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abfabamy

Why should I choose Custom cabinets over Semi-custom?

abfabamy
12 years ago

Hi everyone. I am in the planning stages of a kitchen remodel and got bids from both custom and semi-custom. The custom were a little more than $1000 more.

I am looking for reasons to go with custom. The way the kitchen is planned right now I could easily use semi-custom (Kraftmaid) and get pretty much the same look.

Can posters please share with me some of the cool and different things they were able to do with a custom guy that didn't drive the price up, but made it worth going custom.

I hope everyone is understanding what I'm trying to say. I really want a reason to spend the extra money that maybe I'm not thinking of or changes in the plan that I don't see.

TIA!

Comments (24)

  • rhome410
    12 years ago

    Is the construction quality and workmanship quality the same? Are the finish and trim options what you want? Are the functional features and hardware the same? Who will install each? Are you measuring or is someone else (cabinet maker or cabinet rep) taking on the responsibility for getting everything right with fillers where necessary, etc?

    An unrelated question/comment about the layout...Do you want to reach over your open dishwasher in order to scrape plates, etc. as you do the dishes? Whenever I'm loading the dishwasher, I access the trash pullout OFTEN, and wouldn't want to have to reach over the dishwasher to do so. The trash is also a long way from the cooking/prep area, for which I use mine the most.

  • breezygirl
    12 years ago

    Besides all the issues rhome raised, I've been getting great customer service from my cabinet maker. I feel like someone is watching out for me. I can call him and ask about the depth, construction, glides, etc of any cab at any time. I don't know how I would have gotten that with a store rep selling me cabs made in another state where. It seems like they take your order and you're on your own. If something goes wrong during install, I know that my cab maker can/will fix it because he's the one who would have damaged his own product. I wouldn't have to go through a middle man to get a replacement.

    I love the freedom to think in any measurements, not in 3" increments. For instance, my dish hutch could be any depth I wanted it to be to ensure my plates would fit. Right now, my plates fit in a 12" upper, but I'll be changing dishes in the new kitchen. The cab was made deeper to accommodate whatever size plate I may buy.

    I also like that my cab maker is installing his cabs. Who better to do that? I assume you've factored the install price into your comparisons.

    I like rhome's idea of moving the trash. I don't use the garage during cleanup as I compost everything and have a GD for little scraps, but I use it a lot during prep. I'd want it handy for that.

  • Buehl
    12 years ago

    If you're not adding any "bells & whistles", the main advantage of Custom is that you can have cabinets made to fit your kitchen without any filler to make them fit. However, many semi-custom lines offer that as well (mine did).

    A custom cabinetmaker can build cabinets to suit you. E.g., deeper depths, etc. However, many of these things will drive the cost up...but, maybe not has high as it would be if you did them in semi-custom.

    Is this a "local custom cabinetmaker" or a custom line for manufacturer?

    If local and your custom cabinetmaker is good, then s/he can probably fix things on the spot that don't quite fit or do other "finishing touches" that others might not be able to do.

    You often also have not only a wider selection of door styles (and often nicer) with custom, but you can usually have a stain or paint made just for you...i.e., a unique, one-of-a-kind stain/paint!

    Other things to look for are the construction details, although many of the upgrades in custom aren't strictly necessary (like 3/4" thick walls vs 1/2" thick walls...besides, with the 1/2" walls you gain 1/2" of interior space :-)) Other things may very well be worth it.

    Hardware is another place where a custom line may be better...e.g., better quality full-extension, soft-close drawer glides might be standard for custom but an upgrade for semi-custom.


    We went with a mix of semi-custom & Custom from Omega. Their hardware was the same in both lines (full-ext/soft-close, etc.), most of the construction details were the same in both lines, they had the door & drawer styles I liked in both lines, and they had the wood & finish I wanted in both lines. The main differences were (1) Custom had 3/4" thick side walls vs the 1/2" side walls for semi (all other walls/floors were the same) and (2) the interiors of the Custom cabinets were birch or maple stained to match the exteriors vs the melamine in the semi. Neither mattered to me. The only cabinets I got that were Custom were those that were less expensive in Custom than if they were modified from a semi-custom cabinet. That amounted to, I think, 4 cabinets (two uppers, the MW drawer cabinet, and, I think, one of the peninsula cabinets).

    Not all manufacturers of both Custom & Semi-Custom offer the same things and not all semi-custom cabinetmakers are as flexible as Omega.

    Some questions to ask: What are you getting standard w/the custom cabinets that you're not getting standard with the semi-custom? If you upgraded the semi-custom to match the custom, what's the price difference then?
    What are the other differences b/w them and do they matter to you? (Like the 3/4" vs 1/2" side walls that didn't matter to me)
    Are the installers of one better than the other?


