Friday, December 11, 2009

Major Renovation, Before & After Pictures

Before... The wall behind the fridge, the main wall running down the center of the house and the walls and room behind the staircase were all removed to transform the main living space into one big open concept area. This involved installing supporting beams buried in the attic and strapping and drywalling the ceiling to make it level.





and AFTER!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Comparing custom, semi-custom and stock cabinetry.

Stock cabinets are typically sold by big box stores such as Home Depot. They are limited to predetermined configurations of basic cabinetry, and their sizes are limited to 3" increments in width, as well as height and depth. Stock cabinets are premade and stocked in a warehouse, so lead times are usually within the two to three week range.

Semi-custom cabinets are typically carried by cabinet dealerships who design, sell and install their products. They are also limited in size to their standard door sizes, using 3" increments, but can be modified in many other ways as long as the standard doors will work. Some of these modifications include increased and reduced depth, flush toeboards and matching finished interiors. Semi-custom cabinet finishes are limited to that company's particular range of finishes. Many semi-custom manufacturers make their cabinets as they receive the orders, therefore the lead times vary within the three to six week range.

Custom cabinets are manufactured in one of two ways. Most consumers are familiar with the scenario where a custom cabinet shop does the manufacturing, design, sales and installation of their own products. But the other increasingly popular scenario is where a custom manufacturer makes the custom kitchens to order and sells them to dealers with showrooms who do the design, sales and installation work. Some have the opinion that the extra middleman would drive up the price, but on the contrary, prices are usually competitive as the large sales volume allows the manufacturer to provide dealers with better discounts and warranty service as well as invest in superior equipment. Custom cabinets are limitless in their size, layout and finish options, and lead times can vary from 1 month to as much as 6 months or more.