Hi dragonfly08,

(1) I am one who would love a spectrum type list of cabinets organized by price and quality. Sure it's subjective, but it would be a nice starting point, wouldn't it?

(2) You mentioned you are working with a KD. As in you hired this person? Or, rather, a KD at a showroom is making a design for you?

I had a rough design created by me. I shopped it around to about 10 stores and had it quoted in about 20 lines (none fully custom). I wouldn't suggest making a decision that is 2/3 of your entire budget with only 2 choices in front of you -- especially if the cost is more than you expected.

I can't comment on Schrock itself.

I did find that even with GREAT promos from the box stores (L*wes, etc.) I found better prices, more helpful assistance and better quality cabinets at non-box stores. Just my experience.

I was so close to buying American Wo*dmark from HD because of a great promo, but just couldn't commit. Then the promo expired and the retail price was outrageous and simply not an option.

So I started visiting all the local Kitchen places and getting more quotes till I narrowed it down to 2 lines I really liked. No decision yet.

(3) Anyway, if you haven't already, post your layout here, ask for ideas, tell the forum what is important to you (professional range? island with seating? will you move walls? etc.) Give tons of details. Provide mesasurements. You'll likely find better ideas here than from most of the KD you meet. THEN take the design you get from here and bring that to the KDs you meet.

Good luck!!

editionk... thanks for your input. Yes, we hired a KD, partly because of our inexperience and our lack of time to do most of the legwork on our own as our work hours are rather intense and we have 2 very small children at home. I have, more or less, finalized my layout at this point and have a plan in hand. I plan on working with my KD on figuring out a better balance for our budget. I wondered if 2 quotes were a bit too few... and wondered if I would be overstepping the line if I took her design/plan and went to local stores to get pricing on my own. Isn't that her job?
Anyway, I just wanted some feedback. Not only do we have minimal experience with renovation, we've never worked with a designer before, either.

It is time consuming, isn't it? I've been running the roads with kids in tow also. We all have our limits and mine was that I couldn't include custom shops in my quote process. I'm sure I'll take flak from that from a lot of members here, but that was my decision.

I would hesitate to take your KDs design to other shops. If you hired her and have a contract/agreement (?) she might consider the design her work/property, KWIM?

I think what's been said here before is that cabinets are basically boxes. You should be fine drawing your basic design with measurements onto paper (I did mine in Excel) and then posting it here to get feedback.

One other thought. Up till about a year ago the cabinets in my house were the original ones built by the builder 30+ years ago. Ugly but functional. We were going to move and installed off the shelf cabs from a box store. Nicer looking and ok quality wise (IMO, likely wouldn't be considered quality for a lot of people her, no offense meant at all).

Now we're staying, adding on and getting new cabs (the existing will be repurposed into laundry room/basement bath cabs). I'm a pretty simple person. Basic is good for me. While I don't want off the shelf cabs this time, I don't need top of the line either. If the drawers open and shut well, if they are made sturdy, they'll work for me. I know what I've used in the past and I know that while I want my kitchen space to be functional and beautiful, I have other priorities for my $$$. It's a balancing act in terms of budget and what I keep coming back to is that they are basically a box.

If you have time to give the talented people here some details about your kitchen, they can really offer some good insight!

Shrock is made by Masterbrand cabinets who also sell under the name Diamond and Kemper. I'll link to the schrock website where this is shown.

I have Schrock cabinets (now about 8 years old, purchased at Home depot) in my media room and they are fine in this light use area. I am not sure how they would be in a heavy use kitchen. My cabinetry had to be reinforced to accomodate my old, and large tv which is the only reason I say that. I have not looked at Shrock for my kitchen renovation beacuse I have not seen anyplace in my area currently selling under Schrock name.

I did price the standard line of Kemper (there are 3 different pricing levels for construction options) and it was priced about the same as the Medallion Designer Gold line, which is a better value (essentially Kemper's low end cabinet is priced the same as Medallion's high end cabinet). With the current promotion running right now, Plain and Fancy was also in this price range.

I think that cabinetry pricing is a mysterious, time consuming process. It takes several weeks for me to get prices from local dealers even though I hand them both an architectural plan and cabinet layout. Others on GW say their experiences getting prices have been better, so maybe its a regional issue.

Good luck

Here is a link that might be useful: schrock website

Shrock is what I would consider a lower mid level cabinet. Has a lifetime warranty an okay selection of doors and finishes and some semi-sutom options. This cabinet goes by the name of Thomasville @ HD, and Diamond @ lowes. You may even find it called Kemper at some local stores.

As far as you KD goes, what exactly were you paying for? It sounds like their job is just to design the kitchen, and does not really get involved with pricing. If you have paid for her design than you should be able to shop with it, whether or not you are not purchasing through her. It all depends on your arrangement, maybe you should talk it over with her.

I was working with a local kitchen and bath shop for my kitchen remodel in order to comparison shop my Diamond cabinet estimate from Lowe's. Just like Diamond, Schrock has two different product lines, a lower end and a higher end. However, the kitchen and bath shop had more finishes to choose from than Lowe's. The KD at the local shop thought it was best to go with the higher end line because it had a 10% off promotion. There were also some beautiful finishes and glazing techniques that were available in this line.

To comparison shop, I chose a similar stain/finish to the Diamond line and had the KD give me an estimate. I was so surprised to learn that the Schrock cabinets were about $10k more than the Lowe's price (and we are talking identical cabinet construction, finish, etc.)---even with the 10% off promotion! The local kitchen and bath KD then tried to "work with my budget" by eliminating glazing and glass uppers. I was so disappointed.

