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jbc1_jax

Do's and don't 101: Cabinets

jbc1-jax
11 years ago

We are building a new home and met with the cabinet guy today. What do you suggest to are lessons learned when it comes to doing cabinets?

Also, is there an approximate square footage that exists for a family of 4 (heated area only)?

Lastly, what are the best ways to stay on or below budget in regards to cabinets?

Many thanks for your responses.

Comments (8)

  • bevangel_i_h8_h0uzz
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Are you looking for advice on how to know if you're getting your money's worth? Or are you looking for suggestions about cabinet design that will make your kitchen more functional?

    And I don't understand your question re "approx sq footage for a family of 4". Is that somehow related to kitchen cabinets or are you asking what size house a family of 4 should need/want? Either way tho, I guess the answer depends on you and your family, what you want and what you can afford. So no, there are no guidelines for square footage.

    The best way to stay on or below budget in regards to cabinets depends very much on what your budget is. Kitchen cabinets come in all kinds of price ranges. We probably need more info before we can offer advice. Eg., are you really on a tight budget or are you planning to go custom but just want to know how to get the biggest bank for your buck? Do you like painted or stained cabinets? A modern or traditional look? Full or partial overlay? etc. etc. etc.

  • jbc1-jax
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great points made above. To be more specific:

    Custom home, 3300 sq ft, modern, budget $450-$475k just for the build (we already own the land), kitchen has an island (11' - 5.5'), perimeter of kitchen has appx 6' of cabinet space to work with (10' ceiling), and a pull out pantry with shelves (1' ).

    Would love opinions on budget ideas for cabinets that:
    -solid wood
    -shaker style (clean 90 degree cuts)
    -slow close
    -no high end bells and whistles (ie spice drawer)
    -painted white

    Thoughts?

  • badfish22
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    kraftmaid. softclose doors and drawers, dovetails, and solid wood, full ext drawers is standard on all there cabinets. it does come with partical board box though.

  • angela12345
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    UltraCraft ...

    Available in Arctic White, Beach White, and Eggshell
    http://www.ultracraft.com/products/destiny-shaker-wide?by=line&q=destiny

    Great construction and 100yr warranty. Go thru the links on the left to read about cabinet construction, materials, etc.
    http://www.ultracraft.com/education/the-ultracraft-advantage

  • bevangel_i_h8_h0uzz
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Okay, you're not building a starter home! LOL. My tastes in cabinets are at the opposite extreme from yours so I can't recommend any great sources for white painted Shaker-style cabinets. But I CAN still make some recommendations which - while they won't save you any money and, in fact, will probably cost extra - will make your kitchen so much more user-friendly that you'll be glad you spent the extra.

    1) Replace most of your lower cabinet shelves and doors with stacked drawers. You'll love how much easier it is to get to everything and an 8.5 to 9 inch deep drawer will hold just about anything.

    2) Make sure the interior depth of your top drawers is deep enough to hold the things you like to store there. This is one mistake I made. I had my custom cabinets built with the top drawer faces the exact same height as those one sees on ready-built cabinets without thinking about the fact that with the thicker wood used to make the bottoms of the drawers, the interior depth of the drawer would wind up being slightly less. I like to keep spatulas, dippers, big cooking spoons, and that sort of thing in a top drawer next to my stove and those things won't quite fit right. If I had another 1/4 to 1/2 inch of depth, they'd be perfect. It was my mistake tho so I don't blame my cabinet maker. He did an awesome job!

    3) Opt for 15 inch deep upper cabinets instead of the standard 12 inch deep models. They hold ever so much more and I, at least, never notice them as being "in the way" when I'm using the counter top below them for prep.

    4) Ask for at least one extra shelf for each of your upper cabinets especially if you get 42 inch high uppers instead of 36 high ones. (If your kitchen has a 9 ft or 10 ft ceiling, you'll probably want the taller uppers.) Typically cabinets, including custom ones, come with two adjustable shelves. With a 42 in high cabinet, you usually have plenty of room for one more shelf and having it will keep you from having to go out and buy a bunch of those metal wire "stackers." If you don't need the extra shelves, you can store them away in the attic.

    5) Don't forget to plan a convenient place for your broom, mop, and mop bucket. Someplace hidden away but where air can circulate to dry the mop is best. I keep mine in a tall cabinet next to my freezer my mud room. The cabinet has air holes drilled in the side next to the freezer for circulation. You have to leave about 2 inches of space around freezers and fridges for air circulation any way and having the broom closet next to the freezer means that warm air coming from the freezer coils helps to dry out my mop.

    6) Also, in planning your kitchen, think about where you can put a stand-alone trash can. If you do a built-in trash compactor, when you have a big party, I can promise you that your guests WON'T be able to find the trash compactor. (After all, the point of building it in IS to hide it! LOL!) If your guests can't find a stand-alone trash receptacle, they are forced to either start opening your lower cabinets at random looking for that hidden trash compactor, or leave crushed cocktail napkins and used paper plates lying around on your counter-tops. Even if you ONLY pull it out for big parties, it's nice to have a convenient (and obvious) corner to place an old fashioned tall kitchen trash can.

  • jbc1-jax
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great ideas. Thanks. Please keep them coming. So very appreciated.

  • motherof3sons
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Visit the kitchen forum; lots of information. There is a thread about planning a kitchen that is tried and true. I found the forum after remodeling a kitchen 10 years ago. With our new build it was the only place to gather information on layout, door styles, types of cabinetry, etc.

  • popeda
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Drawers are more expensive than other cabinets, but so much more useful.

    My aunt got after-install wire pull outs for all her cabinet units with doors. Instant envy on my part.

    I don't like lazy susans; take up way too much of the space in the corners.

    If you are getting the overlay doors, be sure the wider stiles needed for those don't mean some of your wider dishes won't go in there. Learn from my mistakes. LOL

    For some reason the shaker cabinets we have just installed seem to collect more crumbs/dust/debris than the raised-panel cabinets we used to have. Imagination?

    I wish we had ordered crown mould last. We ordered a wide mould and it's really too wide for my plain shakerish cabinets. Smaller crown might have looked better. Mine don't go all the way to ceiling though.

    You can save some money with peninsulas that don't have upper cabinets above.