Go with the less expensive option. They have a very similar look, and once they are all installed and your furnishings are in the house, you probably won't pay much attention to them anyway so long as they open and close properly! :)

Glad you made a decission, as a Realtor I think you made the right choice. I still think the "dusting" issue is more important than the resale issue...Enjoy your beautiful doors.

@loroca...I'm guessing you haven't built a home or done extensive remodeling. Every decision counts and going over budget is almost a guarantee and painful!

Yes the raised doors it is! Every penny counts at this point. We have only 10 days left to make all our decisions.

We are building a home and just installed the 5 flat panel doors in our house. We are building a low country south carolina style home. They look great! Both styles are beautiful! Good luck with your home!

I don't know if this helps at all, but the flat panel would be an extra $2625 for 35 doors. That said, if it were my decision, I'd have to go with the Shaker. They are timeless. I'd look for some place else to make up the difference--perhaps doing my own painting or something like that. Hope this helps.

I agree with ndobras flat panel single pane much more stylish and contemporary ? 5 Raised panel look cheaper sorry. Dusting - seriously?!

I have to go with the Shaker. I just don't like raised panel doors in any context. They look cheaper to me.

Have you looked at the TM Cobb flat panel doors? We are getting those for our remodel (not installed yet), and from the pictures I've seen they look like the Shaker you like. The solid doors cost only about as much as your listed up-charge.

We had the same decision to make in our recent new build. Chose the shaker style from Lowe's. Was great price, and timeless style. I don't care for raised panel doors, as I think they are a bit traditional in feel, and don't really adapt to other styles as well. Cleaning tip for shaker doors..soft tooth brush...done in a flash!

Flat Panel door looks cheap! If you are going to go for it..go all the way!! The raised panel looks great......the handle is also the make it or break it. I would put a very sleek brushed nickel handle.

The flat 5 panel goes best with the shaker style. This style door is more traditional. I would shop around bc Craftmaster Doors and Masonite Doors both make this door and I am sure many others. It's slightly more than say a 6 panel but not $85 more. I am in Oklahoma and building a house also. We have priced these and will pay around $100 each for a solid core (not hollow) 5 panel flat door in select jambs with brushed nickel hinges.

We build custom doors and just as important as the look is the feel and the construction of the door as these often play a bigger part in the quality and its ability to transfer less sound from room to room also... Mass produced hollow core doors can LOOK ok but are made from compressed wood fibers and embossed with a fake wood grain usually. They are light and easily damaged. A solid wood door will definitely cost more but is worth it for longevity and strength.
If you shop around a bit you might find a better deal still but for such an important functional part of a house, paying $2600 more for the whole lot and getting better quality is really not much for peace of mind.
Shaker looks better also than raised panel in a modern style home.
All the best with your project.
Greg

Red Ridge Millwork & Design Ltd.
greg@redridgewinecellars.com
http://www.allreclaimedwoodfurniture.com

We are currently building a home and I had the same dilemma you are having. My kitchen cabinets and trim throughout the house are shaker style. I wanted the shaker style door more than anything. I have been drooling over that door for months, but as you, I could not justify the extra $$. I decided to spend that money on my to die for backsplash and countertops. So, I went with the raised 5 panel and now that they are in and painted, I must say they look really good! I have received many compliments on them. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Cakelover - thank you for sharing that. Do you think u can take a picture and post it please?

If this is helpful to you, our doors were just installed this week and they feel solid. TM Cobb $108 per solid door in CA. (Not painted or fitted with hardware, yet.)

If you like traditional - go for the raised panel; the flat panel is more modern and will work with today's post modern trends. Doors are a gamble for the long term as trends do change. I now see golds and copper fittings returning to the forefront for door handles and taps just as nickels and chromes have replaced them as building "standard"!

It's strange that people are calling the flat panel modern. I chose mine to try to mimic the doors from a California bungalow we sold years ago. It had the original doors from 1904 and they looked like the 5-panel flat I chose. Maybe they are having a modern come-back. I have also found Emtek glass knobs to mimic the originals.

