There are many choices to be made when remodeling your kitchen. From color choices, layout, style, and type of materials to be used throughout the kitchen. With so many choices to be made, you may not know where to start. The main investment in your kitchen is the cabinetry you choose. When chosen correctly, it makes the kitchens ease of use and pleasure of cooking a whole lot better. As a licensed remodeling contractor in Los Angeles, I personally recommend to my clients to first decide on what TYPE of cabinetry they want. There are two main choices of cabinetry to choose from. Custom Built Cabinets or Ready Made Cabinets, also known as Stock Cabinets.
To make an informed decision, its important to know the differences between the two types of cabinets.
Ready made cabinets also known as “stock cabinets” are usually made ahead of time and stocked by a distributor ready for sale. These cabinets come in specified pre-made sizes ranging from 9″ to 48″ in width, usually in 3″ increments. Because ready made cabinets have specified sizes, they limit the options for cabinet height, width and depth, which may limit the space available in irregular shaped kitchens, and can make fitting in extra large appliances difficult. Also, ready made cabinets are most likely made of thinner materials and lesser quality components such as the hinges, etc. These ready made or stock cabinets need to have fillers used, which are wood pieces that are similar to the color of the cabinetry, that fill in the extra space left over between the cabinets.
Custom made cabinetry allows you to utilize the space of the kitchen to the fullest extent. By having your cabinets custom made you get to choose between options that may not be available to you with ready made cabinetry. Some of these choices you get to decide with custom built cabinets are the depth, height, width, type of wood and choice of color that suits your needs and taste buds. Being able to choose which height, size and depth, allows you to maximize the space available to you, because the cabinetry is built and designed however you choose, giving you the features you desire, such as deeper spaces for large dishes. Also, there is no need for the use of fillers with custom cabinets, as they are made to fit exactly as needed. The higher quality construction and features of custom built cabinets means your kitchen will be enjoyed for much longer and will make your cooking, storage and overall use of your kitchen more enjoyable! Most likely custom built cabinets will only be slightly more expensive. But the slight extra cost will be worth it, as you get exactly what you want.
