Any store is only as good as it's employees.

I just finished a very old country house from top to bottom. It had been empty for 20 years. You know that a kitchen can sell a house and I have done many but I love the way this one turned out. I used IKEA for the cabinets and hired a very good carpenter to do the install. If it is done right it will look like a very expensive custom job but someone who cannot think out of the box will make a mess of it. Then hunt around for interesting light fixtures, hardware and work an interesting space plan. In this kitchen we left the original china cabinet and had it completely refurbished. We moved the 125 year old American Standard iron sink to the Mud room off the kitchen and brought the two spaces together with the use of the same IKEA cabinets. The island was found in someone's garage. The interior and exterior were all done with Sherwin Williams and a new white which was fantastic and just popped against the gray and stainless. The Italian light fixtures were found at a Habitat for Humanity Resale shop. The lighting plan took planning the use of Luton, dimmers and placement to give the ambiance no matter the use of the space.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

@Stephen Kellem- It seems Big Box designers are disliked about as much as contractors here on Houzz. I'm not trying to dog pile here, but I disagree with your assessment of what is "custom" as well as the rest of the national companies who try to pass themselves off as the same.

First. the construction of cabinet boxes might be similar, but are not necessarily equal in performance. A full plywood dust cover is better than cheap plastic blocks. A 1/2" back stapled on is better than captive 1/8" hardboard hot glued into place. Does Schuler let the customer choose the type of construction?

Second, the quality of the plywood or particle board is an issue. Companies have gone to using crummy imported plywood to hit price point. The customer may not be a Budweiser, but it's a headache for the installer. Again, other than a choice between plywood or particleboard, can the customer choose their material?

Now let's talk about hardware. There is a difference in drawer slides and hinges and some are better than others. Do your customers get to choose that, or do they have to take what is standard?

Moving on to door styles....how many does Schuler offer and if the customer wants something special can he/she get it?

A lot of companies have gone to allowing custom paints and stains, so you have that. What about custom sizing; do they make cabinets taller than 96", wider then 48", etc?

See, companies like mine can offer all that stuff. What most manufacturers are selling are various price points with various levels of customization, not true custom cabinets.

There. Rant finished.

Now who's being "wordy"??? haha

Stephen you are missing the point sir. No one is saying that lowes or HD cannot offer custom. Thanks for adding the pictures and education on construction of the cabinets. You seem to think the few cabinets that lowes offer is the best. There are 100 different manufactures that makes cabinets.

Key is big box cannot offer price to quality

One poster got more than he needed you say as he does not have anything custom who are you to decide what items he need custom.

Point is he paid less than you posted kitchen and he got more way more.

So quit with your rant you are not going to convince anyone on the Houzz that lowes is good for value.

Infact this is where people come to learn what you can get more for your money and not get raped by big box stores.
Big box even negotiate with the called manufacturers to specially manufacture for them for lower price and guess what, you are not passing it to the customer corporate decides what it can sell for you may be able flex some discount but within your limits.

Please take these comments to heart and stick to your big box world.

Earn your paycheck and stop trying to argue a point you cannot win here on Houzz

River Valley: Actually they do...IF.... I need a cabinet base 46 3/4" wide by 27 1/2" deep by 36" tall with 8 doors I can have it made thru Schuler in 4 weeks. Is that not custom? EVERY manufacturer we sell offer taller than 96" cabinets and all but 1 offer over 48" and above actually Nobody we use uses 1/8 backs there all 1/2 solid backs Basically EVERY OPTION you asked is chosen from hardware used to construction type thru various manufacturer options BUT I will say this I work with 3 cabinet makers here where I am since alot of stuff we can do that they cannot or maybe not that they can't but not cost effeciently and alot of there stuff does end up cheaper but the tolerances of perfection are so different and the ability to produce timely also has some to do with that. I throw business to them and like wise so PLEASE PLEASE do not mistake me for saying cabinet makers such as yourself area bad thing THAT IS NOT WHAT I AM SAYING AT ALL if it comes across that way I apologize. That's where a lot of this got twisted I think, my defense of the original post by someone of basically..."what the hell was this lady thinking using this guy from there becasue they suck and cost way to much, she must not know anything" sent this spiraling out of control. And as Ive said from the beginning I do not defend anyone anywhere except this store and what we do and what we offer and how we operate...and maybe we are the exception I dont know but if the customer wants 1/8 backs with the door of there chosen with dovetail or not dovetail then I do call my cabinet maker contact. It's not for everyone and I agree, but to say it's for no one is inaccurate also. Doors....nobody I am aware of here anyways (see previous comment) offers more doors then the 4 manufacturers we use. Our cabinet makers make maybe 10-12 doors and do not cross species and colors so the combination choices total are under a 100 maybe. Ours in Diamond alone with door, color, overlay choice, drawer slab or 5 piece option, glazes, distressings, aluminum door offerings, glass inserts, arched or straight, etc are over 400,000+. Not to mention built in wood tiered cutlary dividers, pantry solid maple built in super organizers, solid sink base coreguard linings for sink bases, etc. That's what they (Lowes) means by customization. Everything you could ALMOST dream to do with a cabinet and for that matter size of the cabinet there is a manufacturer option to suit your wishes all in house at the company your having them manufactured by, nobody has to buy aftermarket material to be added after cabinet construction it is built in.

