Rental Kitchen Cabinets: Is it worth it to buy more expensive?

[Jason L.]

I am remodeling a small kitchen (70 SF) I have on a house I have under contract right now. The kitchen is old and dingy, and I wanted to change it out so that we can add a dishwasher to the space (there currently isn't one, which I know will hurt rents). I had budgeted about $4500 for the kitchen, but early bids have it closer to a $6500-$7000 project (which seems like a ton for such a small kitchen just to change cabinets, countertop, and buy refurbished appliances, but I could be wrong). We're also already about $6k over budget without factoring in anything over $4500 for the kitchen.

My property manager and his contractor have been trying to sell me on using nicer wood cabinets, which we could get for about $2800. I know we can get the cheap stock wood cabinets at Home Depot for closer to $1300. While obviously there is a difference in quality and lifespan, I wonder if it just makes more sense fiscally to buy the stock cabinets? It is a rental property after-all, and at that price I can basically buy those same cabinets twice for the same cost as the nicer ones. However, the contractor thinks it's a bad idea.

Anybody have any experience with cabinet decisions on rental properties? Does it pay to pay up or should I just take the immediate savings using the HD cabinets?

[Account Closed]

The cheap particle-board cabinets do wear out fast in tougher environments. They swell up when wet, and don't take heavy use as well. The drawer slides have plastic parts that break easily, and the doors go all wonky. Also the holes where screws and shelf supports go can get all loose and make parts wiggle. 

If you can, go take a look at the more expensive cabinets and their internal parts, and compare them to the cheap stuff. If they are both particle board with plastic parts inside, you're likely just being upsold. If its much more sturdy with real wood, all-metal parts, etc, I'd strongly consider it.  (At a reasonable price.. Those prices seem really high for me, but I keep close eye on everything and don't have any middlemen) 

If you do go with the cheap cabinets, put a layer of plywood down under the sink pipes to catch drips. That will be the first place to go. Also, I actually remove dishwashers (and disposals) from my rentals, as they do tend to cause a lot of problems with water leaks, plumbing issues and maintenance.