Websites for cabinet makers.

Typically eight to fourteen weeks. Roughly two to three weeks for design and drawings, then the build once you sign off and the final site measure is done, then three to five days on site to install. Painted finishes add time because they cure between coats. We give you dates in writing and update them if a supplier slips.

Cabinet-grade plywood boxes for anything near water, solid wood for doors and face frames, and MDF for painted doors because it will not telegraph grain or move at the joints. Beware anyone quoting particleboard boxes for a kitchen or bath: one dishwasher leak and they swell and never recover.

Painted looks crisper and hides joints, but it will show a hairline at panel joints as the wood moves seasonally — that is normal on any painted wood door, not a defect. Stained shows the grain and hides dings better, and a damaged door is easier to touch up. Kitchens with kids often do better in a satin stain or a durable catalysed finish.

Linear footage first, then door style, finish and hardware. Painted shaker in a light colour costs more than stained slab. Beyond that: internal fittings (drawer organisers, pull-outs, lighting), whether the run goes to the ceiling, and how out of square the room is. We quote itemised so you can see exactly what moving one item up or down does to the total.

Sometimes. Stained wood we can usually get very close on a sample door for your approval. Painted finishes from a different shop are harder — colour matches, sheen usually does not, and side by side under kitchen lighting the difference shows. We always make a sample first and let you look at it in your own kitchen before we commit.

A deposit at design sign-off to reserve shop time and buy materials, a progress payment when the build starts, and the balance on completed installation. Custom work is built to your room and cannot be resold, which is what the deposit covers — it is all laid out on the contract before you sign anything.