| Factor | Costs less when | Costs more when |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Fewer boxes, one wall or an L | More boxes, an island, tall pantry units |
| Wood and finish | Paint-grade or a common species | A premium species, or a stain that must match across every piece |
| Door construction | Full overlay | Inset, which has to be fitted to its frame |
| Interior fittings | Shelves and drawers | Pull-outs, corner mechanisms, organisers |
| Appliances | Standard freestanding appliances | Panel-ready fridge and dishwasher needing matched panels |
| Trim | Uppers stopping below the ceiling | Uppers run or stacked to the ceiling with crown |
How much does a custom kitchen cost at Crafted Cabinetry?
A new kitchen starts at $15,000 and goes upward from there. That is the honest floor for a full set of custom cabinets built in our shop in Concord, and it is the only number worth printing before anyone has seen your room.
A range quoted without a floor plan is a guess. Two kitchens with the same footprint can land a long way apart, because the price follows the decisions made inside the room, not its square footage. The rest of this page is those decisions, so you can see where yours is likely to fall.
What makes one custom kitchen cost more than another?
How many cabinets the room needs
The biggest driver is simply the number of boxes. An island, a wall of tall pantry cabinets or a second run of uppers each adds boxes, doors and drawers. A long wall costs more than a short one, and a U costs more than an L.
If the boxes are sound and only the doors need replacing, the cost works differently: see the shop’s guide to cabinet door pricing per square foot.
The wood and the finish
Species matters, and so does what goes on it. A painted finish can use paint-grade material. A stain shows the grain, so the wood has to be chosen and matched across every door and panel in the kitchen, and that takes more material and more time.
Inset or overlay doors
On a full-overlay cabinet the door covers the front of the box. On an inset cabinet the door sits inside the frame, flush with it, with an even gap all the way round. Across the industry, inset is usually the more expensive construction, because every door has to be fitted to its own opening.
What goes inside
Shelves and drawers are the baseline. Pull-out bins, spice racks, corner mechanisms and drawer organisers are each a piece of hardware and an hour of fitting, and a kitchen full of them costs more than one without.
Panels, trim and the ceiling
A panel-ready fridge or dishwasher needs a cabinet-grade front made to match. Uppers taken all the way to the ceiling, or stacked with a second row, add boxes and crown. None of these is extravagant, but each one is a line on the quote.
Installation
Installation is its own line. When you compare quotes, check whether each one includes it, because a lower number that leaves it out is not a lower price.
How can I keep the cost of a custom kitchen down?
Work through the same list in reverse. Fewer, wider boxes cost less than many narrow ones. Paint over a paint-grade material costs less than a matched stain on a premium species. Full overlay costs less than inset. And spend on fittings where they earn their place, such as the corner and the drawers beside the range, rather than in every cabinet. Most of all, make the decisions during design, when changing your mind costs nothing but a revision.
What should be included, not charged as an upgrade?
Some things are standard on every Crafted kitchen, and it is worth checking whether any other quote you have lists them as extras:
- Plywood boxes, never particle board: 3/4-inch on frameless, and 1/2-inch behind a solid face frame on framed, with 3/4-inch available.
- Full-extension dovetail drawers.
- Soft-close hinges.
- Sizing in 1/16-inch increments, so the cabinets fit the wall without filler strips.
- Three rounds of design revisions before anything is built.
- Delivery fully assembled, labelled and wrapped, not as a flat box to put together on site.
- A limited lifetime warranty.
Is the quote the price I actually pay?
Yes. Crafted gives you a fixed-price quote before production starts. Once the design is approved, there are no change orders in the middle of the build. The price moves while you are still designing, as you add an island or change a finish, and then it stops moving.
That is why the design stage matters. It is where every one of the factors above gets decided, with physical samples in your hands rather than colours on a screen.
How long does it take once the price is agreed?
About eight weeks in the shop after the design is approved, and about twelve weeks from the first call to installed. A fixed price and a known date are the two things a remodel budget depends on most.
How do I find out what my kitchen will cost?
Send the room’s measurements, or a rough sketch and a few photos, through the quote form. If you would rather see the work first, the shop in Concord offers a Show Room Visit. Either way, the number you get back is built from your kitchen, not from an average.
Frequently asked questions
How much do custom kitchen cabinets cost in the Bay Area?
At Crafted Cabinetry, a new custom kitchen costs $15,000 and upward. The final figure depends on the number of cabinets, the wood and finish, door style, interior fittings, appliance panels and installation.
Will the price change once the kitchen is being built?
No. Crafted gives a fixed-price quote before production starts, and there are no change orders mid-build. The price can change during design, while you are still making decisions, and then it is fixed.
Do inset cabinets cost more than overlay?
Across the industry, usually yes, because each inset door is fitted to its own opening with an even gap. Your quote will show the difference for your kitchen.
What is included as standard?
Plywood boxes (3/4-inch on frameless, 1/2-inch behind a solid face frame on framed, with 3/4-inch available), full-extension dovetail drawers, soft-close hinges, sizing in 1/16-inch increments, three rounds of design revisions, fully assembled delivery and a limited lifetime warranty.
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