Bear with me...

I have a small 1970 hideously old galley kitchen (well-worn chipped laminate countertops with white bachground and gold/silver stars or snowflakes or something with chipped white laminate particle board cabinets - absolutely hideous) which I am reconstructing from scratch. Beause of the small kitchen/galley shape, I want to get custom cabinets with lots of space inside-big pots and pan drawers/pull-out cabinet insides, anything that will give a variety of storage options and give access to everything all the way to the back of the cabinets etc. This is considered "custom" or "upscale" from what I have read and therefore all the value/cost websites and HGTV shows say you don't get your money back on custom cabinets or compelte kitchen overhaul unless you live in really high-end neighborhood. I'm in a middle of the road neighborhood. Everything will be neutral. But it seems to me if I am improving the kitchen from what could be found at the garbage dump to brand new and beautiful and it's already a small kitchen then wouldn't it be a benefit (when we move eventually) to have increased the amount and usefulness of the storage rather than abunch of standard one shelf cabinets where everything has to be stacked in cabiets that are all the sme on the inside? No place for larger items, no easy way to find the smalle items like spices etc. Does anyone have any idea if any of this would change the ability to get your money back on the kitchen overhaul or I should just go with nice stock cabinets? Any help would be appreciated. - By the way-I'm not going top of the line on everything or spending a ton of money - I just don't know if it's worth spending a little extra to get better storage for mysel if I won't eventually get it back

Thanks!!

You can never count on getting your money back. At least I didn't when I sold a house earlier this year and it was totally upgraded with newer Kraftmaid kitchen, granite countertops, tumbled marble wall tiles, Italian stone tile floors, appliances ... all in neutral colors, you get the picture. We're in an economic downturn and it's a buyer's market. We don't even know right here, right how what future trends are going to be. If you're remodeling, just do it for yourself and don't spend money on what you think someone else might want ...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CincyMom,

We put in custom cabinets www.jayrambo.com with all the storage you mention. We love them. Will we get our money back when we sell? Not likely. Our cabinets were 60K, what would have been reasonable for an entire kitchen remodel in our neighborhood. But we plan to live here a while, and time, not our kitchen remodel, will be the biggest equity generator.

Have you talked to local cabinetmakers? You may be able to get custom for less than you think.

If you are only spending a little extra for storage for you, absolutely I would do it. Enjoy it. CincyMom is right - do it for yourself.

SPuppy:
As a starting point, I'd chat with, possibly seek the guidance of a kitchen designer. Could I be bias? Sure, I am a kitchen designer. But!! The right person WILL help you, applying years of experience and knowledge to develop a design a space that will maximize your space. They'll also help you get the most value for your investment, that suits your needs. I suggest checking with the nkba.org website and interview some Ckd's in your area.

As far as will you get all your money back in a sale. Likely not, but certainly depends on your investment. A well designed plan is the key element.

Good luck!

Talk to some trustworthy local building contracters and see who they recommend for cabinets. We got a local cabinet maker to make our cabinets and it came out $5000 less than getting high-end cabinets from the local box store.
Our cabinets are beautiful! Solid maple with a deep cherry finish. I got my deep drawers, lazy susan, custom pantry...all for under $10K.
Also wanted to mention...we did all the demo work ourselves to save some money.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mama_of_two_crazy_boys,

I agree too! You can get better than decent cabinets with all the bells and whistles and still come out less than the typical cabinet stores. Work with builders and kitchen designers. We found our cabinets (Solid Maple)through a large building corporation who also sold cabinets to the public. We bought them unfinished and had them painted the way we wanted them and still saved over 5k.

When you say "eventually get it back" how long before you plan on selling your home. Unless you are doing improvements in order to flip your house immediatly, I wouldn't worry about it. There's something to be said for just enjoying the quality of a new kitchen for yourself. It's the most used room in most homes.

I would definitely look into custom cabinets...it's the only way to go. And yes, do get deep drawers for pans, large bowls and even your plates. We did mostly drawers in our lower cabinets and I absolutely love cooking in our new kitchen. It couldn't be more efficient!