Cabinetry Questions,
Answered

Pricing depends on the size and scope of your project. Full projects are quoted individually.

There isn't one price tag that fits every project, and any number you see online is a national average, not a real quote for your kitchen. At EK, pricing depends on how many linear feet of cabinetry you need, the wood species and finish you choose, and how complex the layout is. The most accurate way to get real numbers is a consultation, where our team can walk through your kitchen and put together a quote based on what you actually want built.

Most EK cabinetry projects are completed within 8 weeks from design approval to installation.

One of the things that sets EK apart is speed without cutting corners. Once your design is approved, our team typically has your cabinets built and installed within 8 weeks. That timeline can shift depending on the size of the project, the materials you choose, and how much customization is involved, but it's a good general expectation to plan around when you're thinking about the rest of your renovation timeline.

The process starts with a consultation to talk through your space and goals, moves into design and material selection, then into building and installation.

Every project starts with a conversation. We talk through how you use your kitchen, what's not working in your current layout, and what you're hoping the finished space feels like. From there, we work through design and material choices together, so you know exactly what you're getting before anything is built. Once the design is approved, your cabinets move into production, and our local team handles installation once everything is ready.

Design changes are easiest before construction begins. Once your cabinets are in production, changes become more limited.

Because your cabinets are built specifically for your space, we ask that design decisions be finalized before production starts. That's why we spend real time on the design phase up front, so you feel confident before anything is cut. If something comes up once building is underway, talk to our team as early as possible. Some changes are still possible depending on timing, others aren't, but we'll always be upfront with you about what's realistic.

No. Many homeowners come to us with a general idea, and our team helps shape it into a finished design.

You don't need blueprints or a finished layout to reach out. Some homeowners come to us with a clear vision, and others just know their current kitchen isn't working for them. Either way, our team can help think through layout, storage, and flow as part of the design process. Bringing photos, measurements, or inspiration images helps, but it's not a requirement to get started.

EK requires a 50% deposit to begin your project, with the remaining balance due on the day of installation.

Once you approve your design, we collect half the total cost as a deposit. That gets your project into our build queue and covers the materials needed to start. The remaining balance is due the day your cabinets are installed, once you can see the finished work in your home. It's a structure that protects both sides: you're not paying in full for something you haven't seen, and we're not building a custom order without a commitment behind it.

It's worth reaching out as soon as you start planning, especially if you're working around a broader renovation timeline.

Custom cabinetry is usually one piece of a larger renovation, so timing matters. Reaching out early gives us room to fit your project into our schedule and gives you time to make unhurried design decisions instead of rushed ones. If you already have a target move-in date or renovation deadline, mention it during your consultation so we can plan around it.

Stock cabinets come pre-built in standard sizes. Custom cabinets are designed and built specifically for your kitchen's exact dimensions and needs.

Stock cabinets are manufactured ahead of time in a limited range of sizes and finishes, which is why they're faster and cheaper, but also why they rarely fit a space perfectly. Custom cabinets are built from scratch around your kitchen, which means awkward corners, unusual ceiling heights, and specific storage needs can all be designed for instead of worked around. It's the difference between a kitchen that fits your space and one your space has to fit into.

Semi-custom cabinets offer more choices than stock, but still start from a set of pre-set sizes. Fully custom cabinets have no such limits.

Semi-custom is a middle ground. You get more say in finishes, materials, and some sizing, but you're still choosing from a manufacturer's existing framework. Fully custom cabinetry starts with your kitchen's actual measurements and builds outward from there, so every inch of space is intentional rather than approximated.

For homeowners planning to stay in their home or wanting a kitchen built to last, custom cabinets are generally worth the investment.

Custom cabinetry costs more upfront, but the comparison isn't really apples to apples. You're paying for materials and construction methods built to hold up for decades, a layout designed around how you actually use your kitchen, and craftsmanship that doesn't rely on shortcuts. For a kitchen that's meant to be the heart of your home for years to come, that investment tends to pay off in both daily use and long-term durability.

Yes. Bring photos, sketches, or inspiration and our team will work with you to bring that vision to life.

Whether you've been collecting inspiration photos for years or you saw a kitchen once and can't stop thinking about it, our design process starts with understanding what you're picturing. From there, we talk through what's realistic for your space and materials, and shape the design so the finished kitchen looks and feels like what you had in mind, not a close approximation of it.

Ceiling height cabinets add storage and a more finished look, but the right choice depends on your kitchen's proportions and needs.

Cabinets that run to the ceiling make a kitchen feel more intentional and eliminate the dust-collecting gap above standard upper cabinets. They also add real storage, which matters if you're short on space. That said, it's not the right call for every kitchen. Very tall ceilings, specific design goals, or budget can all be reasons to stop short. It's a good one to talk through during your design consultation.

EK builds a range of door styles, from clean shaker profiles to more detailed traditional designs, in both painted and stained finishes.

Door style has a bigger impact on the feel of a kitchen than almost any other single decision. Because every EK cabinet is custom built, door styles aren't limited to a preset catalog. We'll walk you through profile and finish options during your consultation so you can see and feel real samples before deciding.

Yes, this is one of the biggest advantages of custom cabinetry over stock or semi-custom options.

Older homes and additions often have kitchens with uneven walls, unusual corners, or tricky angles that stock cabinetry simply can't accommodate without leaving gaps or wasted space. Because custom cabinets are built to your exact measurements, those awkward spots become opportunities for smart storage instead of problems to work around.

Well-built custom cabinetry is one of the more durable, visible upgrades a kitchen can have, and it's often noticed by buyers.

