I’m doing a little research into custom kitchen cabinets. A buddy of mine asked me to do his kitchen, so I’m trying to come up with a fair price while also saving him a few bucks. I’ve found some info online, that gives a general range in costs, $350/linear foot and up, typically around $400/ft. But i would like to get some actual pricing from those who do it. If I could get a range of from lower end to high end per foot and what region of the country it would be very helpful to me. For this job, his wife wants hickory with a plain finish and about a moderate amount of fancy work involved. Nothing that is challenging. And btw I’m not a novice, i do have a fair amount of experience. I recently just completed a cherry wall unit with fireplace mantle and large raised panels.
Thanks in advance
Replies
I just completed a kitchen for a man I already knew. The materials were fairly high end. He was picky about workmanship, and I exceeded his expectations. But he didn't want any fancy details except a 36"X60" butcher block top for the island. So the cabinets were fairly basic.( dovetailed drawerbox fronts/datoed backs, good color matches, Top grade maple ply, and solid wood, pre-cat spray finish.) No other countertops were provided. Hardware was provided my the customer and was not included in the price. 31 doors/5 drawers, delivered to his door 10 miles from my shop. It came it at about $600 per linear foot.
Hi G ,
Is that $600 a foot per base and the same per wall cabinets or is that a combined footage ? Just curious .
dusty
Old Dusty,The $600/lf was total length. In some cases it was just uppers, some just lowers.(island/over stove/over fridge, window over sink for example.)
dp,
Pricing in your region is the criteria needed , where are you ?
Asking for lower end to high end , why not state what door style and drawer slides and hinges to be used ?
Comparing online modulars to custom made is imo not like goods , at all !
Would it be possible to check locally with custom shops ?
regards dusty
Dusty,
I live in a suburb of Buffalo, NY. Square framed doors with a beaded panel, a quarter of the doors with glass. Basic 4 1/2" crown on top. 3/4 drawer slides, not the cheap metal ones with the plastic roller. Hardware, $4.50 a door. I didn't call the local shops because I don't like the idea of misleading them and taking up quite a bit of their time. And their not willing to give a basic figure over the phone. -David
David ,
I would ask you this , are you in business legal and with license , bond and insurance ? Is this how you support yourself and your family ?
Do you want to do this job to make money or for the real experience ?
The problem with obtaining prices from different regions is it varies tremendously and can be misleading . Could you possibly ask a contractor you may know for a range like say $250 - $ 350 dollars a lineal foot or something like that .
Or , go to the local kitchen center and ask for a quote or go in to a local cabinet shop and be honest , tell them what you are up to and if you pose no threat to them they will most likely give you some information that will be helpful.
Maybe the reason you have been asked to do the job is because the client figured it may cost them less since you do not do a lot of this work , doesn't mean you wouldn't do it better then the others .
One way is for you to figure out exactly how much your supplies and materials will cost you , add it up with any overhead costs , rent or fuel ,etc , try and work out each step in your mind and come to a total of hours it may take you to produce the job . If you think it will be 40 hours and you want to earn $25 per hour add it up with the material costs , and have a go at it .
good luck dusty
Dusty and all,
I have gone to Lowe's and Home Depot to do some comparison, but that's semi custom. And of course I've planned out time and materials. I could just give him $20/hr figure plus costs but it's important for a number of reasons to know what the market is for the work I'll be doing for him. I plan to be able to tell him and his wife this is what this work is typically going for and this is the savings i can pass along to you. Granted, I want to save him a few bucks, but I also want to get paid a reasonable amount as well. I know i can give him a better price than Lowe's and HD for comparable semi-custom design and amenities, but I'd like to take into consideration the market for custom work as well. As I think i explained before, the shops in the area wont give a general price, they want to come and take measurements and do the cad work etc. I'm not comfortable deceiving them, but I will try asking as you suggested. Also, my friend asked me to do the job because we're friends, he knows I'll give him a good kitchen, he can save a few bucks and he doesn't have to worry about any deception in what he's been sold/promised, or for that matter dealing with or worrying over the potential headaches that sometimes arise when dealing with contractors.Lastly, not that I'm crazy about disclosing personal information but as to, "I would ask you this , are you in business legal and with license , bond and insurance ? Is this how you support yourself and your family ?" In order, i have both a dba and an LLC, there is no licensing here in ny for the work i'm doing, I don't have a family to support, I'm in grad school and the wood working is much more enjoyable and profitable than the other part time alternatives. thanks,
David
Edited 8/29/2007 12:52 pm ET by dperfe
dp--
I have followed this thread thru and the bottom line is that you want to be able to "help out" your friend by making him kitchen cabinets and saving him money compared to what the commerical semi-custom cabinet manufacturers charge.
