The process of ordering custom kitchen cabinets is different than the process of ordering a cabinet off a showroom floor. There are drawings to approve, measurements to confirm, appliances to lock in, and hardware to finalise before production even begins. Get any one of these wrong, and it can mean delays, extra costs, or cabinets that don’t quite fit your kitchen.
This guide focuses on the ordering and pre-production process specifically, not on how to choose a cabinet maker in the first place (we’ve covered that in 7 Questions to Ask Your Kitchen Cabinet Maker), but on what actually trips homeowners up once they’ve committed and the process is underway.
Here are 9 mistakes worth knowing about before you sign off on anything.
1. Picking on Price Alone
Everyone wants a bargain. But the cheapest quote on the table usually got there by cutting somewhere, and it’s rarely somewhere you can see straight away.
Thin board. Basic hinges. Hardware that’s fine for the first year and then starts to sag. Kitchen cabinet quality doesn’t reveal itself on installation day. It shows up two or three years later, when a door won’t close properly, or the laminate starts lifting at the edges, right around when the warranty conveniently runs out.
Quality kitchen cabinets are built with proper board, think Laminex or Polytec, and fitted with hardware from names like Blum and Hettich. Yes, it costs more upfront. It also lasts decades instead of a few years. Before you get swept up comparing bottom-line numbers, ask exactly what board and hardware are included, and have a look through the range of colours and finishes on offer. If the answer’s vague, take that as your cue.
2. Rushing Past the Design Stage
Every kitchen has its quirks. A wall that’s not quite square. A floor with a slight dip. A pipe sitting exactly where you wanted a drawer. Skip a proper design and measurement stage, and these little surprises don’t stay little.
The best kitchen cabinets are the ones where the design is done by taking into consideration how your household actually lives and not lifted from a catalogue. That means having an initial consultation, picking up materials, getting an accurate measure and quote, and a design freeze before work even begins.
Don’t do it, and you’re risking cabinets that don’t fit, gaps you will see every day, or an unaccounted corner. It will be much more expensive to correct that afterwards than to do it correctly in the first place.
3. Not Carefully Reviewing and Approving Your Drawings
Once you approve your drawings, production usually starts. Changes after that point can be slow, costly, or sometimes not possible at all.
Before you sign off, go through every drawing properly. Look at cabinet sizes, drawer and door layouts, appliance cut-outs, and anything else you requested. If there is something that doesn’t sound great on paper, it’s not going to sound great in your kitchen.
Do not approve your cabinetmaker’s drawings by email; ask for a walk-through, either in person or over the phone. One of the easiest things to do and most costly to do wrong.
4. Leaving Appliance Specs Unconfirmed
The cabinets are usually designed around the dimensions of the appliances: the clearances for ovens, the rangehood, dishwasher and fridge cut out sizes and dimensions. Whether you haven’t decided on your appliances or you have decided but changed your mind once they are being manufactured, the cabinetry may no longer fit.
Ensure that all appliances are confirmed prior to drawings being approved, not after. If you’re still deciding on something, tell your cabinet maker so they can allow for it, rather than approving that section of the drawings before you’re certain.
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5. Not Asking Who Actually Builds and Checks Your Cabinets
Plenty of businesses that sell kitchens don’t actually make them. They handle the design, then pass the job to a third-party factory and manage things from a distance. That extra hand-off means one more place for accountability to slip.
A custom kitchen cabinet maker who designs, builds and quality-checks cabinetry under one roof can keep an eye on it the whole way through. At Attila Kitchens, cabinetry is hand-built and hand-assembled at our Campbellfield workshop before it even leaves for delivery. Each piece is created in a workshop team, reviewed by a specific QC officer, and approved by a project manager prior to leaving the doors.
Enquire from your cabinet maker about how many times your cabinet has to pass through checks and where. If they are unable to articulate a process, it is important to note it.
6. Not Planning Storage and Workflow Properly
A gorgeous-looking kitchen that doesn’t work for your daily routine isn’t really a win. It’s easy to get caught up choosing colours and finishes and treat storage as an afterthought.
You have to ask questions to yourself. How many people usually cook at once? When it comes to the space, do you require the ideal pantry, or will deep drawers be more practical than cupboards? These questions should be considered when designing kitchen cabinets and not crammed in at the end. That’s where the kitchen accessories come in: corner storage, pull-out pantries, soft-close bins, and everything else that makes cooking more convenient and less aggravating.
A competent cabinet maker will enquire about your kitchen usage and living style before they even show you a door sample. If nobody’s asking, that’s worth flagging.
7. Leaving Handles, Hardware and Finishes Until the Last Minute
Handles, hinges and finishes are easy to leave until the end. In practice, they’re usually locked in before production starts, not after. Some drawer and door configurations depend on which handle you choose, and swapping a decision late can mean redrawn plans or a delay.
Make all your final handle, hardware finish and colour choices before final drawings are approved. If in any doubt, view real samples, not a photo or swatch from a website, as finishes may appear differently in reality.
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8. Not Getting a Clear Timeline for Your Project
Every kitchen is different, and so is the time it takes to design, manufacture and install one. Rather than relying on a rough guess, ask your cabinet maker for a written schedule specific to your project, one that covers the design and measure stage, manufacturing, delivery, and installation.
Timing at Attila Kitchens is dependent on the scale and scope of the project. In your design consultation, our team will go over an approximate timeline with you so you have a better idea of what to expect before making trades or a moving date.
Find out if a flat-pack kitchen may be a better option if you’re pressed for time, as pre-cut and pre-drilled items might arrive earlier than a custom assemblage. No matter, have the schedule written to plan around the actual date, not a guess.
9. Skipping Over Warranty and Aftercare Details
People will spend weeks agonising over door colours and then sign off on cabinetry without reading a word of the warranty. Hinges wear out. Drawer runners take a beating over the years. Every great kitchen cabinet must be tweaked from time to time.
Enquire of your cabinetmaker what is covered by the guarantee, the length of time it lasts and who you should contact if there is a problem. A cabinet maker who makes their own cabinet usually can repair it in a much shorter period of time than a cabinet maker who did the cabinet years ago and has since forgotten about the original supplier. Do NOT pay the deposit first and then get it in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Conclusion
Custom kitchen cabinets are a long-term call on how your home works and feels every single day. Every mistake can be avoided as long as you ask the right questions before you sign anything.
Look for a highly skilled and top-rated custom kitchen cabinet maker who designs and builds under one roof, uses proper materials and hardware, checks their own work properly before it reaches your door, and hands you a clear, itemised quote the whole way through.
Attila Kitchens has been building cabinetry for Melbourne homes for over 30 years, backed by hundreds of five-star reviews across the Attila Group. Whether you’re after a fully custom kitchen, a flat pack option for part of your project, or an all-in-one package covering cabinetry through to stone benchtops, our Campbellfield team can help you get the ordering process right from the start. Book a free design consultation and start things off on the right foot.