For the cabinets in our previous renovation projects the bathroom and kitchen we had a cabinet maker help us design, custom make and install the cabinets for our bathroom vanity and kitchen cabinets.
The main reason was because space and storage were our number one priorities for these rooms, followed by wanting a real wow factor and professional finish.
For the bathroom, we couldn't find a vanity in the exact measurements we needed and to buy a stock standard vanity would mean losing out on precious storage space.
The main reason was because space and storage were our number one priorities for these rooms, followed by wanting a real wow factor and professional finish.
For the bathroom, we couldn't find a vanity in the exact measurements we needed and to buy a stock standard vanity would mean losing out on precious storage space.
The same goes for the kitchen on an even larger scale - so we had custom made cupboards to fit every nook and cranny of our small kitchen to get the most storage as we possibly could squeeze out of the room.
The cupboards were made off site and assembled and then bought to my house all put together and ready to install by the handy man. Even then they were there for a few days and had to make minor adjustments along the way because in a 1960s house nothing is square, especially the walls, so to not have to deal with the headache of installing banks of kitchen cabinets perfectly was a great job for us to outsource!
The cupboards were made off site and assembled and then bought to my house all put together and ready to install by the handy man. Even then they were there for a few days and had to make minor adjustments along the way because in a 1960s house nothing is square, especially the walls, so to not have to deal with the headache of installing banks of kitchen cabinets perfectly was a great job for us to outsource!
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| Our kitchen cabinetry - oven side |
Sure, it is more expensive to get a cabinet maker, but paying someone else to make and install the cabinets meant that our time was free to do other renovation work like the demolition, preparation of the rooms, shopping for all the bits and pieces, painting and finishing off the project. There is so much to do when you are renovating that the cabinetry is just one part of it - although a very important part it is.
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| Kitchen design |
It also means you are getting a professionals input into the design and layout of the room and the cabinetry that will work best in the space.
These guys do this day in and day out so listen to their advice, if they say all drawers in a vanity aren't going to work because of the pipes for sinks then listen to them (even though this meant my dream of drawers was crushed!). They are right 99.9% of the time and ultimately want to build you something that you are so happy with you can't wait to tell everyone about it, thus sending more business their way!
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| Bathroom vanity design |
I also think you get a more professional look when the cupboards have been custom made by a cabinet maker. But that's just my opinion and I haven't yet tackled the entire range of flat packs that are now available to do a proper comparison ....
UNTIL NOW THAT IS!
The tables have turned with our laundry renovation and we are looking at installing flat packs ourselves because it is a fairly straight forward job with just one wall of upper head and base cabinets. Also there seems to be flat pack cabinets to fit our wall measurements - space and size were issues in the bathroom and kitchen, but in the laundry our measurements work well.
So we figured there's really no excuse not to jump on the flat pack bandwagon and give it a go!
We have narrowed it down to 3 different ranges of flat packs - Ikea who are modern designs and have lots of clever ideas and additions, Bunnings who are a bit cheaper and come with more included (legs, door hinges and shelf) and Masters who are cheap as well and seem to have a better quality and range of finishes.
So we figured there's really no excuse not to jump on the flat pack bandwagon and give it a go!
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| We want a bank of upper head cabinets and base cabinets along this wall |
We have narrowed it down to 3 different ranges of flat packs - Ikea who are modern designs and have lots of clever ideas and additions, Bunnings who are a bit cheaper and come with more included (legs, door hinges and shelf) and Masters who are cheap as well and seem to have a better quality and range of finishes.
I will keep you posted on our flat pack journey ....
Have you installed flat pack cabinets in your home?
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Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
Home Coming - The DIYers
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Have you installed flat pack cabinets in your home?
Sharing with link parties:
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
Home Coming - The DIYers
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
[All images my own]
That is really neat that you hired a cabinet maker for the other jobs. I have never been in an Ikea, but they are building one here in St. Louis and I can't wait!! Good luck with your decision!
ReplyDeleteDid you do a price comparison for flat pack vs cabinet maker hun? I am tempted to go down the cabinet maker tour so I get exactly what I want and the kitchen place I went to is taking absolutely forever to get back to me on a $ figure. So annoying plus I have realised they don't actually make the cabinets to fit they are just using flat pack :/
ReplyDeleteIm in the same boat Dani, have asked for a quote but not yet received it.
DeleteWe are pretty sure it will be 3 times the cost - flat packs approx $1000 Vs cabinet maker approx $3000.
We used IKEA cabinets for our laundry because they had cabinets that fit the space perfectly (and we liked the designs) and we wanted to DIY one room ourselves - the laundry has less parts to consider than the kitchen or bathroom so I think it's 'easier' to plan out yourself. Also, I didn't realise this until we bought our cabinets (and you may already know), but the shelf and hinges come included in the price listed on the IKEA website (under product information). I'd also recommend speaking to one of the staff in the kitchen area if you do choose IKEA, just to confirm that you have selected everything you need and that it will all fit together, as it was reassuring to know I had selected all the right bits and pieces! Have fun shopping :)
ReplyDeleteYour laundry looks fantastic too! Thanks for the tips I will definately get all the info I can from the sales people before leaving the store.
DeleteOh your home is looking lovely! I love all your ideas.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much :)
DeleteYour bathroom and kitchen look awesome! Very inspiring :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, it is worth all the hard work when you see the finished product :)
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