And who isnt passing on the saving to the customer????? DID YOU SEE THE SELL FOR THIS LADYS KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO BEAT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your Lowes may have tried to screw you, your local lowes cabinet designer may be a jerk BUT STOP MAKING BLANKET STATEMENTS and OPINIONS AS FACTS... Your personal experience does not equate to EVERYONE or even most peoples experience. I KNOW HERE NOT ONE CABINET MAKER or MOM & POP beat me by price....I DO NOT ALLOW IT.....PERIOD. And I can prove that as FACT refer back to the sell listed above. I appreciate your back and forth thou and will use it as another example for the other employees in outr store on what can happen if someone feels they have been slighted or have a bad customer experience, so thank you for the insight I will take it...but I am not getting off my own post lol.

"I KNOW HERE NOT ONE CABINET MAKER or MOM & POP beat me by price....I DO NOT ALLOW IT.....PERIOD."

Stephen... I have no dog in the hunt, but I believe you may have shot yourself in the foot with that statement. It only reinforces the point some/many of the posters are making in regards to the advantage of "working with deep pockets" offers... i.e., operating from the comfort zone of a big corporate structure, and having no "skin in the game" other than commissions, salary, or a bonus check.

I seriously doubt you'd be so adamant about not allowing anyone to "beat" your price if you were working from your own checkbook, &/or didn't have the added advantage of a corporate structure that allows a "rob from Peter to pay Paul" scenario to exist.

I'd be curious to see your "bona fides" in the cabinet business prior to your fortunate affiliation with the Big BLUE Box..

And by the way... some of us who operate as "independent" suppliers of services &/or products take umbrage at being referred to as "Mom & Pop" operations, which suggests we're sitting back on the porch in our rockers, smoking corn cob pipes & watching the world go by. I've been in business (my OWN) for close to 40 years, and I reserve the right to choose who is allowed to refer to me as "Pop"... and that would be one of my two sons.

Lastly... better develop a thicker hide if you're planning on staying in the construction industry. Being overtly excited when contested is NOT the way to present a case. IMHO, of course.

@River... sorry! I tried to keep it short... that was my condensed version. lol

Select Hardwood: Been in it for 17 years but I, unlike most did not hire into the blue box and learn from there I have done this cabinet business on my own, as well as flooring like yourself, but it's my fault I use the tools giving to give a good price from Lowes "deep Pockets"? But wait we only screw the customer right? (not your comment someone elses) Cant have it both ways. I do not work on commison or bonus money and YES I have workd as an independent for 11 years prior to working in lowes so heres a blanket statement for you and see if your skin is as thick as you may think....Every "contractor" "cabinet shop" and yes the gnerally accepted term "MOM & POP" up and down the highway screw there customers by over charging for services rendered or product quality versus price by stating as fact they can do what a big box store cannot do for them, and half the time don't complete the work in time frame giving, or at all, and never deliver what they promise. NOW IS THAT FACT?? what if I said that about your company? You wouldn't defend yourslef?? Is that what I think or even a true FACTUAL statemnt??? NO IT WOULD BE AN OPINION that is based in nothing but my personal maybe terrible experience. And yes mom and pop where I am from is the common term and maybe your skin isnt as thick as you think if that bothers you for some odd reason But like I said I APPRECIATE my local cabinet guys A LOT!!! actually, and anybody who does that "self employed game" for that matter becasue I have been there done that and it's hard to compete against somehwere like Lowes that views every customer a lifetime investemnt and can lose a little knowing they will get it in the end somewhere versus the local options that can only offer whatever it is your in for (flooring shops, cabinet shops, etc.) right then because they may never see that customer again in there lifetime.

Stephen please most people can beat the 12k price and spare me the details that kraftmaid is the best I can out right beat it for half the price. That's right 6k.

Lets not forget not one of your actual installers are Lowes employees.

If anything goes wrong I need to come crying to the person who sits in the big blue box store.

It is your post and it is a public forum and I have the right to keep saying big box is no good for bigger jobs.

