How to Estimate Kitchen Storage Needs

Many homeowners believe there never can be too much storage space in a kitchen. Others might say extra storage space is simply an incentive to fill the space with unnecessary items. The decision to install new kitchen cabinets or to remodel a kitchen should begin with an honest assessment of how the kitchen space will be used by your family.

kitchen cabinet storage, kitchen cabinet value

One of many kitchen storage solutions

The challenge for many people is how to estimate kitchen storage needs.

The first step in the estimation of storage needs is to determine how you will use the space. For many families, the kitchen is no longer a discrete room or space. Today, in many homes, the kitchen is combined with a family room, a breakfast room, or a work area. In other homes, the kitchen is the place where guests and extended family are entertained. For the most part, the kitchen has become the center of a family’s activities (whatever they enjoy).

The second step in estimating kitchen storage needs is to determine what kind of storage space in needed or desired. If the family will eat most meals in the extended kitchen, it might make sense to store dishes and flatware, near the table. It might also make sense to put a dishwasher in that area. If there will be a work area (perhaps a place for children to do homework or for bill paying, etc.), there might be a need for a desk or bookshelves or computer connections.

The third step is to determine the types of storage required in the kitchen. Do you want glass door cabinets to display china, glassware, or food containers? Where will you keep small appliances when not in use? Do you want to organize your kitchen around the type of cooking or other food preparation most commonly used? For example, if you have children, you might want a snack area that is readily accessible to them with storage for cold water or other drinks, storage for microwaveable snack items (popcorn, for example).

Fourth, determine how much cabinet and surface area you have now. There is a simple formula for this. Measure the width and depth of your existing cabinets or other storage areas and counters, as well as the number of shelves in each cabinet: cabinet/shelf/drawer width x number of shelves/drawers x cabinet/shelf/drawer depth = storage space.

Fifth, estimate the additional space needed and the amount of space you would prefer to use differently. For example, if you plan to create a snack area or zone, you might want a refrigerated drawer for drinks or a small under-counter refrigerator. If you do a lot of baking and you want to create a baking area separate from the usual cooking zone, you might want a second oven, and dedicated storage spaces for ingredients, bake ware, etc. Decide where it is most convenient to store each type of item you use frequently.

On the other hand, if you do not do much cooking, you might want to save the trouble of calculating the storage needs of a kitchen, you can follow the guidelines available from the National Kitchen and Bath Association.  http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/kitchen/planning/kitchen-planning-guidelines/?page=1

A final note: When you estimate kitchen storage needs it is wise to tailor your remodel less to personal tastes and more to recommendations if you are planning to sell your home in the next few years. You might do only minimal cooking and need minimal storage, but the next owner might have different needs.

Kitchen Cabinets Costs

Kitchen Cabinets Cost

We can work with you to reduce your kitchen cabinets costs while giving you the kitchen of your dreams.

When planning a kitchen remodel, kitchen cabinets cost can account for about half of the total cost of your remodeling project. On the one hand, cabinetry seems the logical place to try to save money by choosing less expensive cabinets. On the other hand, however, it seems to make more sense to invest in the best cabinets so you will not need to replace them so soon.

It would be amazing and wonderful to be able to reduce the cost of your remodel by spending less on kitchen cabinets cost and getting better cabinets at the same time. The good news is that kitchen cabinets cost can be a pleasant surprise when you are dealing with the right cabinetmaker. The right cabinetmaker will have a purchase agreement with a cabinet distributor that provides a discount on high quality stock cabinets and the skill to customize stock cabinets to your specifications.

Here is an example illustrating a difference in kitchen cabinets cost. Stock drawers are available in various under-counter sizes. Drawer heights are available only in three and eight inch heights. What you have seen in a custom cabinet and want in your kitchen, however, is an eight-inch high drawer that is divided inside into a three inch top drawer nestled above a 5 inch bottom drawer, all accessed with a single set of pull handles.

A custom cabinet in the wood and finish you have chosen for your kitchen renovation will be costly. If you are working with a cabinetmaker that customizes stock cabinets to your specifications, you pay for the stock cabinet and the modification or customization of the drawer. If your cabinetmaker has a discount relationship with a distributor of high quality stock cabinets, you might pay about the same amount as the kitchen cabinets cost of the stock cabinet in a home improvement store.

What will you do manage kitchen cabinets cost for a kitchen renovation in a very old or historic house? It is common to find that measurements are not as accurate in old houses or that corners are rarely true 90° angles. In this case, your options are very limited: custom cabinetry or customized stock cabinets.

Kitchen cabinets cost can quickly become prohibitive if you decide you need custom cabinets to provide for other specialized needs in your kitchen. If, for example, you want a wine cooler in your kitchen and you want its outer face to match your cabinets, you need custom work. The same is true if you want refrigerated or freezer drawers that blend with your cabinets.

If there are two cooks in the family and the kitchen is short on counter or workspace, meal preparation can quickly resemble a game of Twister. Customizing a few drawers to include a pullout work area atop the items stored within can quickly restore harmony. The best news is that a cabinetmaker can help you manage kitchen cabinets cost by customizing a stock drawer to meet this need for a fraction of the cost of a custom drawer.

Some people find kitchen cabinets cost too high when they want to use spaces that otherwise would be wasted to make items available where they are most convenient. You would need to take on the added cost of custom cabinets to have a spice rack in the side of the island adjacent to the cook top or to have a narrow pullout system of racks for canned goods in the space beside the refrigerator.

