Custom Kitchen Cabinets & Counters - Advice?

[onceaday]

I am planning on a major home renovation and have been looking at the costs for semi-custom or custom kitchen cabinets. I can't believe the high pricing, I'm looking at quotes approaching $45K for cabinets/granite counters, including the island. And no I'm not wanting imported or exotic woods/granite, just an excellent quality transitional/contemporary kitchen. The size of the space is average, nothing grandiose.

My question is does anyone know a supplier in the area who does good work but not at the astronomical prices that seem to be the norm?

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Butler1000]

I've been looking at a few quotes.

If you are looking at custom you are going to pay. Especially for quality. As well right now with the amount of work out there it's a contractors market for quality guys.

Make sure you do due diligence on the contractor.

But depending on the square footage remember they have to pay for plumbers, electricians, drywallers, materials(i did a cedar deck and it cost).

The other option is to get a kit style from a place like Ikea. Might come in cheaper but if you are thinking home value it won't last more than about 15 years before it gets a bit dated.

 

[oakvilleguy]

I am planning on a major home renovation and have been looking at the costs for semi-custom or custom kitchen cabinets. I can't believe the high pricing, I'm looking at quotes approaching $45K for cabinets/granite counters, including the island. And no I'm not wanting imported or exotic woods/granite, just an excellent quality transitional/contemporary kitchen. The size of the space is average, nothing grandiose.

My question is does anyone know a supplier in the area who does good work but not at the astronomical prices that seem to be the norm?

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!

When I was looking to redo my counters, sink and back splash, I had looked at various granite/marble/man made quartz/silestone suppliers. Some of them would only install the stone and not do the backsplash, and I would have to measure and have a plumber come out and do the faucet but would have to provide them with location and sizing of the holes to be cut into the stone. I'm not that handy where I wanted to be the general contractor and risk getting the measurements wrong and ruin the counters.

My last stop, I ended up finding this place http://www.ridgewaydesigncentre.ca/ at the border of Mississauga/Oakville.

They sell the materials as well as they will project manage the removal and installation of the countertops and works with their own staff to do the backsplash and had a plumber who they work with to do the faucet and dishwasher hookup. They are small and do not deal with a ton of different suppliers, but they had what I wanted (Cambria countertop, Blanco sink, Grohe faucet). I was able to get them to price match everything other suppliers had quoted me. (Their original price for the Cambria counters came in about 10% cheaper than the most expensive place and 10% higher than the least expensive). I did run into an issue with the backsplash and they had to come back and redo some of it at their cost.

Was it the cheapest? I don't know. It cost me $1,300 for the installation of the back splash, hook up of the faucet and dishwasher and removal of the old countertop. I figure they made about $800 to project manage the job on top of what they made on the materials and paid to the plumber and back splash installers.

You can pm me if you have any other questions.

 

[Perry Mason]

One place I looked at was Home Depot, using their contractors to install, too.

Was quite cheaper. Quality seemed very good, too.

I wound up fixing and painting what I had... but that is a whole other story!

Perry

 

[Promo]

When I was looking to redo my counters, sink and back splash, I had looked at various granite/marble/man made quartz/silestone suppliers. Some of them would only install the stone and not do the backsplash, and I would have to measure and have a plumber come out and do the faucet but would have to provide them with location and sizing of the holes to be cut into the stone. I'm not that handy where I wanted to be the general contractor and risk getting the measurements wrong and ruin the counters.

My last stop, I ended up finding this place http://www.ridgewaydesigncentre.ca/ at the border of Mississauga/Oakville.
...............

Was it the cheapest? I don't know. It cost me $1,300 for the installation of the back splash, hook up of the faucet and dishwasher and removal of the old countertop. I figure they made about $800 to project manage the job on top of what they made on the materials and paid to the plumber and back splash installers.

You can pm me if you have any other questions.

Good info, thanks.

I've used a place called Peel Tile which is just up the street from your place for a bathroom reno. There pricing is mid/upper pack and the quality of work was 9:10. http://www.peeltile.com/

 

[bigshot]

One place I looked at was Home Depot, using their contractors to install, too.

Was quite cheaper. Quality seemed very good, too.

I wound up fixing and painting what I had... but that is a whole other story!

Perry

When I renovated with a custom kitchen, I did make a trip to Home Depot. I couldn't believe the price that they had quoted me. It was as much or much than what I paid for my high quality cabinets. I also know someone who had a H.D. kitchen job, and they had several issues that they were not happy with. The guy from H.D. comes out and immediately offers them a partial refund, which was just enough to make them take the cash and not insist on getting the issues fixed. Their take on this was that the Depot likely builds this into their price, and rather than go through the expense of correcting issues, it's easier to just rebate some of the cost to the consumer.

 

[Baggy]

My advice is Do not cheap out - you will regret it in the long run. You get what you pay for.

I am planning on a major home renovation and have been looking at the costs for semi-custom or custom kitchen cabinets. I can't believe the high pricing, I'm looking at quotes approaching $45K for cabinets/granite counters, including the island. And no I'm not wanting imported or exotic woods/granite, just an excellent quality transitional/contemporary kitchen. The size of the space is average, nothing grandiose.

My question is does anyone know a supplier in the area who does good work but not at the astronomical prices that seem to be the norm?

