One of the businesses I had been involved with accomplished this on an irregular basis, with the following method.
The ceramic tile counters were left in place and supported.
The box and toe-kick material was milled and the cabinets rebuilt in place, beneath the counter tops, and the face frames installed.
Generally accomplished, one carpenter, in two too four days.

My house is 24 years old, and I know how worn and outdated my cabinets are. Can you use the damage as an excuse to remodel your kitchen - maybe making improvements to layout or design?

I'm sorry, but that just sounds preposterous. Keep in mind that I'm not an insurance person, nor have I ever made such an insurance claim. It's still preposterous, and absurd besides. The doors/drawers are one and the same as those totaled base cabinet boxes and the entirety needs replacing. That's kind of like if you broke the axle on your car and twisted the frame, but your insurance company insisted that you build a new car around the motor because the motor isn't completely worn out yet.

I recall at least one person on here has had to replace cabs for the same reason you are. Hopefully, said person or persons will chime in with their experience.

there's a phrase"the car was totalled"...What you are not saying however is what you felt about the kitchen and the cabs and realistically what you think of the kitchen in relation to the home. Cost/benefit analysis-it'sprobably not worth it.....unless you absolutely loved the kitchen/cabs in their state prior to the accident. Figuring out what to do: you have to play hardball with the ins co. which is tough because a car is easier-a hunk of metal. There are too many factors with this. I would go to the one guy and get a quote and make sure every thing/and I mean everything is in it-exact materials to what you had to accomodate the drawers/doors/finishing/hardware/installation/trimming out and submit this. Submitting it doesn't even mean they'll accept it....but you have to submit. Find out what their procedure is-paying a check to you or the "guy" to build. Then figure out with that settlement is there more input you would put into the project to make a more up to date/upgraded kitchen with some of your capital.That's what you are not describing in your post-if you would do more than just replace apples to apples. Aren't the people who damaged the cabinets liable for some of the cost?

Get a lawyer. Your insurance company is being an ass over this. And if they are trying to do this with cabinets, then they are probably doing it with other items as well. You need someone to look out for your interests here that they will pay attention to.

Thank you everyone, and yes, I agree that this seems short-cutting and low-balling. The field adjuster has actually been generous with everything else, and while there is some fine-tuning to the estimates he's prepared so far, it hasn't taken too much work to get him to revise the xactimate pricing with the real-life estimates I've submitted so far....except the cabinets. The cabinets are "okay" as far as whether I like them or not. My concerns arise over the following:

The insurance has approved the replacement of the hardwood floor, carpet (which we will also upgrade to wood) and the tile countertop/backsplash (we will pay the difference to upgrade) but then they want us to re-use the OLD doors and drawers in a NEW frame - so yes, I feel cheated on this. And yes, we want to make additional improvements since there's so much work having to be done. But basically, I don't understand how he can see that as making us whole; NEW floors, NEW countertop and half-way NEW/OLD cabinets?

The estimate from the one cabinet maker who said he could do this (and I really like him and his work) does say that he won't warranty the old parts, which I agree he shouldn't - what is the point in spending that much money for something that has no guarantee? The field adjuster just doesn't seem to see this point.

It sounds like I have to make a stronger case with him. Uggghhh, and Grrrrrr....if anyone else has further comments/suggestions, I'd appreciate it!

And in the meantime, guess I'll be posting here more as we go through the remodel process! Loving what I've come across so far.

the field adjuster probably doesn't have technical knowledge re what is involved with the cabinets. Call higher up the Ins Co food chain and ask for someone else because this one is demonstrating lack of expertise/knowledge. Tell them there is a large discrepancy between the adjuster and the knowledge/info provided by SIX carpenters and this is holding up reasonable progress. The INS CO would love for you to be frustrated and scratch your head and feel you have to accept what the underqualified person says.That's not the case ,and you have to tell them SIX outside skilled people have disagreed to date.Be firm.

I'm curious - how did the counters and backsplash get water damage, but not the door fronts?

annkh - the dishwasher had a bad valve, leaked, and damaged the cabinet sides of the surround and the hardwood floor...the countertops were tile and mounted to the base cabinets in a way that the water mitigation co. could not remove without tearing apart (perhaps a more competent company could have done better, but the field adjuster would only warranty additional damage if this particular company did the work...)

Gotcha. What a disaster!

I hope you get some satisfaction from the insurance company. The idea of replacing the cabinet boxes but not the doors is ridiculous. The car analogy above was right on.

What percentage of the cabinets are damaged? It's just like a car. If the percentage of damage to the entire unit is greater than X, replace. If not greater than X, repair.

I forgot to add this. If the percentage of damage is small relative to the size of the items damaged and a homeowner wants to upgrade everything during the claims adjustment process, then the question of fraud may need to be explored.

I am NOT assuming you are being fraudulent. Just making a general statement.