I meant no offence by "Mom and Pop". Mom and Pop to me means privately owned and operated. No shareholders to be answered to.

I think you did a gorgeous job Stephen! Congratulations on helping the customer create a beautiful, tasteful kitchen!

@Stephen

1. I had a choice of maple or birch ROTs and drawer boxes. I chose birch because IMO the upgrade was not worth the cost. The savings, along with overall cabinet savings, allowed me to replace my central heating and AC so I could better enjoy the kitchen and the rest of the house. Comfort vs "for show" was right choice.

2. I freely admit my ROT glides are not rated for 175 lbs. But unless I plan to put my wife or several bags of cement mix on a ROT in the pantry, what is the advantage? My Blumotion full extension soft close glides are rated for 100 lbs.and they greatly exceed the load they will ever need to carry.

3. I can adjust the vertical spacing between my ROTs WITHOUT TOOLS to best suit my needs. Little space between ROTs with cans, more space for paper towels. Can Schuler do that? NO! Not at the display at the closest Lowe's. That's one of the "custom " features in my cabinets you missed.

4. My cabinets were customizable to 1/16" in height, width and depth.That's about as custom as it gets.

5. My pantries had to fit within a 69 1/2" space between jack studs that were supporting a header. Given the likelihood the jack studs were not perfectly plumb, I chose to have them 34" wide, which gave me 1.5" of leeway for them to be shimmed level and plumb. I wanted both to be the same size, but since I didn't have a barebones minimum of 71", I could not bump up to 35" and saw no advantage to going to 34.5".

6. I had a 36" wide LG French door refrigerator. I opted to go with a 40" fridge surround which provided a 1/2" gap for air circulation, and I ordered it 30" deep instead of a standard 24" ( instead of paying more for a counter depth fridge that would have held far less). Pretty custom.

7. My company didn't stock galley rail. I ordered the maple galley rail I wanted from a company in Chicago, and had them ship it directly to the cabinet company, which painted it with other cabinets. Pretty custom.

8. For two base cabinets and one upper, used extended stiles instead of separate filler strips. Pretty custom.

9. I chose to have my base cabinets to have 3/4" sides instead of 1/2" to provide greater structural support for lots of drawers and potential future granite counters. Pretty custom.

10. I chose to have my uppers on the fridge wall to be 14 1/4" deep instead of 12.5". I did this because picked out a specific MW, read the installation manual, and saw the extra depth would make the MW box flush with the cabinets. Pretty custom.

11. Once final touch up painting and the MW is installed, all the doors and drawers will be given a final tune up . Waiting a little bit allows time for any settling and it will be fine.

12. I comparison shopped for all appliances, not sticking to a single brand but going stainless steel. In no case did Lowe's have the best price. Fridge, range hood, MW and sink came from HD. DW and mixer from Best Buy. Range from Ivan Smith. You would think a big company like Lowe's would get volume discount and be able to pass savings on to consumers, but they didn't or they couldn't.

13. Once I decided to expand the kitchen instead of staying within the existing footprint, I didn't use a certified kitchen designer.
A. I completely avoided corner cabinets and costly things like Lazy Susan's.

B. 30" of counter to left of range and 45" immediately to the right.

C.An 85" prep counter between fridge and pantry, directly across from the range and very close to sink.

D. Four 30" drawer bases for pots, pans, etc., within two steps of range.

E. Dishes and utensils are stored adjacent to DW and are close to the dining area.

F. A "breakfast counter" area with Keurig and toaster close to fridge and sink.

G. On a 208" long exterior wall, there's only 6" of base filler and 3" of upper filler. 3" of base filler was due to keep upper and base cabinets aligned (wider sink base would have put doors off center of window). At least 1.5" of the remaining 3" upper and lower filler was necessary so doors could open properly. I could have spent $200 on some filler gadget, but for 3" not worth it.

H. On fridge wall, only 1.5" of filler so doors would open properly.

I. Every outlet and every appliance has a dedicated electrical circuit. Complete flexibility with countertop appliances. Multiple USB ports.

Bottom line is I got a better quality kitchen, in materials, functionally and workmanship, for much less than I could have gotten from Lowe's.

As to Shenandoah cabinets, price wise they are similar to my cabinets but that is the only similarity. Mine are MUCH better quality.

Stephan ole buddy...

1st of all... repeat after me: "spellcheck is my friend"...

Secondly, in regards to the thickness of MY skin... I have rhinos come to me looking for advice on how to deal with abuse... verbal, psychological, physical, and the list goes on.

Thirdly, were you to muster up the gumption to suggest that MY company fell into the category you describe as being your "concept" of every "Mom & Pop" entity "up & down the highway" screwing there (their) customers... I'd gleefully suggest that you put your (or Lowe's) money where your mouth is.

