strob, it makes it VERY hard. It's like playing russian roulette. We are finally going to have to pull the trigger on a company, but what are we going to get? Very frustrating, especially when thousands of dollars are at stake.

Then there is also the problem of the installer damaging them during installation or putting them in incorrectly (what happened to me).... Agree, very frustrating.

mdln, that's one of the few things I think I don't have to worry about. I have a very conscientious contractor who will be installing. I'm sorry to hear your installation did not go well. :/

Bad quality or missing pieces can be the fault of the ordering person or the cabinet company. Other damages caused by shipping is beyond their control. What you look for is how the company dealt with complaints and resolved them.

Another issues is when a cabinet company gets too popular and is producing beyond their capacity. The reviews were done when they were normal and the complaints come from later jobs when they're over capacity and rushing so quality goes down.

But Anglo, that's just it. There are people posting here about very happy results. Way more than unhappy. So you read 1, 2. 3 dozen threads about brand x, which is a solid middle to upper middle of the road line and how well everything turned out. Then you read a handful of horrible, scary (truly) reports where numerous things went wrong with said brand. And it's to the point that all can't be explained away sometimes. And at this point, even IF the company is great about trying to rectify the problem, your totally chaotic life is continuing to be put on hold. And God forbid the company isn't good about rectifying things (and that seems to be a crap shoot too), well, it gets to the point you just don't even want to think about it.

We who are looking, are trying to do our due diligence, but it's very confusing and frustrating....

Another issues is when a cabinet company gets too popular and is producing beyond their capacity. The reviews were done when they were normal and the complaints come from later jobs when they're over capacity and rushing so quality goes down.

I have wondered about this, especially with Kraft Maid.

I have kraftmaid, medallion and shiloh cabinets and had a few color, damage and improperly made cabinet issues with each brand. All of these companies responded promptly and reasonably to the issues. I was fair and reasonable and so were their reps. I would have no issues ordering from any of them again. Was it frustrating? Sure, but I can step back, look at the big picture and understand that people make mistakes and as long as both sides work for a solution, it will be fine.

I remodeled a whole house. I spent lots of time researching lots of money (to me) and kept my expectations and goals clear.

I believe a good contractor is key, as is taking your time, keeping realistic goals in line with your budget and trying to enjoy the process. Don't flip out over every mistake or miscue. Try to work things out and above all, keep things clear and in writing.

[Edit: these spacing issues are not my fault!]

There comes a point when you just have to make a decision based on research. Chances
are good that things will work out fine and minor issues will be attended to in a timely manner. Sometimes horrible things happen, it probably won't be you, but if it is, you'll find a way to deal.

Here's another scenario for a company with good reviews heading south: We
ordered InnerMost cabinets from Home Depot in 2011 (kitchen), 2012 (bedroom & 2
bathrooms), and 2015 (bedroom & kitchen in new house). [You've seen both these kitchens :-) ] Clearly we were happy with InnerMost as we kept going back. For the 2011 kitchen we had a couple minor hiccups and they were addressed promptly and satisfactorily. For
the 2012 bathroom, the delivery was short a pullout for under the sink. We reordered twice, they never got it right, but we ended up with a pullout we couldn't install. The local reps kept quitting, so that slowed things down. We sold that house before a final resolution. We found a way to use that wrong sized pullout in our new house though.

The 2015 order was also satisfactory - we love our kitchen. In 2016, another gentleman here had a very poor experience with InnerMost. Some of the problem was his, various measuring and ordering issues, but some of it was clearly theirs including poor construction and finish. He was very unhappy, to say the least.

Elkay, the company that produced InnerMost, closed the InnerMost factory in VA and discontinued the line just a couple of months ago. An industry news article said Elkay, "...was required to repay Danville Pittsylvania Regional Industrial
Authority $76,834.52 in 2015 due to failure to meet its job target of
320 employees." They evidently had just 150 working vs the 320 they anticipated. Not enough orders? Poor business plan? Elkay dropped the ball somewhere? Whatever, they weren't doing so well there towards the end which showed in what happened with Clark French. The company was good, then it wasn't. It can happen.

