| Quick Answer
Custom cabinets are priced on construction rather than on floor area, which is why two quotes for the same kitchen can differ by a factor of three. The seven things that move the number, roughly in order of impact, are box material, drawer construction, door style, finish, hardware and internal fittings, linear footage, and whether the layout changes. Linear footage the thing most people assume drives the price sits sixth. |
Why nobody gives you a number on the phone
It is a fair question and it deserves a straight answer rather than a deflection.
Two kitchens with identical footprints can differ by a factor of three, because the tape measure tells you almost nothing about what is being built. Twenty feet of plywood boxes with dovetailed drawers, soft-close hardware and a hand-applied finish is a different product from twenty feet of particleboard with stapled drawer boxes and from the doorway they look the same.
So rather than refuse to answer, here is what actually moves the number, ranked by how much it moves it.
The seven drivers, in order of impact
- Box material
Plywood or particleboard. This is the single largest decision in a cabinet quote and it is invisible once the doors are on, which is exactly why it is the first place a cheap quote saves money.
Plywood costs more and lasts considerably longer, particularly under a sink or anywhere near a dishwasher. It is also the decision that determines how the kitchen looks in fifteen years rather than in one. If you are comparing two quotes and one is substantially cheaper, this is almost always where the difference sits.
- Drawer construction
Dovetailed solid-wood drawer boxes on full-extension soft-close undermount slides sit at one end. Stapled boxes on side-mount epoxy slides sit at the other. Across a full kitchen the difference is significant, and it is the part of the kitchen your hands touch most often.
Drawer hardware is also the component most likely to fail first. A kitchen with sound boxes and failed slides is a repair; a kitchen with failed boxes is a replacement.
- Door style
A flat slab door in a thermofoil finish is the least expensive. A five-piece shaker in paint-grade maple is mid-range. An inset door is at the top, and by a wider margin than most people expect inset construction requires far tighter tolerances because every door has to fit a hole rather than cover one.
- Finish
Stain on a consistent species is the least expensive route. Painted finishes cost more because they require more preparation and more coats. Custom colour matching costs more again. Two-tone kitchens, which have been the dominant request this year, add cost because they are effectively two finish runs on one order.
- Hardware and internal fittings
Pulls, hinges, slides, corner mechanisms, spice pull-outs, waste units, drawer organisers, integrated lighting. Easy to underestimate at the design stage and easy to overspend on afterwards. Specified at order stage these cost considerably less than retrofitted later, which is the single most common avoidable expense in a cabinet project.
- Linear footage
Measured along the wall at base level and again at the uppers. A typical Contra Costa kitchen runs 18 to 25 linear feet of base plus 12 to 18 of upper.
It sits sixth on this list deliberately. Size matters, but a small kitchen specified well costs more than a large one specified poorly, and most people have the ranking the other way round.
- Whether the layout changes
Replacing cabinets in the existing footprint is a cabinet job. Moving the sink, relocating the range or opening a wall is a construction job plumbing, electrical, permits and often structural work. That is a different budget and a different trade, and we hand those projects to Mazzamuto Construction, the family’s construction company at the same address, rather than pretending a cabinet supplier can carry them.
What is in a cabinet quote, and what is not
This causes more budget surprises than any pricing question, because two quotes can look very different purely because of where the line is drawn.
| Usually included
|
Usually quoted separately
|
Usually not included at all
|
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet boxes, doors and drawer fronts
|
Countertops priced by the square foot, fabricated and installed
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Appliances
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| Hinges, slides and specified internal fittings
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Backsplash and wall tile
|
Plumbing and electrical work
|
| Delivery to site
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Flooring
|
Permits
|
| Installation and scribing
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Removal and disposal of the old kitchen
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Painting and decorating after installation
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| Door and drawer adjustment at handover
|
Templating and fitting of the countertop
|
Structural work of any kind
|
Countertops are the item people most often forget to budget separately. On a large kitchen with an island the countertop can approach a meaningful share of what the cabinets cost, and it is priced and fitted by a different process on a different timeline.
Where budgets overrun
In order of how often we see it.
- The layout changes after the order is placed. Settle the layout before anything is manufactured. Once cabinets are in production, a layout change generally means starting that section again, and this is by a wide margin the most expensive category of change.
- Countertop and backsplash chosen after the cabinets. Selected together, the cost is known up front. Selected afterwards, they tend to escalate to match what is already installed.
- Internal fittings added during installation. Pull-outs, organisers and lighting cost far less specified at order stage.
