Kitchen cabinets in the South Bay — chosen by intent, built to your walls
Cabinets are the biggest line item and the bones of the kitchen. This is the specialist's overview — style, wood and color, the four ways to get new cabinets, real cost-per-linear-foot, and how to tell a well-built cabinet from a cheap one.
Stock vs. semi-custom vs. custom cabinets
| Stock | Semi-custom | Custom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per linear foot | $100–$300 | $400–$900 | $500–$1,200+ |
| ~10×10 kitchen (≈20 LF) | ~$3,000–$8,000 | ~$5,000–$18,000 | ~$12,000–$24,000+ |
| Lead time | 0–3 weeks | 4–8 weeks | 8–16+ weeks |
| Sizing | Fixed 3-inch increments; filler-heavy fit | ~1-inch adjustments | Any size — built to your walls |
| Boxes & drawers | Particleboard common | Plywood available | Plywood boxes, dovetailed drawers, panel-ready |
Market-typical installed ranges for the South Bay and greater Los Angeles — not a quote. Refacing is a fourth path when your existing boxes are sound. See the full decision guide below.
Explore kitchen cabinets
White oak cabinets
2026's top wood. Cut, grain, the yellowing question, and cost by tier.
Learn more →Two-tone cabinets
Which color goes top vs. bottom, and how to keep it from looking dated.
Learn more →Custom vs semi vs stock
The honest four-way comparison, with real cost-per-linear-foot and lead times.
Learn more →How to judge quality
Dovetail, plywood, soft-close, framed vs frameless — read a quote without getting upsold.
Learn more →Full custom cabinetry
Built to your walls, panel-ready appliance integration, our construction standard.
Learn more →Cabinet refacing
Keep sound boxes, change the look — when refacing is the smart call, and when it isn't.
Learn more →
Panel-ready & integrated appliances
The detail that separates a custom kitchen from a boxed one is integration: a Sub-Zero refrigerator or a dishwasher wearing a cabinet panel so it disappears into the run, with matched reveals and flush fronts. It only works when the cabinetry is built to the appliance and the wall, not ordered in fixed sizes and shimmed to fit.
It's a specialty of ours because it's where full-custom earns its keep — and it's what high-value Palos Verdes and Manhattan Beach kitchens are built around.
Panel-ready appliance integration →
The 60-second decision
If your cabinet boxes are structurally sound, your layout works, and the cabinets aren't ancient, refacing keeps the boxes and changes the fronts and surfaces — typically 30–50% less than replacement, installed in a few days. If you're changing the layout, the boxes are swollen particleboard, or you need more storage, replacement is the honest answer.
Because we sell both, we can tell you which is right for your kitchen instead of selling you the one thing we offer.
Custom vs semi-custom vs stock →
A nice-looking door hides a lot. We build the parts you'll only notice in ten years.
Cabinets for the homes we build in
The South Bay's housing stock rewards full-custom cabinetry. Narrow beach-city walk-street kitchens fight for every inch of cabinet run, so a slim, scribed layout that uses the whole wall matters. Mid-century Torrance and El Segundo homes are frequently out-of-square with soffits and non-standard openings, where stock cabinets leave gaps and fillers. And Palos Verdes and Rancho Palos Verdes estates have the scale for butler's pantries, islands, and floor-to-ceiling runs.
We design and build to the house you actually have — then finish it to the standard you'll live with every day.
See the cities we serve →Built to a standard, not a price point.
Built to your walls.
Full-custom cabinetry scribed to out-of-square rooms — no fillers, no wasted inches.
Quality you can inspect.
Plywood boxes, dovetailed drawers, full-extension soft-close as standard — never an upsell.
A fixed written scope.
Cost per linear foot and lead time in writing before we start. No vague bids.
Licensed & insured.
Milestone payments tied to real progress — never a big check up front — backed by our 2-year workmanship warranty.
Kitchen cabinet questions
How much do new kitchen cabinets cost?
Market-typical installed ranges run roughly $100–$300 per linear foot for stock, $400–$900 for semi-custom, and $500–$1,200+ for full custom — so a ~10×10 kitchen lands anywhere from about $3,000 to $24,000+ depending on tier, wood, and finish. We price yours in writing after we see it.
What's the difference between stock, semi-custom, and custom cabinets?
Stock comes in fixed 3-inch size increments and is the fastest and cheapest. Semi-custom allows roughly 1-inch adjustments and more options — about 90% of custom's function at a lower cost. Custom is built to any size, scribed to your walls, with the best boxes, drawers, and panel-ready integration. Our comparison page breaks down cost and lead time.
Is it cheaper to reface or replace cabinets?
Refacing is typically 30–50% less than replacement and installs in a few days, if your existing boxes are sound and the layout works. If you're changing the layout or the boxes are failing, replacement is the better value long-term.
What's the most popular cabinet style in 2026?
Shaker remains the most popular door style, and on color, natural wood tones have overtaken white as the single most-requested choice — with warm off-whites, sage green, and deep blues close behind.
How do I know if cabinets are good quality?
Look at the box (plywood beats particleboard), the drawers (dovetailed solid-wood boxes on full-extension soft-close glides), and the finish (a catalyzed multi-coat, not a vinyl wrap). Soft-close should be standard, not an upsell. Our construction-quality guide walks through exactly what to check.
Do you build cabinets for small or narrow kitchens?
Yes — narrow beach-lot kitchens are exactly where full-custom pays off, because we scribe the cabinetry to use every inch of the wall instead of leaving stock-size gaps and fillers.
Let's spec your cabinets the right way
Tell us about your kitchen and we'll walk you through style, tier, and construction — then put it in writing. A real person answers, usually the same day.