Bulthaup

Depends on the kind of property you're putting the Bulthaup in. As for modern kitchens - people have done some fabulous modern kitchens by "customizing" Ikea cabs.

Scott,

Worth it depends on a persons budget. If budget is not a concern then it is worth it. If it is there are other options. As NYC10023 said Ikea kitchens are on option. Most people think of Ikea as a four letter word but I do find more and more designers are using them along with some custom cabinets to make beautiful kitchens.

"Most people think of Ikea as a four letter word"

fascinating. what do most people think of pretentious contractors? guess that, too, depends on their budget.

I was amazed to learn recently that Ikea cabinets have been highly rated by Consumer Reports. If you don't like the Ikea door styles, you can order the carcases and have Scherr's make doors for the Ikea cabinets. Scherrs.com

Scherr's is a "made in USA" custom cabinet manufacturer that also offers a custom RTA line of frameless cabinets. You can work directly with Ikea and/or Scherr's and preserve the discounts -- Scherr's and Conestoga are where quite a few kitchen design shops actually get their cabinets that they then resell to you at a higher price. You can find an old "Fine Homebuilding" article online that's about Scherr's and Conestoga. My daughter bought RTA kitchen cabinets directly from Scherr's last year. I was impressed by the quality, the looks and how easy and quick it was to put them together. She assembled them with her husband, then they hired someone to install them.

As far as Bulthaup being "worth it" -- well, it depends on where you're putting in the kitchen, how long you intend to be there, who you might sell it to and what's important to you. If you were selling that Bulthaup kitchen to me, for example, it wouldn't be worth the extra expense because I don't care about brand names. There are many other potential buyers for whom it might be a big selling point. It seems to me, though, that there's a break-even point in years beyond which it doesn't matter what brand cabinets you've bought -- if they're a certain age, the buyer is very likely going to put in new ones anyway.

Lucillemiss,

I don't think pretentious has anything to do with budget. Were you referring to one thing I said in my post? Did you read the whole post? I have suggested to some of my clients that they can use Ikea and they were appalled, one saying it was a four letter word. I happen to disagree, I happen to like Ikea cabinets.

i've lived with ikea cabinets for 3 years and the boxes as well as doors are subpar. the worst is that you need to adjust the door alignment every few months if you are actually using the kitchen and not just looking at it.

i had a minor leak under the sink and the bottom of the cabinet bulged. i've had leaks that are much worse in other places and nothing happened. they don't use plywood, they go with particle board. crap. the doors started displaying lines on the seams where the wood pieces met.

Ab: that's good to know. Some of the interior design sites I've been looking at suggest buying Tidaholm(?) which is oak, and then painting the doors or getting the Scherr doors.

If you understand the properties of the products Ikea use in their cabinets you can do things like caulk the joints with silicone to head off potential swelling, and provide additional support where possible. I think its important to keep in mind that all components can be easily and cheaply replaced if damage does occur.

Doors, drawers, yes, easily replaceable. But how do you replace the boxes which have the countertop mounted on, etc. Not so easy.

ab_11218, as discussed before, I (and quite a few people I know) have had Ikea cabinets for more than three years, with no problems, no hinge adjustments, no silicone caulking (unless my installer did so when I wasn't looking) etc.

I think perhaps you've answered this question before, but isn't it likely that your installer/contractor was subpar, hence the undersink leak, and hence also the improper cabinet/hinge assembly?

Ab,

I never find anything wrong with the boxes at all. if you have water dripping on them... same goes for most cabinets. Many hi end cabinets use particle board as well, I was very surprised but they do. Ikea is not for everyone but for the price they are very much worth it

i was not the only one who had to adjust the doors. one of my friends, first time home owner, thinks that it's suppose to be that way and would buy Ikea again. her friends also experience the same issues and will never buy again.

as for the leak. i changed counters and when testing the new drain line, there was a little water. that wonderful melamine they use has a small spec missing, because of that it bubbled.

i previously had a custom formica kitchen made and installed for a little more and wanted to save a few bucks on the new reno. had a much bigger leak there under the sink, because the dishwasher hose got loose somehow. they also used particle board, but a much thicker layer of melamine. that box did not bubble or show an signs of "distress". the Ikea box would've had to have been replaced.

the biggest issue is the almost invisible layer of melamine that scratches easily. once you have a scratch under the sink, you need to put a piece of formica to cover it or it will bubble.

henrybuilt is an option... it wouldn't be too much cheaper, but still quality.

Another option, for a more contemporary look than Scherr's, is Semihandmade - they make custom doors, panels and drawer faces for IKEA kitchens. Sequenced veneers, laminates, even reclaimed stuff!

http://ahandmadehome.com/semi-handmade/