that is a lot of cabinets. The extra height in the kitchen doubles the cost of uppers.

laundry rooms always surprise clients.

pantry? that's not the norm, but its nice.

surprised you're close to 40k. not typical of what I saw for new in this price range.

I‘m concerned that you are‘t understanding the differences in your potential choices and aren’t getting a clear picture of those differences, or some of the reasons for cost differences.

You’ve got mixed specs there. Framed and frameless can’t be compared as 1:1. 3/4” is best for frameless, and is complete overkill for bragging rights only in framed construction. Frameless gets you an average 18% more usable space. More if you’re doing lots more drawers. There are a half doozen ways to finish off the cabinet sides, that the “best” will vary according to position in the design and what the line offers. Stacking cabinets creates issues with seams between the two that have to be resolved with a design solution. Clearance issues with shallow cabinets against a deeper cabinet or wall need to have a solution. Appliance clearances are critical, yet are handled differently in different lines, depending on options offered. It’s easy to miss that, and it’s a critical oversight that can impact pretty badly.

Theres a lot to know. And it’s hard to know what you don’t know. Are you working with any independent design professional

who can help you sort through this? This is usually where the expertise of an independent Kitchen Designer can be helpful, as well as creating a functional design that then gets accurately quoted in whatever lines.

kudzu9

"Ok, somebody's got to say it, so I will. I have several friends whose houses are considerably more expensive than your build and went with Ikea."

Thank you for saying this. Amen

We have done numerous $1-2 million remodels that have utilized the IKEA kitchens, some with SemiHand Made doors, but more modern kitchens used the IKEA Ringhult doors. These are great value for the sturdy drawer hardware.

Costs running about 1-2% of gross budget for cabs.

Also, in my experience, many times allowances are kept low to enable the contract to fit the owner’s loan limits.

Our current custom cabinets are coming in at 5% of our total build cost (land not included). They are solid wood, no mdf. Island, master bath, & guest bath are stain grade. It is a 4bed/4bath home with custom cabinets also in the laundry & small office. Kitchen will all have soft close drawers/doors. The guest bath's cabinet is also "furniture style", which was a slight upgrade in price. Home is a bit over 2600, also in Texas (west of Waco by about 25 minutes). Cabinet costs, installed (but not painted/stained), will come in between 15k-16.5k when all said and done. I highly encourage checking reviews & seeing their work in person before making your final decision. Also, get a couple more bids if needed. I believe I got either 5 or 6 before narrowing it down.

Whether Ikea is a acceptable in the resale market around $1M is very regional.

Also, that $1M budget could be 700 sqft condo in NY or 7,000 sqft house in Texas. In my area it is 4000 sqft and Ikea is not considered acceptable. That is in Raleigh but in Chapel Hill, it is acceptable. 15 miles away.

Also, that $1M budget could be 700 sqft condo in NY or 7,000 sqft house in Texas. In my area it is 4000 sqft and Ikea is not considered acceptable. That is in Raleigh but in Chapel Hill, it is acceptable. 15 miles away.

So .... advice is hard.

Do you have a Realtor who can give some local advice regarding cabinet quality/bling expectations for your market since that is one of your concerns?

Yes- Ikea in our area would not be acceptable for resale

Ikea boxes are great for a budget remodel if you can use the sizes available with custom doors, but any custom build where I live will be very expensive and require custom high end cabinets particularly in the kitchen, living spaces and master bath.

Those prices for cabinets are 'insane'!!!!!!!!!! Are they gold lined?? I built a house 12 yrs ago, 'The Middleton' by Frank Betz. The cabinets for the kitchen and all baths were just over 12k custom made locally. That GC is just trying to RIP you off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Find your local cabinet makers and talk to them.

suzyq53-

Guess it depends on your area. I live in the Seattle which, is just behind parts of California and New York in terms of expensive markets. Ikea kitchens are commonly used here in expensive builds. I sometimes wonder if people critical of Ikea kitchen cabinets have seen the quality of their higher end stuff, or if they lump all things Ikea in with the $59 bookcase they got for one of their kids.

I've had an Ikea kitchen. As has my wife. Neither of us would do an Ikea kitchen in a $1M build in our area. Not a single laundry room cab. (Mind you our last house had an Ikea laundry - and the house before had an Ikea master bath that I did and they were $600-$800).

In Seattle (and CA and NY), you put up with a lot in housing that other areas would not.

For one thing, your average housing stock is old. So you are accustomed to that and many live with 8 foot ceilings. In much of the SE, a high price tag almost always means newer house. With cabinets being one of the bells that is expected - and it is expected to have dovetail drawers with solid wood fronts (that also have Blum guides).

But - Ikea cabs are better than many think for sure.