For me, it was less important that everything arrived in pristine condition than that if something was wrong, the company made it right. I had my order come in with 3 damaged doors, all of the lower cabinet doors too short and a couple of missing pieces. I was almost in tears, but the contractor had already called the cabinet rep who came over immediately and assured me that they would make everything right. Fortunately it didn't hold up construction much because the problem was mainly with doors. They put all the doors on, so that the cabinets would be usable until the new doors got here. The company was appalled and the rep came back out to inspect every piece, send pictures to the company and record who had inspected each piece. At first I was worried that they were doing that to say they couldn't replace them for whatever reason, but no, they were doing it because they wanted to find out what went wrong so that it didn't happen again to someone else. Much more important to have a stand up company who will fix whatever is wrong, because it's inevitable: mistakes happen.

Gayle, thank you for your post, and naming brands. Exactly what I needed to hear! And thanks for the advice, it was heard. ;)

suzanne, thank you for telling your experiences. I appreciate hearing the good and the bad. I'm wondering, I believe Elkay owns Schuler cabinets, which I am also looking at. I wonder if there might be more trouble down the road?

Sue, I too said the same thing to a gal at HD. I said I wanted a company who would stand behind their product, because I've lived long enough to know it's not a matter of if, but when something is going to go wrong. So I pay close attention to what companies respond well.

beth09, it's like anything else. Life happens. It just does. Monday morning hangovers, people that are actually sick, or those worried about sick kids...or worse...machinery failure, my gosh there are endless things that can happen. With ANYthing.

I would suggest you look further afield than a box store. Go to an actual kitchen design showroom, with an actual kitchen designer. That's not being snobbish. I have done time at both box stores. But, because I have experience there, I know their weaknesses and their strengths.

The biggest weakness is that their designers get zero training. I mean zero, unless you count a couple of online videos. They rely on the existing designers to teach the was just in the garden department guy to do kitchen design. I'm not kidding at all. So you have people who haven't had training, doing the training for people who have no clue. You occasionally get people there who have outside training, or who have experience from elsewhere. But, it's rare. And it's rare that they stay. They don't get paid a whole lot, and there is no individual bonus structure at all.

Everyone makes mistakes. The issue with box store employees making mistakes is that they don't have an incentive to learn from them. The store will make the customer whole, so they feel bad, forget about it, and 6 months down the road, they make the same mistake again. At a dealership, if you mess something up, it comes out of your pocket. You either learn quickly to not do that again, or you don't end up with a paycheck. The long term designers at a dealer do a better job because they are rewarded for doing a better job.

The designer that you work with is more important than the cabinet line. Repeat. Repeat. They are the one that determines the success or failure of the first half of your project. The cabinet installer determines the second half.

And, I do want to emphasize that just because you have a contractor, doesn't mean that you have someone capable of doing a great cabinet installation. A great installer commands a premium, because it is a specialty skill. The last showroom that I designed, I interviewed 25 potential installers before deciding that 3 could do the work. Only 2 out of the 3 were allowed to touch anything mid grade and up. And that 1 was a GREAT contractor and framer. He just was not skilled enough at the fine art skill of cabinet installations, unless it was the most basic of jobs. It's a lot more than just attaching boxes to walls. Walls aren't straight, or plumb. Cabinets have to be.

Here's a test for your potential installer. Ask him about scribing an extended stile to a wall. Or an extended rail to a ceiling. Your contractor will either look at you like you're nuts for questioning him about that, or you're nuts for wanting that, or, in fear that you could even ask for that. But, you'll at least have the conversation. A great installer can take 10K worth of cabinets and make them look like 50K installed. A bad installer can take 50K worth of cabinets and make them look like 10K worth of hacked up firewood. That's why the skill of the installer determines the success of the second half of the project. I have a lot of sad stories on that front, but I won't bore you. Trust your contractor. But verify.

TCK, I appreciate your advice.

I'm not sure where I posted that made it sound like I was only looking at big box stores? Because I'm not, at all. That's just the first place I dipped my toe in. And if I had it to do over again, I'd do the same thing again. I got my feet wet, learned a lot about the process/my likes and dislikes/things to remember, etc., and didn't waste anyone's time doing it. :)

I understand the designer is important, that's why I'm not jumping on the most convenient avenue. (big box) I am going to visit many different cabinet places.

I have heard your advice about the contractor. I've seen his work (and he came highly recommended), but I guess that wouldn't count with you, huh?