I am not, and have not been, a claims adjuster.

1929Spanish - the lower cabinets were approved to be removed by the adjuster in order to remove the water damaged wood floor that was under. We did not know the extent of the water damage to the cabinets until they were pulled, and the damage to them was caused by the water mitigation company when they removed them. I would estimate that the lower cabinets represent about 65% of the total cabinetry in the kitchen. The uppers are still there.

I don't even know how to respond to the rest of your post. Just because a homeowner upgrades items, paying out of their own pocket, does NOT suggest fraud. It is very common for homeowners to upgrade when in this predicament and adjusters are well aware of this.

This post was edited by HammerMom on Tue, Mar 5, 13 at 10:30

Based on the 65%, I agree with the others that you should continue to push the adjuster.

Again, I wasn't suggesting you might be doing something sneaky. Unfortunately, because there are some "bad apples" out there- the rest of us pay the price and adjusters have to consider everything.

Good grief!

It's one thing for the insurance company to investigate whether it is possible to re-use doors and drawer fronts, but it's really baffling that they would insist on it when the professionals say "not worth the trouble".

Well, what are the estimates for 1. custom-made boxes to fit the existing doors and drawers, or 2. new semi-custom cabinets all-around? Will the color/grain match?

Well, it sounds to me that they don't want to pay for the undamaged upper cabinets. Kinda like if you had His and Hers Benzs in the garage and one was totaled the company would not pay to replace both of them in order to get the paint to match.

As to the cabinet maker not wanting to warrant the old hardware, see if the ins company would pay for new hardware. What's most important is probably the drawer slides and door hinges.

There's a difference between non-matching his and hers Benzes and non-matching upper and lower cabinets.

They aren't counting the labor to remove all that hardware and re-install it in the boxes. That will take hours and hours per cabinet.

There is a difference between "matching" automobiles - they just look alike but aren't a set, which is what cabinets are considered, and that's where the insurance is saying that rebuilding the bases using the doors/drawers will therefore make it match, in theory....who knows if they really will or won't.

I just read this and thought I'd put in my 2 cents.

I can see how the cabinets can be made to fit the doors and drawers, but we've just done some of this ourselves, and I'll tell you the problems we encountered.

New wood still looks like new wood when it's next to the old wood. Even if you match the color of the stain perfectly, the finish will still be a little different. And if you strip the doors and drawers and finish them all at the same time, you'll have to have two different stain colors, one for the new, and one for the old wood.

Hardware has changed in 24 years. Probably not a big deal for the doors, but if your drawers have the center rail, you'll have to change to side rails or slides. So your cabinet will have to have a bigger opening for the drawers to accommodate the 1/2" space needed on each side. That means the stiles will have to be different than the original cabinets, and your doors under the drawers won't fit then. Or they'll have to build the cabinets with special stiles that will accommodate both door sections and drawer sections.

Does that make sense?

marti8a - yes, it makes a lot of sense and I very much appreciate your comments. I think the cabinet maker is looking in to the hardware issues, along with a few other things. Thank you!

I have the same problem with my cabinets and the insurance company is saying the same thing. What was the end result of your experience?

I’m currently having the exact same issue with an insurance adjuster And the water mitigation company. We‘re being told that the only thing that would be rebuilt Is the cabinet boxes. All the cabinet facing, doors and drawers would not need to be replaced. When the water mitigation company removed the cabinets they damaged some of the cabinet facing and the drawer fronts. I don’t see how this method of repair is more cost effective. I’ve been told that the cabinets are trashed and it will be impossible to repair them. The adjuster wants me to use the company’s preferred vendor who insist he can build the boxes and repair the cabinets using the old facing and doors. Do I give in and let this company try. I feel like this is a complete waste of time and in the end the cabinet guy is going to come back and say he can’t repair them. if the facing is broken and the drawer fronts are splintered isn’t “fixing” them the same as building new cabinets? Not sure how to approach this. Any advice would be greatly appreciate.

I am on the internet searching info because we are currently in the same boat, and insurance is saying that the restoration company said the cabinets can be rebuilt and 30 year old faces reused, but that is not what the guy said to our face when he was here doing the estimate. :(

sharondell - What is the update on your situation? We are having the same problem.

I'm going threw the same thing

I’m in the same boat. Anyone have any updates on what happened with the new box/old front face of the cabinet issue?

I rebuild lower cabinets and then sand/refinish all face frames, doors and drawers so they all match all the time. lets all be honest, if you're a homeowner, you want new cabinets. If you're the insurance, if its cost effective, you want to pay to repair the cabinets. I am no different than everyone else, I make more repairing your cabinets because repair/custom contractors like me are more skilled than cabinet installers that sell you then install new cabinets. The insurance has policies that you signed off on and didn't know. The policy states they can fix your kitchen, attempt to save your countertop. And all they have to do when fixing your cabinets is make sure it all matches within reason. I believe Furniture Medic is the number one franchise that can repair and match your cabinets but I am not that shabby myself.

