You know photos are required, don't you? :)

What's the emoticon for rolling eyes...

really?

I don't know where the camera is and I don't think it would help too much would it? It's just a hole in the wall that I'm wanting to fill with cabinets, if I can possibly afford it still...

I could post my plans that I'm working up; would that help??

OK, was that enough complaining?

Here's a shot of one of the cavities. This one is titled "Inside one, linens" on the plans that follow below:

In the picture above let me hasten to add that while our framers left much to be desired, even they were not as poor as the photo implies; the lens is just distorted at the edges. These are fairly straight lines in reality. And it's hard to see what's going on. Believe it or not all walls are the same dusty blue. The molding is on the edge that turns inside the cavity; the other edge at 90-degress, the outside of the cavity which is really a short hall, shows up as yellow in color. It's not though. So all that molding is at right angles to the "yellow" part, and would be in the way of a built in.

I've sort of decided I have to use a spacer over that part and just start the drawers inset from the molding, waste though that is. On the other side which has no molding up top because it's just a wall, there is molding at the base which I'll remove altogether.

Here's another shot that shows the lip of the edging. It's actually in a squirelly corner in a different room (laundry room), but the molding is the same and the problem is the same; I want to build a cabinet into that corner too:

So I've pretty much decided I just have to fill all these spaces out with filler, eh? So annoying...

And so what about this one -- you can see how I've cut away the ply wood that's serving as a temporary "vanity". That can't be done down the whole length of a cabinet; I think I've got to lose space behind a filler there too.

I had no idea when one chose molding this would force so many other decisions!?

I am decisioned out and just plain don't want to make this one. That's why I've done nothing for over a year now....

Anyway, I'd appreciate some guidance. This shouldn't be so difficult, there must be just some rule and I'd appreciate it being stated definitively: "no, thinking outside the box will cause whiplash and wind you right back inside of it anyway; there's no way out of this: slap in some wasteful filler and call it a day".... sigh.

TIA.

Yeah, no... Pull it off. The piece that goes back into the recess - just pull it off. That might be a little harder than I'm making it sound because it and the piece on the outside are nailed together somewhere.

If you have drywall back there, great - just finish it off to the edge of the door jamb on the other side.

If you don't have drywall or it's beat to smithereens, add some plain, flat square edged lumber in its place - trying to be even so the surface of the piece is equal or just a tiny bit deeper than the drywall.

After installing the cabinets, you might need to add some quarter round, panel molding or just a sliver of the original molding, but I'm guessing it will look just fine without it.

I'd find a relatively inconspicuous spot (inside a closet would work fine) and pull off the molding. Then I'd know what I might expect in places where that edge would be visible.
But what if there is a really messy gap underneath. Or the edge of the adjacent molding is rough. (The more I think about it, the likelier this seems. Yuck.) Or.... Or....

How thick is the molding? Looks like 3/4''.
The side of the cab box is 3/4. So the drawer shouldn't strike?

Oh, I see. the drawer front overlaps the side and basically touches the wall? Hmmm

In a closet could the drawer front overlap on the wall side just be trimmed off?
Then the pulls probably have to recentered for visual balance.

(But it would surely be SO much quicker and easier just to add a spacer!! But I'm' losing 1 1/2'' out of the center of the drawers between two of these walls. And I'm paranoid about every inch of storage in my small kitchen.)

Conclusion:
No conclusion. Either I'd pull one off and see, or take the quick and easy way out with a spacer.

I'm curious to know what you decide to do.

No no - sorry - that part is actually new build! (Just cr#$% new build). We had that molding put up. Another reason I'm so stymied now. But at the least, I know for sure that there is new drywall underneath. And I imagine as well it will be quite easy to remove the molding; everything else they put up is spontaneously coming down, I've no reason to believe this is an exception ... well, except for pessimism and Murphy, etc ;)

OK, so then ... my game plan will be to go talk with the person who would make the cabinets and find out how much spacer they would require for their own comfort-level. The wall does bow by a 1/4" and I can imagine building a huge structure a shave too large in one spot would not make them happy; for their own purposes they'll be having to diminish the precise measurement.

And then ... that brilliant point about the thickness of the sidewall of the cabinet comes into play! You're right; I'd forgotten about that: 3/8" piece of wood for the edge of the cabinet... so it's just possible we could get away with the rank minimum filler prudent anyway, and that box-thickness... and if not, y-all just say hack it away.

OK, got it. Many, many thanks!!!!

At the least, I'll draw my plans for it sans-molding and then we'll think about it mit- for later if possible....

If you're using cabinets with a face frame, and not an overlay, i.e. inset, you have 1.5" between the wall and the edge of the drawer.

If you cut out molding, you're going to have an ugly chop in your molding with your nice drawers closed. If you were going to leave them open all the time to hide the chop in your molding, that would be different.

"everything else they put up is spontaneously coming down, I've no reason to believe this is an exception ... well, except for pessimism and Murphy, etc"

p and m have been cloned and live here too.

have those bldg the drawers to come measure - see what they say. what is their solution. wouldn't you need a spacer on the wall for the glides anyway? unless you're doing under ones.

steph - lol. Yes, I think you-all have given me enough information and insight to invite the makers in for their opinion. However, that would be the sweet but not necessarily stellar KD theyvhave working for them. And I have plenty of examples of their work already to pattern-match. These are -- gosh I've already forgotten the lingo -- 'frameless cabinets'; that's what they're called! Can you believe I've forgotten this already? Selective amnesia....

So ... what did they do in the pantry for me? An obvious but neglected question - thanks Christine (that's your name, CEFreeman, right?). Why didn't I even think to just check that? A: 1/2" faceboard against the wall, with 3/4" cabinet box abutting. Drawers close with 1/2" space to the wall.

So, the answer still doesn't make it clear to me but I will proceed to ask them.

I see your point about the chop, but wouldn't that chop be there visually anyway with the drawers closed?

I think if you look again, the new space isn't within the jamb, it over laps the casing surrounding the jamb. There really isn't a way to do that without pulling it off, installing the cabinets and countertop and then cutting new casing or attempting to recut the original. It would need to come to a full stop at the countertop.

It doesn't matter if they are framed or not framed.