I did not hear anyone speak to her fear about resale. I think you should go in with the idea these are what I want and this is what I will spend and put resale aside. ALL kitchens have cabinets. I doubt in 10 or 20 years the original cost/quality of the cabinets will affect the final resale price of the home. You will not get a return on this "investment" cabinets are not an investment they are a necessary FUNCTIONAL part of the kitchen. If the kitchen is attractive to potential buyers it will help the home sell THAT'S IT. There will not be a monetary value on them!! I would question how good/quality do you need a cabinet to be? If we believe HGTV kitchen's "NEED" to be gutted and redone every 5-10 years, ya do not NEED fort knox cabinets if they are as temporary as a couch!! Hopefully that is not your goal and hopefully you are designing a timeless kitchen that will serve you and your home for the rest of FOREVER. Mid-range is always a good choice.

following

following

Again, TX is one of the cheapest states to build in. Not because the houses are cheap, it's labor and materials that are cheap.

Texas is also cheap because of warmer weather - slab construction and minimal insulation. Also practices are cheap because expectations are lower than in other areas.

Last I was there, property taxes are relatively high so the incentive is to not have as expensive of a house. That doesn't always compute of course and it is a big state.

Everyone looks at a kitchen when they buy a house and cabinets definitely matter for resale. Even 30 year old kitchen cabs matter. It always matter. To me at least. Just because something is "functional" doesn't mean it doesn't matter for resale. In fact it matters more.

I would agree that cabinet quality is relevant to resale. If I were to tour the house in 10 years, whether or not I like the kitchen is irrelevant if I have to replace it regardless due to wear and tear.

I am curious as to how knowledgable most buyers are regarding the actual quality of cabinets.

I just finished a remodel and I researched quite a bit so that I can understand exactly what differentiated various quality levels and how that impacted cost. However when I discuss my experience with other people they look at me blankly and I would imagine that if the cabinets look "nice" and "updated" they don't think about it further. I guess at this point there are some obvious criteria like soft close hardware but I have even had to explain why drawers are more desirable (and consequently expensive) than lower door cabinets.

I am for quality but that is something for myself but if I ever resold (which I have no plans to do) I doubt that most prospective buyers are going to fully appreciate why my cabinetry is more expensive than the mid grade white or gray Shaker cabinets that most people in my building are using :-)

I wouldn’t think the average buyer would be knowledgeable unless they had reason to be (eg in the business, had gone through a kitchen reno). But sometimes it’s obvious when cabinets need to replaced just by looking at them (doors splintering, paint chipping, failing hinges) and I think investing in quality can increase the longevity of your cabinets, which can be helpful for resale if a buyer doesn’t want to have to replace the cabinets.

@Kirsten - For sure if the cabinets look dilapidated, even the most unsophisticated buyer will realize that. Of course it seems as though slapping a cheap coat of paint on cabinets would be something that could also fool the "average" buyer.

My condo was originally built in 1965 and the cabinets were built on site and are actually solid as a rock but not as optimally functional as they could be. I can tell which people actually gutted the kitchen and installed more functional cabinets and which people just painted or changed doors and didn't go to the expense of changing the boxes so that configuration and layout could be improved.

It's one of the many things I learned in terms of remodeling and why I would be extremely hesitant to buy someone else's remodel as I would suspect that there were many economic shortcuts taken.

@Helen - It never ceases to amaze me the things I never thought about (and that never bothered me!) until I started going through this process. I hope I wouldn’t have been fooled by a can of paint, but thinking back on some past rentals...ignorance was bliss! Now, after going through the kitchen design process, when I walk into a kitchen, I can definitely tell who went for form over function.

"

I am curious as to how knowledgable most buyers are regarding the actual quality of cabinets."

a house is one of the most expensive purchases the average person will make, but its also one area where we are the most ignorant. I understand it , but I dont understand it.

thankfully we have provision for every budget range.

from $1000 for cabinets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9-S3Tcv4S8

to Im sure over $500k for cabinets.

it reminds me of people who spend $5000 on a vacuum cleaner, or $4000 for a subpar set of kitchen knives.

@Kirsten - Ain't that the truth. After going through my gut remodel, I wonder about how any remodel construction would have been done. Did homeowners actually go through the expense of properly building a waterproof shower or did they just put some "pretty" tile on drywall. Were the fixtures they used a high quality brand or were they willing to pay for form as opposed to getting some cheap fixture that looked nice.

Like you I admit that I would have been as naive as other unsuspecting homebuyers prior to my remodel. As Sophie Wheeler was fond of saying - I didn't know what I didn't know :-) although she would actually say you don't know what you don't know :-).