Insurance companies only owe direct damage so only boxes would be included -not doors and hardware -check you policy wording!

Matching is not part of insurance. They don't have to pay to match the undamaged uppers. And if they do, then they're going above an beyond their obligations. Whoever came up with that idea obviously doesn't read anything before signing and thinks life should just work they way they want it to simply because they think it should.

It is common for people to think insurance is a big safety blanket to scoop them up and take care of everything whenever they have any kind of problem. When you have damage to your home, its nobody's problem to deal with but your own. You bought the house and said you were ready to handle the responsibility and that means even if there was no help to be had. Insurance is not a savings account, its a subscription service. The whole purpose of insurance is so that under certain circumstances, they will provide financial help so that you can deal with your problem.

Most policies say something along the lines of "repair or replace with similar construction and for the same use". They have the option to repair if it can be repaired. It doesn't matter what you think insurance is supposed to pay for, because what they're required to pay for is in black and white in the contract that you signed and agreed to. The boxes and doors being 'one and the same' is irrelevant, there's no 'totaling' of anything, its not car insurance. 'Making you whole' is not in the policy, neither is your contractor's guarantee/warranty, nor anything regarding putting new materials with old materials, and certainly there is no requirement to pay for anything that is not directly damaged.

You're not being cheated, its not absurd or preposterous. And furthermore, nobody is demanding that you have to make any repairs the way they're estimating for it to be done. What they are saying, is that the repairs can be done in such a way that meets their obligations under the contract and they can get it done for $X amount of dollars and that's as far as they're obligated to assist you financially with your loss. Its not 'short-cutting' or 'low balling' and its not relevant if everyone in the world thinks is 'not worth the trouble'; its called holding up their end of the contract to the letter. If you don't want it fixed that way, fine, its on you to make arrangements to take it further. Nobody forced you to buy a house with old cabinets. There's no law that says you have to have insurance on your home. This is how insurance works, you don't have to buy it if you don't like it; you're more than welcome to deal with everything on your own 100% out of pocket.

I am an homeowner and an adjuster of 10+ years. But make no mistake, I am not a fan of big corporations in general and I'm not defending insurance companies, and I'm certainly not a 'company man'. But it does get under my skin in any area of life when people think they're entitled to something their not. I know exactly what I signed up for when I bought my property and I have no illusions of what our insurance will pay for if something goes wrong. Same as you guys, I am responsible for repairing and maintaining my own home in the manner I prefer it to be done. Just because you don't like the way something works doesn't mean you've been wronged, it just means you didn't know what you were talking about.

Luckily, you're not obligated to accept the offer. You can take them to court and get a party not involved in the transaction to evaluate evidence and make a determination. It happens everyday.

Sure, by all means do so and continue to drive up the premiums for everyone whether they had a claim or not. But at least you'll get what you wanted,

I'm going through this same thing right now. Dishwasher was leaking from underneath and created a significant (understatement) mold issue. Insurance won't cover because we didn't have "hidden leak" coverage, who knew? Anyway, remediation company did an amazing job preserving all the cabinet hardware, facing, drawers, etc. They couldn't keep the cabinet boxes of course as those were all damaged at the bottom (and honestly under the cabinets was a nightmare with mold). But contractors have all been amazed at how well the remediation company did in preserving things.

My question is: how hard is it to DIY cabinet boxes? There would only be three, going left to right, one to hold a sliding trash can, one under the sink, (then the dishwasher), and one to hold four drawers (to right of dishwasher opening). The cabinets will all be concealed because this is all under a counter top in an enclosed side of the kitchen. So I'm not sure it has to look so perfect. I'm pretty handy and have done a reasonable amount of woodwork, have my own tools. My main concern is a fairly expensive piece of countertop needs to be held up by the cabinets, so I need to get that right (again, the remediation company did an amazing job of preserving the counter tops).

My wife is sure I will mess this up and just wants to buy new cabinets and hire a professional to install, cost be damned. Am I making a mistake here trying to DIY? Note that I am also planning to do the floors and drywall myself (except drywall that is visible - that I know needs to be done by a professional). I appreciate any advice. EDIT: We have semi-custom cabinets that were installed about five years ago. They are still available to purchase from the same company, so would be identical if we went that route.

"Am I making a mistake here trying to DIY?"

You have to do a self-evaluation of your skill set, experience, shop space, and tool selection in order to answer that question.

I have all the tools and shop space. What I don't have is experience building cabinets. But given that it's just basically a box, I don't see how it can be that complicated. I will buy a pocket hole jib, but other than that I don't need any extra tools. And again, I'm going to do the floors myself anyway (I have done floors before).

The main tradeoff for me is I make far more per hour in my day job than I'll gain from doing this myself. But that is always the case with any hobby, which is how I see this.