Save your money and paint these and change hardware out... You will be money ahead for your dream home later..

Unless they stink or have excessive water damage, reface. Hire a professional painter or have the doors spray painted at a mechanic shop. You will think they are new.

5K for installation is absurd. That's on top of the 17K?? Installation shouldn't be more than 800 (and that's for the cabinets they have to put together!)

Are you keeping the exact same layout? If so, I would do refacing. If the boxes are in good shape and you aren't moving anything or getting different cabinets, then reface. See wha the local carpenter comes in at.

Have you looked into pre-fab countertops? you could save a few thousand there.

these are pre fab. come in about 30-40 colors (granite/marble or quartz) and are in 8'x22" slabs. they average about 500 or so. then a fabricator is hired to fit them to you kitchen. about another 800 or so.

Now, your cabinets look to be in decent shape. are they? since you are moving, why not look into a professional paint job (not a house painter, an actual cabinet painting pro. big diff). they run in the 3-5K range. I can't stress enough about hiring a cabinet painting pro. if joe blow house painter says he'll spray them for 1500, do not go that route. prep is the key for painted cabinets to keep from chipping. 1500 'aint gonna get you that prep work!

these were oak cabinets like yours, painted w/GF acrylic milk paint. You're grain isn't overly pronounced. if sanded and primed properly, it will minimize the majority of the graining. and if doing a white, you won't see it as much.

wow. and I though LA was bad.

ok then. sounds like refacing would certainly be an option. the carpenter could make the necessary changes you'd like.

I wouldn't rush into any renovation until you lived with the kitchen for at least a few months. What you thought bugged you initially, may turn out totally fine and you may want something complete different changed.

Alexandra thinks you just moved in. Although, I don't know why she would think that. I understood you when you were speaking about the cabinets being 22 years old. I figured you wanted an update!

nick, they're just pre-fabricated. cut to countertop size and edged. they come in8' and 9' lengths or in island sizes, 4x6.

they are usually more common type granites. But here is one called Ice Jade that I thought was gorgeous. ( you can see all the other pre fab ones behind it)

surprised to see this in a pre fab. the cost for this 9' countertop was $625. your fabricator would cut out the sink hole and cut the ends to fit your length. I've used pre fab on a few jobs and they're great. It's real stone, just common colors. nothing exotic.

here are some quartz

you can get rounded edges or the simple square finish

you can find them at stone yards, tile stores, Floor and Decor actually has a limited selection, on line,,, all over. maybe check Craigslist for tile places.

I'm in SoCal, and Anaheim is the tile and stone yard mecca.

Beth:

I get $800.00 for installing a sink. You think you're getting cabinets installed for that?

wow. you get that much for a sink? my husband needs to up his prices!

And yes, 5 years ago I paid 2 guys 800 to put together some cabinets and install them on a house we flipped (Nickless,,, these were also pre-fab countertops)

$35-$45 per point. Every stick of molding, field installed roll out tray or cutlery organizer, and every box and hardware all have a point value based on size and weight. That way the customer pays for how complicated an install actually is. Higher price is for frameless, which racks really easily, or inset with extended side backs and extended stiles all to be scribed to the walls. Usually adds up to 5-10K for an ''average'' sized kitchen. That is installation only. No demolition. One memorable 107K whole house, the installation was 30K. Incredibly complicated inset, with many combined boxes and, with many field installed accessories, and every single cabinet involved scribing. And it was an old, out of level house. Took two men three weeks just for the install.

yeah, no need to replace, just repaint it.

5 different types of kitchenettes · More Info

"wow. you get that much for a sink? my husband needs to up his prices!"

Yes, he probably does.

So you've had those cabinets for 22 years! I wouldn't change them if you are planning to sell in the next 5 years. You wouldn't believe what new hardware can do for a kitchen.

For some reason, I didn't include a complete photo of the top cabinets but they do have a cathedral arch ehich, to me, really dates them. If they were square, I might try to live with them but I really don't like the oak anymore anyway.

22 years is long enough. get something new.

Beth you are in CA? correct? I come from NY and will tell you labor and material costs SOCAL are beyond dirt cheap. Problem is the quality level is also not as good but honestly 90% of homeowners love it.

Quartz prefab for 10x10 kitchen about $1800. Look on craigslist for custom made cabinets and for same set up about $3500-5000.00. The illegals have beaten down every part of the industry. Lets face it building cabinets isn't rocket science and if you are willing to work you build them cheap. Most of the builders work at the big name shops during the day.

There is NO comparison in costs from W to East coasts. The average person in SOCAL sty in there house 5-8 years so nobody is interested in putting in last a lifetime quality products. It has to look nice while they are there.

To the OP keep the cabinets and update everything around them. Oak cabinets don't look bad with updated materials around them some even prefer the look. Problem everybody associates them with country and flowery designs.

Wannabeth, yes. you have a valid point. but not everyone out here buys the chinese crap cabinets. I had mine custom made 10 years ago. And no, the average person out here doesn't move every 5 years! where are you getting your stats? Homes out here are so expensive compared to the rest of the country. To even buy a house in Watts, in the worst crime-ridden part of the ghetto, would cost you a minimum of 300K. A fixer in LA proper tops 800. So moving every 5-8 years really isn't an option.

As for the pre fab countertops, those can be had for as low as 350, if you know where to shop. Out here there are direct importers from China, where they make the pre-fabs, and then sell them from their stone yards/shops. I'm sure to get them back east tacks on additional costs.

the OP stated he didn't like the doors or the oak anymore. He doesn't want them. So why continue to tell him to paint them or update around them? He's had them 22 years. I'm sure he could find a carpenter to make new doors and drawers for the solid base. Personally I don't care if he wants to paint them or replace them, I'm just going off what the OP has stated he wants to do.