What makes you beleive that you can save him money. Do you have a special method of production that will allow you to make them more economically than a commerical shop. My point is--- do not be suprised if you can not save your friend money. You should be able to make a better product. But I just dont think you will save your friend big bucks.
Just my opinion.
BTW-- I have worked for commerical cabinet companies in marketing positions. I have been working wood for about 7 years.
Unless you have a secret weapon to produce cabinets super fast. I am skeptical that you will save your friend money.
Good luck---let us know how it goes.
Dom
"What makes you beleive that you can save him money... But I just dont think you will save your friend big bucks."Dom,
I have a home shop and don't have near the expenses of a custom shop. I also have a couple of sources for lumber that are relatively inexpensive to downright cheap, and no, the quality of the lumber is not an issue. Compared to what a Lowe's or Home Depot charges for semi-custom, yes I can save him money, I never said anything about big bucks. It all depends on what he, or whoever, is looking for. It he wanted the low end, most basic of kitchens with pressboard cabinets etc, then no, I probably wouldn't take the job. from what little I have looked at them, I suspect it wouldn't be worth my time. But he wants middle to upper end cabinets with a lot of custom work. comparables at HD or Lowe's, obviously without the custom work, is more expensive than what i can and am willing to do. With the semi custom stuff, there is a big price increase the more frilly or extravagant you go. However, for me, most of that stuff doesn't make that much of a difference. To add some ornamental fluting to the design or a built up crown with dental trim really doesn't take that much time or effort. Granted, if he wanted corbels, that would be a different story, but he doesn't so these things don't come into play. But with HD or Lowe's, there appears to be a pretty hefty premium with this stuff. For example, HD has an 8ft display that is similar in look and extras to what I'll be building. This display, installed, just the cabinetry is over $300/ft. That cabinet with just the basics, installed is still around $235/ft, per my discussion with the sales person. As i explained before, my expenses are low, so yes i can build him a nice custom kitchen and save him a few bucks compared to a comparable semi custom, and a bit more compared to a custom shop.
Edited 8/31/2007 9:55 am ET by dperfe
dp,
Dom and G and myself are looking beyond the surface closer to the Brass tacks.
A smaller shop with smaller tooling , saws , space , booths, capacity can indeed produce quality that meets or exceeds that of a larger shop or factory . When it all boils down it's not what you have that makes the product it's what you know and your skill level and ability . I know this is true , I'm living proof of it .
That said ,,, a smaller shop pays a little more usually for all supplies , lumber,sheet goods , hardware , finish , abrasives . You say no problem to put some extra crown on , you can add the custom features your pal wants without much hassle . It's true the kitchen centers hit them hard for the "frou frou " stuff. And you can do it for only the cost of the materials if you want to .
Another way of looking at this is you could produce better product but why charge less ? Part of the value your pal has with you is like you said he knows you will give him a good kitchen without deception and such that an unknown contractor may pull.
After over 25 years in business there is one thing I have learned for sure , as far as working for friends goes I either do it for free or charge full price , anything in-between leaves much room and opportunity to lose a friendship.
best of luck to you
dusty
"You say no problem to put some extra crown on , you can add the custom features your pal wants without much hassle . It's true the kitchen centers hit them hard for the "frou frou " stuff. And you can do it for only the cost of the materials if you want to ... Another way of looking at this is you could produce better product but why charge less ?"Dusty, that really kind of brings us full circle. I'd like to give him a break, he's a friend and that's just how I am with friends. However, that being said, I want to come up with something I think is reasonable. Which is why I'm trying to get an idea of what the custom shops would charge and then take that into consideration as well. "But why charge less" you ask? You're right. "Part of the value your pal has with you is like you said he knows you will give him a good kitchen without deception and such that an unknown contractor may pull." This is true as well, and the more i think about it, the more I'm inclined toward a smaller break on the price. Thanks
dp,
Well look at it this way ,, give them better quality at a comparable price that is something he won't get else where , you can do the extras and the install for free if you want , that will amount to a substantial savings .