When I went back to Lowe's and looked at the Diamond finishes, I had a change of heart on the stain. The Lowe's KD recommended the Schuler line of cabinetry. I found a beautiful finish and, through promotions (free glazing, free soft-close, free sink base), I was able to upgrade to cherry and add even more glass and roll-out trays STILL for over $10k less than the local shop.

I know many on this forum say to stay away from the big box stores, but, for my budget, Lowe's is getting my business. In addition, I had contacted a custom cabinet maker and a GC who makes his own cabinets, and neither of them ever responded with a bid. Lowe's has been extremely responsive and that counts for alot in my book.

Good luck with your decision.

Something to give some thought to: renovating your kitchen takes longer than you would think or like. There's the actual physical time it takes to order, receive, build, etc., but there is also the preliminary think time. In the long run, the preliminary planning stage turns out to be really important. Consider how long you will live with your new kitchen. The baby in diapers may be going off to college before you do this again. Advice from someone your mom's age: don't rush on past the planning stages. Just sayin'.

On the cabinet quality/price issue, here are some links from years past which address this: [Apologies on making you copy and paste all these addys, but this site thinks you're a spammer if you make a bunch of links and garbles them to foil the plot.]

Huge comparison list (08-11): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0311430425177.html?51

Many compared(08): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0311430425177.html

Shiloh cabs (08): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0411173221884.html

Cabs general, be sure to check lowmark's link at the end (10): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0719325723230.html

Thomasville v. Kraftmaid (08): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0719325723230.html

Ikea (08): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0513154321540.html

Comparison of many (09):http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0612302514369.html

Showplace (mostly neg)(08-11): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg0110192332481.html

On discount pricing (11): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0407175326992.html

On slippery/trickery pricing (11): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1021352923459.html?52

Xpressions Plus from Costco (10-11): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg110152213562.html

On prices (09): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0310490921512.html

Medallion/Schuller (11): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg022313437849.html

Mostly custom commentary (11): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg01205204348.html

Cost of 30 ft. of cabinets (10): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg090618528726.html

If you might be interested in Ikea (loved by many), be sure to check Ikea threads on how much they're loved and what people have done to personalize them, particularly doors from other sources.

dilly and robbcs3, thanks for the input... your info was exactly what I was looking for. As if cabinetry wasn't confusing already, to have all that overlap with brands and lines...

momofmost, if I can manage to do it with kids in tow, I may check out Lowes and see what their KD can do with my plan. But, all very good advice.

suzannesl, thanks very much for the links. I will look thru them...

I touched base with my KD just now... she reiterated that the quality of Schrock cabs is one that she stands behind, especially for its price. "You won't be happy with the quality of going with any lower lines." Though I'm a bit skeptical of this... I do know that my layout incorporates lots of features that may bump up the overall price (drawers, pullouts, full extensions, soft close, large cabinets doors, etc). In addition, I want white cabinets and Schrock only has that available in cherry wood. I don't want to compromise too much on the features because, after all, isn't that what kitchen reno is all about... to design the functional and beautiful kitchen I've always wanted?
My KD spoke with the custom cab guy who has a lower quote using walnut. Are there other "cheaper" wood aside from cherry and walnut where quality wouldn't be compromised? The cabs are only getting painted anyway, not stained.

Maple is typically less than cherry. When the local shop KD was trying to find ways to reduce the cabinet costs, she also suggested alder. Maple would be perfect for white cabinets since it doesn't have much grain to it.

If you do get to Lowe's, check out Schuler. There are some really nice door styles and it's a little higher quality than the Shrock/Diamond cabinets.

If you want white painted maple, look at Mid Continent. The paints are the same price as stains (usually an upcharge) and the pricing should be better than what you are already looking at. The quality and construction is about the same.

Shrock will paint maple not cherry. I'm not sure how the quote would get lower using walnut, strikes me as a little odd.

Your KD is probably right about not getting any lower lines of cabinetry. I would not recommend anything less for a remodel.

I have Schrock maple cabinets. I inherited the kitchen when I moved to my new house. It was 8 years old at the time but very lightly used (a bachelor who never cooked). I had them painted white and have now lived with them three years. No issues whatsoever. At some point I may change out the doors just for looks but the boxes and drawers are 100% sturdy.
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

Thank you all for the responses. I am currently having my KD get a few other quotes from some other lines, just so I can have peace of mind when we finalize our order. I have a feeling that the space we're working with is larger than DH and I anticipated and that our budget may be unrealistic if we want decent-quality cabs. It's just mindblowing that cabinets can be so expensive. I have no doubt that Schrock is a line that is dependable without breaking the bank, so to speak. At this point, I am contemplating where I can cut back and which "dream" items need to be let go. Basically, the financial reality of kitchen renovating on a budget!
Thanks, again... your replies were incredibly helpful. I'm sure this won't be my last post!

I know this is an old thread but hope that someone can comment on the Schrock "Trademark" line of cabinets. I think in this thread people are lumping together the Schrock "Entra" line, which is Schrock's builders line of cabinets, with the "Trademark" line which is their mid range semi custom line of cabinets. We are doing a kitchen renovation in Ma. and are deciding between the Schrock "Trademark" line and the Showplace cabinet line. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank-you.

lennie12s what did you determine about the Schrock Trademark series?