Choosing the Right Kitchen Cabinets When Remodeling

Whether you’re revamping a corporate kitchen, building a new mansion in the Bay Area, or simply upgrading a cramped and dysfunctional kitchen so you can actually use it (without wrenching your back or clanging around for 10 minutes to locate the sauté pan you need), review these tips on selecting the right cabinetry… before you get to work.

1. What you see is NOT (necessarily) what you’ll get.

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to spot “durability.” A cabinet drawer that has staple joints might look identical to a drawer with dovetail joints. But over time, the dovetail joints should standup to wear and tear better – this is essentially an invisible feature. Likewise, the quality of the finish can matter tremendously, as can the general durability of hinges and other components. Relatively expensive strong wooden cabinets may “wear better” than cheaper laminate cabinets.

2. Identify the purpose behind the remodeling first.

Are you looking to sell your home or condominium?  Do you want to improve functionality now that you have three young children roaming about, all of whom are eating you out of house and home?  Knowing your purpose is important because it can help you “cut corners” without actually cutting corners.  For instance, if you want “functional,” and you don’t care about aesthetics, you can scrimp like crazy without a problem.  On the other hand, if you aim to beautify the kitchen to help sell your investment condominium, the “look” of the cabinetry will be incredibly important.

3. Identify ways to save BEFORE you shop.

Here are a few ideas (remember: the tactics you choose should will depend on your purpose):
Opt for refinishing cabinets instead of replacing them. Use lower quality wood and higher quality finish Opt for custom units only if you have “odd dimensions” in your kitchen; otherwise, search for good looking out of the box solutions. If you absolutely must spend significant money on remodeling cabinetry, look for other places to save on your kitchen remodel (e.g. lighting, flooring, et cetera).

4. Don’t overvalue the “DIY” approach.

Homeowners notoriously underestimate the value of their time, especially when it comes to DIY construction and remodeling projects. For instance, say you earn $150 per hour as a marketing executive, and it takes you 20 hours to do a remodeling project. You’ve just consumed $3,000 worth of your time! It’s often much cheaper (and better, easier and, frankly, more enjoyable) to leverage the services of an experienced remodeling firm, like B.A. Morrison.  Since 1990, our general contracting and heating/air specialists have served the Bay Area well. We are fully insured and bonded. We’re happy to provide free estimates for any service, installation, replacement, or home improvement/remodeling project. Call us today at 510-538-9817, or
explore our website, www.bamorrison.com.

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