I know the big box stores get a lot of bad press here, but I just wanted to share my experiences so far. I shopped around with some local companies and both Lowe's and HD before we bought cabinets. I wasn't going too fancy, just a partial overlay in an espresso finish maple. I wanted all-plywood construction, soft-close doors and drawers. Because of the sales they were running, we ended up with American Woodmark from HD for under $11,000 for 11 base cabinets (mostly all drawers), 10 36" wall cabinets, 5 vanities (48" or 37") and a few other random cabinets along with some freebie pullouts and cutlery trays. We haven't installed them yet (waiting on flooring), but so far the experience has been great. I had a specific layout and cabinet sizes already picked out, so I didn't need any design help. The HD staff was very knowledgeable and took plenty of time entering everything into the computer, making sure we had everything correct. I got frequent email updates as they made my cabinets, and then they were shipped on time to the delivery service. We needed to delay shipping as long as possible, and the shipping company was helpful and kept them an additional week at no charge. The delivery was on time and very organized, everything was bar-coded and scanned as it came off the truck. We opened all the cartons, found two doors with small scratches and contacted HD. They have already ordered me replacement doors with no fight at all. I love the look of the cabinets and so far am very happy with my decision.

Hopes this helps as others weigh their cabinet options.

Chelle