I agree, neitz. All of our solid mahogany doors in our very traditional Georgian-style house from 1920 are in a Shaker style flat-panel frame, and of course the Shaker style of cabinetry dates back to the original Shaker furniture of the 18th century. So it is hardly modern, though its simplicity does indeed blend well with both modern and transitional hardware and decorating styles, as well as traditional ones. I think what it comes down to is that the Shaker flat panel style is so classic that it works with almost all decorating styles, whereas the raised panel door is more ornate and thus doesn't fit quite as well in rooms or houses with classic Shaker cabinetry or more modern styles.

Neitz I was thinking the same thing as I read through all the comments. Shaker is a classic style dating back, like already mentioned, to the 1800's. Are you buying these from the builder or are you purchasing product on your own? If on your own then shop around a little more. For me the Shaker flat panel is the original door, the raised panels are the poor sister's copy. If you don't care it doesn't matter, but if you like the flat panel more, then in the end you will care.

I much prefer the flat panel and think they will make a big difference in the feel of your home. The price difference does seem excessive however. I love Shaker precisely for the reasons mentioned above: they are traditional and modern and blend very well with other styles. Personally, I mix Shaker with Country French.

I would spend the $$ on solid doors versus hollow core doors, which you don't mention what these are. It is personal preference as to choice.

One thing you've mentioned in your posts is what the next buyer is going to want. You need to build for what you want and not what the next person is going to want. Why? because in 5 years something new will be "in"...something else will be "hot". And in 10 years...what you're putting in now probably won't be in style at all. So...do what you like, not for someone else that might be buying your house at some point in time!!

I just read through all the posts you have received so far. I must say, I kept changing my mind...until now.
I suggest you shop around for a better price for the Shaker style doors. Be sure you have well made hardware in the style you want, as well.

If contemporary is your goal the shaker flat is the way to go. The raised panel doors won't do it.

Why does it have to be a 5 panel door. I'd go with a single panel Shaker door. Supa Doors has very nice solid ones. The design trends across the US are toward a simpler, cleaner look. You're not doing raised panel doors on your kitchen cabinets. Why would you want them on your interior doors?
Good doors cost money. Build a good house with good doors.
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID

You may be interested in some of the Contemporary RUBI doors on our Houzz Profile page. They have 4 and 5 panels pending on height with wood and glass options.

http://www.houzz.com/projects/153217/Contemporary-Interior-Rubi-Doors

I agree with Greg, the custom door builder, and as for the extra cost I agree with the Houzzer who said if one can afford a home with 35 doors then would should be quite able and willing to pay the upcharge for getting the absolutely correct door for the home. I also know from experience know a homebuilder cannot go wrong installing SOLID core doors in whatever style appropriate to their house's other details and which looks well thought out when it comes to their chosen furnishings, as opposed to (a hollow core door) in this situation especially, where the (other choice) door isn't even quite right for the important details and this: really doesn't seem to be what the home's owner appears to want to begin with. If you don't agree with that, try a thought experiment. If there were absolutely no up-charges involved would you have even posted the question or had a dilemma to discuss. I think not. Remember too that the chosen door will be seen in every room of your new house. Good luck with your decision and your home-building. Whatever your decision, to many people, you are in an enviable position!

now that the door company people are advising you make your choice, you will never recover the cost on resale so you need to consider how much you will enjoy a door you have to dust often.....I suggest a Mr. Clean duster, Swiffer won't do the job......People who say the flat panel doors at the cost you quoted are out of their minds or snobs, I sell multi-million dollar homes and people are disappointed that the hey spend so much, if you are planning to stay for many years it won't matter, it is all for your enjoyment, if you can find one for less go for it and get the proper duster (you should carry it around and wipe all the corners often, more than once a week (I have doors like that, they are glass and wood, PAIN to keep clean.

I would presume that a cleaning service will be doing the cleaning. And if not, then it's good exercise!
The baseboards will all have to be dusted. It's really not a great deal more work to dust the doors.

Because you want a contemporary Modern look, I would go with the flat panels

Some of the door companies offer a slightly rounded sticking, which allows for a more cleaning friendly flat panel door. Jeldwen recently began offering a molded door in a flat panel style. The "Madison" style in a solid core is about $100 for hinged, bored slab. Solid wood was about $325/door and the mdf ran around $200/door. Pick your price point then find a door that is consistent with your home's style.

