why are cabinets so expensive
 

hi all, I went to HD today and looked at some cabinets and they were like 10k for a kitchen w/granite tops, how much should cabinets cost in general for high quality ones, should I figure per/sq foot or what

They should cost about that for high end. You can get some cheaper, but since you want high end, look to be paying upwards of 8-10k

The high end and Home Depot is low end for some other places. I pretty sure Home Depot only deals in stock carcass sizes. I have heard type of cabinets described as stock, semi-custom and custom. Prices go up the more you deviate from stock (as does quality)

What to look for...
Plywood sides and backs not particle board. Plywood is better quality.
Solid wood drawer sides and plywood drawer bottoms.
Dovetails connecting the drawer sides to their fronts. Dovetails on the back will be only on high high end.

Essentially the more real wood or real wood veneer the better the quality. If anything has a picture of wood over particle board its junk IMO.

Granite countertops are expensive, about $70/sf and up. You can save some money with granite tiles, the larger the tile (I've seen up to 24"x24"), the more expensive per square foot, but less than slab granite. You could go with look-alike laminate too. High end costs high dollars.

The better known brands for stock cabinets will be of best quality: Kraftmaid, Aristokraft, etc. They will also offer the most options for species, finishes and accessories.

$10,000 for cabinets and counters sounds about right for the average size kitchen, depending on the wood, finish and stone. I'm assuming that's without installation?

Some of the cabinets are expensive due to their construction, finishing and production.

custom cabinets
 

I just purchased custom cabinets for my house which was completed Nov 09. I don’t think the cost was really all that out of line from mass produced stuff. I think the difference was $30,000 vs $35,000, which did not include kitchen countertops. So how are they better?

Best Regards,

I agree. I got my cabinets from a guy who builds them out of his home. They were solid oak with plywood backing and solid drawers, and no dowels or biscuits were used. He drilled, fitted, and glued all the joints, which I prefer. They cover 22 feet of space, top and bottom in the kitchen. That was 5 years ago and I payed $6,000. That included cabinets for two baths too.

Cabinets are one of those things where you get what you pay for. A set of cheap kitchen cabinets will be made with inexpensive wood in exposed areas, if they have any real wood at all, while an expensive set will have high-grade wood that costs far more. Cheap cabinet carcasses might be put together with ikea-like fasteners, while expensive cabinets will have tight fitting joints that keep them solid for centuries. Basically it boils down to this, if you want something that has high-quality materials and workmanship, you will have to pay dearly for it.