By: Ethan Rogers
I run a cabinet shop in Lawrenceville and do a good amount of work in Forsyth County, specifically Cumming. Most weeks, I’m working somewhere between the older neighborhoods closer to town and the newer subdivisions near Lake Lanier. After a while, you get to know what each job will be just by looking at the house. Most homes in Cumming were built around 1998. The largest group of houses went up between 2000 and 2009, with another wave from 2010 to 2019. These homes aren’t falling apart, but they were built to a standard budget and have been lived in for about twenty-five years, which brings its own set of needs.
How I Price and Schedule These Jobs
Most people care more about the business details than the joinery, so I’ll start there. I offer a free in-home measurement because I can’t give an accurate quote for an older house just from a photo. The walls might not be straight, the ceilings can be off by an inch or two, and sometimes there’s a bulkhead that isn’t on the plans. That visit is when we figure out the cost.
A reach-in closet rebuild is usually my lowest-priced job, typically in the high hundreds to low thousands. A main walk-in closet with drawers and lighting costs more. Kitchens and vanities are higher still, depending on how much the layout changes. I give you a price range during the visit and a firm quote with the drawing. I’d rather be upfront about the price than have surprises later on.
One advantage of a small shop like mine is faster turnaround. Since I build everything myself, it usually takes just a few weeks from design approval to installation, instead of waiting months for a factory order. Closets and vanities are usually installed in a day. A full kitchen takes longer, but I schedule it so your house isn’t left open for weeks.
I use my own crew for installations, and that’s an important choice. The person who installs your door is the same person you can call if there’s a problem later. Shops that use random contract installers can’t make that promise. I stand behind my work, and if something needs fixing, I’d rather handle it myself than argue over who’s responsible.
Kitchens in the 2000s Builds
Most kitchen cabinets in Cumming are about 161 square feet, sometimes more in neighborhoods like Windermere or the Polo Fields, where they can be over 190. The size isn’t the issue. The cabinets stop 18 inches below the ceiling, corners aren’t used well, and the base cabinets have just one fixed shelf, so things get lost in the back.
Here’s how I fix it: I replace base cabinets with full-extension drawers, add a tall pantry with adjustable shelves to clear off your counters, extend the upper cabinets to the ceiling with a crown, and put a pull-out or turntable in the corner. I use 3/4-inch shelf material because thinner shelves bend under heavy items and stay that way. With our local humidity, cheap edge bands can peel off after a few summers.
Baths and Closets
Most secondary bathrooms here are 5 by 8 feet, or 40 square feet, with a tub, toilet, and sink. Primary bathrooms range from that size up to over 110 square feet in newer homes. In the 1990s and 2000s, builders usually put in a long vanity and a linen closet with wire shelves and considered the job finished.
In a bathroom that size, the vanity is the main spot for extra storage. A vanity with drawers, including a U-shaped top drawer that fits around the plumbing, is better than a wider cabinet with just doors. Pull-out shelves inside the cabinet help you use the space in the back. A 12-inch-deep linen tower next to the toilet can hold more than the hall closet.
Closets in Vickery, Westlake, and Castleberry Township are usually the same: one rod at 66 inches, one shelf, and shoes covering the floor. If you double up the hanging space on the short side, add a set of drawers in the middle, run shelves up to the ceiling, and angle the shoe shelves, you can almost double the storage in the same space.
