If you did custom cabinets, although your kitchen has standard dimensions, it says a lot more to the guests you have come over and also expresses who you are. Plus, why get the same stuff everyone else is getting in their homes; you can do a lot more for a better price with custom cabinets.
its not all about standard sizing, custom also means types of finishes on the cabinets that are generally not available on rta cabinets.
If budget is a concern then consider stock cabinets. Stock cabinets can be “customized” with paint, simple modifications, and hardware. Comparable “look” but less expensive.
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Custom cabinets have benifits on high end remodels. But if budget is at all a concern and you have standard demensions I suggest you look at RTA cabinets (Ready To Assemble). More often than not the RTA cabinets can be tweeked and reconfigured much more than stock (I’m thinking “stock items at the big orange store”) to meet your needs. I’ve even purchased RTA and painted them in the field to get the custom look. I would say 75% of the kitchens I remodel are Shaker White and it is VERY RARE I do a custom shaker white (I do about 4-5 kitchen remodels a month).
Most of the cabinets in a kitchen have standard dimensions to fit any layout, there is a full range of sizes available for base and wall cabinets. In some cases if your cabinets don’t align with the leng of the kitchen the installer can modified or add some fillers to make look nice
It really just depends on what is important to you. I tell my clients all the time, the main difference between high-end lines and cheaper lines is the degree of customizability. I literally had a case in point this morning. We designed a kitchen for a client who wanted to put a tall pantry cabinet in a small corner of her kitchen without removing any walls. She has a pretty small kitchen and wanted to go as cheap as possible, so she’s stuck with the cabinet sizes available. A standard sized pantry cabinet simply won’t fit. She then asked if we can stack three cabinets and put a panel on the side to make a makeshift pantry - but using standard sized cabinets, it was either 1 inch too tall or 2 inches too short. She needed a 39" inch cabinet to fit and this company just doesn’t make them. She then asked if we can just do floating shelves, and surprise, this cabinet line doesn’t offer shelves at all - much less shelves that match the color of the rest of her cabinetry. So short answer, if you want your kitchen to be exactly the way you want it - you have to go high end. If you’re willing to sacrifice your design and work around what the cheaper lines offer; you can save a lot of money.
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It all depends on whats important for you. If you’re going to live in the house a while then it would make sense to do some custom cabinetry such as layouts and configurations of drawers/cabinets/lazy susan/ spice drawers/etc…
If you contractor knows the place to buy quality build standard cabinets that fit your taste and needs, then there is probably no reason to go with custom cabinets. The standard cabinets are likely to save time and money for you.
However, if you have to choose cabinets on your own, be careful. There are so many options from factory-built cabinets that they most likely meet your needs. But the quality of factory-made cabinets might be a problem. Look beyond the nice doors, pay attention to the cabinet carcass, hinges, and railings. Standard cabinets may serve you for a long time if you chose the good ones.
The bottom line: Set your budget and chose the kitchen that will make you happy. Custom or not.
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Cabinets are about more than dimensions. Custom cabinets are often made of superior materials. They provide a much greater choice of styles, finishes, and options. Quality cabinets can be spotted a mile away.
Its really all about that the home owner wants. If standard kitchen cabinets make them happy then no need for a custom build. However configuration of standard sized cabinets is an option that you might want to explore.