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!

 

[fuji]

As someone who hates Ikea furniture, seriously take a look at Ikea cabinets. They are higher quality than what Home Depot has and far cheaper. Google for many reviews on home renovation sites and see for yourself.

Just the cabinets.

Get the counter top, fixtures, sink, backsplash, etc., from somewhere else. There are many good places that specialize in granite or other countertops in Toronto. Buy the sink from the same place as the countertop so that if they fuck up cutting the holes it's their problem and not yours.

 

[drstrangelove]

Another option is to visit a retailer that sells Kraftmade cabinets. They are very high quality, better than the build-it yourself boxes from H.D., and probably cheaper than customer cabinets.

 

[nottyboi]

Get Ikea cabinets and pick your own sink and granite countertops fixtures and handles if you want. Nothing is a better deal then this and you can achieve a very custom look. The hardware in the Ikea cabs is top notch and the drawers are stamped steel which makes them super durable and dimensionally stable at different temps and humidity. About 1/3 the price of home depot.

 

[onceaday]

Thanks for the advice folks.

 

[Theonly1]

Hey I'm a local contractor to Durham region p.m. me and I'll give you a contact for a custom kitchen fabricator and also granite fabricator and installer it's taken me years to find people that I was able to count on with quality and timing and most of all their pricing is amazing. I use these guys religiously for every job I do.

I'm also going to agree with a couple comments made on the thread and that is the IKEA kitchens the carry a lifetime warranty and by far some of the best quality cabinets on the market at that price level. I probably installed about 20 IKEA kitchens and have nothing but good things to say about them. I've never had anybody call and complain to me over the last 10 years

Cheers

 

[james t kirk]

Ikea?

LOL.

If you want quality, you need to pay for it.

First off, there is the distinction between a custom kitchen and a not custom kitchen.

Simply put, a custom kitchen will fit like a glove. It's made to fit YOUR kitchen and everything will be exactly so. A not custom kitchen is one that is put together using standard sized cabinets that screw together to pretty much do the job, but anyone with an eye can spot them a mile away. Uppers and lowers are picked from a catalogue to fit as best as possible and they screw up together as best as can be expected and that's it.

A custom kitchen, a person designs your kitchen cabinetry like an architect. Details can be varied and everything fits tight.

Custom kitchens cost more.

Then you get into style.

Simply put, an old school framed cabinet costs way more than any junkie "European style" cabinet. Frames, exposed hardware cost WAY more than European where essentially you have a box with a door on the front and you only see the door. You don't see the hinges and there is certainly no frame.

I personally like framed construction. But unfortunately, it is expensive.

Next there is materials.

You can opt for MDF or even high quality MDF, but it's all kind of junky. If you want a higher performing material, you need to pay for it. I prefer 3/4 plywood with good 1 side finish. Plywood is vastly superior to MDF, but of course, it costs more.

Then you get into details. God is in the details. If you want dove tail joits, mitred corners, mill work and higher quality finishes, hidden receptacles, scroll work, etc. etc. It all costs.

So, bottom line if you want a really nice kitchen you go here:

Bloomsbury.

There is no substitute. They have an outstanding shop and they don't make kitchen cabinets, they make kitchen furniture. It's all custom designed, made from the best materials and made to suit. They design, they fabricate, they install. They are simply the best in the GTA.

Expect to pay $1,300.00 to $1,500.00 per linear foot on average for uppers and lowers depending on ceiling height and other variables. That's designed, fabricated, and installed and all hardware. Not including granite.

But it's worth it if you have the dough.

 

[james t kirk]

As far as granite counters go, the best place I've found (and I've seen quite a few) is Custom Granite in Stoney Creek.

Bar none, the best out there.

You go to their warehouse armed with your plans.

They calculate your quantities right of the bat and give you a piece of paper with quotes for the various "groups" of stone they have.

You then pick your slab from their massive warehouse and pay a deposit. Some absolutely amazing stones in that place.

Next, a guy will come to your house and measure everything with a sort of mini total station. He will draw your counters right there and then in your kitchen in autoCAD and go over it with you on his laptop. He has to make various decisions as to how it will fit and you need to agree. You sign the screen, he emails their shop and you're in line.

A few weeks later, their crew comes and installs your countertops and everything should fit like a glove.

What I love about Custom Granite is that they have the huge inventory, they fabricate, they install. No middlemen. In addition, they use full thickness (i.e. 1.25" thick slabs, not some bullshit 3/4 inch slab with built up edges. Also, they do the really large slabs. I.e. no joints. They can do an L for a corner with no joints. That is a really nice detail.

You will be impressed.

 

[drstrangelove]

There are lots of options available. You can get good or great quality prefab cabinets from a number of companies, the more you pay, the better the quality. While prefabs may not EXACTLTY fit your kitchen, the various sizes available will be close enough to save the extra cost of customer cabinets. A good installer can cut filler pieces that will virtually disappear in the overall kitchen.

You can get the supplier (Home Depot, Lowes, etc) do the installation or get your own contractor. I had one installer years ago, he was paid by the supplier who guaranteed his work for which I paid $1,200. He installed the next one for $35 per hour, no guarantee; wasn't needed, I saved hundreds of dollars.