I put an ad on Craigslist and found a super carpenter named Jason Gonzalez, who 'got' what I wanted right away and seems super knowledgable and very nice.  We met this morning at a local Home Depot and picked out the materials.   The materials cost $270 and I'm paying him $250 to build it.  

I could have paid a lot less for the materials but I wanted the desk to look nice so I splurged a bit.  I would say if you didn't splurge you could easily build a desk for about $50 for the materials.

Here is a list of the materials we got:  

2 - 4' x 8' Heavy Duty Plywood boards with Oak overlay for $48.88 each.  One board will be the top of the desk and the other will be used for the cabinet and shelves.

2 - 48" 0ak bannester rails for $38 each - these will be used for the two table legs.

1 - Pack of Sliders - $7 - this is for the bottom of the desk so that it will be easy to move

1 - Drawer Slide - $12.50

1 Can of Golden Oak Stain - $16.00 

1 Can of Wood Filler - $6.50 - this is to cover the screw holes so the nail holes won't show on the desk

1 pack of Deck Screws - $8.69 - the carpenter said the deck screws hold up better than regular screws

2 Door Hinges - $2.50/each

3 Decorative Door Pieces - $2.59/each

1 Magnetic Catch - $2.00 - this is so the door will stay shut when it's closed

There are two other things which cost $6.00 each but I can't remember what they are.

As I'm typing this I realize we forgot the sheet of plywood for the keyboard tray so that needs to be included too.  That's going to be a thinner piece of plywood.  it will be hidden from view most of the time and having it be made from the oak plywood piece would make the desk a lot heavier.   Also, Home Depot didn't have the grommet so that will add a few dollars more to the total too.

Jason said he would build the desk this week and deliver it next weekend.  I can't wait to get it!