Are the base materials the same? Or is it a case of being able to have say laminex for the flat but needed two pac for the shaker?

I’m assuming the base will be the same, we didn’t specify two pac.

For 10k I’d be asking some questions about the difference and why.

With shaker style door and drawer profile, normal laminate can not be used. If laminate, it has to be Thermolaminated or Vinyl Wrap Cabinet material that covers the MDF profile. 2PAC is actual wood cabinets with the shaker profile, painted with the 2PAC finish.
So, as said by bigreader, ask your builder what material are they using for shaker cabinets. I would not recommend vinyl wrap.

This article is interesting.

Profile

A significant difference between 2PAC and laminate is when it comes to profiling. A 2PAC kitchen allows you to add character with different levels of profiling and routing, helping you achieve a ‘Hamptons’ style kitchen.

Whereas laminate will always be a flat surface, sometimes with a slight texture if a woodgrain material has been selected.

Thermo-laminated vinyl is the only product that can help you achieve a ‘Hamptons’ profiled kitchen using laminate. This product sits roughly in the middle of the price spectrum and does come with disadvantages so it is a lesser used product. A downside to thermo-laminate is that it does not withstand high-heat temperatures in certain parts of the kitchen and as such will bubble and melt.

Thanks for that dreamer. Looks like 2PAC is the only way to go, which might explain the extra $10k.

. Price

There is no doubt that 2PAC is a significantly pricier option than a laminate flat pack kitchen. 2PAC costs roughly 40% more than your standard laminate finish. This price is again markedly increased when it comes to selecting 2PAC cabinetry that is profiled in any way.

The total price of cabinetry will increase parallel to the amount of routing required for a Hamptons style finish. As a result, a profiled 2PAC kitchen may cost double the budget as a laminate equivalent of the same size of kitchen.

While laminate is certainly the most cost effective choice of kitchen material and you are not deprived of colours and finishes, 2PAC cabinetry allows you to have more design control over the colour and profiling of your kitchen. If you are looking for a Hamptons style kitchen, 2PAC will almost always be your only option. However, if you are looking for a flat surfaced kitchen and comparing between the two options – Laminate is a great way to reduce the overall cost of your Kitchen.

An the “H” word. We prefer “traditional” 😂

Yes, it was from the article https://aussiecut.com.au/materials-laminate-vs-2-pac/. I personally prefer “Australian Coastal” or just plain shaker cabinets for a nice kitchen.

Yeah the H word has become corrupted, over done and worn out. There are beautiful areas on the US East Coast and Muskoka in Canada that have wonderful trends to follow. But once the project houses and Kmart try to emulate the Hamptons trend it’s time to move on. Hamptons is still lovely but it’s just done badly in so many cases. Australians have a lovely coastal aesthetic all of our own, from Queenslanders to Fibro shacks and everything in between, that can stand alone. One of the enduring interior design trends I’ve seen is to have traditional items like shaker cabinetry and classic tapware for the built items (hard to change things) combined with more relaxed furniture and soft furnishings. This suits Australia.

Our aim is to produce a home with a simple, timeless aesthetic which doesn’t look out of place in our street which has old Queenslanders and post war houses. White weatherboard but without all of the Hamptons add-ons.