Unfortunately, construction is a crap shoot sometimes. I had to fire three general contractors who all came with glowing personal recommendations. There were several others that I had passed on because it was so obvious that the recommendations came because the homeowner had no clue about details.

In one case, the GC was not only 5x as expensive as the average, he also told me not to worry about issues that are issues like cutting into my foundation without radar imaging. I have post tension slabs. One wrong cut and my house could snap in two or a lawsuit for injury/death. My neighbor believed that because he charged her so much, he must be really good.

Kraft Maid is the Pella of kitchen cabinets. Overpriced crap. They use really substandard grades of wood and say that's the "nature of the natural product." It's not. They just won't exercise any quality control because it's cheaper not to.

This happens with everything. You can read hundreds of rave reviews about a TV set, but there will always be people who are very unhappy with the same model. Nothing is perfect, mistakes happen, and some customers can be unreasonably fussy. My theory is that people are much more likely to leave a review if they are unhappy than if they are satisfied. If every single customer left a review, it would be easier to determine the risk. About all you can do is read reviews of competitors as well and see if your choice is (likely to be) the best one. I go through this all the time, as I am a very 'thorough' customer.

Milly, what would you say are solid middle of the road cabinets?

mushcreek, you say, as Anglo did earlier, that unhappy reviews are much more likely to get posted. But again, that's not what I'm finding. I'm finding the majority to be very positive, then, there's these much fewer very negative reviews. So what happens is, you're going along reading all these positive reviews, feeling better and better about the cabinet you're looking at and the BAM, you hit a polar opposite post, it's terrible. This keeps happening, many good, few horrible (the exact opposite of what you and Anglo say happens). It shakes your confidence in the cabinet. Now maybe it shouldn't, but it does. Maybe you all can slough that off better than me. But that, is what's happening. Not "more people posting bad reviews". And yes, you're right, I find this with other things too, and it can be equally frustrating. But we're not talking about a $50 item here...

With all due respect, I would really appreciate it if this thread could stay on topic, that is, why we find such conflicting reviews on cabinets, and on cabinet brands themselves. Thank you! :)

beth09 - I am not seeing where the thread is failing to stay on topic. ??

Also, I wanted to reply specifically to this statement:

" So what happens is, you're going along reading all these positive reviews, feeling better and better about the cabinet you're looking at and the BAM, you hit a polar opposite post, it's terrible. This keeps happening, many good, few horrible (the exact opposite of what you and Anglo say happens). It shakes your confidence in the cabinet. "

Have you never searched for a product online, on Amazon, Best Buy, or whatever, and hunted down reviews? This same thing happens with every single product. Vehicles are a perfect example. No matter how many people love and swear by a particular model, you can find a few folks that got the lemons. I really don't understand why this seems puzzling to you.

Most folks don't go online to praise products that they have purchased. They do so, to vent and complain about the problems they have encountered. It's normal.

Chess, the thread is about cabinet reviews and cabinet brands. It got derailed with someone giving me advice about where to shop, kitchen designers and contractors. That's not what this thread is about. ;)

Have you never searched for a product online, on Amazon, Best Buy, or whatever, and hunted down reviews?

I have, that's why I said this to mushcreek in my last post at the end: And yes, you're right, I find this with other things too, and it can be equally frustrating. But we're not talking about a $50 item here...

beth09, my new range and dishwasher were WELL above $50 - certainly more than a single cabinet. Not sure where you got the $50 thing. Cars? Pretty sure I mentioned those as well. The cost ranges of the items have no bearing on this issue.

As far as the topic - I didn't get that at all. If you wanted a thread about cabinets and brands, why did you not state that in your opening post? To me it reads as a discussion about how manufacturing and delivery processes can fail. But now that I see you want to discuss cabinet brands, I will stay out of the discussion, as I have no experience with them, so far. ( I am getting ready to order 2 cabinets from Barker, so we shall see how that goes!)

To try and answer your OP - many different hands in the project and differing expectations. When you order cabinets there is the designer and an ordering person then the customer service person at the cabinet company, then the order puller, then assemblers, then finishers, packagers, shippers, second shippers. All it takes sometimes is a flipped digit in a color code and you will have a wrong finish. This is happening less as cabinet companies are going to paperless ordering systems - it has made a big difference when you can upload your design right into their ordering system - it takes the human error element out of it. As far as damages go - you are shipping furniture on tractor trailers over the horrible roads many areas have. Something is bound to happen.