All of these needs (and more) can be met by buying custom cabinets or by reducing kitchen cabinets cost with the help of a good cabinetmaker. Kitchen Cabinet Value can pass on our savings by buying high quality stock cabinets from a distributor who offers a discount and then customize those stock cabinets to meet your specific needs. Kitchen cabinets cost can be reduced while you build the kitchen of your dreams.

 

Wholesale Kitchen Cabinets

Wholesale Kitchen Cabinets

This beautiful kitchen is available at wholesale kitchen cabinet prices.

Buying kitchen cabinets wholesale vs. retail can save you a bundle when you’re considering a remodel or renovation of your kitchen.  Whether it’s planning a kitchen expansion or enlargement, or a complete remodel, upgrading your kitchen cabinets at wholesale prices can save you $10,000 or more.  Consider this example for a typical kitchen remodeling job with a total cost of $40,000.  Kitchen cabinets are usually half of the total remodel cost, so that’s $20,000 in our example.  If you can cut the kitchen cabinet cost in half by purchasing your cabinets wholesale, meaning direct from the manufacturer, that saves you $10,000!

Buying kitchen cabinets wholesale doesn’t mean you give up quality either.  Buying wholesale simply means that you are cutting out the retailer and their associated markup and working directly with the manufacturer.  This allows you to save substantially on your kitchen home improvement job, plus you likely will be able to purchase a higher quality kitchen cabinet than you initially planned which makes buying direct an even greater value.

With internet shopping literally at your fingertips, buying kitchen cabinets wholesale has never been easier. You have instant access to hundreds of wholesale cabinet dealers across the country with virtually any cabinet style, wood choice and finish color.  But there are important considerations to assess prior to taking the step of purchasing your new kitchen online.  Here are some drawbacks to an online purchase:

  1. You must accept the full responsibility for assessing the quality of the product when you buy kitchen cabinets wholesale online. In most cases you cannot see the finish or measure the thickness of the shelves or see what kind of secondary wood has been used to build the cabinet box. You must either evaluate the product in a store and then purchase direct from the manufacturer, or ask all of the appropriate and necessary questions to be assured you are buying a quality product.  Of course, until the finished product arrives you’re not completely assured that what you expected is what you’re getting.
  2. When you buy kitchen cabinets wholesale you must deal with delivery and storage until you are ready to install the cabinets. The cabinets will be drop-shipped from the manufacturer directly to your home.
  3. Buying kitchen cabinets wholesale also means you may be purchasing cabinets RTA (ready to assemble). This means that every cabinet must be assembled and installed. Either you will need to assemble the cabinets (which can be a great way to save money, but can create problems if you don’t have appropriate tools or knowhow) or you must hire a contractor, carpenter or cabinetmaker to assemble the cabinets for you. Then, either you or the person you hire must install the cabinets.
  4. When you buy kitchen cabinets wholesale you will be able to buy them only in standard sizes. You will not be able to buy special sizes to fit your kitchen design. You may also have limited access to cabinetry with special features or accessories.  There are companies that do sell after-market items, but ordering the right components can prove cumbersome when dealing with different manufacturers.  You may consider buying cabinets in the size closest to your needs and try to find someone who can customize them for you, but in the end that defeats the original purpose of saving money.

Buying wholesale can be a good idea, but only if you are fully aware of the extra work required in assembly and installation along with the added responsibility for storage.

 

Discount Kitchen Cabinets

Discount Kitchen Cabinets

Our discount kitchen cabinets compare with cabinets nearly twice the price.

Before you buy discount kitchen cabinets, there are some quality tests you should make. There are cabinet dealers who offer lower quality cabinets under the “discount” designation. But if you look around and shop carefully, you can find one of the dealers who offer high-quality cabinets at discount prices. Cabinets really are not the place to sacrifice quality in the name of savings when remodeling a kitchen.

If you will spend some time looking at sample cabinets and asking key questions before you decide where to buy discount kitchen cabinets, you will be able to ensure buying high-quality discount kitchen cabinets (where only the price is lower) instead of cheap low-quality cabinets.

Here are the five things you should look for:

  1. Look at how the drawers are made. High-quality cabinet construction does not include staples or nails to hold drawers together. They are not just glued together, either. Good construction will make drawers with dove tail assembly. A good drawer in discount kitchen cabinets will be able to support about 75 pounds when it is open. It is generally wise to avoid thin particle board drawer construction.
  2. Look at the sides and back of the discount kitchen cabinets. This is an important indication of quality. The case of the cabinet – sides, top, bottom and back should be of solid wood that is at least one-half inch thick. You will create a lot of heat and steam in your kitchen. Thin cabinet casings can warp. Plywood is also not recommended because of the glue and layering, which has a tendency to warp.
  3. Finished interior surfaces are a true test of the highest quality cabinetry. Some discount kitchen cabinets will leave these surfaces unfinished. Not only does this create an unappealing appearance, but it leaves the wood subject to damage and splintering. This could be harmful and very inconvenient.
  4. Look for adjustable shelves. This is a definite indication of the quality of discount kitchen cabinets. It does not mean there is anything wrong with the construction of the cabinets, if they meet other quality tests, but it causes a lot of wasted space that you probably need for storage in your kitchen. Shelves can bow (just like bookshelves) from weight and moisture. Insist on shelves that are at least 5/8 inch thick.
  5. Check the quality of the hardware and the appearance of the hardware. Cabinet doors can be installed in two ways. One style of construction allows the hinges on the doors to be seen. In this case, you will want to check the finish on the hardware to ensure that it will not be damaged by moisture and that it matches other metals used prominently in your kitchen.

By paying careful attention to these five tests of discount kitchen cabinets, you can buy the quality you want at a discounted price and not risk purchasing inferior quality in the name of discount kitchen cabinets.

 

Google+