bam02 said:
All good questions for me to ask. Thank you!
As a cabinetmaker, I will expand a bit (or a lot?) on some of the cabinet related questions to ask. You have a huge project there, and it can be overwhelming; decisions, cost, time frames, workers in your bedroom space for weeks.....
Drawings:
Who is doing them? A designer, cabinet person, contractor? There should be a plan (top) view as well as elevations (what they look like from front and sides). Like many things, a good plan is a good start. Half-azzed contractors or cabinet makers can miss (or just not know about?) a lot of details. The drawings' importance is frequently overlooked but they are part of the 'contract' of what you are expecting vs. what they deliver. I recently had a friend who did an elaborate closet, $25k in cabinets. The drawings were terrible, but they were assured verbally everything will be okay. The message never got through and what was delivered was nowhere near what they were expecting. 75% had to be ripped out and redone. They didn't pay extra and were happy in the end. But it cost an extra month and a lot of irritation due to finger pointing.
Cabinets:
Material? Veneer core plywood, MDF core, or flake core? What are the interiors? Melamine (white formica like stuff), or faux wood, or real wood veneer? Where is the material sourced from? Chinese made plywood is awful. The formaldehyde content is so high it smells horrific. How thick are the cabinet boxes? I use only 3/4" thick, but the stock industry usually uses 1/2" thick material. (This is not a huge hill to die on.)
Drawer slides:
Drawers make life better in a bathroom but are usually more expensive. For better cabinetry Blum makes an undermount slide that is pretty much the industry standard. There are also ball bearing side mount slides which are strong and will last forever. Then there are enamel runners. Not sure how particular you are for slides? You may have some decent size vanities, you want them to function nicely for you.
Finish:
Opaque? Paint or lacquer? How are the interiors of the cabinets finished? Clear on the wood veneer (and drawer boxes) or painted throughout? I always prefer maple interiors of the cabinets to match the drawer boxes.
Installation:
Who is doing it?
Misc:
Mirrors? Framed like a picture on a wall? Or just a big piece with no frame?
Linen closet...contractor built or cabinetry? Shelving? Pullouts?
Medicine cabinets? Need them, or use vanity drawers for that kind of storage?
Closets...site built? Or cabinetry? If so, you want a combo of shelves, drawers, and hanging. How particular are you about the closet, how does your significant other feel about the closet? There can be a huge difference between a basic closet and a well planned one. If you put clothing on inside the closet, you want everything there and well organized.
I hope this helps. I know it may be overwhelming, but if you are dropping this much money, you are staying in this house for many years to come, and you want your significant other to be happy, getting all this worked out will go a long way to avoiding problems and making you satisfied. If you need any more clarification or have any other questions, let me know.