- Electrical or plumbing discovered mid-project. Older Martinez, Concord and Pleasant Hill homes routinely need work that was not visible at survey. Allow ten to fifteen percent contingency on any house built before 1980.
- Appliance sizes confirmed late. Cabinet runs are built around appliance dimensions. A refrigerator two inches wider than assumed changes the run, and on a manufactured order it cannot be adjusted.
The cheaper routes, honestly assessed
Not every kitchen needs new cabinets, and we would rather say so before you commit than afterwards.
- Refinishing keeps your existing doors and re-coats them. The least expensive option by a wide margin. It cannot change door style or layout, and it only works if the boxes and doors are sound.
- Refacing replaces the doors, drawer fronts and visible face frame while keeping the boxes. It changes the look completely, finishes in days rather than weeks, and costs a fraction of replacement. It cannot change your layout.
- Partial replacement new boxes on one run, refaced doors elsewhere occasionally makes sense where only part of the kitchen has failed. It requires careful finish matching and is not always achievable.
How to set a realistic budget before you have a quote
Three steps, and none of them require a price list.
- Decide your box specification first, not your door style. Plywood or particleboard is the decision that determines everything downstream, including how long the kitchen lasts. Start there and let the aesthetic decisions follow.
- Separate the cabinet budget from the project budget. Countertops, flooring, tile, appliances, electrical and decorating are separate lines. A cabinet quote that appears to blow your budget often turns out to be a project budget that was never itemised.
- Add ten to fifteen percent contingency on any pre-1980 house. This is standard construction guidance rather than a Bella Casa figure, and in this housing stock it is routinely needed.
What to ask for in a quote so you can actually compare
A quote you can compare should state, as separate lines: box material and thickness; drawer box construction and slide type; hinge brand and whether they are soft-close; door style and finish specification; every internal fitting itemised; delivery and installation separately; and the warranty on both product and labour.
If a quote gives you one number and a door style name, you cannot compare it to anything and that is frequently the point. We cover how to normalise three quotes against each other in a separate guide.
Getting a real number for your kitchen
We price your actual kitchen at whatever specification you want to see, including the specification we would not recommend, so you can see exactly where the money goes and decide for yourself.
Bring your wall measurements, your ceiling height, the depth of your existing base cabinets, appliance model numbers and a budget range you are willing to say out loud. A first appointment runs 60 to 90 minutes and you will leave with a preliminary layout and a real figure rather than a general conversation.
FAQ
How much do custom kitchen cabinets cost in Contra Costa County?
Custom cabinetry is priced on construction rather than on floor area, which is why two quotes for the same kitchen can differ by a factor of three. Box material, drawer construction, door style, finish and hardware each move the number more than the size of the room does. We price your actual kitchen at the specification you want to see, so you can see exactly where the money goes.
What is the biggest factor in cabinet pricing?
Box material. Plywood versus particleboard is the single largest line in most quotes, it is invisible once the doors are on, and it is the first place a cheap quote saves money. It is also the decision that determines how the kitchen looks in fifteen years rather than in one.
Why are two cabinet quotes for the same kitchen so different?
Almost always because of specification rather than margin. Box material, drawer box construction, slide and hinge quality, and which internal fittings are included vary enormously between quotes and are rarely itemised. Ask for each as a separate line and the quotes usually become comparable.
Are countertops included in a cabinet quote?
Not usually. Countertops are priced by the square foot, fabricated and installed on a separate timeline, and are templated only after the cabinets are physically installed. On a large kitchen with an island the countertop can be a meaningful share of the cabinet cost, so it should be budgeted alongside rather than afterwards.
Is refacing cheaper than replacing kitchen cabinets?
Substantially, yes. Refacing keeps your existing cabinet boxes and replaces the doors, drawer fronts and visible face frame, so you avoid both the cost of new boxes and most of the demolition and installation labour. It only works if the boxes are structurally sound and the layout already works.
How much contingency should I allow?
Ten to fifteen percent is sensible on any home built before 1980. Older Martinez, Concord and Pleasant Hill houses frequently need electrical or plumbing work that only becomes visible once the old cabinets come out.
Does the size of my kitchen drive the price?
Less than most people expect. Linear footage is roughly sixth in order of impact, behind box material, drawer construction, door style, finish and hardware. A small kitchen specified well costs more than a large one specified poorly.
Can you give me a price range over the phone?
We can tell you what will drive your number and roughly where your project sits, but a figure without a specification is a guess that helps nobody. A 60 to 90 minute showroom appointment with your measurements produces a real number against a real specification.