Tag Archives: how to buy remodeling

The 6 Different Levels of Cabinets

1. RTA (Ready to Assemble)

These cabinets come flat in a box and are ready to assemble (RTA). They are a very low grade, low quality cabinet line offered by many many companies to keep costs down. Even below builder grade standard. Understandably, these are cabinets I would put in a home if I was flipping it.

Image courtesy of the Home Depot

2. Big Box off the shelf cabinets

These come in standard sizes. They are more along the lines of “grab and go, hope they fit”. These cabinets are meant to have one little trim piece on the top. They are massively produced overseas which also helps keeps cost down. You can do what the TV people do and buy the cabinets raw wood and paint them. There is no longevity for looking good. In other words, short term cabinets. In this scenario a middleman company is taking RTA cabinets, putting them together for you, and shipping them fully assembled.

3. Standards

A lot of cabinet companies make the box and they get the doors and drawer fronts from another company. This is why you can’t deviate from the standard width. This is a big bulk of the cabinet companies out there.  In this scenario, general contractors will order cabinets from a supply warehouse that sells basic cabinets and sizes to the contractor which then marks up their costs and sells it to you. 


Image courtesy of R.D. Henry & Co.

4. Custom cabinet manufacturer 

These are companies who makes their own boxes, drawers and drawer fronts. They have their own kniving machines that router out the edges of the doors to give you different style options. You can get custom heights, widths and depths.

5. Cabinet maker

Next is a cabinet maker who comes to your house and builds them custom for you.

6. Amish craftmanship

These would probably be the highest quality you can get.

Conclusion

At Kopke, we order Level 4 cabinets from companies such as R.D. Henry & Co. and that is a big reason why our Kitchens are able to be fully customized to your needs and design style. And why the quality will last the test of time!

The Benefits of Visiting our Showroom (2023)

  • Updated from a post originally published on: 08/14/2015

The majority of our potential clients will initiate their contact with us by sending an email or calling us on the phone, and requesting a free in-home consultation. While we in no way discourage this, I would humbly suggest that the better route to take would be to first stop by our Showroom. We are open from 9:30 to 5:00 Monday through Thursday, 9:30 to 2:00 on Friday and from 10:00 to 3:00 on Saturday.

Welcome to Kopke!

The reason I see it most beneficial to visit our Showroom before making an in-home consultation appointment is, by visiting, you will have the opportunity to meet with multiple members of our staff, from design, to pricing, to production. Even potentially the installers who will be working on your job, the bookkeeper who can answer any questions related to financing, and the marketing team who will gift you with a promotional item or two! We might be having an employee’s birthday party and invite you in for a slice of ice cream cake. You will have an inside view into our company culture instead of one stranger appearing on your doorstep.

Sometimes a walk-in client will be greeted by one of our designers, begin a discussion about their project, and come to a technical question that that individual is not an expert on. We can easily grab the nearby expert, and answer your question for you right there. Have a question about how long your project will take to start? Ask our production department, who know their schedules better than anyone. You can even meet the owner and shake his hand. I think you are beginning to get my point.

Tons of product samples to browse!

Additionally, we have thousands of product samples here that will inspire you. You will have a much better direction of which samples you would like brought out to your home during the in-home consultation. You can even borrow some to take home with you!

I would sincerely suggest visiting us here, developing a rapport with a design consultant, and then making an appointment for him/her to meet with you at your home to proceed further. By visiting us you will have a much clearer picture of whether or not our company is a good fit for you. Call 586-777-6633 to make an appointment to come visit, or walk-ins are always welcome!