Do your estimates include installation? If so, how qualified are the installers?

@AnnKH No, none of the estimates include installation. As for the qualifiations of the installers all I can say is that 3 of them are A rated as superstars on Angie's List and 2 of them are rated as Best of HOUZZ for multiple years, including 2020. I have no other knowledge of their qualifications. Even a terrible review from a woman I spoke with said the quality of the work was excellent, she was just upset at the length of time her bathroom remodels took. The low estimate on the Waypoint cabinets is from an A-rated Angie's list contractor with over 125 reviews.

Trust no online reviews. Verify your self. Is the Amish guy finishing the cabinets as well (seems to be too cheap if he is)? From my perspective the Waypoint, TruCabinet & unspecified are automatically out. How many cabinets are we talking about? But realistically they all seem too cheap for a decent cabinet.

@millworkman So you think that J&K and Merillat are better brands than the others? They are priced comparably. The Amish estimate includes painting with Sherwin-Williams (any color) but I think that a factory finish will be better than a painted finish but the painted finish will certainly help me coordinate other furniture items I'll be adding to the dining area. As you can see from the picture there isn't much to customize in this kitchen; it's pretty basic The pantry has interior rollout shelves which is my only bell-and-whistle. For comparison purposes I asked all of them to estimate on white shaker fronts.

For comparison at least, you can figure out how much Ikea would cost. Blum hardware, with pullouts, etc. Use the planner.

If it were me, I wouldn't ask for a quote specifying some generic like "with the good hardware". I would want to know WHAT brand of hardware, and so many more details about cabinet construction and layout. To me, you don't even have a decent comparison.

And, with a small kitchen, a few upgrades aren't going to be THAT much more expensive. Hardware is big deal.

As Mrs.S says, look at IKEA. The frameless construction will give you more storage space with superior metal Blum drawer boxes.

A framed construction 15” pantry with pull outs will lose multiple inches in storage width.

Use all drawers for base cabinets.

What do you mean by hardware? The part the cabinet manufacturer is responsible for is just the hinge or drawer slide. You pick the pulls separately and the installer or someone else puts them on the cabinets, so that's not part of the quote. Did you want something different (better) than a standard, adjustable soft close slide or hinge? Soft close is not that expensive.

I'd want the all cabinets to go to the ceiling, if you have standard 8 or 9 foot ceilings. More storage in a small space and no dusty tops to clean.

@crcollins1_gw When I mentioned hardware I meant the hinges and drawer slides. I know that there is a big difference between good drawer slides and cheap ones. Cheap hinges will sag and cheap drawer slides won't hold the weight they will fail over time. Almost everything is soft close these days but that doesn't mean it's good hardware. I consider the drawer pulls to be a separate item.

@juneknow Yes, I know I'm working at a disadvantage since I've been unable to actually see what this condo looks like due to the pandemic. I purchased it because of location, price, and size. I did provide all of them with my picture of what I wanted to be priced out realizing that we could actually work on details after I'd made a selection of a contractor on who best listened to me (one didn't listen at all) and who had best understanding of the total scope of job All their estimates are within range on all other items - electrical, plumbing, construction, lighting, flooring, etc. The big discrepancies are in the cabinets. I've done kitchen remodels before, one quite recently, and know cabinets are a big ticket item and that the price doesn't actually have a very good relationship to the quality. I think that having a good relationship with the contractor and having them understand your needs is very important. If the contractor wants you to just "trust me, I' know what I'm doing" usually they do not. If you have suggestions on what I should be asking now I'd appreciate your input? Or should I just throw up my hands in despair?

The idea of bidding gives me the time-wasting heebie-jeebies. I sell my jobs and never bid. There are going to be 5 losers on this job and I'm thrilled I'm not going to be one of them.

I am confused as to why contractors are giving you cabinet pricing. Why not take your design to cabinet stores that carry lines you like for quotes, then hire whichever contractor you like to install them?

