New Cabinet Installation in Irvine, CA

New cabinet installation is the bigger of the two cabinet projects, and it is the right one when the old boxes cannot carry the kitchen forward or the room needs to be arranged differently. The existing cabinets and counters come out, the walls and floor are prepared, any plumbing or electrical changes are roughed in and inspected, and new cabinets are set, leveled and fastened before counters are templated and installed.

It costs more and takes longer than refacing. When it is the right answer, trying to avoid it usually costs more in the end.

Signs You Need New Cabinets

Some kitchens make the case on their own. The sink base floor is swollen or crumbling from a slow leak. The particleboard sides have started to separate and hinges will no longer hold a screw. Drawer boxes are stapled together and coming apart. These are common in builder-grade kitchens in newer Irvine neighborhoods, where the doors look acceptable but the boxes behind them were built to a price.

Other kitchens have sound boxes and the wrong layout. If you want an island and the room has the space for one with 42 inches of clearance on the working sides, if the refrigerator opening will not fit a standard counter-depth unit, or if the sink sits in a corner where two people cannot work, refacing will only make the same problem look newer.

Choosing the Cabinets

The cabinet box matters more than the door, because it carries a stone countertop, a loaded sink and a dishwasher for decades.

Box material. Plywood boxes hold screws well and tolerate occasional moisture better than particleboard. Good particleboard or medium density fiberboard is dimensionally stable and perfectly usable in most cabinets, but it does not forgive a leak. We usually suggest plywood at least for the sink base.

Framed or frameless. Framed cabinets have a solid face frame around the opening, which adds stiffness and suits traditional and shaker styles. Frameless cabinets give slightly more usable interior space and a cleaner modern look, and they depend more on precise installation because there is no frame to hide small gaps.

Door overlay. Full overlay doors cover most of the frame. Inset doors sit inside the frame for a furniture look and cost more, both to build and to adjust.

Stock, semi-custom or custom. Stock lines come in fixed sizes with filler strips to close gaps. Semi-custom lines allow size and finish changes. Custom cabinets are built to the room and take the longest to arrive.

The Order of the Job

A cabinet replacement follows a fairly fixed sequence:

1. Plans drawn and approved, including any HOA review and a City of Irvine permit when walls, plumbing or circuits change
2. Cabinets and appliances ordered, since cabinet lead times often run several weeks or more
3. Demolition of the old cabinets and counters, with floors and adjacent rooms protected
4. Rough-in for any moved plumbing, new dedicated appliance circuits, GFCI and AFCI protection and lighting, followed by inspection
5. Wall repair and paint, then cabinets set level, shimmed and fastened to studs
6. Countertop template once the cabinets are final, then a wait while slabs are fabricated
7. Counter installation, sink and faucet hookup, backsplash, hardware and final adjustments

Plan on four to eight weeks without a working kitchen from demolition to finish, longer if a wall is being moved. If a wall that might be load-bearing is involved, an engineer reviews it before anything is cut.

Things That Change the Price

Moving the sink across the room means new drain and supply lines and sometimes new venting, which can add thousands. Keeping it where it is saves real money. Induction cooking may need a larger circuit and sometimes a panel check. Range hoods should vent outside, and larger hoods can bring make-up air requirements. In condos and townhomes, shared walls and building rules affect how plumbing and ducting can be routed.

What It Costs in Irvine

For a medium kitchen, stock or semi-custom cabinet replacement usually runs between $26,000 and $50,000 including new counters. Custom cabinetry with specialty interiors and inset doors commonly runs from $55,000 to $110,000. Layout changes, relocated plumbing and appliance choices move those numbers the most.

If you are not sure your kitchen needs this much work, call (949) 487-0444. We will look at the boxes first and tell you whether refacing would get you where you want to go.