Special Pricing:
Barker - Currently shows a "sale price" in red on their site of about 50% off. I'm pretty sure that's been there every time I've looked at their website in the last 3-4 years, though.
Semihandmade - Currently offering a 20% discount for DIY/SSS door fronts, valid until March 16, 2018.
Scherr's - Currently offering a 10% discount for unfinished products, valid through March 30, 2018.
Material:
Barker - Alder frame with MDF panel.
Semihandmade - Maple frame with MDF panel.
Scherr's - Poplar frame with MDF panel.
Lead time estimates:
Barker - About 4 weeks, with 2 day shipping to my area.
Semihandmade - 3-4 weeks, with estimated 3-5 days shipping.
Scherr's - 26 days, unsure on shipping time.
Website:
Barker - You enter your door sizes/materials, and it adds them to the cart for an instant price quote. This was great, as I didn't have to wait to hear back from someone. I could also instantly compare pricing between options, like upgrading to a different material. Website was a little clunky, though... it didn't work correctly in Chrome or Safari, but finally did in Firefox. Questions submitted via their website were answered via email within an hour or two, making them the most responsive.
Semihandmade - Definitely the most visually appealing and current site. They do a great job showcasing the finished kitchens. Also the easiest to navigate and get a quote: you upload your IKEA plan, choose your system and desired materials, and they take it from there. If you have modifications (as I did) there's a window to enter those, but for a standard IKEA kitchen, it's a breeze. I received communication via email the next day, and my quote the day after that.
Scherr's - You enter the door sizes/materials, and submit that to them. I was contacted for clarification the next day, and received my quote later that afternoon.
Drilling for hinges/boring:
Barker - Ranges in price from $3 (standard) to $30 (for custom hinges) depending on placement. This is a per door/drawer charge, not per hinge. Default placement is for (I believe) their RTA cabinets, and does not correspond with IKEA cabinetry.
Semihandmade - Automatically included in the price, and correctly placed for IKEA cabinets.
Scherr's - $2 per hinge for doors, $4 per drawer, plus a $15 setup fee, and correctly placed for IKEA cabinets.
Additional fees:
Barker - None that I could find.
Semihandmade - There's a spot on my quote form for a credit card processing fee, so I'm assuming that would be added when I ordered and if I paid with a card. Unsure on amount.
Scherr's - It's not disclosed anywhere on the site or in the quote, but they informed me they do charge an additional 5-10% IKEA design fee. They also have a boxing charge, which was $169.70 on my quote.
Payment schedule:
Barker - 100% within 24-48 hours of ordering
Semihandmade - 75% deposit, remainder due at shipping.
Scherr's - 50% deposit, remainder due at shipping (orders under $500 will be charged the entire amount at shipping.)
And here are some comparison prices on random pieces.
36x15 drawer front:
Barker - $44.95
Semihandmade - $109
Scherr's - $147.61
30x40 door:
Barker - $29.95
Semihandmade - $125
Scherr's - $103.95
30x13 3/8 drawer front:
Barker - $29.95
Semihandmade - $91
Scherr's - $116.15
Final overall thoughts:
Barker - This is who we ultimately went with. We elected to upgrade to solid maple frame and center panels (no MDF), and added 6 more pieces for a planned mudroom renovation. Those bumped us up into the free shipping category, and our total was around $1900. I would definitely not recommend it to someone who is a novice with IKEA cabinets, or DIYing in general. You have to know the exact sizes of what you need, instead of just nominal. We very carefully triple checked everything to make sure it was all correct. We also had absolutely no personal contact with them, so it can be daunting if you're not confident in what you need.
Semihandmade - This would totally be my recommendation for someone who's looking for the easiest option. They literally do all the work for you, which is fantastic if you're not TKO like most of us here are. They also have some really stunning options, like reclaimed wood or grain-matched. An absolutely high-end, luxury look is easily obtainable here.
Scherr's - Sort of a middle ground between the previous two... a bit more work than Semihandmade, but definitely less work than Barker. They also have a lot more options for customization, like edge profiles, decorative pegs, etc, you're basically limited only by your imagination. In just their "shaker" category alone, they have 13 options, including my favorite of all, the step shaker (#440). Their drawer prices are significantly more than their doors, though, so if you have a kitchen with mainly drawers, the price will be much closer to Semihandmade than to Barker.
ETA: I'd like to mention that all three of these companies have very favorable reputations here on Houzz, which is why they were the ones I researched for this. I'm confident that all would provide quality products and good service.
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cabinet measurements
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