As I stated previously, I have NO DOG IN THIS HUNT... for regardless of how much "Kool-Aid" you've consumed to date, I don't deal in the "junk-in-the-box" variety of product you are probably accustomed to.

What Lowe's offers vs. what some of US offer is like comparing apples to artichokes!

In all honesty, companies such as yours and the others are a grand source of business for me, because my client base is typically the people who have already seen & compared what you have to offer... and have run out the door as if their hair was on fire.

Simply put: they want something DIFFERENT & BETTER.

I'm sorry to hear that your business endeavor wasn't successful, but you're in good company... many who can't make the cut seek employment under the wing of others.

Perhaps you were one of the "up & down the highway" guys who was too busy gaffing his clients, and the result is what it is.

I'm certainly not deriding you for your present career path... in a few years I'll probably be at a point which I'm neither willing or capable of "going on" in business, and at that point I'll have some trusted individual toss a coin in the air while I call out:

"heads... Big Box Store; tails... Wal-Mart Greeter".

Thank you for the interaction... well kinda.

As an afterthought... let me add that I don't think for a moment Lowe's or any other "discount" resource for products or services is guilty of shortchanging the customers who choose to deal with them... to the contrary, it's up to the individual to exercise due diligence in the decision making process... and THEY are ultimately responsible for the outcome. Eyes wide open.

Hal and Select hardwood you guys have proven your point and Stephen will keep defending his store and they will keep selling that years from now they will be standing there to take your money - again blah blah blah.

He or someone in his place will be there dancing on the Schuler cabinets and trying to sell the so called advantage of taking 175lbs not realizing it is a total overkill and they will even convince the customer that this extra feature comes at no charge.

It is apparent that he does not know that the so called cheap price he or lowes is offering is not cheap and down right expensive.

He keeps saying he can offer the best price. Let me see - he can offer best price that Lowes can offer, he can't offer anything other than the price set by corporate office and say when you shop you get peace of mind, we will stand behind the work, warranty the work etc etc.

Come to reality Stephen all Lowes is doing taking the business of people who come to them for Reno work and paper it up and act as a middle man for the vendors they partner with and contractors who signup for their work at the dictated price point.

You can't offer anything that Lowes will not approve off and you will try to steer customer to the product you carry and try to convince them I can stand on it, I can sing to it.

You don't even stock the items. Once you paper it up and take the deposit you will source the items and then que up the contractor that is not a Lowes employee and schedule the date and the job gets done. You wont even step into the house of the customer you won't know what it looks like unless he or she share the pictures with you. You may not even know what street he live on 10 mins after he leaves the store.

So just keep doing what you are doing and there are plenty of people out there that will come to give you business and give you the satisfaction you did a good job.

All you did was again paper it up and take the customers money and give them a whole lot of promises. It will be good we stand behind and stand on our products - get it.

Lowe's will not be happy when they see this. Trust me.

Such is life @kittnkaboodle.

However... what's not to be happy with?

They spend a boatload of $$$ on advertising, and look at all of the attention they're getting here for zip.

And they owe it all to a loyal "cheerleader" who initiated the thread.

It began innocently enough with Mr. Kellum offering the results of a project he had participated as a middle man on... then it went slightly askew when there were valid opinions offered regarding the nuances of comparing true CUSTOM to semi-custom, and the use of the term "I/WE" when in actuality it should be "THEY" (meaning independents) regarding the performance of work done.

This is what business is all about... case in point... Lumber Liq. is getting a LOT of well deserved free advertisement these days.

These companies employ folks in their marketing departments who, I'm sure, will do cartwheels at the prospect of unsolicited exposure... even if it has developed out of a simple discussion which evolves to one which is somewhere between adversarial and confrontational.

It's all in good fun.

However, I'll agree with @isamuel71 at this point... why whip a dead horse.

@Select as a Walmart Greeter or Big Box employee? That might be worth a trip to California to see! ;-)

Lowe's did my kitchen and did an excellent job! I don't know what you all are talking about bashing them so much. Stephen might have gone a little overboard defending his company, but he wasn't the only one bashing. Animinity on a message board brings out the best in people everytime! I can't believe some of you "Pros", would post such negative comments on a public place like this where your potential clients could see what kind of person you really are.

