Cabinet Time!

We finally did it. We ordered cabinets. Let's all pause for a moment of silence as this was a major decision that deserves quiet reflection.

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WAHOO WE ORDERED CABINETS!!!

So for those of you who don't live near us and haven't heard our cabinet discussions that have been ongoing since last summer, you may not be able to fully embrace our joy and excitement. And fleeting moments of freak out when we realize what we just did.

Allow me to fill you in. Our current cabinets stink. Figuratively and probably literally if you were to put your nose to them. They're old, not so cute and covered in some pretty nasty nicotine. If you've ever contemplated lighting up, our cabinets would suffice as one of those "see what your lungs would be covered in" demonstrations. They're bad.

Imagine the doors open and nicotine stains covering them

So we started researching pretty soon after moving in, just to see what was out there. We did design after design, consulted with Lowe's, IKEA and some random Craigslist peeps. The Lowe's designer, while friendly, mistook our hand-drawn design and measurements of a new open kitchen and large living room as new open large kitchen and tiny futon-only living room. Plus the $6,000+ price tag had us running for the exit.

IKEA--now we do like this place. Well, Andrew "likes" it. I've alluded to our relationship with the beloved European space saver before and will one day divulge our thoughts. Not today. While they can generally be a cheaper option for things--again, generally--that isn't necessarily the case with cabinets. For our small kitchen we would spend upwards of $5,000 with IKEA.

*Let me insert this thought here: most of you who know anything about kitchen renovations and costs are probably thinking 5-6 grand is reasonable. Indeed. You can spend $10,000 on cabinets alone if you really want to. But we're trying to do this cheap...er, economically, as we want to make a profit one day. And as my friend Laura's sister-in-law says, it's not our forever home.

Back to IKEA. The cabinets also involve particle board. $5,000 for particle board is just wrong. Moving on. We looked on Craigslist because wholesale guys will post deals on overstocks. Other contractors/DIYers will also post cabinets they are removing for upgrades and such. Since we weren't opposed to fixing them up, we felt it was a viable option to seek these out.

We met with one overstock guy who had a good product that I really liked, and the price was $2,500 for the basic stuff we needed. Probably would've come to $3,000 by the time all was said and done. The problem was, we weren't ready to buy. And he lacked communication skills.

We drove out to see at least one set of cabinets from a flipper (one who flips...houses, not himself...not sure if this is a technical term or not). We called first since it was an hour drive; being assured no particle board was involved we took the bait. And found particle board. Boo.

The other option we had was the Re-Store in Springfield, which is now called EcoBuilding Bargains. They get great cabinet sets in pretty frequently, but because they are never quite enough or what not, we had to surrender to our desire for really cheap prices. Our kitchen space is pretty small and weird, and it was never going to happen.

Then, about a month ago, Eureka! Andrew found a place in California (yeah yeah, far away) that does cabinets for pretty reasonable prices. Solid wood, three-weeks from order to arrival (really quick for those not accustomed to cabinet ordering) and they had some good choices.

We were about to order from them when we decided to check out one last place: Grossman's Bargain Outlet in Chicopee.

So glad we did. They had cabinets we loved--white with a chocolate glaze--and the price was so so right. We had to make a few concessions as they didn't have all the choices we needed (example: no trash can cabinet--a 15" cabinet and pull-out accessory from IKEA will do the trick), but we were able to make it work. I conceded my need for glass doors in the uppers (they didn't have one specific size with glass so it would've looked weird...repeat "not my forever home, not my forever home") and we pulled the trigger. We also opened a card with them to save 10% which we will pay off next week and then immediately close.

Just like that, cabinets ordered, and for less than $3,000. Yippee!! Plus, we got a stainless undermount sink for under $70. All the major items have been purchased, we just need to decide on countertops and flooring.

documentation of relief