As we have gone through the building process I have learned way more than I ever wanted to. When we originally had 3 builders bid out our home there were HUGE differences in allowances. Windows was a big one- from 17k-70K. I learned more about windows than I ever wanted to know because I needed to understand why there was such a huge price difference. Window choice was based on quality, function, and design. Next we had A/C choices to make. Previous to building this home I had no idea there were different types- single stage, dual stage, and variable. My head hurts with all the information from this stuff.

We are now at cabinets. I thought it would be simply. After getting the bid from the manufacturer our builder suggested I realized I could probably have them custom built (all wood) for not much more. I have been to several manufacturers and they are seem to think HDF for painted doors is the best because it is one piece and will not be prone to cracking down the road like a 5 piece wood door could. Some manufacturers use 1/2 inch boxes and others use 5/8 or 3/4. I have no idea how much of a difference the box size will actually make for our cabinets, but worry the 1/2 inch is cheaping out. Is the plywood box better than an MDF box? These are all questions based on function and each manufacture have different answers.

shandrakg,

knowledge is light. [thumbsup] \m/

Builders are banking on the fact that people aren’t educated. Case in point when we picked out our cabinets we were shown painted maple cabinets . Dove tailed drawers . Etc. Upon our install I discovered staples drawers. I decided to go even further and took my doors off and removed the soft closed hinge so I could see what the doors were made of and guess what? It wasn’t maple. suffice it to say my builder wasn’t counting on my “knowledge”.

I am curious as to how knowledgable most buyers are regarding the actual quality of cabinets.

Not very.

Anyone with answers?

Is HDF better than wood for painted doors and drawers?

How important is the thickness of the boxes?

Are plywood boxes that much better than HDF boxes?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.rtacabinetstore.com/blog/avoid-buying-kitchen-cabinets-online/amp/

"Anyone with answers?"

Search Houzz/Gardenweb for "plywood vs mdf" and other similar terms. I know I've read many, many threads on here about it and I have seen several very scholarly posts regarding the differences (or perceived differences). I know that a long-time poster that is no longer on this site, Sophie Wheeler, has spoken in great detail about it, as have several others (GreenDesigns and livewireoak, etc.)

Here's a good one to start with:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5728220/painted-maple-plywood-cabinets-vs-mdf#n=28

I live in Houston and IKEA would never do in a house in this location and budget. I do understand this budget may be a different type of house in a different location and IKEA may be perfectly fine, but not here. This is not a starter or second home budget in this area.

@Rekha - As posted, location is everything. OP's budget in Los Angeles would barely buy a small fixer upper and IKEA cabinets would be perfectly acceptable. In Houston that amount would purchase a "showcase" and any discerning buyer would expect high end finishes.

@Helen, OP is building in Conroe, TX, very close to where I am, which is why I posted. Agree that in LA, that amount very different. Here, I would expect hhigh end finishes.

I was curious so I looked at houses in Conroe from 800k to 1 million. the cabinet game seems poor. cabinets from a $1 million house in Conroe

I honestly prefer the Ikea cabinets from the $1 million house in LA

Allot of cabinets are made of particleboard.....which is very cheap to build.......and the GC's count on their customers have NO idea because it's hard to tell the difference of real wood after stained or painted!

Rekha-

Maybe you aren't aware of what the higher quality Ikea finishes look like. My neighbor has an architect-designed, 3500 sqft house with many custom features. It's probably at least a $1.5 M place. He is the second owner, and the first thing he did when he moved in was to rip out the 7 year old traditional-style, custom kitchen cabinets and replace them all with sleek Ikea cabinets. It's been about 10 years, and the cabinets are still pristine.

DE - Curious what about the TX cabinets that you do not like. Style? They need hardware for sure. I am not crazy about the look either but they might be amazing cabs. There are several things about that pic that would be out of place in my area in $1M range.

I feel like the LA cabs/layout looks cheap and would be out of place in my neck of the woods.

One thing - where modern style isn't the usual - if you do it, it better be amazing. People do modern style in my area but Ikea isn't it.

@David Cary, IKEA doesn't HAVE to be modern. One can always buy the boxes and have custom doors made for them in any style they like.

Just to give you an example, I had my upcoming kitchen priced using Kraftmaid (a solid mid-level) cabinet and the quote was $26K.

IKEA and IKEA doors will run about $8500. IKEA plus custom doors will run about $14,500. That's still a LOT less expensive than Kraftmaid and that's for a fairly decent size kitchen (18' by 13') with a 10' island.

Random thoughts on cabinetry:

- When you're looking at those huge numbers, remember that we're not talking about JUST the kitchen. It's also bathrooms, laundry room, perhaps some built-ins.

