How To Plan Your Kitchen Cabinets

Anyone looking into kitchen remodeling for the first time will probably be surprised that it’s the cabinets that take up the bulk of the cost for a remodeling budget. Cabinets, at a first superficial glance, don’t seem like they should be a considerable expense. After all, they’re just storage. But reliable storage that lasts years—or even decades—requires quality work and professional installation by experienced cabinet installation contractors. This is especially true for homes that are going to get custom-built cabinet work. But how do you plan for this? Here are the steps you should go through as you work with your cabinet installation contractors on your kitchen remodel.

Figure Your Budget

First and foremost, because the cabinets will take up most of the budget, you should decide how
much you’re willing to spend on cabinets and then work your budget around that. On average, about 30% of the total remodeling budget will go toward your kitchen cabinets. Depending on the extent of the cabinetry, cabinets can range anywhere from $5000 to $25000, so you need to be careful here.

Some factors that will affect the total cost of your cabinet budget include:

Materials

MDF, or medium-density fiberboard, is a composite material that is cheaper than solid wood. There are intermediate alternatives as well, like polyester and lacquered wood board options. Wood, on the other hand, is the most expensive material. Still, even basic, local wood is cheaper than specific premium materials like imported teak wood.

Cabinet Type

Another significant determining factor for the price of kitchen cabinets is the amount of customization the cabinets get. Generally speaking, cabinets fall into three categories: stock, semi-custom, and custom. Stock is the cheapest, as the cabinets are pre-fabricated and ready to go to any destination. Semi-custom means components are already manufactured at specific, fixed sizes, so you pick the configurations that best suit your needs.

Full custom is, of course, cabinets built from scratch to your exact measurements and specifications. You’ll need to consider these factors as you make your budget for your cabinets.

Placement

This is a critical factor in the planning stage. You may want to digitally—or even virtually—simulate this beforehand. Kitchen cabinets will, by design, take up a lot of space. How much space in your kitchen are you willing to sacrifice for your cabinets?

Plan carefully where the cabinets will go, what dimensions you want, and how much of your walking and preparation space you want. Then, make sure the cabinets don’t interfere with these needs.

Usage

A final factor in planning your cabinets is how they will be used. Some owners, for example, want cabinets to also act as display venues and are willing to splurge for glass panels in the cabinet doors. Others want specific features built into the cabinets for more convenience, such as pantry storage or a roll-out base cabinet.

Whatever your needs are, make sure to keep your lines of communication open with your cabinet installation contractors. They’ll only be able to build you the cabinet system you want if they know what it is you want.