Remake the Cabinets or Modify

11 years ago

We are in the middle of the installation. And little things keep coming up. Like one cabinet was shipped without a toe kick area. One base cabinet was made incorrectly. And now, one of the wall cabinet openings is not tall enough. I sent the KD the specs for the tv that would be going into the opening. The opening is 1" too short. The carpenters could modify the cabinet and make the opening one inch larger and all would be well.

But I think I'm just annoyed. The cabinets were not cheap and I expect that they will be correct. The factory already admitted that they cut the fridge panels incorrectly and that has to be remade. We accepted the incorrect base cabinet (I ordered a 3D, it came as a trash can) and the carpenters fixed the toe kick cabinet.

Are all of these modifications just part of the kitchen installation? If I ask to have the wall cabinet remade, it will probably take 2-3 weeks including shipping. Of course, no wall cabinet means no crown molding yet either. So what say you....just suck it up and have the carpenters modify the cabinet or have it remade and wait the few weeks?

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Comments (6)

Buehl
11 years ago
Have them remade correctly and wait. A few weeks really isn't much...we had to replace a cabinet that the granite installers damaged irreparably. We had to wait approx 4 weeks.

In the end, it won't really matter - you'll have the right cabinets, built correctly, and still under warranty (more on that in a minute).

When the kitchen is done and you are living in it every day, you don't want to look at things and regret your impatience...making do b/c you're too impatient to wait for the correct cabinet to be made and shipped to you. What's 2 or 3 weeks compared to the years and years of living with the cabinets?

BTW...To me, one of the biggest issues and what would annoy me the most on and off long after the kitchen is done is the base cabinet - the one that is a trash pullout, not a 3-drawer base like you ordered....that's the one I would have made the biggest noise about.

A note about "fixing" cabinets. Most likely the cabinets your GC modified are no longer under warranty - the warranty is void now that your GC modified it. Many, if not all, cabinet manufacturers will void the warranty on any cabinet you modify - whether it's to scribe it to fit a sink that's too big for the sink base or cutting into it to make the opening bigger.
flevy
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for your thoughts. I hadn't considered the warranty. To be honest, I didn't know there was a warranty on the cabinets.

As for the base cabinet, I suppose the reason I'm not too upset is because when I was ordering them, I was 50/50 on 3D/Trash. Depending upon the day, I would change my mind. When I ordered, I ordered the 3D. But then about 2 weeks later, I found myself wishing I had ordered the Trash. In the end, I suppose that cabinet worked itself out. But I'm annoyed that the order was shipped incorrectly.

I'm waiting to hear from the KD about the wall cabinet. I tend to agree with you that I'd like to wait the few weeks.
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@ci_lantro 1) smaller sink - NO. Clearly you don't cook. Or at least you never do dishes. Plus, I have no idea why you even suggested that to start with. I don't NEED to put a smaller sink there because there is already plenty of room for a full size sink. A "smaller" sink that is still big enough to manage a few dishes isn't going to give me more than a few inches of extra countertop space at most. The ONLY reason to go to a smaller single bowl sink would be if there isn't enough space at the corner for an angle-mounted full size sink. But I'm 90% sure that there is, without cutting into the drawer unit next to the fridge there. I may have to cut into the stile about 1/4" though. I'll know better when I get the existing countertop off. Angled wall cabinet is not a problem as it can easily be cut down - or rather "up", perhaps. Remember this is actual wood, not the MDF crap that is all anybody can afford these days. As I said in the OP "I may or may not have to shorten that corner cabinet where it would hang out over the new sink area." I know, it was super long, but that cabinet is not an issue. I can do the same to the wall cabinets to the right there as well, if necessary. If it's a problem, it is easily fixed. In fact regardless of what else I do, I WILL be semi deconstructing that cabinet anyway to install a lazy susan as it is virtually useless as-is. 3) CANNOT move the fridge as you say without losing ALL the upper cabinetry on the opposite side of the room. From the OP "The entire expanse of wall cabinets along the long wall is one big long open space inside, ditto the 8' of cabinets on the opposite wall." Plus, the fridge is WAY deeper than the dishwasher and would stick out too far there. I didn't post a pic of that but it is next to an exterior door and putting the fridge there would block the passage through there. That wasn't mentioned in the OP simply because the fact that there is a wall cabinet over there (single unit 8' long) precludes doing that already. 4) putting a corner sink over the current "dead space" is an excellent use of that space. Since "under the sink" is already pretty much dead space. But if I WERE going to replace cabinetry there is no way I would leave that "dead space" dead, I'd at least put in a lazy suzan corner cabinet. "Dead space" should NEVER be left "dead". Unfortunately the kitchen backs onto the bathroom there (the toilet is on the opposite side of that wall) or I would have seriously considered cutting into that wall (NOT a supporting wall) from the back and gaining access to that space that way. Honestly I think those L corners are the best place to put a sink with the least wastage. Plus that space all the way back in the corner is already too hard to reach when looked at in the context of "working" counter space. Currently it just collects kitchen "driftwood" until I get fed up and clear it out again. But it is PERFECT for putting dishwashing accoutrements behind an angle-mounted sink, that you only need to get at briefly while doing dishes. In fact if this works out I'll be making a triangular dish draining "rack" to go there with a dish draining mat under it. PERFECT for doing dishes and not taking up otherwise usable working countertop space!
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Zippity-do-dah
11 years ago
Pearls of wisdom from Buehl - thank you!

My GC said every single cabinet order, whether it was through a KD or done by her favorite local custom cabinet guy, has had some problems. My guess, if the cabinets are done correctly as per the order, it is just darn lucky....the rest of us will have a few issues but it will be corrected.

Flevy, didn't you order a Lacanche? Any word on date of arrival???

Patience, a minor form of frustration disguised as a virtue.
flevy
Original Author
11 years ago
Zippity-do-dah----yes, good memory. I did order a Lacanche. It was scheduled to ship last week into JFK. Sandy had other plans for the airport...LOL. So now it's supposed to leave this week and hopefully will be to me by the end of the week or early next week.

I'm actually a little relieved to hear that that your GC feels that way. I was beginning to think that maybe my cabinets or my KD really managed to screw up my kitchen.
angie_diy
11 years ago
Gosh, I ordered custom RTA cabs from Scherr's, and there was not a single discrepancy anywhere in the entire order. Everything (down to tiny little components and hardware) that I needed was there in the order.
CEFreeman
11 years ago
Once, when I had the money, I ordered 7 cabinets from a very reputable cabinet company.

When it was all said and done months later, I had (wait for it) TWENTY SEVEN CABINETS total, because they were either the wrong height, wrong depth, wrong number of drawers, and wrong door/drawers.

Ironically, they'll just throw the wrong ones out, so the place from where I ordered them gave me all the wrong ones. I can tell you, none of the ended up going to waste. But I have more built-ins now than one can imagine!

Hang in there. Make them make it right.

Remake the Cabinets or Modify

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