- You say this is to be a 20-year house (and we all know that these things are never set in stone). For a house in this price range to re-sell in 20 years, your cabinets must still be PERFECT, and two decades of use will assure that your cabinets will no longer be perfect. In a house that expensive, the new owner isn't going to write off dings, etc. as "normal wear and tear". Personally, I'd go with middle-of-the-road cabinets and assume I'd have to replace them before resale. If this were a modestly priced house, my advice would be different.

- It's essentially impossible to guess what cabinets "could" or "should" cost. Too many moving pieces: what quality are you choosing? inset or overlay? painted or stained? how many fancy-fancies are you including?

"DE - Curious what about the TX cabinets that you do not like. Style? They need hardware for sure. I am not crazy about the look either but they might be amazing cabs. There are several things about that pic that would be out of place in my area in $1M range. "

I guess its a question of expectations. I was expecting solid hard wood cabinets since they have so many "discerning" buyers. 80% of the houses had the same builder basic white cabinets that I see in $270k spec homes around here.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2684463/cabinet-construction-plywood-box-v-particle-board#13290512

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2679475/painted-mdf-doors-vs-painted-maple#13231307

It can take years to learn enough about cabinets and construction methodology to be able to intelligently specify one. The shortcut is to hire someone who has already spent years educating themselves professionally. Hire a Kitchen Designer, even if it’s just as an expert opinion in how pick your finslist from the many choices. Making a big expensive mistake sure costs 100x more than a consultation fee.

@DE, I dont like the IKEA cabinets you posted at all, and that style will not suit the rest of the house here in tx. @ kudzu, the houses here are mostly traditional, and apart from a few houses within the city, a "sleek" kitchen will be out if place.

Allot of cabinets are made of particleboard.....which is very cheap to build.......and the GC's count on their customers have NO idea because it's hard to tell the difference of real wood after stained or painted!

Robin over and over again you show you don't know what you don't know.

Some of the best cabinets are made from MDF (not particle board) and they're more stable than solid wood.

Rekha A 9a Houston area

"@DE, I dont like the IKEA cabinets you posted at all, and that style will not suit the rest of the house here in tx. @ kudzu, the houses here are mostly traditional, and apart from a few houses within the city, a "sleek" kitchen will be out if place."

You dont have to like those. they have several affordable styles to choose from, including those that would be at home in a "traditional" house

for 62k I would NOT be happy with basic builder cabinets like I see in your area's higher end houses.

heck for that price Id rather build custom, one-of-none cabinets

Painted wood doors chip and separate at the seams with humidity. Flat panel mdf clad in veneer stays pristine. mdf with polyester boxes are commonly used in custom cabinetry instead of plywood here. If you prefer plywood boxes they are an option at about the same cost. Modern cabinets with exotic wood veneers are often seen in newer and remodeled high end kitchens in SoCal especially in open concept situations where the kitchen blends with the living areas. Or stained wood. Also paneled appliances. White painted inset cabs are mostly used when the kitchen is separate. Both wood and mdf can be damaged by water due to a plumbing leak.

First, cabinet costs increase every year by about 3%. So the person who had a really nice kitchen installed 12 years ago will be surprised to learn that to replace that kitchen with exactly the same product will likely cost $17,000 today. But I would bet that kitchen doesn't have a single blind corner turn-out or some other nice features that many homes need today. How high are your ceilings? Big cost driver. Homes with 8 foot ceilings are cheaper to do than 9 foot or 10 foot ceilings. Those are major cost drivers. Paint versus stain adds about 10% to cost--add a glaze and you just added another 15% to the paint. Do you have any unique architectural features you want. Those can add up quickly. How many bathrooms do you have. And laundry rooms and bookcases--they all add up.

I see nothing wrong with IKEA if you want or need cheap and thin. Oh, and made in China. Most IKEA cabinets are made there. Possibly they use child labor or prison labor, who knows.

But best bet is to assume it is 6% to 12% of new home construction, all dependent on the above factors and more. More complex jobs will have a higher percent and less complex jobs will be a lower percent. Track builders regularly do their cabinets at 4% of total job cost, but they are usually very cheaply done, not of plywood, not 3/4" thick and usually underscale for the spaces. Happens often. Those home buyers are my customers 5 to 10 years out as their cabinets discolor and become a bit worn. So dear lady, for your $12000 cabinet job, I would like to put them next to a high quality job and watch your face. There is a difference. But there is nothing wrong with a modest approach from a good cabinetry group--they can make it look like a million dollars and give you a real warranty, unlike the guys doing these things in their garage. You get what you pay for in a very competitive industry and there is no rule of thumb, just a wide range.

In a decent house, I don’t think 500-600k on cabinets and millwork is out of line. IKEA is a great product for a dorm room.

@Bruce Roth, at least a half $MILLION on cabinetry seems, umm, excessive for most.

Put your flame suit on, bro.