"Penny wide, pound foolish."
I was reminded of this when I went to a job yesterday. New construction on top of a mountain. The 3/4 mile driveway cost $250k. Not super huge, probably 4000 SF or so. Lots of stone inside and out, 10' high all-glass kitchen/dining area. Reclaimed wood doors, built-ins, etc.
We had supplied 11-15" wide clear red oak flooring, and full 2" thick walnut for an oversized island (I think it was 66" x 105"). I was delivering more 2" thick walnut shelves for the "kitchenette" and measuring for more 2" thick walnut tops for the "pantry".
I "needed" 4WD to get up there - I'm sure I could have made it in 2WD but would have tore the road up even more. They have a 3-bay garage at the bottom to house a sno-cat and who knows what else to get up there in winter. Totally off-grid - large solar tracker and a genset.
So what kind of cabinets are they putting in the kitchenette and pantry? Not nice custom ones by the company 5 miles away, but IKEA(!!!). OK, IKEA isn't "junk", but it's for people who want something halfway or so decent at a price they can afford because they are the ones assembling on their own time. BUT THIS GUY is paying his contractor $50/hr to put them together. Would the custom ones have cost more? Maybe. A bit. But not much. And they would be waaaaay better!