[cdworkin]

We are about to undertake a big remodel of our house. We are gutting our original 1920s kitchen and converting the space downstairs into a master suite and laundry/den area plus adding a staircase to connect the 2 levels. Big project.

I have been sold on Ikea kitchens for a while, I love the traditional raised panel look of the Lidi cabinets in white and I plan to pimp them out with feet, turned legs, corbels and big crown molding.

We are at the stage where we are talking to contractors and getting bids. Ideally I would want the contractor to do it all... but we only have so much money. The contractor we will probably use hasn't ever done Ikea and every time I talk to him he is trying to get me to do a different cabinet... so we told him take the build/install of all cabinets out of his bid and we would get a separate bid for that from an experienced installer.

I've watched the video. I've read some of the install stories. We have 22 cabinets. Is this something that I want to consider doing myself? I am not very handy, although I can put stuff together. But what about the time involved, how long would 22 cabinets take me to put together? And then even if I can build them, the putting them on the wall bit terrifies me. My husband and I are notorious for not getting things level.

And if I DO choose to hire an installer for the Ikea bit shouldn't I just spend the bit of extra money on pricier cabinets that are already built?

Any input or advice is appreciated.

Carrie

[kelly]

Carrie- welcome to IKEAFANS!!

Here's the scoop on my kitchen. I got a bid for Poggenpohl cabinets. They have the same internal hardware (drawer boxes are Blum tandem box...hinges: Blum...soft close doors and drawers, Blumotion). They are frameless, so they can't be solid wood. The only difference is the cabinet DOOR(in some instances) and BOX. It's made of particle board at IKEA. Which is actually both green and quite sturdy.

What I found is that you can't upgrade significantly without paying 10x the price of the IKEA. The flat pak is why the IKEA cabinets are so inexpensive- and they are NOT hard to put together. Go to Home Depot and look at their "best" cabinets. Then go to IKEA. Educate yourself on Blum hardware. They are used by anyone who even pretends to make high-end kitchens.

I bought all my dream appliances (Wolf, SubZero), got the precise look I wanted, and I estimate I got it all for well less than HALF what I would have paid with the Poggenpohl. Frankly, I didn't see the sense of spending that much, and immediately saw the gaps with the HD cabinet lines.

You are not nuts. You are asking great questions!!

[Tigratrus]

You are *totally* not nuts for considering DIY. IKEA cabs are very VERY DIY friendly, and with the suspension rail, getting the upper cabinets up and level is infinitely easier than you are probably dreading that it is.

If your contractor is trying to get you to use another brand that's a potential bad sign. Many contractors will become amazed and totally become IKEA kitchen converts, but there's also a large number that are *very* set in their ways... If they try to install the IKEA Cabs like Kraftmaid etc, it'll be a BAD scene. We've seen that happen before, and there have been some painful results.

If the funds are tight, my personal pref (but that's just me) would be to have the contractor do the stairs etc and just DIY the kitchen cabs yourself. It's totally doable... And unlike a certain advertising campaign we really *can* help

James

[Tigratrus]

If you *do* decide to go with an installer, I *think* WD40 does installs in your area? I'm pretty sure he's said he covers the whole bay area...

James

[Emmie9999]

My GC did my cabinets, and he was impressed with how fast they went together. They hung and installed like a dream, and they were all done so quickly I felt like it was a blink between drywall and installed cabinets. If your GC is at all reluctant, have him watch the DVD about assembly and installation. It made a convert out of my guy very quickly.

If you try it yourself, I think you could do a great job! A laser level could be a big help at that point. As far as installers go, you would probably STILL save money over going with pre-assembled cabinets. I paid $4,000 for my cabinets, and probably $2,000 total for the labor to install once the math was done; cabinets from Home Debit () were going to cost a minimum of $10,000.

wd40 is an installer, and there are more of them listed in our installers' directory. Installer Directory - IKEAFANS Giving them a call for estimates cannot hurt!

[jlab]

We put our cabinets together over three days (we had 28). I work about 55-60 hours a week, so we did it after work and on my day off. Easy-as-pie to put together, just be methodical and don't get in a rush. We've been doing everything ourselves to keep the budget under control. The only thing I really will not do again is mudding drywall, which is harder than it looks, IMHO.

[Essiesmom]

We did a mix. I put together all the cabinets, drilled the holes for the drawers but had the contractor install it all. This cut down on our cost and helped me not feel so overwhelmed by the possibility I would screw up. I am soooo NOT a detail person.

Allison

[DesignDiva]

I'm a 45 year old somewhat out of shape but fairly handy mom. I installed my cabinets ENTIRELY by myself, during the day, while DH was working. That includes building, hanging the suspension rail, hanging the wall cabinets, setting and leveling the base cabinets and securing the cabinets together and putting on the toekick. The only thing I needed help with was lifting the deep overfridge cabinet, since it was cavernous and my arms just aren't long enough LOL I even managed to install the high pantry cabinet by myself.

If I can do it, you can do it. Just take your time, KNOW that you can do it, and ask here if you're not sure about anything.

I agree that if your installer is balking at IKEA, it's better for him not to touch them. They do install entirely differently than traditional cabinets and cannot be installed any old way. If it's done the way it supposed to be done, it's a superior method to traditional install.

BTW...with (some of) the money we saved on the kitchen, we all went on a cruise after we finished. Now that's what I call a real bargain!

	DH definition DH usually means Dear Husband (or, pick your own adjective starting with D).

[cdworkin]

THANKS GUYS! I really appreciate your input.

Every time I think about doing this and how nuts I am, I keep coming back to thinking I am not nuts and I should do it.

I proposed building the cabinets to my husband and he was like, 'what, we build them at night while watching Dancing with the Stars?' And honestly, that is probably what we will end up doing!

So let's say by some miracle I can put these things together and get them up on the wall where they are supposed to be. What about the filler bits and the stuff I want to attach to the cabinets to make them pretty? In total we are talking 6 'feet' a couple of turned legs and big crown molding. I am pretty detail oriented, but power tools are not my gig. DH is NOT detail oriented and we already learned a long long time ago that if it is anything that needs to look at all pretty, I am the one in charge. He is better at the back room sutff. Maybe I could talk my contractor into this, although he has already said 'I don't know if adding all that stuff is possible with Ikea cabs'

Carrie

	DH definition DH usually means Dear Husband (or, pick your own adjective starting with D).

[kisaacs]

Putting them together while watching TV is a perfectly acceptable plan!

As for the "extras", I would have a contractor do that if possible. That stuff is finish work and can be pretty tricky if you're not used to it. If he's ever installed it on any frameless cabinet before, he'll be able to do it on IKEA cabs. Once they're installed, they're actually pretty similar.

Kristen