| Spend here | Save here |
|---|---|
| Plywood boxes | Pulls and knobs, which are easy to upgrade later |
| Dovetail drawers on full-extension slides | Large decorative crown stacks, corbels and legs |
| Soft-close hinges | Inset or heavily detailed doors throughout |
| A durable, shop-sprayed finish | Premium hardwood under paint |
| Accurate measuring and drawings | Inserts you will rarely use |
| Drawers in the bases you use most | Glass doors on every upper |
Where should a cabinet budget go first?
Into the parts you touch every day and cannot swap out later without replacing the cabinet. A pull can be changed in ten minutes. A sagging particle board sink base cannot.
1. The boxes
The box is the cabinet. It carries the countertop, the sink and everything you put inside, and it is the hardest thing to change later. Plywood holds screws better and copes with moisture better than particle board, which matters most in a sink base. Ours are plywood as standard: 3/4-inch on frameless, and 1/2-inch behind a solid face frame on framed, with 3/4-inch available. See plywood, particle board and MDF compared.
2. Drawers and slides
Drawers take more abuse than any other part of a kitchen. A dovetail box on good full-extension slides handles years of heavy pots. Stapled boxes and cheap slides are a common early failure. Full-extension dovetail drawers come with every kitchen we build.
3. Hinges
You open cabinet doors thousands of times a year. Soft-close hinges that adjust properly keep doors aligned and quiet for years. They are standard on ours.
4. A durable finish
A kitchen finish gets steam, grease, cleaners and wet hands. A finish sprayed in a shop, sanded between coats and cured before delivery, holds up far better than paint brushed on in the kitchen. Ours are sprayed in our Concord shop.
5. Accurate sizing
The most expensive mistake is a cabinet that does not fit. Good measurements and clear drawings prevent it. Our cabinets are sized to your measurements, and every one is on the drawings before anything is cut.
Where can I save without regretting it?
Pulls and knobs
Easy to swap later. Start with a solid, simple pull and upgrade when you want to.
Decorative trim
Big crown stacks, corbels and decorative legs add material and fitting time. A simple crown, or uppers carried to the ceiling with a plain scribe, often looks cleaner anyway.
Door style
Shaker and slab doors are simpler to make than inset doors, heavy profiles or reeded and fluted fronts. If you love inset, consider it on a focal piece like the island rather than the whole room.
Species under paint
If the cabinets are painted, you do not need a premium hardwood underneath. Paint-grade material is the sensible choice.
Inserts you will not use
A pull-out trash, a drawer for pots and a good spice solution get used daily. A dozen niche pull-outs may not. Choose inserts for how you actually cook.
Glass doors
Glass fronts cost more and need a tidy interior. One or two look great; a whole wall adds up.
Which decisions move the total most?
If the number needs to come down, these make the biggest difference:
- Fewer tall cabinets. Pantry and oven towers use a lot of material.
- Drawer banks where they matter. By the range and dishwasher, with doors elsewhere.
- Paint instead of stained premium hardwood.
- A simpler ceiling approach. Uppers with crown, rather than stacked uppers to a tall ceiling.
For what the whole kitchen tends to cost, see what custom kitchen cabinets cost in the Bay Area.
How do I set priorities before a design meeting?
Write three lists:
- Must have. What you will use daily: drawers by the range, a trash pull-out, enough pantry space.
- Nice to have. Uppers to the ceiling, a stained island, glass on one cabinet.
- Don’t need. Things you have seen online but will not use.
Bring them to your designer. It is far easier to design to a budget when we know which items come out first if the number runs high. We can price the must-haves, then show what each nice-to-have adds, and the price is fixed before production starts.
What else does the kitchen budget need?
Cabinets are not the whole kitchen. Leave room for countertops, plumbing, electrical and backsplash. In the Bay Area we install; elsewhere, budget for your installer or contractor to fit the cabinets. Ours arrive fully assembled, with freight included anywhere in the continental US.
Frequently asked questions
Is plywood really worth it?
For the sink base and anywhere moisture shows up, yes. It also holds the screws for hinges and slides better.
Where are drawers worth the cost?
Beside the range for pots and pans, and near the dishwasher for dishes. Elsewhere, doors with shelves can be fine.
Can I add inserts later?
Many can be, if the cabinet is sized for them. Tell your designer during design so the box is right.
Does saving on door style look cheap?
No. A well-made Shaker door is a classic, and it does not read as a budget choice.
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