How many cabinets are you getting for 150K? Does that include everything (appliances, flooring, countertops, backsplash, hood, etc)?

$150K to $200K? Do they come with a roof?

Wow.....I hope someone REALLY likes those cabinets!

It's a 5600 sq ft house - Kitchen, Island, Kitchen banquette, Bar, Media cab, Office/Library, 4 of the Bathrooms, 2 Linen cabs & Laundry room. And that was the cheap bid... I had to take some things out to get them all down to this.

i chose the lower of our bids but i've seen his work IRL plus got references and spoke with people who have worked with him. all invited me to their homes anytime to see their cabs. although our bid is just for the kitchen, we'll no doubt be adding on for mudroom cubbies, MB cabs, laundry room, closets, etc... so i'm sure our cost will be in that range. i've been to his shop as well. all the projects they were working on were all wood and beautifully constructed.
the point: do your homework. look at what they've done and talk to people. of course, we don't have a hole in the ground yet, but i don't expect any problems. at least not with cabinets. (fingers crossed!) GL, i hope everything turns out as you expect.

Thank goodness. I thought that was only your kitchen.

Still seems a bit high, but I received a range of bids on our home from local custom cabinetmakers. From 40K to 80K for the kitchen only. I ended up having my built in England for a little more than half of the lowest local custom bid. Furniture quality cabinets, inset, etc - a bargain, imo.

Good luck with the rest of your project.

Here is a link that might be useful: French Gray Island Kitchen

$150-$200K for what you mentioned in alder (which in my area is known as "discount cherry")? I hope that you are receiving every known bell & whistle known to mankind (and some that aren't). The fact that they tried to pass off cheap melamine for any part of that construction (even the drawer bottoms) at those prices would have had me looking for another bidder than just those 3.

Please post pictures when your cabinetry is installed. It sounds like it would be worthy of a spread in Designer Kitchens magazine! :)

Would you like a house with those cabinets?:-)

Those prices are not so shocking if the cabinets are going into a $2 million dollar home. Anything less sounds pretty high to me.

BTW, I'm in Central TX and one of the selling points of high-end homes around here is alder cabinets. Calling it "discount cherry" is just snotty.

Wow! I think you are getting robbed. I am having all of the custom cabinetry in my home built for $32,000. This price includes large kitchen, 8ft MB vanity, MBR bookshelves and cabinet, 3 additional baths, laundry room, and a wet bar. I shopped long and hard for this and feel as if I am getting the deal of a lifetime.
I am having beaded inset doors and drawers in the kitchen and master bath. Full overlay throughout every where else. All drawers and boxes are 3/4" solid hard maple. The 8' x 5' island and the master bath vanity are made from solid alder. I'm using heavy-duty full extension BluMotion drawer guides. I have two trash pull-outs and an awesome pull-out under the sink. I have drawers everywhere I possibly can and my dishwasher and refrigerator will have cabinet panels too. Oh yeah, I also have 15" (lighted) glass fronted cabinets that sit on top of my 42" wall cabinets. The list goes on and on. There is not one piece of melamine being used in my cabinets.
I am sorry that you are going through this but not all custom cabinet builders are creeps.

I didn't come up with the "discount cherry" phrase so don't accuse me of snottiness. Literally every single KD I've ever spoken with has made that comment or a variation of it to me ("if you want a stain, you should consider alder because it takes stain like cherry but at a fraction of the price" or "why would you pay for cherry when you can get the same look with alder"). I think that alder looks great, but it is definitely a less expensive wood than cherry...probably why all of the designers would make the comments that they did.

Dixie, I didn't accuse you of snottiness.

I am building a 3400 sq ft. home and cabinetry in all rooms with granite in all New Venetian Gold totaled 18,800.00. This is kitchen, bath, laundry, and 4 baths. I must have gotten a deal! Or is it because I am in the south.

Sorry I mentioned the price - this isn't about that. Just wanted it clear we expected very top end and did have 3 bids, so I find it hard to believe they're that out of range for this area. We did see everyone's and basically got a bait and switch. I just wanted to warn others that this is something to really keep an eye on, as we were obviously naive, trusted people, and expected the best. Have never built a house before and never will again...

Wish I were paying building costs for somewhere other than SoCal though...

I think one of the problems is that nowadays is that the phrase "all wood" is often taken to mean wood as in not steel or all-plastic. Thus, laminated, oriented strand, and other fibreboard types may be considered to be "wood" -- after all, there's no steel in them! Personally, I think that's deceptive terminology, but I am seeing it more and more, and [what's worse] even used by self-proclaimed craftsmen. IMO, a panel made of wood that has been slivered/chipped/shredded or ground up and then mixed with resins is NOT "all wood". Lots of companies will differ in opinion.

Keep in mind that under the present-day's usage, plywood is considered "all wood." A bit of familiarity with the cabinet-maker's viewpoint will show that, mostly, cabinets made of plywood are considered to be "quality" products; while cabinets made with a melamine laminate are much less expensive to make and finish. None-the-less, the cabinetmakers are citing "customer demand" for a melamine finish, and often pricing them according to expectations of quality. Let there be no question, cabinet prices are for what the market will bear (or whatever the customer is willing to pay) and "custom" cabinets are far more expensive in good part because of the hands-on labor required to measure, design, and manufacture to fit those measurements. Since there is often (usually) a gap between what the average cabinetmaker thinks his product is worth and what the customer is willing to pay, un-obvious changes in the product may be made. Thus in cabinet-making, plywood has commonly replaced solid boards, and engineered wood is in the process of replacing plywood. An un-obvious change which slightly increases the profit margin. BTW, melamine scratches with fair ease; the better cabinetmakers are topping it with polyurethane finish to increase the surface durability.

While *I* may think that you have just cause for demanding a replacement of the particle-board products, I am doubtful of a court's support unless your contract was worded in such a way as to specify the use of solid wooden boards instead of the commonly phrased "all wood" plywood, particle board, etc.

Wow....even for SoCal...wow! I'm building a 3000 sq ft Craftsman style house in Ohio. I have a giant kitchen with a huge island, a walk-in pantry, a desk and bill-paying center, 3 bathrooms with all custom made vanities and cabinets, a media room, a computer room, and a laundry room. All my cabinets are custom made, with Craftsman details, solid cherry, by Amish cabinet makers. I have all the bells and whistles - lots of pull outs, drawer closing thingies, knife and bread drawers, just about everything. All that came to around $25,000.