The kitchen is one of the first spaces buyers evaluate when they walk through a home, and cabinetry quality is something people notice even if they can't always name why. Solid construction, thoughtful storage, and finishes that don't look dated in five years all contribute to how a kitchen is perceived, both while you live in it and if you ever decide to sell.

EK builds every cabinet box from high quality grade A plywood, with solid wood door and drawer faces, dovetail drawer construction, and soft close hardware throughout.

Cabinet quality comes down to what you can't see once the doors are closed. Every EK cabinet box starts with three quarter inch grade A plywood, not the thinner particleboard used in a lot of mass produced cabinetry. Boxes are wrapped for a stained finish or painted, depending on what you choose, and door and drawer faces are solid wood. Drawer boxes use dovetail joinery, the same method used in fine furniture, because it holds up to years of daily use without loosening. Every slide and hinge is soft close and premium grade. It's the kind of construction most homeowners never think to ask about until something in their old kitchen starts to sag or stick.

Our cabinets are made right here in Michigan.

Every EK cabinet is built locally in Michigan, not overseas or shipped in from some far off factory. That means shorter lead times, easier communication throughout your project, and a team that can respond quickly if anything ever needs attention after installation. It also means your project supports local craftsmanship instead of a mass production line halfway across the world.

Generally yes. Custom cabinets built with solid wood and plywood construction tend to outlast cabinets built with particleboard and laminate.

Big box store cabinets are often built with particleboard or thin engineered materials designed to keep manufacturing costs low. Over time, that construction is more prone to sagging shelves, swelling from moisture, and hardware pulling loose. Custom cabinets built with grade A plywood and solid wood faces are built to handle daily kitchen use, including heat, humidity, and years of opening and closing, without the same wear.

Well-built cabinets need basic care, like wiping up moisture and avoiding harsh cleaners, but shouldn't require special maintenance.

Quality construction does most of the work here. Solid wood and grade A plywood are far more resistant to warping than particleboard, especially in a kitchen where humidity and temperature shift throughout the day. Day to day, simple habits like wiping up standing water near the sink and avoiding harsh chemical cleaners will keep your cabinets looking the way they did on installation day for years.

EK works with third generation Amish craftsmen who build every cabinet using traditional joinery, hardwoods, and hand applied finishes.

Our relationship with Amish cabinet makers goes back to the earliest days of this business, and it's shaped everything about how we build. Rather than relying on automated production lines, our craftsmen build with hardwoods and grade A plywood, apply finishes by hand, and use joinery methods meant to last for decades. It's a slower way of building, but it's why the finished product feels different from anything mass produced.

Amish built cabinetry is generally considered a step above mass produced cabinets, thanks to solid materials and hand finished construction.

Most cabinets sold today are built for speed, using engineered materials chosen because they're easy to automate. Amish craftsmanship works the opposite way, prioritizing solid materials and construction methods that take longer but hold up longer too. That's not a marketing claim, it's a difference you can see in the joinery and feel in the weight and fit of the doors.

Amish cabinetry is built using hardwoods, traditional joinery, and hand applied finishes, the same standards used in fine furniture, instead of the mass produced methods used by most cabinet factories.

Most cabinets sold today come off an assembly line built for speed and low cost, using engineered materials that are easy to automate. Amish cabinetry works the opposite way. Our craftsmen build with hardwoods and grade A plywood, apply finishes by hand, and use traditional joinery methods built to last for decades, not years. That approach takes more time and more skill, but it's why Amish built furniture and cabinetry has a reputation for outlasting anything you'd find at a big box store. At EK, that craftsmanship isn't an aesthetic we're borrowing, it's three generations of real experience. Your project isn't a number moving down a line. Your name is attached to it, and our team builds it with the same care they'd put into their own home.

Yes. EK brings display cabinets and real door samples directly to you, so you can see and feel the materials before making a decision.

You shouldn't have to commit to custom cabinetry based on a photo or a swatch online. Our team brings display cabinets and door samples right to your door, so you can see the wood grain, feel the finish, and get a real sense of what your kitchen will look and feel like before signing off on anything.

Both options work. You can start the conversation with a phone call or by submitting a quote request online.

Some homeowners prefer to talk through their project right away, others like to gather their thoughts in a form first. Either path gets you to the same place: a real conversation with our team about your kitchen and what it would take to build it.

EK guarantees its cabinets against defects in materials and workmanship for five years from installation. If something fails within that time, we repair or replace it at no charge.

Because our team is based right here in Michigan, we can turn around any issue quickly, without shipping parts across the country or waiting on a call center. Our local installers and craftsmen are on hand to fix problems onsite. Every EK cabinet is backed by a five year guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship. If something fails during that window, we'll repair or replace it at no cost to you. This doesn't cover damage from accidents, misuse, or normal wear and tear, but any genuine defect in the build is on us.

Kitchens are our main focus, but our team can also build custom cabinetry for bathrooms and other built-in spaces.

While custom kitchens are what we're best known for, the same craftsmanship carries over to other spaces in the home, including bathroom vanities and built-in cabinetry. If you're planning a kitchen project and want to talk through other spaces at the same time, bring it up during your consultation.

EK serves homeowners throughout Southeast Michigan, including Oakland County, Macomb County, and Michigan's Thumb.

Our work takes us across Southeast Michigan, including communities like Rochester Hills, Troy, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Shelby Township, Macomb Township, Sterling Heights, Rochester, Oxford, Lake Orion, and Clarkston, along with Oakland County, Macomb County, and up into Michigan's Thumb near Port Austin, where this business first got its start. If you're not sure whether your home falls within our service area, reach out and we'll let you know.