Last updated on November 3rd, 2022
Getting the interiors of the heart of your home right, isn’t easy. Along with deciding on the best style, design and finish from the countless options available, also lies the most critical decision of whether to trust your local carpenter to do a good job of it or to move with changing times and rely on a factory setting to do a better one!
Here’s an unbiased comparison between the advantages and disadvantages of both, which we hope, will make it easier for you to make the right decision.
What Is The Difference Between The Two?
A modular kitchen has cabinets and accessories designed and finished at factories. The materials, styles and sizes are pre-determined by the buyers before these go in for production at the factory. They are then brought to the site and assembled according to the dimensions of your kitchen.
A carpenter-made kitchen, as the name suggests, is built from scratch by hand by local carpenters who cut, plane and finish the cabinets by hand and more often than not, work at the site itself.
A Detailed Comparison
The Pros Of A Modular Kitchen
1. The manufacturer gives you sufficient assurance and warranty for the quality of the kitchen he’s designed and installed.
2. You get perfect finishes, edges and accurate dimensions.
3. There are no cost fluctuations and you pay as per the initial estimate.
4. You can visualize how the kitchen will look in great detail.
5. No messes or damage at the site.
6. Delivery is fast, as most of the work involves machines. You can get the kitchen installed within a month (give or take a few of days) of placing your order.
7. The cabinets can be dismantled and taken along with you if you decide to move.
8. Assembly is easy and fast and doesn’t require any carpentry.
9. After you approve the designs and finish paying, you don’t need to be involved in the project as most of it happens at the factory.
10. These cabinets come with special storage options like built-in wire racks, garbage bin holders, plate holders, bottle racks etc., making them more convenient than carpenter-designed standard cabinets.
11. You work with professional kitchen planners who might be able to help you make optimal use of the space available.
The Cons Of A Modular Kitchen
1. Unless you choose a reputed or a known company, you have no way of knowing if the material used is good quality.
2. You run the risk that your kitchen looks like a hundred others and isn’t unique.
3. Costs involved are higher than those in a carpenter-made kitchen.
4. If the company uses poor quality engineered wood, your kitchen might not last as long as you’d want for it to.
5. What you like on paper might not look as good when finished.
6. Pockets of space might get left unutilized as the cabinet modules come in fixed sizes.
The Pros Of A Carpenter-Made Kitchen
1. You can get a custom-made unique kitchen to your exact specifications and not something out of a catalogue that a hundred others have access to.
2. You can get cabinets with custom heights and widths to match your needs.
3. Not only do carpenter-made kitchens cost less, you can also play around with the budget a little as carpenters tend to be flexible in pricing.
4. Customization or alteration in designs is easier as the work will happen in front of you.
5. You can keep reasonable control over the quality of the material used.
6. You can get traditional woodworking designs with paneling, molding, cornices etc.
The Cons Of A Carpenter-Made Kitchen
1. Strict timelines cannot be adhered to as carpenters may cause delays citing personal or staffing reasons.
2. Cost estimates can vary as the work progresses, as carpenters cannot give you exact material costs at the outset. You may also be surprised with certain hidden costs, not discussed initially.
3. The quality of work depends on the skill of the carpenter.
4. Finishes may not be perfect as the work is primarily done by hand.
5. Machine-dependent techniques like edge-banding, membrane finishes etc. aren’t possible in carpenter-made kitchens.
6. You will need to worry about power and water supply at the site.
7. You can’t expect them to know about the latest designs or functionalities in trend.
8. The cabinets once fixed, are rather permanent and will need to be left behind if you’re moving.
9. Visualizing how the kitchen will look isn’t possible with 3D designs. You will just have to make assumptions or take their word for it.
10. You will need to be involved closely at every stage of the project.
And The Verdict?
Going through the pros and cons of both approaches must have given you a fair idea as to what you’re more comfortable with. But in general, it is safe to conclude that modular kitchens seem to give you more bang for your buck in terms of their quality, finish, and varieties available.
Having said that, if you’re someone who’d rather see things happening in front of your eyes and don’t mind dealing with carpenters and the inevitable fluctuation in costs and timelines that they bring with them, then that’s the best approach for you.
