Renovating a kitchen is an expensive affair. When you factor in custom kitchen cabinets, the budget can go through the roof. Let’s find out if they’re worth the investment.
Designing a kitchen is often more challenging than deciding on its master bedroom or the living room. Since it’s the focal point of a home, it also affects its resale value. Having too many options around is also overwhelming. However, the top two choices of kitchen cabinets are a custom kitchen and stock kitchen cabinets.
If your kitchen is the place where you socialize or where the style never tends to cease, custom kitchen cabinets are your go-to choice! They are a perfect ingredient of every dream kitchen since they do not come with any restrictions, are tailor-made and can accommodate specific requirements. But just like any other style of kitchen cabinets, these too have their own pros and cons.
We list a few of them here so you can make a calculated choice for yours!
Pros of Custom Kitchen Cabinets
Since a custom kitchen cabinet is every individual’s secret desire, it has a long list of pros, such as:
Everything can be customized: When one chooses the option of a custom cabinet, it means having complete independence to choose everything right from the measurements of the cabinet to its hardware, finish, and style. Unlike the stock kitchen cabinets that are often boring, repetitive and monotonous in style, custom kitchens can be made to order!
Customization is Personalization: When kitchen cabinets are to be customized, it is easier to design them around the personal stuff you have such as the size of appliances, equipment or even the kind of dinnerware. It is easier to accommodate the specific preferences of a customer such as deeper drawers for larger utensils, larger bins or even the storage area that is to be allocated. Thus, Customization leaves behind a touch of personalization.
For most of the people, the kitchen is their social place or a place where the family gets to reconnect. Custom kitchens make it easier to add a personal touch to the place and make it more warm and functional at the same time. It defines your personal style.
You can be your own designer: With custom kitchen cabinets, you can be your own designer! You can choose the layout according to the functionality you desire. Small decisions such as the choice between a corner pantry and a walk-in pantry, the choice of having an extra sink, an extended island or a bookshelf are completely personal.
These are high in quality: Since custom cabinets are tailor-made and unrestricted by budget, these are often high-end and thus, the best in quality. Since they are high in quality, they are bound to last longer and look newer for a long period of time.
It allows the best use of space: Custom cabinets allow the best use of space in the kitchen. The specific information of measurement and design can be given to the cabinet maker to get optimum results.
It helps to increase the resale value of a home: A kitchen serves as a focal point of any home and its various elements largely influence the resale value of a home as well. Since custom kitchen cabinets involve the use of best quality resources, the result is a durable, highly functional and high-end kitchen that goes on to add the resale value of a home.
You can decide the budget: Since a custom cabinet is built to one’s specifications, it is quite easy to decide on the final budget. It is one of the easiest ways to get exactly what one wants in a specified budget.
They allow for a complementing design: If you are clear about the style, finish and color of other elements in your kitchen such as tiles and countertops, custom kitchen cabinets allow you to choose a complementing look and have a décor that looks amazingly well pulled together.
Cons of Custom Kitchen Cabinets
While it might look hard to believe after all these pros but custom kitchen cabinets do have some cons too. And it is only wise to make all your calculations before you take the final plunge.
It is an expensive option: Anything good comes for a price and when you get the best of everything, it has to be expensive! Custom kitchen cabinets are the most expensive of all the different styles of kitchen cabinets and rightly so. Having a complete control over the style of your kitchen is rewarding but pricey too. If you have a limited budget, you should look for other options.
They are a time-consuming affair: Like anything good comes for a price, it takes a lot of time as well. Since designing custom cabinets is a time-consuming affair, one needs to be sure to order them quite early so as to expect a timely delivery.
You can expect errors and delays: When you choose custom cabinets for your kitchen, you should be prepared to expect delays. If there are any errors in the measurement of the cabinets or if they are not designed perfectly, you will have to wait until the final and corrected product is delivered to you.
They can adversely affect the resale value of the house: Custom kitchen cabinets are often a personal style statement. This often becomes a concern for the owner at the time of resale of the house. The bold and beautiful look that you loved for your kitchen might not be a choice of your future buyer as well. So if you plan to move sometime in the future, investing in an unusual custom kitchen design might not be a good idea at all.
They are not worth the expense: If you are an extrovert, an out and out socialite who hardly dines at home, custom cabinets is a waste of money for you. Even though it will add style to the kitchen, it is not worth all the expense if you do not use the place often.
At the end of it all, it can be an overwhelming decision to choose the right style of a kitchen cabinet for your kitchen. But factors such as the available space, budget, needs, style, and lifestyle of the user can help make a wise decision.