What Makes Custom Cabinets Expensive?

If you’re in the market for a new home or planning a renovation, you’ve probably dreamed up a design or two for your brand new kitchen. Excitedly, you shop around various sites for options. Like most people, you’ll probably be shocked to find out how expensive kitchen cabinets are, especially if you have them custom made. There’s a lot that goes into your cabinets, and it helps to know what these are. Then you can make an informed decision whether it’s for you.

Cost of Materials

With custom cabinets, you have the liberty of choosing what they’re going to be made of. Most brand-name stock options use cheaper materials so they can offer their products at a lower price point. However, with custom cabinetry, you have a variety of higher quality and more durable options. You can have cabinet boxes made with furniture-grade plywood or solid hardwood. Doors and drawer fronts can have real wood veneers instead of plastic laminates trying to imitate the look.

On top of the cabinet itself, custom works also allow you to choose better quality hardware. Heavy-duty hinges, soft close drawer slides, solid brass door knobs, and whatever little accessories you need; there is just simply more options with custom cabinets. Depending on how many of these you opt for, that can drive up the price.

Of course, this is not the be-all and end-all with cabinetry costs. Because everything is made to order, you have to option to cut back on certain aspects to keep costs down. You can have fewer drawers so you can save materials and use less hardware. You can choose to use engineered wood or fiberboards instead of hardwoods such as walnut and maple.

Cost of Labor

Another major aspect of what makes custom cabinets expensive is the amount of labor that goes into them. To illustrate this, we’ll do a quick run through of what you can expect when getting your kitchen renovated.

Firstly your existing kitchen needs to get removed, either in part or in whole, depending on how much of it you’re going to change. Next your contractor will have to measure everything on site such as the distance between walls, ceiling height, where the existing pipes are, and the like. Back at their workshop, your contractor draws up the plans and gets to work fabricating your cabinets. These are done by hand by their expert craftsmen, paying attention to the minute details. They’ll match wood grains so your doors and drawer fronts blend seamlessly together. Wood gets stained or painted, ensuring that there aren’t any irregularities in the colors. Mouldings are formed and cut to match your home’s existing ones. After all of these are done, everything gets brought back and installed on-site. Your contractor will make sure everything is level and perfectly fit –making any adjustments as needed.

This example is just some of the work that goes into the cabinets themselves. A professional cabinet maker also employs other non-production staff such as HR, accounting, and the like. They’ve also invested on various types of shop equipment and have to adequately train their artisans. They may also outsource certain specialty works such as plumbing and electrical wiring.

Aside from your cabinet maker of choice, you’re also probably hiring a professional kitchen designer, architect, or interior designer. All of these add up, making your custom cabinets more expensive.

Cost of Custom Design

The main allure of custom kitchen cabinets is the amount of personalization it offers. Everything can be exactly as you want it. You can greatly increase the convenience and functionality by adding various features such as a pull down shelf, a Magic Corner cabinet system, or a Lazy Susan. Design-wise, you have an unlimited selection of stains, paints, and finishes to choose from. With stock and semi-custom options, you’ll be limited to what’s available on their catalogs. The cost of custom design also ties back to the two previous points. In general, the more you want from your kitchen, the more materials and labor it will cost.

When Should I Choose Custom Cabinets?

We realize that custom kitchen cabinets are not for everyone, especially given how pricey they can be. However, when you require more from your kitchen or have some unique circumstances to work around, then having something made-to-order makes more sense. Here are some instances where opting for custom kitchen cabinets can benefit you.

Your Kitchen has an Unusual Shape

Depending on when and how your home was constructed, your kitchen space may have unusual curves, awkward angles, and tiny niches. These are especially common in older traditional homes, converted apartment buildings, and smaller condominium spaces. Such spaces don’t play nicely with standard cabinet sizes used by stock cabinets or semi-custom cabinets. The good news is custom cabinets won’t run into this issue as they’re made to perfectly fit into any oddly shaped floor plan.

You might even spend less by going for customized works in such cases. Trying to fit standard stock cabinet sizes in tight or unusual floor layouts would often need filler materials to work. Adjustments for semi-custom cabinets will also entail extra labor fees. In total, these may cost you as much or even more than going for custom cabinetry. Plus you may end up with plenty of wasted space.

You Want a Universal Kitchen Design

Universal kitchen design is gaining more popularity in recent times, with the goal of making your space more efficient and functional for users of all ages and ability. When designing for accessibility, it’s highly likely that standard kitchen sizes and measurements may not suit your needs. The most common example is when you have a family member that uses a wheelchair. There needs to be enough space for them to move and turn around along kitchen aisles. Certain sections such as the kitchen sink and work surfaces need knee and toe clearances to accommodate the wheelchair.

Even if you don’t have such mobility issues, universal kitchen design can still benefit you. Varying countertop heights can accommodate you and your young children. If you have a taller family, then a higher than standard counter height can make food preparation more comfortable. A raised or drawer-style dishwasher can minimize the need to bend down. There’s also various other convenience options such as adjustable shelves and Lazy Susans.

You Expect Heavy Kitchen Use

It’s no secret that the kitchen is one of the most used spaces in the home. Often surfaces get dinged, doors get banged, and your kids might climb on the shelves. Also there’s no end to the amount of possible spills and mishaps when working with food. Custom cabinetry allows you to choose solid and durable materials, and opt for heavy-duty hardware. The additional care, labor, and attention to detail of most professional cabinet makers ensure that everything is properly fitted, screwed, and secured in place. Investing in high quality cabinets means your kitchen will be able to handle the daily beating and last you a lifetime.

You Have the Extra Budget

If your budget is more flexible, then it makes perfect sense to invest on custom cabinets. In addition to the reasons we’ve already mentioned above, custom kitchen cabinetry can become a statement piece in your home. The wide-range of personalization is great for showing off your aesthetic tastes and style. By spending extra on higher quality materials, hardware, and expert craftsmanship, you can have a show-stopping kitchen that is truly yours.

You Plan on Selling Your Home

Custom kitchen cabinets are definitely an added value and boost your home’s resale price. A granite countertop, classy modern design, soft-close drawers, and many other custom details add that wow factor and make your home very desirable to prospective buyers. Custom cabinetry is certainly an investment. If done right, it elevates the value of your home and helps you fetch a better price.

Conclusion

Refreshing your kitchen is undoubtedly expensive. But it also depends entirely on you, how you want to design it, how you want it to function, and what you want out of it. This is the beauty of having custom kitchen cabinets. Everything can be made according to how you envision it. It’s just up to you to decide if it’s worth it.

If you’re interested in getting custom cabinets for your next project, you can contact us for a quotation or consultation.

Thank you for visiting Wood and Co.