Kitchen Remodel - Phase 1: Cabinet #1

I take NO credit for the carpentry work done in the following Phase 1 posts. In my last post I explained how Nate and I let go of the reigns when it came to building the cabinets and handed them off to our amazing handyman (as he likes to call himself). Instead of tearing down Nate and I’s cabinet first, our friend began working on building the upper cabinet above the stove.

During the building process he ran into some issues of his own. The initial plan was to pre-build the cabinet before putting it in place, just like the one Nate and I did. This however wouldn’t work out that easily. Like I mentioned previously, our walls aren’t straight so that prevented him from building it prior to installation. Also after inspecting the preexisting wall cabinet, it wasn’t installed perfectly (go figure). He took the time to fix the issue first. This included leveling the cabinet and the use of shims. He’s awesome right? Like I said a true perfectionist after my own heart.

Here are the progress shots:

Lastly he hand-cut out the face frame entirely from one piece of plywood. Yes you read right. While it was definitely more difficult to do, he figured that this would be the best approach rather than having to cut out each section of trim. It would not only look seamless but would help prevent human error when measuring and cutting each piece of trim. He did an amazing job, but unfortunately got injured during the cutting process. We joke that he really has poured blood sweat and tears into this project. Even with a pretty nasty slice he continued to work and Nate helped him put the trim up in place. Dedicated or crazy? Both, but hey that's okay.

From a distance cabinet #1 looks complete. His ideas meshed with my plans worked out well. There is still finishing work to be done, but we decided to build the rest of the cabinets before focusing on the small details. The finishing work includes smoothing the face trim, filling in any indents, and adding banding for a finished look. The large top of the cabinet will partially be covered by crown molding as well.

I am very happy with how his cabinet turned out and it is exactly what I had envisioned. In my next post I will share the removal of Nate and I’s cabinet, what’s it’s being re-purposed for, and the building of cabinet #2.

#newcabinets #diy #handyman #kitchenremodel #kitchen #carpentryskills