I do not have the choice to choose my door manufacturer as we are building new with a builder. We also cannot shop around or comparison shop unfortunately. Final pricing ha come back from the builder and we would be charged $3390 for the whole house for any flat panel shaker style door. Realistically speaking, that money can be better used elsewhere. We were also priced $330 for the whole house to do the raised 3 panel door and $0 for the raised 5 panel door I have mentioned above. What do you all think of the raised 3 panel door vs. the raised 5 panel door. I have attached a picture of the raised 3 panel door.

Also, I just wanted to point out that I'm not building a mansion. It sure is a larger home; however, we still have to stay within a budget and my hubby and I both do all our own cleaning. Keeping the panels of the flat panel doors clean will be very time consuming lol (5/door and 35 doors in the house). I like the doors very much but I can't justify spending that much for a splurge on doors. I rater splurge on the granite and tile.

Here is the raised 3 panel door and the raised 5 panel door. Which one do you think will give a more modern look.

Definitely 5 panel. The 3 panel is great for craftsman but would look odd in a more contemporary space. If they give you the option, I think smooth instead of grain finish also looks more contemporary.

The raised panel doors would both come in the smooth finish.

I still vote for the Shaker doors. I think the cleaning post makes no sense to me at all. When granite was first the rage, I saw a on line posting claiming we should leave the granite in the ground. At the time, I thought the poster unnecessarily conservative about the ecology of removing the stone from the ground. I now agree with him: granite is being used inappropriately all over the world in homes which are not built to last. The granite then becomes a throwaway during the next remodel.

The doors in this home need never be replaced.

The cleaning issues just has to be a red herring. I never, ever heard of cleaning doors being an issue.

All that said, I made a mistake with glass tile in my home, not that it isn't beautiful, but it was very costly at the time as it was ahead of the curve and I can see that any remodels will destroy it.

Personally, I don't know too many people (none in fact) who can have everything they desire in a construction or renovation project. Real people have real constraints and must make decisions within parameters.

We've learned the hard way to frame our renovation choices more simply. We won't spend a dime on anything we strongly dislike (for me, that means no more raised panel doors). We're willing to splurge on a few things that are either critical to the overall design or simply make us feel happy. The vast majority of the decisions are of the "can we work with this?" variety.

Princess_q, I can try to download a pic but I'm not tech savvy, so my abilities are very limited. I do agree with slewisoh. Having everything you want in a build is just not a luxury that most of us has. It seems like every time I turn around there is an upgrade. I upgraded backsplash, quartz countertops, hardwood flooring throughout the house ( no carpet due to allergies), lighting, a more efficient HVAC system, etc. The list can go on and on. All the upgrades can get easily out of control, as mine have. So I had to decide what were my priorities, what upgrades I HAD to have. So, that's exactly why I went with the raised 5 panel. Yea, I would have loved to have the shaker, but I had to do what was best for my situation.

I have the raised 5 panel & I too have a contemporary feel. Its clean enough that you do not need to take on the extra cost in my opinion.

What is it wIth Wendi and cleaning doors?? The 3 panel raised is very trad so the 5 looks better but definitely not contemporary . A single panel shaker would be cheaper? Clean lines are what is going to give the look you want.i understand your budget isn't unlimited but you don't want to spoil the overall look do you? It will always bug you even though it's not world peace! You know this in your heart already. As an earlier post said if they were the same price you wouldnt be asking us. True?

I totally agree and suggested a single panel earlier. I don't know if they've actually checked whether a single panel might be available at the same lower price.

All flat panel doors would come in the higher cost :(

You could, of course, go with a slab door which is usually less expensive than other doors. That would be VERY contemporary and I'm not certain you want to go that far in the contemporary direction.

I inquired about the slab door as well as that would match our cabinets; however, that will fall in the same cost.

Good golly, your builder must have bought a slew of raised panel doors.

I thought the detail that goes into raised panel doors would make them pricier, but I am finding that modern finishes in general cost more :(

The one area where contemporary design is a winner pricewise is in chrome faucets. Chrome is a standard finish in plumbing fixtures.

Yes you are absolutely right about that. Our standard faucet is in a nickel finish. We upgraded to a more expensive faucet in chrome and didn't have to pay anything :)

Small blessings on a bumpy road to your dream home!

so what was the verdict? how do you like your raised panel doors? .