The dream of many homeowners would be to have beautiful custom kitchen cabinets. But the cost makes it impossible for many homeowners to realize that dream. Many homeowners decide to remodel or upgrade their kitchens and settle for what they believe they can afford. But settling for something less than what you want is not necessary. You can have the beauty and the flexibility of custom cabinets without the cost. Here is the secret.

Why do people choose custom cabinets?

- Better selection of woods to choose from

- Special cabinet sizes

- Cabinets for special needs

- Gadgets to make it easier to reach things

- Customize drawers and cabinets for better organized space

- Need for special surface height

- Add special touches to match moldings, soffits or architectural details

Most home improvement stores only stock a small number of woods or wood finishes. They probably would not carry cherry or walnut. Most kitchen designs have left-over spaces where you need some custom design. It might be that you have an extra three inches beside the stove, or you have an extra six inches in a corner. You might also want a base unit with deeper drawers than you can get in standard sizes.

Many home owners today want the special features they can often get only with custom cabinets, such as drawers that hold refrigerators, glass doors, racks for drinks or spices, or Lazy Susans to make it easier to reach things stored in the back of a cabinet. Some home owners also need their base cabinets to be either an inch or two higher or lower because they are shorter or taller than average. Some families also need customized work areas and special cabinet depth so someone in a wheelchair can work in the kitchen. Some want customization so they can to do something unique with moldings, soffits, cabinet doors and corners to make their kitchen special.

The secret I promised to tell you is that home owners can have many of the features of customized cabinets at a much lower price by working with a cabinetmaker. A cabinetmaker can install the stock cabinets wherever possible. When a special size is needed, he can customize a stock cabinet to fit the space and the need. Your cabinetmaker can also help you find or install the gadgets you want to make the cabinets meet your needs. And if you want a specialty cabinet, he can modify a stock cabinet to do the job for a much lower price.

What might be the best-kept secret in remodeling is the price. For a fraction of the price, a cabinetmaker can work with stock cabinets to meet nearly every specification you have for your new kitchen cabinets. What is more, a cabinetmaker with a good supplier can do the job for about 40% of the price of buying stock cabinets from a home improvement store. You can buy stock cabinets and everyone will think you spent several thousand dollars more for your spectacular new kitchen.

Scott Dostal is the President of Kitchen Cabinet Value, LLC, Clinton Township, MI, serving SE Michigan. Be sure to get his free report on how you can buy custom kitchen cabinets that have the quality and appearance of top of the line custom cabinets at substantially below the retail price.