Do-it-yourself cabinetry or place to get good quality for less?

Question

hi,

I am currently in the process of getting ready to redo my kitchen and have looked at some prices for cabinets. holy cow! do you know of a place that sells them for cheap, or would i want to risk it on my own? i have plenty of time to do it, and i am in no big rush. have my own equipment, but just dont know how hard it is. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

john s,

A kitchen is a huge undertaking, in design, construction, and installation.  

If you have equipment, skill and time, you can save a lot on labor by doing your own tear out and installation.  You will also be doing electrical and some plumbing.  

Construction is a very ambitious project, which you may be able to do if you are accomplished with case construction and have lots of room for assembly, storage and finishing.  You will need to know every step you will be taking before you start construction of your cabinets, or you will be spending a lot of time and money correcting mistakes.  

Design of a kitchen is a specialized area that is well worth having an accomplished designer working with you if you want the very best results.  

So the best place to start is to draw a detailed floor plan of your existing kitchen.  Measure in inches, and identify all of the room dimensions, including passageways, windows, and other obstructions such as vents, chases, or specialty items that cannot be moved.  Identify the centerlines of plumbing and the locations of electrical.  identify wall heights, ceiling heights, soffits, etc.  Then identify the existing cabinetry and appliances.  This will be the foundation of your new kitchen plan, which you can take to a kitchen designer to help determine the materials, appliances, and layout that will give you the best options to maximize efficiency in your kitchen.  

To find a designer in your area, go to http://www.nkba.org/ and select "Find a Professional".  

Begin to select the appliances and fixtures you will want in your new kitchen.  This will help determine location and amount of space to allocate for your various work centers.  This will also define how much cabinet space will be remaining and aid in selecting which cabinets may be selected for each area.  Decide what materials such as counter tops, backsplash, floor covering, window treatments, light fixtures, and accessories that you would like to include.  

The designer may be able to recommend cabinetry that will be in your budget range and/or compatible with your design and style preferences.  Cabinet selection will depend on your style taste and budget you want to invest.  You can receive some savings by using KD (knock down) or Ready-to-Assemble cabinetry such as Mills Pride at Home Depot.  You may have a limited selection of options or finishes.  

Finally, as you begin the tear out and installation, identify what changes must be made for electrical, lighting,  plumbing (don't forget dishwasher and refrigerator lines), ventilation, structural (window, door, or soffit) changes.  And have a plan of how you will prepare meals and do kitchen chores with the kitchen disabled for a month or longer.  

Take in to account that this room is the most used room in the house and the finished product will have the most impact in your daily life, as well as the greatest investment (and return on your investment) of any project you do.  This is not the place to do "Cheap".  

Best wishes -- and keep a good spirit.