No matter what the custom shops charge , your cost will be the same and your product will be custom and we hope a better quality .You should not compare your price to a custom shop , rather your time and materials and what it's worth to you should be the criteria
To be able to say most shops charge $xyz but I'm only charging you $zzy will mean little .Knowing he has a quality product custom made by you will mean the most .No matter what he will most likely think the price sounds high , unless he has a strong current market insight .
dusty
Dom,
You have a very valid point. More big shops are very effeciant in their production methods. A small shop ussually can't compete with most bigger shops for lead, and productions times. I have a small at home shop and find that it takes me 2X to 4X longer for me to make the same product as the larger shops. It's hard to compete with their discounded volume materials prices as well.
Where you do have the advantage is in overhead costs. Even a hobiest has them, and they need to be factored in to the price.
Say it goes like this..
The big shop can build the kitchen in 100 man hrs. @ $80 per hr = $8000
Big shop material cost....................................................................= $3000
Big shop profit margin....................................................................= $2000
Big shop bid....................................................................................=$13000
Your shop man Hrs =400(4X the man hrs of the big shop)X$20/hr.=$8000
Small shop material cost..................................................................=$3500
Small shop profit..............................................................................=$1000
Small shop bid..................................................................................=$12500
After overhead at $20/hr you might be making $12 to $15 per hr even if don't need to invest in new tools, and you work out of your own home. Don't forget gas, power, tool sharpenings, tool maintenance, garbage removal, shortened life of major tools,ect.
I'm doing this now, and I like it. But I could make more $$ with a part time job elsewhere. And I can't save even my friends much money on kitchens. I can do better on custom furniture where big custom shops may have more setup time, and non- production tasks.
GRW--
I agree with you and Dom 100%.
Big shops (custom and semi-custom) have prodution set ups that are very effecient. I think that DP could do as good if not better in quality. But I really doubt he will save much money as your comparison points out. You are spot on about factoring in all the little things to the overall cost....like gas, sharpenings etc....
I dont wanna rain on DPs parade, but I dont wanna see him spin his wheels and get nowhere quick. However, learning is a process full of trial and errors.
Later--
CheatahThank you,
Cheatah
I have recently had a few requests for replacement cabinet doors and, like you, needed pricing. I just went to Lowes, picked up a brochure on door prices, unfinished mind you, computed cost for spraying (in hours), and from there established my price.
I don't recommend doing that w/ your job but it can give you a low-end starting price.
Thanks,
dlb
.
After reading all the posts, in my opinion, you don't need ballpark ranges of figures. You need to come up with a kitchen plan showing all the cabinets and how they will be installed. Then you need to develop a cutlist for each cabinet. Once you have the cutlist for each cabinet then you can figure how many board feet of lumber you will need for frames and doors, and also how many sheets of plywood you will need. Take these numbers to your wood supplier and get a quote as to the cost of the wood. Then figure out how much you want to make on the deal and add that to the cost of the wood. Then try to come up with a number for all the incidentals and shop supplies that you will need to do the job. Then estimate the amount of stain and topcoat that you are going to need to finish the cabinets, estimate on the high side because it is always better to have too much rather than too little. Add all these numbers together and this is what you can do the job for.
I almost forgot you need the cost of the drawer slides, and your overhead costs for the complete total
Edited 9/1/2007 8:15 pm ET by Cabinetguy45
To add to what cabinetguy said:
I would figure all of the materials needed (from lumber/plywood to finish/stain and hardware) and add 25% to 40% right off the top.
Figure your time at a price you can live with. Add a little to be on the safe side.
Figure your overhead at a price you can live with. (If you have little or no overhead to speak of, you can discount here to save your friend some money).
Lee
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