I've heard mixed reviews about direct buy - what I've gathered is that a membership is really only worth it if you have new construction and will be buying a large quantity of merchandise.
Considering the renovations you're planning on making, I agree with the OP who said you might be better off shopping for deals locally. If you were going to completely tear out your kitchen and start over (new cabinets and everything) then it might be worth the membership. One of my family members joined and was able to get cabinets that would have been something like $30,000 (crazy, I know) for about $6K.
Good luck! Getting a shiny, new kitchen is so fun.
