HOW MUCH SHOULD I INVEST IN MY KITCHEN?
The kitchen tends to be the heart of a home, and a gathering place for family, friends, and neighbors.  According to the National Association of Realtors, the kitchen also is the single, most important room to prospective buyers when they make a home purchasing decision.  Another reason to consider remodeling a kitchen is that the 2009-10 “Cost versus Value Report” published by Remodeling Magazine states that "though homeowners are cautious about remodeiing in this economy, they realize that kitchens and baths are still good investments."

Want to update, upgrade, or expand your kitchen without spending a fortune?  You don't have to settle for resurfaced cabinets or just new door fronts over your old cabinets.

At Kitchen Cabinet Discounts, LLC, our high quality Ready-to-Assemble (RTA) kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities are sold for one third to one half what they sell for in kitchen cabinet showrooms and home improvement centers.  For instance, you can buy 11 all wood cabinets, including a corner diagonal cabinet to fit a typical 10' X 10' kitchen for less than:

• $1,060 - Country Oak Cabinets;
• $1,475 - Spice Maple Cabinets;
• $1,550 - Santa Fe Cabinets, Maple Shaker;
• $1,650 - Yorktown Patriot, Madison Avenue, Napa Valley Bordeaux, Light Caramel Rope, Colonial Wave;
• $2,135 - Winter White or Bamboo Cabinets;
• $2,200 - Imperial Mahogany Cabinets.

Naturally, kitchens with more cabinets, or kitchens that include special feature cabinets and accessories will cost more.  The only additional fee is shipping, which is direct to the curb of your home. 

We charge NO processing fees, NO handling fees, NO pallet fees, or the myriad of other "hidden fees" some cabinet companies charge.

Even if you buy our RTA cabinets and hire a local kitchen cabinet installer, you still can save several thousand dollars. Some national supply chains charge $80 to assemble and install each cabinet.  Many independent installers charge substantially less.  Using the higher figure of $80, the average kitchen, which typically has 15 – 18 cabinets, would cost $1,200 - $1,440 to install. If you add roll out trays, lazy susans, crown molding, etc., installation costs may be more.

CREATING A "WOW!" FACTOR IN YOUR KITCHEN
Replacing worn or obsolete cabinets with attractive new designs can be a major morale booster every time you enter your kitchen.  With a little creativity though, your kitchen also can have pizzazz.  

By just adding a few semi-custom touches, visitors won’t just say, “What an improvement!,” but rather, “Wow!  What an incredible difference!”  Some classy additions may include:

• Diagonal cabinets in corners
• Glass mullion doors
• Plate racks, wine racks, and deorative end doors
• Wooden hoods to hang over stoves
• Fluted fillers placed between select cabinets or to trim out appliances
• Decorative wooden appliqué onlays
• Hand carved or molded corbels that add drama to shelves, islands, and counters
• Crown molding on top of cabinets
• Under cabinet molding to hide accent lights
• Accessories such as:

o    Roll out trays
o    Roll out garbage and recycling bins
o    Spice racks
o    Pantry organizers
o    Cutlery trays

BEFORE & AFTER PHOTOS

This simple 11' X 8’  L-shaped kitchen dated from the 1980’s.  Its eleven 30” high cabinets didn't offer much storage space, or much excitement. Close up, the cabinets looked dingy, and one of the drawers no longer closed properly.  Ergonomically, this kitchen was a nightmare.  It required lots of stooping, bending, squatting, and stretching.  The cabinets were crowded and hard to keep organized. The blind base cabinet in the corner made it next to impossible to access items even when the homeowners were on their knees, ducked their heads into the dark cavern of a cabinet, and flapped their arms around futilely, trying to guess what they could be touching.  The trash can in the left corner was functional, but not an attractive addition to the kitchen.  The microwave sitting on the counter took up needed workspace.  Additionally, having the stove against the wall was a fire code violation in some states, as splattered grease could hit the wall and start a fire.

BEFORE                                                                                                      AFTER

       

By eliminating the bulkhead, (the projecting 10” wallboard built up above the cabinets), and stretching their dollars with KitchenCabinetDiscounts.com amenities, these homeowners replaced their 30 inch high standard grade cabinets with:

• 36” high semi-custom RTA cabinets, which, with the bulkhead gone and the addition of recessed ceiling lights, make the kitchen feel larger and look more modern
• A diagonal corner wall cabinet for dramatic effect and easy reach
• A double tray lazy-susan in the corner base cabinet for quick access to dozens of items with a single spin
• A 24 inch deep cabinet above the refrigerator, instead of a 12" deep one, doubling that cabinet's storage capacity
• Roll out shelves on base cabinets to minimize stooping
• A 9” roll out pantry base to hold organized rows of cans, jars, and bottles that are simple to access
• A 3rd wall of 48" wide X 18” deep cabinets on the bottom and three 15" wide X 12” deep cabinets on the top designed to create pizzazz with glass mullion doors that offer the appearance of a finished hutch.  (Adding this 3rd wall of cabinets to a formerly empty wall increases kitchen cabinet storage space 35 percent, allows the family to showcase its china and crystal, and provides an eat-in-counter or additional work station);
• 4" crown molding on top of the cabinets that adds elegance;
• Under cabinet molding to hide under counter lights and make each cabinet look like a piece of finished furniture.

  AFTER

The "L-shaped" portion of the kitchen still has 11 cabinets, but with a lazy susan and corner diagonal cabinet instead of blind corner cabinets, items are much easier to access.

 

 

The new 3RD WALL cabinetry has  3 glass mullion doors on top; a 3-drawer 18" base cabinet on bottom left, and an 18" base cabinet on the bottom right with roll out recycling and trash bins.

   

BELOW:  The 3" wide pull out spice columns flanking the microwave are both decorative and functional.

          

Remember when a 9" base cabinet held nothing more than a baking pan or two?  This 9" base cabinet houses a roll out pantry that offers easy access to lots of cans, jars, and condiments.

 

MAKEOVER COSTS  (shipping fees are additional):
1)  UPGRADED CABINETRY FOR THIS L-SHAPED KITCHEN:  Cost of 36” high semi-custom RTA cabinets in the Madison Avenue cabinet model which has full-extension, soft close drawers (other models can cost significantly less), including a corner diagonal wall cabinet, lazy susan corner base, double depth cabinet above the refrigerator, and eight other cabinets:  $2,002.

2)  ADDING A 3RD WALL OF RTA CABINETS TO LOOK LIKE A HUTCH:  This kitchen was too narrow to add 24" deep cabinets on the third wall.  By placing an 18" wide X 24" deep drawer pack and an 18" wide X 24" deep base cabinet back to back, instead of side by side, the base was then only 18" away from the wall, yet a full 48" wide, creating a highly desirable new work space.  Three 15" wide X 36" high X 12" deep wall cabinets with glass mullion doors were used on top.  Cost:  $917.

3)  PREMIUM UPGRADES:  4 inch dentil crown molding atop cabinets, 1.5 inch molding under cabinets to hide under-counter lights, 9 decorative door end panels added to end cabinets for a custom furniture look, decorative fluted fillers to trim the top of the range and tops and both sides of the refrigerator, 2 pull out spice columns on sides of microwave, roll out pantry for 9" base cabinet to hold jars and cans, high quality piston operated soft close roll out trash and recycling bins, and miscellaneous other molding and trim pieces:  $2,390.

TOTAL FOR THIS KITCHEN WITH RTA CABINETS, PULL OUTS, ROLL OUTS, MOLDING, TRIM, 9 EXTRA DOOR END PANELS AND ALL UPGRADES MENTIONED:  $5,421.

 

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