I thought I would update that I ended up shopping the product instead of shopping the laborer. The cabinets that I like just happen to be semi-custom, so that's what I'm doing. I'm now in the design stage working with a person who has formal education and training in interior design. I can have as many design appointments as I want and they are free. This is a completely different experience so far than what I went through last time. The people that will be installing the product have been screened and have to work really hard to maintain a good reputation. Basically, they have to jump through a lot of hoops to land the contract and keep it. You will never guess where I'm doing this through... Home Depot! So far I'm much happier than I thought I would be. I just hope it stays this way. They use a cool 3-D schematics program that shows you exactly what your kitchen will look like with every little change that you make. It is like standing inside my future kitchen. Very cool. My kitchen is going to have all the bells and whistles. I picked a line by Martha Stewart that is made by the same manufacturer that puts out Thomasville.
I also like how they handle payment compared to being a direct customer of any other contractor. Rather than have you pay in phases of construction, from what I hear: you pay the store upfront but they withhold payment to the contract until the customer is satisfied. So, they have to do the job satisfactorily if they want to get paid. I did pay a minuscule deposit for measurements to get started off but that was it and they can't really go wrong there. So far, I prefer this over the other way. The customers do not have to use the crew suggested by the store but they have been using them for over 20 years and are accustomed to working hand-in-hand. They have access to the store's database and can input measurements for the designer (who does not work on commission. That is refreshing. They are just hourly employees.) I suppose I will update on how it goes. So far, so good!