    Hopefully, others will chime in as well....

  • cluelessincolorado
    12 years ago

    We have a small kitchen, very small for most on this site, and for us custom allowed every inch to be used. The only fillers are next to the wall to allow the doors to open. I also 2nd rhome's trash move!

  • abfabamy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the comments, everyone.

    rhome410, breezygirl, and buehl, the quality is pretty equal, both with dovetail, full extension, soft close drawers. While the custom guy can do anything I want in relation to crown, trim, and color choices, semi has perfectly acceptable choices.
    My husband and I will be installing either choice, but both custom and semi guys are measuring. Both guys are very knowlegable and easy to work with. But the custom guy is a local craftsman whose shop is just 2 miles from me and his references and finished kitchens were impeccable.
    Both custom and semi were very close in price (within $500), so I was ready to go with the custom guy.
    My problem arose when I learned today that the cabinet choice I was previously all ready to go on Kraftmaid went on sale an additonal 15% off, plus free door hardware...a potential savings of $2000 dollars. Now I can't stop thinking about what wonderful things I could do with that extra $2000! I have a sick feeling in my stomach that I will regret my choice.

    I guess I am looking for really valid reasons to spend the extra money...like some awesome and cool things that will totally be worth the extra!

    In regards to the trash, this is how it is now and I do have to reach over the DW to get to the trash, but only for napkins and bones, everything else goes in the GD. I have had someone else tell me to switch it to the other side of the sink, but the eating area is off to the left of the kitchen and the trash is easily accessible to others without entering the kitchen work zone. My other house was the same way for 20 years and I never thought twice about it. But am open for change...do you think it would be better in the island? Maybe next to the drawers (left side of layout)? Or do I need 2 trashes, LOL!

    All comments and suggested are much appreciated. I haven't moved forward too far on anything to make changes.

    Thanks!

  • Mercymygft
    12 years ago

    Well if you can save a chunk of change and you like the Kraftmaid cabinets then go with them. I have KM cabinets, been installed about 6 years now and I still love them. They have held up very well, no problems there.

    Don't think because you don't go custom you are getting an inferior cabinet. KM makes a decent cabinet that will serve you will for years to come.

    There are a myriad of cabinet companies represented here on GW and I have never looked at kitchen reno pictures and said... "oh, those cabinets look shoddy, or cheap". Once they are installed they all look nice, and unless you are going with super cheap (inexpensive) which KM cabinets are not, they will be beautiful and you will enjoy them..... AND you will have some extra money in your pocket for that mini vacation you will need when your remodel is complete!! ;-)

  • Cloud Swift
    12 years ago

    For our kitchen cabinets, we went with semi-custom (DeWils) and are very happy with them. We were able to customize the drawer heights to what we wanted and the charge for that was reasonable. We also used custom heights on the over fridge and oven cabinet and on the false drawer/door heights on a sink cabinet.

    The cabinets were well constructed, sturdy and shipped well packed so they arrived in perfect conditions.

    Due to environmental regulations, at least here in California, small cabinet shops are very restricted in the finishing materials that they can use. We wanted a very tough finish for kitchen cabinets which is one of the reasons we chose semi-custom from a manufacturer who has the set-up to use them.

    For the family room cabinets that we are having built now, we are planning on custom. We want them to be free standing furniture cabinets and the configurations that we need aren't typical from kitchen cabinet semi-custom places. A super tough finish isn't as important in this location (e.g. they won't have the exposure to liquids). We want the 66" wide credenza to be constructed as one cabinet with three doors over drawers across. We want cherry interiors as well as exteriors, not the birch/maple/whatever interiors on most kitchen cabinets.

    We're happy with the decision we made to go with semi-custom in the kitchen and I think we'll be happy with the decision to go with custom in the family room.

  • Cloud Swift
    12 years ago

    On trash location, our trash is on the other side of the sink from the dishwasher and it works fine for us. We tend to scrape the plates into the trash as we bring them to the counter if they need it.

    Our trash is fairly far from our prep area, but when I'm doing produce prep that produces a lot of waste, I generally have a bowl out to put it in so it can be taken to the green waste. The disposer is used when there is just a bit of scrap. I occasionally have to walk over to the trash or recycling to dispose of packaging, but not often enough that its a bother.

    There is a limit to how much stuff can be close to the prep area and other things like the bowls, pots and pans, prep sink, utensil drawers and spices are higher priority to me.

  • azlee6574
    12 years ago

    There were a couple of things that made me go custom over semicustom. Not sure if any of them apply to you but thought I would share.