As far as expectations go, I have had customers have a meltdown over a damaged door and others who wince a little at a damaged cabinet box and are just relieved when it will be replaced no questions asked. It is critical that every designer has a lengthy conversation with their customer explaining the good, bad and ugly of renovating.

Most cabinets are still assembled and finished by people - if someone has a bad day, things may be off. A good company will stand behind their product - sometimes it may take longer if a rep has to be sent out to inspect.

I have had many kitchens come in without an issue and then all of a sudden there is that one where there were items short, missing, not matching etc. It just happens - even with the better companies out there.

A leap of faith is all you have left to do!

Good luck!

A leap of faith is all you have left to do!

I had already told myself, after doing as much homework/asking questions/shopping around as I can do, the only thing left will be to make the best decision I can and trust the good Lord to bring it in in good shape. ;)

Thanks Debbi. And you're right in that KD's "should" tell every customer what may happen, but thankfully, even if I never hear that (that would not surprise me), because of this site, I will know that. I just hope I don't have to test it out! lol

When you work with a kitchen company, THEY are the ones who deal with the manufacturer. Sometimes, they will lie and tell the customer that the manufacturer said they are not responsible. In truth, the kitchen company ordered the wrong thing or damaged it themselves in transport to the work site. They don't want to eat the loss so they blame it on the manufacturer. It puts the customer on a terrible situation and most cabinet manufacturers will NOT work directly with retail customers with complaint, as that is not THEIR customer.

The key to it all is a great kitchen company who places the order correctly, makes good if they made a mistake and who is always responsive to THEIR customer...YOU. No matter how careful they are, mistakes can be made in ordering and they must be willing to correct them...at no cost to you.

When people write a review of their cabinets, they are actually not only reviewing the manufacturer, but the kitchen company, their installers and all the people involved in transporting these cabinets from the factory to your house. Lots of things can go wrong and they're not always the fault of the cabinet manufacturer. This is why it's SO important to deal with a kitchen company you can trust, and sometimes one must simply trust their gut on this one.

Beth--because we are near the Amish, it seems to be custom, Kraft Maid, IKEA, or something $$$$$$$ from Europe. :) So I don't know

I can get pattern matched doors for close to the price of Kraft Maid from an Amish builder. If you get wood with no possible variation--NO cherry, for instance--Kraft Maid is fine. It's just that if it takes even a modicum of skill, Kraft Maid won't do it.

Cherry cabinets shouldn't be all streaky. They're now calling their alder"rustic alder" to cover for the knots they leave in it, but they used to conceal it until your order arrived. The idea that anyone would consider their cherry cabinets to look like a luxury finish is hysterical.

Look at what a mess even the maple cabinets are. They're trying to convince homeowners that this is how cabinets must look. Only if you spend money and don't mind cheap looking cabinets: http://www.kraftmaid.com/learn/choose-right-cabinetry/wood-types/

But then click on any wood species and the variations magically disappear even with light stain. Ha!

Sorry Milly but I disagree... I have sold Kraftmaid for many years and my customers are thrilled with their kitchens. Painted or stained they hold up well, all plywood construction, great drawers and rollouts and lots of innovative pullouts.

I hope you haven't had bad experiences... mine have been pretty positive over the past 15 years... prior to that they were more of a builder's line....

The line that dealers sell is Kraftmaid Vantage - so it is a bit different than the line at the big box stores....

Sorry - went off topic!

What are your favorite companies???

The line that dealers sell is Kraftmaid Vantage - so it is a bit different than the line at the big box stores....

Sorry - went off topic!

Actually, I find your statement rather relevant. It could possibly explain some of the discrepancies some of us are finding in reviews. Now, when I was at HD last, I asked the woman about KM having 3 different lines and she said yes, that's correct. So I pointed to the KM section and asked which that was. She said the top, she did not give it a name. So is that not possible? Would they be selling the middle line and calling it otherwise? And how do I find a dealer that sells KM? Because whenever I do a search or use KM's search, the big box stores are the only ones that come up.

The biggest issue with KM is that it is sold at box stores, and those guys ruin everything they touch, even when they don't mean to. They are the big bullies that tell companies to design to a price point, not a quality point, and they don't care how you get there. So you get plastic stems in faucets instead of brass, and you get hot glued joins with staples instead of wood glue and a lock join.

