There are a few important matters you should get squared away before you begin remodelling or buying new cabinets for your kitchen or bathroom. If there’s one thing that custom cabinet makers dislike, it’s shoppers who are unprepared, and as a result, are always changing the specifications of a job right up to the last minute. As well as creating headaches for the cabinet maker, it adds costs to the project.

If you want to avoid these frustrations and cost blow outs, do some planning before you meet a cabinet maker.

Follow a few tips to help you:

• Set a Budget for the Project

Regardless of the simplicity or complexity of the job, whether it will be a straight forward door replacement or a complete kitchen refurbish, set a realistic budget. The cabinets are usually part of the rebuild or remodelling. There should be an itemised breakdown of the project costs, including the cabinets.

A budget is a form of discipline for you and the contractor(s) involved. Common sense tells you that setting a dollar figure can mean the difference between a great job at a good price, or a cost blowout that might kill the project completely – unfinished.

Cabinets in a kitchen or bathroom job make up about 40-50% of the total cost.