While we were researching kitchen contractors and cabinet makers, we talked to and got prices from probably 10-12 different cabinet manufacturers. It seemed like every contractor had their own cabinet makers that they preferred. It was a very tedious process, but we felt like with scale of this project we needed to really do our due diligence and look at several different options.
In the end, we came back to one of the first ones we looked at - Ikea. This posed a little issue with a few of the contractors that we liked - they had either never done an Ikea kitchen, or wouldn't. Luckily one of the contractors we liked the best was fine with Ikea, so all was a go. We waited until their semi-annual 20% off kitchen sale to begin, and went to order our kitchen!
Luckily, we had measured and arranged, moved, removed, and rearranged so when we arrived that Saturday morning to purchase, we were completely ready to go. Another couple sitting across from us had just started this process, and were completely overwhelmed. I am so glad we went in with our order basically ready to go, thanks to their online planning tool.
We also got 20% off any accessories, like drawer dividers, liners, etc.
Once everything was in the system, they said it could be delivered the next day for $85! No questions asked, great decision. There were 236 pieces in our order, and it arrived by noon the next day.
The hardest part was organizing and sorting everything. You order every single thing individually - from doors to hinges. It took us about 3 hours just to inventory and sort everything. They got everything on the truck but one small piece - not bad!
We organized everything by cabinet, sorting and labeling all of the boxes.
Cady was not impressed by our organization because it made watching TV somewhat uncomfortable.
And then the assembly process began. Honestly, it wasn't nearly as tedious as we had expected. The little electric screwdriver that you see M using was a life saver.
We had quite a system - he put the box together and I nailed the back on. Starting on a Sunday evening, we did a few each night and had them all done within a week.
They were everywhere!
With Ikea, we saved roughly $13,000 compared to our second choice of cabinets. They may not be for everyone, but for us, the extra effort was well worth the difference in cost.
For the island, we went with a different company because we wanted to be able to paint it. More on that later...
I will also say that our second choice was Brighton at Cabinet Discounters. We worked with Katie, and if you're in the market - she was great.
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