    - combined the door for spice rack next to stove and corner together to get symmetry on both sides.
    - Kraftmaid had the pantry cabinet and the double oven cabinet upper cabinets stop at different places and i wanted to get them to line up.
    - Made the appliance garage deeper to accomodate microwave
    - decreased the upper cabinets from 21 to 20" W to give some space next to hood without giving up the whole 3"

  • Cloud Swift
    12 years ago

    azlec, your definition of semi-custom must be different from the one I understand. Semi-custom, AFAIK, means that you can order cabinet heights, widths and the divisions in the cabinets at the dimensions that you want to a small granularity (around 1/4"). For example, the standard cabinet heights and widths are often in 3" increments.

    Semi-custom would allow going from 21" to 20" on a cabinet. With semi-custom, we were able to decide the height of the bottom and top of the oven opening on our oven cabinet. We did the same for our under counter microwave cabinet.

    Custom allows and even finer granularity - usually 1/16".

  • dilly_ny
    12 years ago

    Layout - consider lining up your range with the island. Also, is the aisle between your sink and islsnd 33 inches? That's narrow.

    Custom or KM-Custom cabinetry is a feature for resale. I want a low sheen finish on cabs, and I have not seen this option in KM. Also, I noticed on KM, some trim pcs do not closely match the cabs. If you look at KM displays, look carefully at the trim and fillers on wood stained cabs. Might not be an issue for painted finishes. Also, did you consider the difference in delivery charges?

  • kateskouros
    12 years ago

    i didn't read all the replies so don't know what's already been discussed. my custom cabinets will be outfitted with any extras i can think of. i have a lot of deep drawers and the insides are being done to fit my dishes and pots. also, quite a number of drawers have sliding drawers within. i love that feature. i have a deep drawer next to my range and one side of it is full depth to allow for oils while the other part is sectioned off for a sliding inside drawer for utensils, oven mitts, etc... i'm going to have to take some pics since they've just been installed so i'll post back.

    for me it was a no brainer. it would have cost more for me to do semi custom after adding in all the drawer inserts and extras. also, i can move everything in an then decide later if i'd like to have inserts for the remainder of the drawers/cabinets. when i figure it out all i have to do is pop the drawer out and bring it to the shop. having a local shop has a lot of advantages over a much larger establishment that could be several hundred miles away.

  • Buehl
    12 years ago

    I had a long post written on my work computer about my concern for your aisle widths, seating, etc. and even came up w/a possible alternative layout...if you're open for it. I had do rush out to pick up my DD after her volleyball match so never had a chance to finish and post it... Here's the layout and a very brief synopsis of my comments, but the detailed comments will have to wait until tomorrow :-(

    Trash pullout...definitely move it to your Prep Zone (b/w the sink and range). Not only will it be more useful for cleaning up but it will also be where it's needed most...in the Prep Zone and near the Cooking Zone...the two places it's used the most and for the longest period of time. The new location will also allow you to get a 2-bin pullout instead of a single bin pullout (only one bin will fit in a 15" cabinet while 2 will fit in an 18" bin.) [Yes, your Prep Zone will be on the perimeter b/c that's your only source of water. Also, it's the only location in which the island is not a "barrier island"] By far the biggest regret I have with my new kitchen is that I put my only trash pullout in the Cleanup Zone for most of the same reasons as you. However, once I started working in my kitchen, I realized just how much trash & recyclables were generated while prepping & cooking and how little it was actually used during cleanup (comparatively) and how little it was used by others while I was prepping and cooking! We're used to the way we've always done something that we don't realize it could be so much better if it were changed!

    Seating...the overhang is far too shallow and on what could be a busy aisle. It's 10-3/4", far short of the minimum NKBA recommended overhang of 15" for counter-height seating. Skimping on the overhang will make the busy aisle issue worse when people are sitting there and be quite uncomfortable for anyone sitting there for more than a few short minutes.

    Aisle widths...too narrow b/w sink & island, especially w/a DW on the aisle, it should be no less then 36" with 42" better.

    Here's the alternative in two options with & without a prep sink With a prep sink, prepping can take place either on the perimeter b/w the sink and range, in the island, or both at the same time.

    Another alternative location, as was mentioned above, is to put the trash in the island. If you went w/a prep sink in the island, I would definitely prefer it there.


  • beaglesdoitbetter1
    12 years ago

    I love my custom cabinet maker. Everything I dreamed up or imagined in my head, he has figured out a way to make reality. Custom inserts, a countertop that is 3 inches higher so I can have hidden silverware drawers over my fridge/freezerware drawers, a beautiful original stain color, all custom inserts and so many other things I cannot even begin to name.

