Do You Know How Much Your Kitchen Cabinet Budget Should Be?
What do you get when you pay top dollar for new kitchen cabinets? Despite their importance in your new kitchen it may feel hard to allocate the recommended 40 percent of your kitchen design budget to cabinets. Any kitchen design company would love to tell you “Yes, spend 40 percent!” But of course the reality is that does not work for everyone.
It is important to keep in mind that cabinets are for more than just looks in your kitchen. You use kitchen cabinets everyday and paying a little closer to that 40 percent can benefit you in the long run. Still, since there are many parts in your kitchen that need remodeling, it can be hard to find the right balance between quality and budget.
Before contacting a professional designer or kitchen cabinet maker it is important to have your budget in place. This guide will help you choose the right cabinet budget that fits in your overall kitchen design budget and direct you to the options within reach.
Revitalizing old cabinets
refinishing old cabinets is sometimes an option, especially if your kitchen remodel consists of other major work just as custom appliance and wall removals / rebuilding? If they are structurally sound, if they are sturdy and square it is possible to professionally have them degreased, sanded down and painted for as little as $50 per door or completely refaced for $150 per kitchen cabinet
Budget Cabinets
Cost: $70 per foot and up.
These kitchen cabinets are often the ones you find off-the-shelf at your local hardware store. Some come assembled while others require someone who knows their stuff. So if you decide to buy off the shelf you may end up hiring a professional to come install them. Make sure you include that in your budget. A good reason to choose budget cabinets might be if you are just trying to “dress up” your kitchen for home resale or rent.
Pros: Even if you decide to have them professionally installed they can be a budget option.
Cons: Hard to find quality budget cabinets. Fewer style and feature options and a generic look.
Mid-Level Cabinets
Cost: $150 per foot and up.
Offering more custom options these are a good choice for many kitchen design budgets due to their balance of custom options and lower price point.
Pros: More custom options available to fit many kitchen design budgets. Easier to find quality cabinets with special trims and styles.
Cons: Quality can still vary. Buyer must make sure to inspect the cabinets for quality. No real “wow” factor.
Premium Cabinets
Cost: $500 per foot and up.
Otherwise known as semi-custom cabinets these models offer the most in style and storage.
Pros: Very versatile in styles and can fit nearly any kitchen space because they often come in ¼ inch increments.
Cons: Can cost as much as full custom kitchen cabinets depending on model, without the custom made service.
Calculating your Kitchen Cabinet Budget
Great, so now that you have an idea of the different levels and price points of kitchen cabinets, how do you choose one that fits your budget? Earlier it was mentioned that kitchen design budgets sometimes set aside as much as 40 percent of the total budget towards kitchen cabinets but is this necessary? The answer, of course, is it depends on why you are re-doing your cabinets.
Extra Budget Considerations
Space
A big factor you will have to take into account when deciding on your kitchen design budget is the amount of cabinet space you have to renovate. A simple way to determine what type of cabinets you can afford is to take up to 40 percent of your total kitchen design budget and divide it by the feet of cabinet space your kitchen has. If you have a small kitchen with less cabinet space, why not splurge on top of the line?
Extra Features
Not included in this simple equation are any add-ons you might like to purchase such as pullout trash cans, spring shelves, LED lighting, “soft close” drawer stoppers and dish racks. So if any of these are on your radar remember to have a margin of up to 20 percent set aside for these.
What’s your Budget?
At this point you may have an idea of what your kitchen cabinet budget looks like but lets take a quick peek at a simple example. Say you have $10 thousand as your total kitchen design budget. 40 percent of that, $4 thousand, is your potential kitchen cabinet budget. Say there is 25 feet of cabinet space you have to cover and that means you have $160 per foot. This means you have quite a few options, you can afford up to mid-level cabinets including a couple of the nice extras you might want.
Now that you have the tools and knowledge to budget for your kitchen cabinets it’s time to start looking at the quality designers that meet your needs. Results speak for themselves, feel free to take a look at our happy kitchen remodel customers.