Thank you for the suggestion but the builder has not agreed for the unfinished cabinets they have particular vendors and wont allow us to provide any items either. They said they are not sure for the quality and the warranty so can not let us buy.

Sounds like your builder is getting your cabinets from a manufactuer instead of somebody who makes custom made cabinets because custom made furniture can be stained/painted in any color the customer chooses before it leaves the workshop

Agreed Curt. He is using manufactured cabinets, and all his houses have the same cabinets in them. Probably has a warehouse full of cabinets he bought on the cheap and won't use anything else.

So get a contract that excludes the cabinets from the warranty, there is no way I would take something i dislike and put it into a new home

most cabinet suppliers offer alder in their line as an inexpensive cherry alternative. This may be an acceptable choice and a low cost upgrade.

My sister has alder (not knotty alder) cabinets in her home and they are stained to look like a dark cherry. I don't know the color of the stain as these were stock cabinets through her builder's supplier, but it can be done.

thank you all for your input! Curt actually they do give an option for the custom made cabinets but they can paint them only in certain colors(only 3 or 4 choices). The other option is to upgrade with Maple that's going to be expensive :(

tarawas, If they only can paint in 3 or 4 colors, they aren't custom made. Custom is when you get whatever you want, in any color or stain and finish you want. Custom is also specifically designed for the kitchen in unique dimensions with no filler strips. Also, don't get mislead that alder is the same as cherry. It's not even close. Alder is an inexpensive wood being used as a substitute (and not a very good substitute) for many other quality woods, in order to keep cost down. It is soft, almost as soft as white pine. Cherry is much harder and will withstand daily use much better, as will maple. Remember, you get what you pay for.

The Janka Hardness scale is a measure of wood hardness. Here is a comparison for you:

White Pine 380 lb-f
Alder 590 lb-f
Cherry 950 lb-f
Walnut 1010lb-f
White Oak 1350 lb-f
Hard Maple 1450 lb-f

Al Fortunato, I knew Cherry and Maple are better and harder than Alder but did not know this huge difference. Thanks for the information!