What custom cabinets cost in Fort Wayne

Custom cabinets in Fort Wayne cost about $500 to $1,200 per linear foot, based on national cost guides. The same guides put a typical custom cabinet project between about $2,800 and $13,000. No one publishes a figure for Fort Wayne alone, so treat these as a starting budget. The written quote after a measure in your house is the real number.

Custom, semi-custom and stock cabinets per linear foot

Cabinets come in three grades, and the per-foot price climbs with how much of the cabinet is made for your room.

Grade	Per linear foot	What you get
Stock	$100 to $400	Fixed sizes off a shelf or a short order, usually in 3-inch width steps. Gaps are closed with filler strips.
Semi-custom	$150 to $700	Standard boxes with a choice of sizes, doors, finishes and some inserts.
Custom	$500 to $1,200	Every box built to the measured wall, in any wood, door style and finish.

To use the table, measure the walls where cabinets will go. A run of 20 feet works out to about $10,000 to $24,000 in custom, $3,000 to $14,000 in semi-custom and $2,000 to $8,000 in stock. That custom figure sits above the typical project range, because the whole-project average covers jobs of every size, from a single wall to a full kitchen. For a full kitchen, the per-foot math is the better guide.

One catch: ask whether a quote's per-foot price counts uppers and lowers together or each row on its own. The two ways of counting give very different totals for the same kitchen.

Whole-project ranges, and cheaper routes

New custom cabinets aren't the only way to get a different kitchen. If the boxes you have are solid and the layout works, refacing or painting can cost less and take less time.

Job	Typical range	Middle
Custom cabinets, whole project	About $2,800 to $13,000	About $7,400
Cabinet installation	About $1,900 to $10,800	About $6,200
Cabinet refacing, kitchen	About $4,200 to $10,200	About $7,200
Cabinet painting, kitchen	$2,500 to $6,500	$4,000
Bathroom vanity and countertop, installed	$300 to $3,000 or more	$1,200
Built-in cabinets	$1,000 to $6,000	$5,500

Refacing

Cabinet refacing keeps the boxes and replaces what you see: new doors and drawer fronts, veneer over the face frames and new hinges and pulls. You can keep using the kitchen for most of the job. It only makes sense when the boxes are dry, level and laid out the way you want.

Painting

Cabinet painting is usually the lowest-cost route, at $2,500 to $6,500 for a kitchen. The doors come off, everything is degreased, sanded and primed, and the finish is sprayed or brushed on. It changes the color and nothing else, so it fits sturdy cabinets in a style you still like.

Vanities and built-ins

A bathroom vanity ranges from about $300 for a small powder-room unit to $3,000 or more for high-end cabinetry with a stone top. Built-ins like bookcases, mudroom lockers and window seats run about $1,000 to $6,000, and national cost guides put them at roughly $450 per linear foot.

What moves the price

• Linear feet. The biggest factor. An island, a pantry tower or a second wall adds feet fast.
• Wood and box material. Oak, maple, cherry and hickory each price differently, and stain-grade wood costs more than paint-grade. Plywood boxes cost more than particle board but hold screws better and handle a damp sink base.
• Door style. Slab and shaker doors are the simpler builds. Raised panel takes more shaping, and inset doors, set flush inside the frame, take the most fitting time.
• Finish. A sprayed paint or stain with a clear topcoat takes several steps. Glazes, two-tone kitchens and color matching add more.
• Inserts and hardware. Pull-out shelves, trash pull-outs, drawer organizers, soft-close slides and lift-up hinges are each priced on top of the box.
• Install conditions. Tear-out and haul-away, walls and floors that aren't straight, crown molding and tall ceilings all add hours.
• Moving plumbing, gas or wiring. Relocating a sink, adding outlets or wiring under-cabinet lights brings in a plumber or electrician and a permit.

The Allen County permit rule

Swapping cabinets in the same spots needs no permit from the Allen County Building Department. Its residential permit guide says work that adds no structure and involves no electrical, plumbing, mechanical or structural changes doesn't need one. Moving a sink, adding a circuit for lights or outlets, or taking out a wall does need a permit and a construction plan. The Building Department is at 200 E Berry St, Suite 180, and answers at (260) 449-7131. In a historic district, Fort Wayne Historic Preservation or the Department of Planning Services may have their own rules.

One more cost in older houses: in a home built before 1978, tearing out or sanding painted cabinets can disturb more than 6 square feet of painted surface in a room. Past that point, the EPA requires a Lead-Safe Certified firm, which adds containment and clean-up to the quote.

How to compare cabinet quotes

1. Get each quote after a measure in your house, so every number covers the same walls.
2. Check that each one names the box material, the door style, the wood or finish and the hardware.
3. See whether install, tear-out, haul-away and crown molding are included or priced as extras.
4. Look for drawings with each cabinet's size, and a finish sample to approve before the build.
5. Ask who handles plumbing, electrical and the permit, and whether that cost is in the total.
6. Ask how long the build takes and what's paid up front.

A low total often means something on that list was left out. Compare line by line before you compare the bottom number. When you're ready for a price on your own kitchen, custom kitchen cabinets in Fort Wayne starts with a measure of your room.

Cabinet cost questions