Box stores are the whole reason that so many lines watered down their quality levels and sold their souls for the ''junior'' level lines that now litter the industry, to it's shame. You have 4 different quality levels all branded with the same name, and people confuse the cheap carp level with the higher quality level. That was intentionally done by the box stores, who had great success in marketing the sizzle and not the steak. So now everyone does the ABC D level levels of construction. And consumers don't have a clue. So they confuse the glass for the diamonds. And don't know that cubic zirconia is better than diamonds, because, hey, it's all an out marketing to people's prejudices. Not reality.

That weaselly marketing all eventually damages the name of the parent company. But, it sells. And that seems to be all that is important now. Cabinets don't need to be a lifetime home purchase any more. They are cheap costume jewelry that only needs to look good for a couple of seasons until fashion discates another change in style, and out they go. This is the whole reason that cheepchinesecrapola gets sold everywhere. Costume jewelry for Gary and Elaine's Catalog Living.

If you go onto their website and click on "find a retailer" on the top the page that pops up is:

But obviously showing the area around your zipcode... Just click "local dealer" and expand your radius and you will see who carries them besides the big box stores.

Debbi, thanks. I have looked for and at so many cabinet places, my mind is getting fried I think. lol I actually had found another place, now that I went looking again. It's a lumber yard, there are a bunch of them around. I will check them out, but for some reason "lumber yards" don't make me feel like there's going to be a real schooled KD on board. That may be totally unfair, and I apologize. Hopefully I'm wrong. But there are no actual kitchen/cabinet shops within a 50 mile radius.

Don't fear the lumber yard.... often the designers are working with contractors and builders, so they are usually well versed in cabinetry from entry level through custom... Good luck!

Good to hear, thanks!!

Debbi - how would you expect lumber yard pricing to compare with a local dealer with a showroom? I would expect cheaper but I don't really know.

Good question, I'd be curious as well.

This is one of the benefits of going with a local cabinetmaker if possible. He (almost always) is responsible for measuring, "ordering", constructing, delivery and install. You deal directly with his people, so you have a record of your communications. If anything goes wrong, there is only one person to blame. I'm not suggesting this is a panacea, but I'm a believer in avoiding the blame game whenever possible.

freeoscar, I have thought of that as well. There are actually 3 truly custom cab guys close to me. We''ll see if any pan out.

Local dealers have much lower multiplies than any type of box store, including lumber stores. Box stores are higher priced pretty much always. They pay more because they have doofuses employed there that make so many mistakes that the box stores negotiated the ability to return cabinets. Whole orders even. That comes at a cost. Dealers don't have that privilege. They make a mistake, they eat it.

The problem with comparison shopping is that you must somehow compare the exact same layout and construction and finishes. I had a customer come to me once and said that they got a price somewhere else on a kitchen for $5000 and my price was almost double! I had her come in so we could discuss....I had priced all ply, solid wood raised panel door, stain with a glaze, 36" high wall cabinets with stacked crown and a drawer/rollout or pullout mechanism in every cabinet. She bought me pictures of 30" wall cabinets, no crown, no pot drawers, partial overlay doors in a stain - no glaze and particle board construction. Well of course these will be different.

I have worked all three: big box, lumber yard and independant... HD & Lowes sell at lower margins because they are selling volume - if you are truly comparing the same items - they will be less - even slightly less than the lumber yards. They would be next in the pricing structure ( and often offer contractor discounts - so look into your installer buying the cabinets ). Local dealers( depending on size ) will have the higher margins - they have less volume and often spend much more time with the customer so they will be a little more.

If you are going to compare a cabinet maker who measures, designs and installs, then make sure you do your comparison price the same way; unless the cabinet maker will break the numbers out for you.

One thing you need to know is no one is going to just hand over their designs or pictures for you to run around and comparison shop with so I would suggest you draw out your own plan indicating pullouts, cabinet sizes etc so you get a true idea .

Good luck!

