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Ready for some cabinet shopping?
From the start of this whole basement planning thing, we knew we wanted a wet bar. We also knew that we didn’t want to drop a ton of cash on cabinets BUT didn’t want cheapo looking/feeling cabinets either. We’re picky that way 🙂
We did a little research (i.e. got quotes from 4-5 places) on cabinets for this space. A lot of places were coming in around $7k for the cabinets. That figure was not really in our price range so we kept looking. In reading around on different blogs, I found a lot of people used Ikea for cabinets.
Off to Ikea we went…where we found we would save at least $2k on the cabinets. Well, we just kind of sat on that info for a while because we weren’t really ready to order cabinets that would be arrive in a week or so (versus the 8-12 week timeline of the other stores).
Then, Ikea did us a solid and started their kitchen sale right when we needed it. The sale would give us an additional 20% off of our purchase. So, we went back ready to purchase.
I’ll get to our actual selections in another post but first some Ikea kitchen shopping tips.
1) Use their online kitchen plannerBEFORE going to the store. It is a great tool that lets you design the kitchen in 3D, print your designs and generate a supply list. We didn’t do this and so we spent a lot of time in the store that could have been avoided. Here’s our plan from their online planning tool:
2) Have accurate measurements when planning. I’m sure this sounds obvious but, since we were initially doing research prior to the space being framed, our measurements changed slightly over time.
3) Set a budget. Just like any store, there is a HUGE range of options that fit into just about any price range. Just know what your price range is!
4) When you are ready to order, block off a significant amount of time for the in-store ordering portion. It may seem like, after doing step 1, you can just walk into the store with your supply list and order. It really isn’t that simple. You will want to sit down with one of their kitchen planners and have that person look over your design and list to make sure you didn’t forget anything. Even with a prior trip + an online design, we were still there for 3+ hours actually placing our order.
5) Shop in late July/early August. This is when they do their annual kitchen sale…although, I have heard it happens more than once a year. It helped us save an additional 20% on our kitchen stuff.
6) Buy it all at once. Buying everything in one big order will really help ensure that you get everything you need. Plus, if you are getting it delivered, you get the most benefit of that $99 delivery fee.
7) Bring your calendar. When you order, you’ll also go to the delivery desk to schedule delivery (unless you are awesomesauce and get to take them home that day) so be sure you have a date in mind. Oh, and the delivery window is typically 10am-10pm so you’ll need an entire day!
8) Bring a folder or some sort of paper holder. Ordering the kitchen stuff comes with a lot of paperwork. For us, we ordered cabinets, appliances and a countertop. Plus, there were 2 items not in stock. Each one of these comes with a separate piece of paper and/or receipt. They give you a little folder to keep it in but I would 100% suggest some sort of zippered document holder to keep those receipts all together.
9) Inventory! When your stuff arrives, be sure to match it up to your receipt to ensure that you received everything you were supposed to. You have limited time to go back for corrections so this is really important.
10) Read the directions. The cabinets come flat packed (like just about everything from Ikea!) so be sure to read the directions before getting started.