@Joseph Corlett, LLC I'm interested in knowing how you think I should approach getting estimates on construction work. Also note that these cabinet prices were not all from different contractors; the three contractors gave me multiple cabinet estimates for the same job. When you say you "sell my jobs" I'm not certain what you mean. I thought all contractors tried to sell their work - on price, on quality, on timeliness - and that the final purchase by the consumer took all of that into consideration. And how do I know approximately the cost of a job if I don't get multiple estimates? With each interaction I've had with a contractor I've learned something and have refined my understanding of what the job will entail. If this is the wrong approach I'd like to learn what to do for my next construction effort.

Joe has a very particular set of specialized skills and doesn't have any competition that can do what he does, so he has the luxury of deciding which jobs to take and which to pass because they seem like they'll be too much trouble. In my experience, this is not normal for most trades in normal times. Unfortunately, these ain't normal times. Everybody and their uncle are getting on the remodel bandwagon and good help is nearly impossible to find. We're doing a remodel and the tile company my contractor works with came back with our bid - DOUBLE what he expected it would be. This is an experienced person - it's just that the demand is so great that good trades can jack up their prices and still get hired. I am not mad, it's capitalism at work.

I agree with your approach as a starting point, and we've done multiple remodels. You have to start somewhere and you're not just gonna hire the first person you talk to.

Adding to the above -- I think there may be some issue with the term "bidding contractors." I assume you're not really putting out an RFP with specifications and taking "bids" with the intention of going with the lowest bidder. Again, in my experience, hiring a contractor is an iterative process and more of an interview than an RFP. Who gets your vision, who seems like they'll be easiest to work with, who has ideas you haven't thought of, etc. I get it. Semantics.

I agree that you need to get bids from more than one contractor, I just don't think you can get an accurate comparison of costs unless you separate the cabinets themselves from the contractor's labor. Telling the contractor you want "better than bottom of the line" and "good hardware" is pretty meaningless, as are the numbers they have given you when you don't know the actual specs of the cabinets in the quotes. You need an apples to apples comparison (i.e., all of the cabinets quoted have the same thickness plywood boxes, the same glides, the same level/quality of finish, the same drawer construction, etc. - or if they don't, you need to know how they differ and which line offers the higher-quality option). Have you researched cabinet lines to find out which lines offer construction and hardware that are acceptable to you?

@crcollins1_gw Good point - bad language on my part. I've done multiple remodels - kitchens, baths, whole house construction - and really think that getting along with the contractor is the key to being happy. I know that whatever is promised it will take longer and cost more so I take that into consideration. For kitchen remodels I find that the cabinet pricing is similar to buying a car. Since many of the manufacturers only sell "to the trade" you don't know the actual cost and can't evaluate the reseller markup, and the quality of cabinets seems to be in the eye of the beholder with people having very strong opinions.

@biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley) I've tried to research the cabinet lines which are offered by the different contractors but since most of them only sell "to the trade" there is often not a lot of actual information available. If you have any good resources for info I'd appreciate it.

We had a contractor for our whole house remodel but we bought the cabinets on our own. We came up with our own layout and he got us a price from "his guy" and we went from there. We got 8 quotes from online companies, local/custom, big box stores, IKEA, etc. Kraftmaid from Lowes won for us.

@Jaykaym Most cabinet manufacturers (at least those I have been researching in my own remodel preparations) have details about their construction, hardware, finish process, etc. on their websites. If that information is not available on their website, I would take that as a sign that they don't list it because it is nothing to be proud of ;). I just checked two of your potential cabinet companies and I couldn't find anything about construction or materials on J&K's website, whereas Merillat plainly lays out the construction details for at least two of their lines: https://www.merillat.com/construction-details/

You can also visit cabinet retailers that carry the various lines you are considering to check out their finishes and construction in person. The salespeople should be able to give you details about the various lines (and levels with each line) that they carry. If you have a drawing that shows the basics of what you want, it shouldn't be too difficult to get quotes on that layout from cabinet retailers (quotes which will include all of the construction details of what is being quoted so you know what you're getting). Certainly prices will vary from retailer to retailer, but you should be able to get a reasonable idea of the cost of various lines/finishes so you can make an informed decision about what quality'level/finish you are willing to pay for.