    But, I think it all comes down to what you want. I think if you don't want or need to have your cabinets tweaked within an inch of their lives to fit into your vision of your kitchen, you probably don't need to spend the extra $$ If you are a person who wants to control every detail of how the project looks and get to be limited only by your imagination as far as how your kitchen ends up, then a good custom cabinet maker is worth his weight in gold :)

  • SK97232
    12 years ago

    I put KraftMaid cabinets in my laundry room in my last house and I was quite dissatisfied with the quality of the hardware. The cabinets looked good, but the pullouts did not operate nearly as well as the hardware in my custom cabinets in the kitchen. And I don't remember there being an option to upgrade the hardware on the KraftMaid; I don't think it was offered when we ordered.

    If you do go with KraftMaid, pay attention to the hardware because that's the part that is most likely to have problems.

  • abfabamy
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for all the input. I've been so busy at work I haven't had the energy to think about it for the last 2 days (thank God!) But here it is my day off and I'm back to obsessing over my choices.

    @buehl, wow! Thanks so much for the layout ideas. What kind of program is that? I would love to have one of those. You bring up some very valid points. I do agree about the aisle clearance being too small and plan on changing that. I only have a 30" stove, so I do have more room for cabinets on that side of kitchen. I definitley have decided against a prep sink in the island for several reasons.

    I would like to have an overhanging seating area on both sides of island. I know it uses up a lot of space and we rarely, maybe a few times a year will need more that 2 spots, but I can't seem to give up the idea that I will be sorry I don't have more seating there (like somehow we will start entertaining a lot more once the kitchen is complete! LOL)

    Also, I like the idea of 2 people being able to sit on 2 sides to more face each other. Is there a layout that utilizes my space well and allows seating like this?

    Thanks for the ideas!

  • joyce_6333
    12 years ago

    I chose custom for a couple very personal reasons. Mainly because I've known Albert and the superior quality of his work for 10 years, and he had done about $100,000 of cabinetry in our old house. Also, being able to choose premium hickory (versus character hickory that stock cabinetry companies offer), and a custom stain were the deciding factors. And I should mention, Albert was less expensive than buying plain oak stock cabinets from Showplace.

  • clg7067
    12 years ago

    Some semi-custom allow dimensions to the 1/16". Looks like I'm going with Ultracraft for that very reason. And a particular door treatment that I really love.

  • Buehl
    12 years ago

    Something like this would give you 3 seats (I wouldn't put more than 2 on the right b/c of the refrigerator)


    A note about your "Prep Zone"...Since you have no water source in your island, be aware that your Prep Zone will most likely end up b/w the only sink and range. Water is used a lot for prepping and it's so much easier to prep next to a water source! This location is also the only location that prevents your island from becoming a "barrier island" for the Prep Zone.

  • clvransom
    12 years ago

    @cluelessincolorado What custom cabinet company are you working with in Colorado? I have checked out Colorado Creative Cabinetry(CCC)and Amish Cabinets of Denver, regarding custom cabinets. I have a small kitchen, also. I'm going with Amish Cabinets of Denver. They're amazing and less expensive compared to CCC, HD, and The Great Indoors(TGI).

  • PRO
    Showplace Cabinetry
    12 years ago

    The lines between custom and semi-custom have become increasingly blurred. Used to be that custom meant you could get any wood specie you want, in any door style you want, in any color or finish choice you want.

    Many smaller, local builders call themselves custom, but in many cases you can get "more custom" work from brands that call themselves semi-custom.

    Showplace will build custom configured cabinets (you draw it, they build it), or you can modify a standard cabinet to the 1/16" -- they also offer custom painted finishes, but they call themselves semi-custom because you must live with the styles and species they offer.

    The best advise is to research your options and, as others have said, make a good product-service-installation value decision based on what is most important to you.

    It is always most helpful also to talk with friends, family, co-workers, etc. and see if they, or someone they know, have done a project and could make a recommendation.

    Here is a link to a planning guide that is helpful. Admittedly, the content eventually moves toward Showplace offerings, but much of the early content is viable regardless of the brand you choose.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet Planning Workbook

  • robt55
    11 years ago

    Custom is custom - all pieces made to your exact order in regards to wood type, color, style, demensions for EVERY piece. These days there are many, many semi custom dealers trying to pass themselves off as custom.

    The reality is there is NO WAY you can get true custom cabinetry work in your plan for a mere $1,000 over a KraftMaid price. Real custom work will cost at least double what mid to high end semi cost and with you looking at KraftMaid (close to the bottom of the semi mfgrs), I would plan to spend will be 4-5 times your Kraftmaid number.

    BTW- your number one consideration should be functionality then find a dealer who carries what you need, don't buy merely on what they have to sell.

  • steph2000
    11 years ago

    I don't know, robt55, many people on these boards have claimed that in their areas, their estimates for custom work were competitive with the box stores, et al.

    This post was edited by Steph2000 on Tue, Jan 8, 13 at 12:43