@BC7111- Well, it's kinda like this....Everyone defends his/her turf. There are always the sneaky and underhanded smaller companies or individuals who try to take a customer for as much as they can and there are those large companies who carve out market share by either buying out small companies or running them out of business. I don't remember when I first heard of Lowes or Home Depot but I do remember other chains like Carter Lumber(who seem to be closing stores) and a company called Builder's Square. Anyone see these around anymore?(crickets chirpping)

Let me cite my hometown and the surrounding area, for instance. For many, many years we had a little lumber yard in town, almost right downtown, called Holmesbrook Lumber. I knew the owners, Steve and Tom, by face and name. In a neighboring town, there was another family-owned lumber yard called Shook Lumber. A little farther from them was an even bigger operation, Galehouse Lumber, who also had a construction company with their own framing and trim crews. They also made custom cabinets and millwork in their onsite shop. We also had TWO door companies in town, Doors, Inc. and Wadsworth Sash and Door. Then Wadsworth Sash and Door had a fire and moved out of town, Doors, Inc. closed their doors and Carter Lumber moved in. Here's THE REST of the story.

When the Shooks hit retirement age or thereabouts, they sold out to some big hardware company who eventually closed the operation down. Holmesbrook went down after Carter came to town. Galehouse scaled their operation way back. I just checked their website and they have 35 employees, so they must have recovered. Lowes and HD came to town and Carter closed down. The rub is, I knew the people who worked at most of these places, at least the ones frequented by my Dad or myself. It would be interesting to see how many I would know at Big Blue or Big Orange(none in the times I have shopped there). The yard I most often frequent down here is Ace Home Center and the employees and I know each other by name. As the matter of fact, sometimes customers ask if I work there.

So then there are those of us who will defend our turf by differentiating ourselves from the competition. This may happen when a potential customer walks through our doors or calls us on the phone. Of course we want people to buy our products. Often people will come to look AFTER a visit to our competition or a Big Box. If we are savvy, we'll know our competitiors and what kind of products they sell. Then we will point out why our product is better. I've lost a couple of jobs to Lowes.

This is the first time I recall a poster who works for a Big Box actually starting a thread. As for the Pro shaming....this is an open forum of people from all kinds of backgrounds and areas of the world. There are cranks, snarks, haute' taute's, goofballs and dignifieds and serial posters on here. Ehhh, maybe some people are rubbed the wrong way by it, but maybe it wouldn't be a good fit to have these people as customers anyway.

One additional note: just to get ahead of the curve on someone suggesting these business may have gone out anyway do to economic downturn, location etc. some of that may be a factor. Holmesbrook and Shook Lumber were land-locked, although Holmesbrook did try opening a couple of satellite hardware stores that also went bust. Carter was in a good location.

This is interpreted as screaming...

"And who isnt passing on the saving to the customer????? DID YOU SEE THE SELL FOR THIS LADYS KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO BEAT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your Lowes may have tried to screw you, your local lowes cabinet designer may be a jerk BUT STOP MAKING BLANKET STATEMENTS and OPINIONS AS FACTS... Your personal experience does not equate to EVERYONE or even most peoples experience. I KNOW HERE NOT ONE CABINET MAKER or MOM & POP beat me by price....I DO NOT ALLOW IT.....PERIOD. "

______________________________

I would totally keep my original 1916 kitchen over anything new. Mine has lasted for 100 years. No one can beat that quality.

Not even you.

@BC7111...

I can't speak for others, but I'm happy to hear that you're pleased with the outcome of your Lowe's kitchen project.

I have no axe to grind with any of the "Box Stores", regardless of how they go about procuring market share. I guess that's what free enterprise is all about.

In line with what Mr. @River suggests above, many folks don't agree with the tactics and end results of how that "market share" is obtained.

I too, lament the loss of the hard working small business with a history, to the large corporate entity with the buying power necessary to lowball their prices. But I suppose that's what capitalism is all about. If the end user is willing to give up certain pleasantries in order to save a few bucks... so be it.

I think the conditions in this conversation went sideways after the O.P. initially started the thread to illustrate some work, and it went from that point to a "chest pounding" more confrontational atmosphere when the opinions of some general Houzz participants offered viewpoints which weren't in alignment with what the O.P. wanted to hear.

I, myself, became slightly annoyed at the comment regarding "NOT ALLOWING" others to "BEAT MY PRICE".

In a time where the term "bullying" has become the rallying cry of the politically correct (a group of which I'm not a part, obviously)... I nonetheless, become rankled at the prospect of someone who is boasting the fact that he will not allow something, simply due to occupying a low level position at a large chain.

Personally, I don't mind ANYONE trying to beat me with a stick... as long as they are doing it with THEIR OWN stick... not one "borrowed" from someone else's back yard.

As far as the way the "Pro's" conduct themselves on Houzz... please bear in mind that as suggested by others, this is an open forum, and the participants should ALL be able to express their thoughts, as long as it's performed in a civilized manner.

