serve as a launching point to making these kinds of choices).

Here is a link that might be useful: Creative guide to cabinet selection choices