U.S. Style Cabinet, Where You Go When You Want it Done Right

Fair Estimates Require Information

To give a fair estimate we and the customer need to do a lot of work.

First we need to determine what kind of style you are looking for.   Basically what the cabinets look like, are they very simple, very elaborate, or something in between.  If you have pictures of what you are interested in please send them to us.   You can make very simple slab front paint grade cabinets, slab front laminate or melamine material cabinets, or raised panel paint grade cabinets.  As of now we are not offering stain grade solid wood cabinets due to the termite problem in the Philippines.

Once we know the style of the cabinet we need to talk about what kind of materials are used in the cabinet boxes.  We simply refuse to use any particle board, it falls apart when it gets wet and it is very weak without the plastic film that covers both sides.   Yes you can save some money, then spend it again many times over replacing the  cabinets in a few years when they get wet and dissolve or fall apart because the fasteners pull out of the weak particle board.

Instead of particle board we prefer either MDF, Medium Density Fiberboard, or marine plywood. Of the two, the MDF is preferred as it is much flatter than marine plywood, has no voids like marine plywood, and is a more consistent thickness product.  Termites (anay) do not like to eat either material.  The marine plywood does have a more prestigious reputation and it is sure much lighter and easier to handle the large sheets, however the core is much less dense and thus weaker than a good MDF panel.  That said, we can use marine plywood for the cabinet boxes if you prefer. 

Doors and exposed end panels are best made using MDF as it is much flatter than marine plywood and it stays that way.  There are no voids in MDF so the danger of having a void where the hinge screws are inserted is no longer a problem as it is with marine plywood.

Once we have the design of the cabinets and the materials that you prefer we need some details of the room and how you want the layout of the cabinets. In order to keep our prices as reasonable as possible and to provide a quick, free estimate we ask our prospective customers to give us the wall dimensions and some pictures of the walls where the cabinets are to be installed.  Or floor plan drawings if you already have an architect or builder.   Some very simple hand drawings  are fine. 

Drawings ought to show the overhead view of the cabinets so we can see how the walls connect and where the cabinets are located on the walls. If there are doors or windows, please provide rough measurements showing where the window or door is on the wall as well as the width and height of the door or window. Pictures also help us get the details and allow us to draw the room in our cabinet software program. 

Layout of the cabinets is what kind of cabinet, upper or lower, is in a particular location.  Usually you start out with the kitchen window and locate the sink under the window.  Then show were the cooktop goes and where the fridge is located.  If you want upper cabinets you can draw “elevations” of the wall, just a flat drawing as as if you were standing in front of the cabinets looking at them.  Or we can fill in those details if you like but we need to know how many drawers and where you would prefer stacks of drawers or if you are fine with just a drawer at the top of most cabinets.

If the layout meets your approval we can then do an estimate of the amount of materials, hardware, and labor needed to build, finish, and install the project.

We will leave out things like door/drawer knobs and pulls and any specialty organizer like lazy susan turntables, pull outs, pull downs, waste bins, or rice bins unless you have already asked for them to be included.  Those can be added later although it might change the layout as most of these organizers require specific cabinet measurements for them to be installed.  If you are wanting to incorporate these items it saves time if we know about them in advance. 

However, please do not go out and purchase these items, please allow us to provide the organizers or at least quote them for you.  We will have access to a wider variety of organizers, they will be better quality, and usually less expensive than what you will find at Wilcon or online.   We will get a wholesale price that is cheaper than retail price, then we mark these extra items up 20% so that we can purchase and install the items professionally as well as replace any damaged items or defective items.   If we are more expensive, you can provide us with the required inside dimensions and you can purchase and install the organizers after we have completed the installation.  

Your estimate will take several days after we have the design, layout, materials, and other details worked out.  The estimate will be split into the unfinished cost if it is paint grade work, the finishing costs if required, and the cost of delivery and installation.  That way you can choose which work you wish us to do or have your own contractor do the painting or installation or both.  Any organizers or door/drawer knobs and pulls will be quoted separately but things like drawer slides and hinges are usually included in the unfinished cabinet quote as they are specified in advance.

On our showroom web page we have a series of example quotes showing the drawings of the sample cabinet sets and all of the prices, sometimes broken up into slab door version, five part or raised panel version, and laminate versions.  A rule of thumb is that laminate costs about twice as much as painted cabinets.   Melamine, basically an MDF panel covered with thin plastic film, costs around 30% more than basic painted MDF cabinets once you factor in the lack of finishing costs.  There are drawbacks to the various materials and finishes that are discussed on our materials web page. 

What Happens Next?

If you choose to use our company for the project we can modify the drawings or materials if you wish until you are happy with the details.

Once the details are firmly nailed down we will do a site visit and double check all the job site measurements that you have provided so that any mistake that happens is our mistake and our responsibility to correct.  This is time consuming and expensive so we wait until we are sure that we have the job before spending the time and expense of a job site visit.  There are companies that will gladly come out in advance to measure the job and they also gladly pass along that cost including the previous ten job site visits  for the quotes that they didn’t get  along to your project.  Those salesmen are expensive to hire and keep on staff so the price all the cabinet jobs has to reflect these overhead expenses.  We believe that it is much better to avoid these costs and keep the estimates as low as we can  and still provide good quality work and good customer service.

With the specifications firmly laid down and the cabinet quote accepted by the customer, it is time for a deposit that allows us to purchase materials for the project.  This provides safety for the cabinet shop, you know the customer has set the money aside to pay for the cabinets yet the amount isn’t a huge risk for the customer. Once again you will find some companies that will gladly require no deposit and charge much, much, higher estimates in order to cover the risk. 

The deposit on cabinet jobs is 50% of the cost of the unfinished cabinets, or in the case of laminated or melamine cabinets, 50% of the cost of the cabinets without the delivery or installation costs. 

Any organizers or accessories are also paid in full in advance.  Why?  Because out of stock happens a lot in the Philippines and as most organizers require a specific  size cabinet any change in the organizer can require a change in the cabinet size.  We do a pre order to check stock on these items but before cutting parts for cabinets we like to have these items in our hands and paid for as they are usually quite expensive.  Customers are more than welcome to come by the shop and view the items as they arrive.

Once the cabinets are built  they are laid out on their backs  with doors, drawers, end panels, and any trim laid in place prior to finishing.   Customers come by for a pre finish inspection to they know their cabinets are built and to make any changes needed prior to finishing. If these are laminate or melamine cabinets where no finishing is needed the cabinets are fully assembled and stacked upright in order so the customer can see the entire set of cabinets.  At this time the balance of the cabinets are paid for.  

If finishing is needed the finishing charges are paid for after the cabinets have been painted with the cabinets setting upright in order so the customer can view the entire set.   Delivery and installation charges are paid for after the installation is complete and the customer is satisfied.   Doing the payment terms this way protects the shop and the customer.  As materials are usually more than 50% of the entire cost the shop is working on some of its own cash right from the start, then the entire finishing costs and delivery and installation costs are all completed on the shop’s cash as the customer has zero money paid up front on those items.

U.S.Style Cabinets is owned and ran by Filipinos but we work to U.S. business practices and export standards.  Customers are a valued resource, they deserve to be treated with respect and ethics and their investment protected.  We want happy customers giving out recommendations to friends and neighbors and good reviews for our company online.  We understand how hard people work for their money in the Philippines and we are set up to deliver what we promise and stand behind the work so we price our work so we can do exactly that.  Besides all that, our U.S. investor would have a fit if we did business in any other manner.