Custom made cabinetry allows the purchaser to control the door style, the finish(es) and the construction quality of the box without being driven by what combinations a cabinet manufacturer will or will not allow. Also the sizes of each unit can be customized in exact measurements (not standard 3" increments) so that filler strips are not needed and heights of cabinets can vary based on your particular needs/wants.

Many homeowners don't realize that Custom Cabinetry is not that much more costly . I follow Wildwood Cabinetry in Maryville,Tennessee on Facebook. They say, "Bring us your Big Box store quote to us and see how we can give you a custom kitchen starting @ $10,000.00" Not to mention you get much better heirloom quality and choice.

First of all you would get the good quality box and the lay out with filler ,I remodel kitchen so many country and as my experience your old custom cabinet would be investment on your house you would have any issue when you are changing lay out and counter top or any changes but we always have so much issue with some of these cheap units.

I agree with the others posting here. I almost always have custom cabinets made rather than prefab. I get the configurations I want. I do not get big filler strips, door configurations, glass inserts, and custom interiors. Pot Drawers, sliding drawers, corner lazy suzans and other custom touches that just are not there with prefab, Good selection of wood species and custom finishes. I also like to crown mould and undermount my cabinets to give then a finished look. Yes, they are more expensive but worth every dollar.

When we priced out fully custom cabinets with a local, established woodworking firm (recommended by our architect, who had used them to build his own kitchen cabinets) vs high end semi-custom cabinets made out of state and ordered and installed through a local kitchen design firm, the locally made custom cabinets actually came out cheaper (and we made sure we were comparing apples to apples in terms of the materials and finishes used). So it is worth at least getting an estimate for custom.

As always, there is more to the story. There are so many levels of kitchen cabinet construction and there is something for everyone. "Prefab" cabinets, also known as "stock" are also available knocked-down. Yes, you have less choices but the price is what makes this category attractive. Semi custom cabinetry and custom cabinetry are made to order and both of these options offer special sizes other than the 3" increments used by stock companies. The most important feature of any cabinetry is the finish. Cheap cabinets have a cheap finish. Cabinetry, whether semi-custom or custom made by a national manufacturer has a finish created by multi-million dollar finishing systems in dust-free environments and that's why they can offer a lifetime warranty. Custom cabinetry made in a local "shop" will rarely be able to offer this kind of finish due to the cost. You can have beautiful cabinetry "handmade" but don't expect a top-of-the-line finish and top coat.

You can have fabulously premium custom cabinetry handcrafted without buying from a large faceless corporation in a far away land.
Please, "Don't drink the cool-aid", but instead educate yourself. I have witnessed, national cabinetry representatives, offering hype about the their finish being impossible to duplicate by local cabinetmakers. I am not saying kitchen designers are purposely misleading homeowners, but simply repeating a false "sales pitch"....it's just not true. Don't be zealous without knowledge.
At Wildwood Cabinetry - we are professional custom cabinetmakers and use state of the art finish technology. Wildwood Cabinetry has a $400,000 finishing facility. We only use Conversion Varnish which is the finest topcoat (Premium by KCMA and AWI) and YES, we bake the finish per the manufacturer's direction. Conversion Varnish has a chemical cross linking process, which will occur without the addition of heat, but heat decreases the overall drying- cure time.
I agree - all consumers should ensure their cabinetry finish is the highest quality and DEMAND conversion varnish, not an inferior lacquer type finish which is thin, offers little protection and will yellow/amber with time.
Yes there are local shops all over the U.S. using inferior finish techniques, but sadly there are many poor finishes (poor sanding quality, mismatched glazing techniques, thin finishes, etc.) on display at big box stores and every kitchen and bath designer showroom.
Visit your local professional cabinetmaker and tour their facility and educate yourself on the options available. Discover through an education process if buying a product from a kitchen and bath dealer or engaging a professional cabinetmaker is the best fit for your new cabinetry.

All the different “levels” of cabinets can be so confusing! Here is a great article comparing the 3 modes: http://bit.ly/1rWygrs