Ikea with custom doors? Or, have you looked for a local custom cabinet shop? I had similar sticker shock with cabinets and found a local shop was a better choice for me because I wanted white oak and it was hard to find (quartersawn).

You are getting mid grade cabinet quality quotes. Those are not upper end brand cabinets. Look at your wish list. Stacked cabinets to the ceiling with glass and a wood hood? That’s half of the cost. Look at your kitchen size. Bigger than 12x12? Double that size? That will be double the cost. An aircraft carrier island? Those are 100% the cost drivers. A mid grade kitchen is a mid sized 12x15 kitchen with 42” tall cabinets, and a stainless hood. A low end kitchen is maybe 10x12 with 30” cabinets and a microhood. Get your wants in proportion to the reality of your situation. Its your wants over your needs that are driving your costs. It’s always the want list.

No way that a 40K mid grade quote can be 10K except in garbage Chinese import stuff.

Post your layout.

For a 75K budget, 40K is only a little high proportionately for a cabinet quote. Cabinets range from 1/3 - 1/2 of an average kitchen budget. My 5 year project numbers are below, and do not include structural changes.

It also depends on what you are getting for that 40K. There should be a way to cut out unnecessary things to get you within your budget. Start with the upcharge for plywood. It isn’t needed. Are you doing inset cabinets? Cut that as well. Try yo use fewer but larger cabinets rather than more smaller cabinets. Crown moldings can be simplified. There are lots of ways to cut things and still end up with a basic look. Don’t cut drawers!

It is absolutely impossible - impossible - to answer your post with the small amount of information you've provided. What size is the kitchen? Is there an island? Are there added decorative items like corbels? Are the doors plain, or more elaborate? Is there a thick crown molding? Thick crowns are very expensive - I always advise a 3" crown molding to save money and to add storage space. How tall are the upper cabinets? Are you getting an upper stack? Is your hood going to be a cabinet surround? Those are very expensive and I always advise to get a stainless steel hood instead to save money, and easier to clean too. Are you getting appliance panels? What is the cabinet finish? Painted? Cherry? White oak? Cerised oak?

You can't possibly expect us to tell you what $40k buys without providing more information.

I agree but if I have a client where money is tight I always go Ikea they are IMO the best bang for your buck and get an independant KD not one that only deals with their pick of cabinets. I have done many kitchens remodels for less that 75K including appliances.I do agree that we would need a lot more info to comment on the cabinet pricing.

You will need to post a layout or at least your own hand drawn dimensions of the space. That really is the only way we can try to help. If you have a good relationship with your contractor, discuss your concerns and ask if you can go elsewhere for your cabinets. Some will ok that and others may not want to do that.

Lets take a look first and see if we can help.

Ikea. You are spending a lot of money for middle of the road cabinets. Ikea is a great value.

Thanks for everyone's comments so far. Here is my layout. To answer some of the questions we don't have stacked cabinets, no inset cabinets, no glass doors, no wood hood. Paint grade cabinets. 42" uppers. Any other good middle grade cabinet brands besides the suggested ikea? Thanks!

The middle offerings are, as a rule, not a good value. You don't get excellence and you don't get rock bottom value pricing. The same principle applies to many categories. Having said that, have you considered Kraftmaid?

Good value mid-grade cabinets: Shiloh, Medallion

Cpartist, what do you suggest for the layout? I'd like to hear your suggestions. Thanks!

I will say our cabinets were much cheaper than much of what I see mentioned here-made by local custom guys. Some of that might be regional, but it’s definitely worth checking out. Now, we had to fight our KD on this as she wanted us to buy the Crystal Cabinets that she represented, but we held firm and saved thousands.