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Swingman
 
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"Todd Fatheree" wrote in message
We're sometime this year going to embark on a major addition to our home.
Part of that will include a completely new kitchen. For other items I've
built, mainly furniture, I've never looked at it as much as saving money
(which I'm sure I haven't) as I have at getting something exactly like I
want and the satisfaction of building something myself. However, I have
this sneaking suspicion that there's a lot of markup in kitchen cabinets

and
that perhaps there is not only the opportunity to make something the way I
want, but also to save some bucks. So, I'm wondering if anyone who has
built kitchen cabinets ever broke down the cost to buy vs. the cost to

make
(assuming, of course, that your own time has no value ;-). SWMBO isn't
exactly on board with my little project, but if I can same some money on
cabinets, I might be able to trade her for a fancy schmancy fridge. I've
built cabinets for the shop in exactly the same way I would build base and
upper kitchen cabinets, so I'm confident I could make them.


Absolutely worth it, IMO ... and it's not so much the "markup", but the
customized _quality_ you can impart to the boxes that you simply can't
easily find at any price these days. Even if you sub out the doors and
drawer fronts, you will unquestionably come out ahead with custom,
built-for-your-space, boxes.

Building roughly a house a year (in the $700K range) the past few years, as
of a couple of years ago I started doing the kitchens myself as well (AAMOF,
I am working on one as we speak), and wouldn't take the time out of a very
busy schedule to do it without good reason. I can unequivocally, hands down
beat the subs in this area with regard to their workmanship, and in the
process stick an extra $5 - $15K in my pocket for a few weeks work (even
with subbing out the doors and drawer fronts to a local custom door company,
or as I did on my house, supplying them with the materials and have them use
their shapers to mill the door and drawer fronts parts for my assembly).

Give it serious consideration ... if you have a copy of CutList Plust and
can open .dwg files, I'll be glad to send you the files on the current
kitchen I am working on at the moment so that you can see for yourself what
is involved.

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Last update: 11/06/04