LOVE the colors and styles of this kitchen remodel! I featured this remodel in a blog post on our company's website, because our computer graphic services can play a prevalent role in visualizing a remodel before the work begins! Feel free to read about it and other blog posts here: http://www.pixelperfect-studios.com/our-role-during-a-remodel/!

i just saw the comments about Lowes only closing 2 stores in 40 years..unfortunately that statement is totally false. Two closed stores were within 10 miles of me with others scattered around the country, esp in the New England area. The corporate management didn't even bother to notify customers or employees; the employees found out when they showed up for work the following day. I only know of one homeowner who purchased exterior work through Lowes and the quality was atrocious, and the customer service wasn't any better despite the premium price paid.

If someone is looking for quality products, good value and customer service as well, a small firm may be the best choice. When you deal with a smaller firm like Select Hardwood or River Valley, you know the individual and you know the company. With the big boxes, you know the individual but that one person may not have either the persistence or the authority to unravel any snags that crop up in your project. While large chains have many resources, those resources are working on many different projects, and many of those projects are more valuable, thus more important, than yours.

Big box stores, smaller chains and individually run businesses all have their place in this field. No one firm, big or small, has a monopoly on either quality work or incompetence; both of those attributes show up in some surprising places.

I shop a lot at Lowes and Home Depot for my DYI projects, and appreciate that they are there!
However, we had Lowes come to do an estimate to put mini-split ductless AC in our 1907 home, and they quoted us $26,000. I asked for advice from pros on Houzz, who told me that was outrageous, and recommended second opinions. Ended up getting independent contractor who did it for less than half the Lowes estimate. Just sayin....

Sandiocd - yet another confirmation that big box store is not priced right. Glad you came seeking advice here on Houzz to consider alternatives and as a result you saved a bundle.

Their main pitch for big box store is we guarantee the work however the customer can't ask the contractor doing the work any questions or change something on the fly. Here is what will have to happen - we have to run to the store find the sales person
- wait he is on his day off, by the time you explain to his counterpart the change needed and then they try to reach out to the contractor the project is now delayed. Oh did I tell you it will be an ordeal to redo the paperwork and do expect to pay for the change.

On the other hand working with independent business the person who does the business is readily accessible and he will come to you and address the problem/ change no way the big box sales person can come home to address the change.

So consider independent business a better way of getting work done and I know it is a general statement you also pay more with the big box as well.

All they do is scare the customers that the world outside big box is ruthless and independent business will do a bad job, just shop with us and we will give you peace of mind we are insured bonded and we cover our work and it is worth paying more for that peace of mind. Robbery I say.

Wow...Just saw this and needed to reply.

There is no reason for any of us to bash the other ...there is a place and a client for each of us.
There are many of us designers/sales people who have worked in many of the remodel avenues and there are Pro's and Con's for them all.

We designers/sales people need to first and foremost educate our clients to the options that are available, Answer all of their questions, give advice and guidance and then ultimately it's up to the Client to make their own decision.

WE all know and have heard the horror stories from Remodels that have gone bad and they come from every avenue...Mom's and Pop's, Big Box Stores and Private Contractors... Our goal is to NOT be one of them but to be part of The GREATER Remodeling Stories!

There is a place for Big Box Stores and I do have to defend Lowe's and say at this point in time WE do offer a Very Good Program. Lowe's offers a great deal of options to the Client and this is specifically why I decided to come on board with them. I saw a comment above about Lowe's only carrying Product this in untrue... In my current position of Project Specialist I assist clients with it all their Reno needs...whether they are a DIY'er who are in need of design assistance as well as product or someone who wants us to do their entire remodel from top to bottom...this can include everything and Lowe's can complete the entire scope! We work with General Contractors who are screened, licensed and bonded and Clients have the peace of mind of a Lowe's Warranty. This is a great value to clients and for those who want one stop shopping we work!

I also have to defend those of your Pro's who are Private Contractors! I work with many of you who are my direct clients and they bring their clients to me for Design Assistance and Product.... we sell them product and depending on what My Contractor Client's want sometimes we split the work...all depends on the client's needs. This works for both parties.

Not trying to speak for Isamuel71's but correct me if I am wrong... I don't think your point was to bash Lowe's but to bring to light how you saved $ in your remodel by taking the time to source out product that fit better into your budget. You feel Lowe's and other big box stores are overpriced. Stephen was trying to show that we do have price points for every budget. I do have to say I designed the exact same kitchen layout and have come up with a $5000 price for cabinets and a $15000 price for cabinets...it all depends on budget and selection.

Okay...got that off my chest! lol

Moral of the Story is There is a place and a Client for us All & Cheers to Happy Remodeling!

Lisa Pugmire here is a review on lowes website by a customer.

