Should You Buy Cabinets Online Or Get Custom Cabinets?
So you’re remodeling your kitchen or bathroom, and you want to upgrade your cabinets. That’s a great idea - and simply remodeling your cabinets is often enough to completely transform your kitchen or bathroom into a new uplifting space. Perhaps you’re calling contractors, visiting big-box store showrooms, and scouring the internet. It’s the 21st century, so you should be able to buy your cabinets online, right? Well, it’s not that simple.
This blog will discuss the pros and cons of buying your cabinets online, along with pricing and functionality considerations. If you need a custom closet in Maryland, a home office system in Washington DC, or a custom cabinet system for your kitchen, give My Closet Guys a call.
Should You Buy Cabinets Online Or Get Custom Cabinets?
A custom-made cabinet system in your kitchen or bathroom is the best value over time for several reason:
- The cabinets will last longer than big-box or prefabricated options
- The cabinets will improve your quality of life, since they fit your specific kitchen workflow and needs
- The cabinet system will increase the value of your home
Now please note that you can certainly spend too much money with a contractor. That’s not how we operate at My Closet Guys, and we are always committed to providing an incredible amount of value with our projects. We use high quality materials, workmanship, and installation methods. But we don’t speak for everybody.
The Arguments For Online Cabinet Shopping
There Are Benefits To Online Cabinet Shopping
Buying cabinets online offers several advantages. Firstly, it's cost-effective. Online retailers often have lower overhead costs than brick-and-mortar stores, allowing them to offer competitive prices. Additionally, you can compare prices across different platforms and retailers – this will help you find the best deal and your renovation budget further.
Online shopping also opens up a vast selection of cabinet styles, materials, and finishes that might not be available in local stores. You can browse hundreds of options from home, making it easier to find cabinets that match your design.
But just because you’re shopping online doesn’t mean the cabinets are “cheap.” Cabinets.com, for instance, charges well over $1,000 for many of their cabinets, and that doesn’t even include shipping and handling. It really seems like you should just hire a local contractor who does great work, uses quality materials, and doesn’t have tons of overhead to push prices up.
Why Online Shopping May Not Work Out
However, there are drawbacks. One major issue is the inability to assess the quality firsthand. Pictures can be deceiving, and what looks sturdy and well-made online might not hold up to scrutiny in person. Additionally, the dimensions listed online may not always be entirely accurate, leading to potential fit problems upon delivery. The responsibility of measuring and ensuring the cabinets will fit your space correctly falls squarely on your shoulders, which can be daunting for those not experienced in home renovation.
When You Buy Cabinets Online, You Have To Install Them
Do you really want to spend a whole day, or several days, installing cabinets yourself? Unless you have experience doing projects like this, the installation will probably not be of a professional quality. That hurts the longevity of the system.
Many folks who buy cabinet systems online will hire a contractor after the fact to install the cabinets. If you can find a handyman-type of professional who doesn’t charge much, this might be a good fit for you. But generally speaking, when you combine the cost of the cabinet system, the cost of shipping and handling, and the cost of a contractor for installation, you only save a marginal amount of money. And at the end of the day, you will have endured a tremendous amount of hassle, and the quality of your cabinets is suspect.
The Argument For Custom Cabinets
At this point, it might be obvious - just engage an experienced local contractor and build a custom cabinet system. We are not recommending that you get a big-box store cabinet system, or something that you see very heavily advertised on TV or elsewhere. Work with a local shop who measures your space, speaks with you about material selections, asks you about features you are interested in (wine racks, quiet-closing drawers, spice racks, the list goes on), fabricates their own cabinets specifically for your space, and installs them.
The long term value is much better in this case. The cabinets will last longer, serve your needs better, look better, and are a better choice in nearly every regard.
If You Live in Maryland or NOVA, Call My Closet Guys
We build custom closets in Arlington, custom bars in Maryland, custom cabinet systems in NOVA, and other custom storage solutions across the entire area. We love speaking with people about their goals, creating a 3D rendering for them to see, and building the storage solution of their dreams at a very reasonable price. If you have any questions, please get in touch.