Building a House? Start With Your Cabinets!

Building a home, or having one built, is no easy task. It requires patience, flexibility and a knowledge of the necessary steps. Each decision, big or small, made by the homeowner will affect the final outcome.

Unless the kitchen is a top priority of your home build, you might assume that you do not have to think about your cabinets until time for flooring, paint and appliance installation; however, cabinets need to be chosen early in the building process to ensure the right fit.

Home building experts recommend meeting with your cabinet company prior to pouring the foundation to discuss the basics—how your cabinets will fit in your home and how much storage you will need. In most modern homes, plumbing and electrical for the kitchen and bathrooms are run through the foundation, so it is important to know where key pieces like sinks and dishwashers will be. Changes like moving the sink or adding a kitchen island must be executed before the foundation is poured.

It is preferable to have an idea of colors and styles of cabinets from the beginning of the home build as well. Since the cabinets are the focal point of the kitchen and bathrooms, everything else must be planned around them. The style of furniture, paint colors and flooring will need to compliment the cabinet style you have in mind.

Once the home is in the dry, the plumbers and electricians will begin running their wiring. At this point, the cabinets need to be measured. Custom built cabinets generally take at least five weeks to be made, so it is important to have this scheduled well before the home is ready for wiring.

The cabinets will be installed once the tile or hardwood flooring has been laid or with floating floors like laminate, the cabinets will be installed first. One to two coats of paint will be applied to the walls before the cabinet installation with additional coats, if needed, completed afterwards.

In conclusion, cabinetry is one of the most important decisions a homeowner will make about the look and ease of use of their home. Consulting an expert is recommended to make decisions about what kind of cabinets are right for you and how to build the rest of your home to suit them.