Ordered'U' shaped Silestone quartz countertop from Lowe's Of Wood County in Vienna, WV. The countertop was measured, cut and installed by PLI Group of Cincinnati, Ohio. Project was delayed for two weeks because order was not sent to vendor. Countertop was short on both ends leaving an 1/2" gap between the countertop and the adjacent appliances. Anything dropped would be difficult to clean or retrieve. A cut out for a beam in the wall was miss cut leaving an ugly 3/8" gap at the front and left side of the beam. The backsplash was installed in 5 pieces. The pieces were different thicknesses and different heights. One joint had a 3/16" height difference on adjoining pieces. The backsplash pieces were cut on a bow on the bottom leaving ugly gaps where the backsplash meets the countertop, at one point the gap is 1/8". The seam at the front of the countertop was miss cut leaving one side rounded instead of square to meet flush.

Nothing in that review tells me lowes does good work.

Let's take countertop as an example
What will be the price of 3cm Quartz - I chose ceaserstone which to my understanding lowes does not carry.

Quartz comes by slabs and my kitchen needed 2. Lowes offers Silestone and their price was well over the price I paid.

Just went into a Lowes for the first time today, I am not a big box
shopper.
We just bought a 1928 Spanish cottage, that I am fixing up and planning to rent. We get top dollar in my area for rentals, so want to paint and spruce it up a bit, but keep the historic charm.
Lowes had some good price points on lighting fixtures, that will be great for a rental property. They definitely are very generic and I sure wouldn't shop there for my own house. Looked at bath and kitchen fixtures, and they were all very inexpensive models, that would need to be replaced in a few years. Someone on another post called them throw always. Lowes definitely caterers to starter home,builder grade products, no high end things in site. Every light fixture I looked at was made in China.

Love my Ceasarstone

In defense of big box stores.......We used Home Depot cabinets for our remodel. My DIY husband installed them (saved labor). The only thing we contracted for was the laminate counter top installation, replaced the entire plumbing in the house and had the local flooring contractor install wood look sheet vinyl. $12k total. We live in a modest home and we needed a functional no frills kitchen. To pay for a custom build kitchen would make that space worth disproportionally too much. I would have to dismantle the kitchen and take it with us should we move. You have to be realistic in how much a reno costs in relation to the overall price of the house that it will be installed in. 7 years later I am still very happy with my "big box" kitchen.

PS: I took the measurements of my kitchen and my hand written floor plan to Home Depot. They did not come out to the house. They used it to create the kitchen. The cabbies fit perfectly! (I used to work for a commercial furniture dealer so I know how to measure and illustrate the room. Hated the job but what I learned
about space planning comes in handy!)

I ordered Kraftmaid cabinets at Lowes because I had them in my previous home and loved them. Unfortunately the set I got look terrible. I complained to Lowes. They were removed from my kitchen. I order Diamond cabinets with Lowes instead. I even upgraded from maple to cherry, recessed to raised and Lowes did not charge me 1 extra cent. The Diamond cabinets are beautiful and the installation is pristine. Lowes was very understanding and accommodated me. Their motto is to always please the customer. Some things are out of their control but they will support the customer.

Having run my own show for over 35 years in the building industry I can assure you I am not an ill-informed buyer. When we completely gutted our FL condo we hired a design firm to oversee the entire project (distance too great for me to oversee), but I stayed involved. We didn't like the tops suggested by the designers so we spent considerable time looking around for tops we liked. We settled on a recycled glass composite which we had priced by 3 different fabricators, and I probably would have gone ahead with one of them except that the lead time was very long from all of them. As a final thought I went to Lowes and to my surprise they said they could get the material, the lead time was perfect for our project and the price was thousands LESS than the lowest of the other 3 quotes I got. Needless to say they got the job. The install was flawless and the salesperson from Lowes was at my jobsite to see that there were no issues during the install. If fact, I would say that the Lowes install was among the best sub contracted aspects of the entire renovation.

Anyway.. nice job Stephen. Looks good.

This is all so ridiculous. Everyone's experience will vary, you cannot put a blanket statement on anything. We ordered our cabinets from Lowes, and based on the multiple other quotes we got, got a good deal there. They are Kraftmaid, maple, all-plywood construction with a premium finish. There were one or two issues, but they were quickly remedied. We ordered our Cambria Quartz countertops from a small, local company. They did an absolutely amazing job from start to finish. We ordered our Mohawk flooring from another small, local company, and it has been an absolute nightmare. I placed the order in November of 2015 and we still don't have all of our flooring.

Everyone should do what is best for them, and it is possible to do that without degrading another. Anyone who has faith in their product has no need to bash anyone else. There are many options out there, for the many different types of people who are out there. We are very fortunate to have so many options available.