Good points Debbi. We have put a plan together with an architect so we do have a specific plan we are taking for quotes, and asking each for a quote that includes the same door style, stain, crown, etc. I definitely think there is value in paying a little more for someone who is going to measure, work with you on anything they think should be changed, etc. From what I have seen you are totally right about the different levels of service and pricing. And then you throw the "design and build" companies in vs the buy through a kitchen store or big box and hire your own contractor, and it adds a whole other level of complexity.

strob06, have you asked your neighbors or people in your town that have done recent kitchen remodels who they have used for cabinets? I wonder if your architect has recommendations? Maybe you can find out whether your neighbors have had good luck with the kitchen designers in your local box store? I heard enough nightmare stories to know to stay away from our local box store. Right now it seems like EVERYONE is remodeling their kitchen, so finding a dealer that has the time to work with you could be half the battle.

We went with a box store and had a pleasant experience. I did all the measuring and specifications (and installation for that matter), so I knew exactly what I should be getting. We have a lot of cabinets, and I didn't want to spent $50,000, that was my personal choice. We ended up with American Woodmark. We bought during a good sale at Home Depot and got quite a few extras for no charge. We got 11 base cabinets (mostly drawers), 10 wall cabinets, 5 vanities, a vanity drawer, and a bathroom wall cabinet for just under $12,000. There were also 4 or 5 roll outs and a silverware drawer insert, and drawer pulls for all the vanities included as extras. Now these are partial overlay, which was fine with me. My cabinets are all-plywood, dove-tailed joints, soft-close hinges and drawers, and they feel very solid. I had no issues with installation, the boxes were square. I did have a couple of doors that arrived scratched. I contacted our local HD designer and he had new ones delivered directly to my door for free within a week. I liked that they were made in America, and I felt like the company did a good job communicating directly with me regarding our order status with frequent email updates, etc. I was onsite during delivery, and the delivery guys were very patient as we worked through the entire order to make sure everything was there. I had 7 days to open and inspect everything to report any damage, which I feel was very fair. Overall, a good experience, although not at the high-end level some people are looking for here.

Mtnmom - I have. Unfortunately I haven't gotten a lot of good info. No one recommends their contractor but one person, and there were some things in my meeting with him that make me hesitant. Everyone likes their cabinets, but many have gotten them from a local inexpensive place that sources from china, and I'm not sure that is the direction I want to go. I have a contractor who I trust who has done work for us in the past but his bid came in high compared to others. High enough I don't think we want to spend that. Plus he will only use the cabinets he sells and I don't know where they will come in price wise. The architect does have a recommendation on cabinets and a contractor, but I haven't seen the cabinets or met the contractor yet, so we will see. I have someone who has given us a good quote that gets excellent reviews on Angie's list, but haven't gotten references where I can go see his work in person yet.

We aren't moving forward till next year, so we are spending this time finalizing the plan, doing research and getting bids. I figure something/someone will stand out by the time we get to next year. If not, we either make the leap or wait.

Debbi, yes, I do understand we have to be comparing apples with apples. I actually have the printed layout of my kitchen that the bog box did. I am going back because there are some things I forgot, and one I changed my mind on. But when it is done, I am just going to take this around for price shopping.

I would definitely consider paying a little more for someone who would "be there" for me through the process. I would actually welcome this. I'm trying to arm myself, but there is a LOT to absorb, remember, implement. I could use the help.

chellefnp, great post, thanks! I'm really glad to hear it went well for you. :)

May I ask how long ago you purchased?

My neighbor had great experiences remodeling her kitchen through Home Depot in her other houses in other towns, but a bad experience through our particular local store where there seems to be high staff turnover and overloaded designers.

mtnmom, yep, I think it's a real crap shoot with the big boxes for sure.

About 2 years ago.

Having worked at both box stores, and at dealers, and selling some of the same cabinets at all of them, I can tell you that box stores pay more for their cabinets, but sell at a lower margin, as they rely on volume. In the end, it was the rare case that I couldn't beat a box store as a dealer. Their eternal sales hucksterism not withstanding, they started at about 10-15% above what a dealer would start at. Then they pull the "the sale is ending tomorrow" and "here's a rebate", that takes them down to the price where I already was. They made less money on a kitchen than a dealer would make, but that was because they got charged more. But, a dealer has a much higher overhead, so overall, after the employees and light bills are paid, the business profit is about the same, or less for a dealer.

TCK, Interesting that was not at all my experience getting quotes from big box & dealers in the Chgo area.

Mdln - I am also in Chicago area and haven't had that experience so far, though I am early in the process and have more quotes to get. Curious who you went with and if you are happy with your cabinets? Or contractor?