Two months ago my wife and I used a Lowe's designer to design the layout of our kitchen. I paid Lowes for the measurement fees. The guy from Lowes came out to my house and took the measurements then he passed it to the designer. The designer finalized the designing part then we placed an order. It took almost one month to get the cabinets. In between, we also paid for the installation fees at Lowes. The Lowe's guy (same guy who did the measurement) came to inspect the cabinets before installation. He checked the cabinets and told us everything was in good shape. He gave us the installation date - a week after the time of inspection. During that period I hired an independent contractor to demolish my old cabinets. After the demo was done, the Lowes guy came to install the cabinets; then he pointed out that the cabinets sizes were wrong and incorrect. The installer told me the designer had the wrong measurement designed, and indicated that I should talk to the designer. He did not install and left. I went to the store to speak to the designer. In the beginning, she told me she needed some time to do the research how it causes the problem. Then after few hours of research, she said that there was a mistake from their end (improper communication between the measuring guy and her). Now Lowe's said that it would take another 3 to 4 weeks to re-order the cabinets. Since I don't have a proper kitchen and with having my in-laws staying with us, we don't know what we could do? We paid $8,000 for the cabinets and $1,900 for the installation. We think that we should be entitled to compensation since it will be going to push back another month to complete the project. In that period we have to manage to eat outside. Is anybody faced similar kind of problems? Please advise how to deal with Lowes and what we could do. If we are entitled to compensation how much should we demand.

It's frustrating!!!

I happily use both Lowes and Home Depot for most of my properties' remodel projects and will use a small Mom and Pop business when needed. I think it depends on the property owner's budget and location. One of my properties is out-of-state and I can buy at my local Lowes and return the item at the out-of-town Lowes when I get to the rental and find out the product doesn't work and visa versa. Most of the time, I go to my local store to see the product and then order the item and have it ready for pick-up when I get to the out-of-town Lowes or Home Depot. I like this flexibility.

Switching to white cabinets did a good job of brightening everything up!

Looks good, great improvement! Is the old ceiling light still there or is there just a square on the ceiling where it used to be, it looks a little different?

I have been in business for 25 years. I can defend the reasons that I loath big boxes. But they are a fact of life and a large reason that they are so successful is that my industry has abdicated professionalism. We allowed sales people to replace building experts. No longer are design, craftsmanship and building science at issue. Our industry now sells convenience and cost. There is no better equation for a lack of quality than cost per square foot yet that is the lexicon of most "home builders." I doubt that big boxes are hiring qualified designers and I doubt that their customers care. Those of us who consider ourselves pros need to step up our game in selling the value of we offer. As long as it is price and convenience, you are just a commodity, which is what big boxes are great at selling. Design, service and craftsmanship are not commodities, which means that you have to sell on more than price and you have to deliver on what you sell.

i am actually getting ready to do a kitchen reno myself. im very well informed and i like a company who is 100% guaranteed. they dont do the work, but the people and companies hired are vetted, insured, and guaranteed by lowes. its pretty great that if you do get a bad contractor, they will fix it and do work to make their employees happy. ive had several friends use them and only 1 bad experience, and lowes corrected it. i really like the design myself. have just been looking for inspiration of countertop choices. im liking either recycled glass or concrete, but these are lovely.

My stepmom had Lowes do a complete kitchen remodel and it was a great experience. Very thorough, professional, clean, timely, and everyone did quality work. I would definitely consider having them do a project for me.

Beautiful new kitchen, great decision on your selection, congratulations and enjoy.

J Design Group | Interior Design company in Miami, FL
225 Malaga Ave
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Ph: 305-444-4611
https://www.JDesignGroup.com

Wow, the after looks phenomenal! I love that shade of blue for a kitchen, and with the white cabinets it's very elegant. Great job!

My kitchen was just completed by Lowes. I had a great experience with the contractor and an awful experience with Lowes. I guess it all depends on which store you use. They wouldn't return calls or emails and no one from Lowe's showed up to my initial pre construction meeting. Very poor customer service and organization after the sale.

Nice!!

very vibrant!

Stephen, I wish my Lowes had someone like you.

Wow! This was a nasty thread! I think, there is value in all these cabinet providers, big box or independent. I think the kitchen designer though is the key to a functional and beautiful kitchen. These forums don't seem to bash Ikea kitchen even though they too are big box. When redoing our kitchen, I went to at least 12 different cabinet providers, from independent to big box. My biggest problem was the poor kitchen designs provided by all of them. It did not matter if it was a nkba designer or a big box, there were major flaws in almost all the designs. I finally found a very small, one man shop, that carried a cabinet line I liked, who came up with a super functional layout for me. So, depends on your need, depends on your area and depends on your budget. There are good people everywhere, you just need to find the one that right for you.

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