Start with one question: are you keeping the layout?
Every kitchen remodel falls into one of two jobs, and the difference decides your budget, your timeline and how many people you hire. If the sink stays under the window and the range stays where the gas line already is, you are replacing cabinets and countertops. That is mostly a one-crew project. If you want the sink in an island, a wall gone or the range on another wall, you are now coordinating plumbing, gas, electrical and usually drywall and flooring, and the cabinets become one line in a much bigger plan.
| Keep the layout | Change the layout | |
|---|---|---|
| What changes | Cabinets, countertops, hardware | All of that, plus water, gas, power and walls |
| Who you hire | One crew, plus a plumber for the sink | A general contractor or several trades |
| City permit | None for cabinets and countertops | Plumbing, electrical or hood permits, plus a building permit for structural walls |
| Timeline set by | The cabinet order and the countertop template | Trade schedules and inspections |
If you can live with your layout, the cabinet-first route is usually the better value. The expensive ideas in any kitchen are the ones that move water and gas. Leave the sink and the range where they sit and more of your money goes into things you see and touch every day.
What we handle, and what goes to other trades
Here is how a typical job splits, so nobody is surprised on install day.
| Part of the job | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Measuring the kitchen | Us, free, in your home (or bring your own measurements) |
| Layout and 3D design | Us, free, online or at the showroom |
| Tearing out and hauling away the old cabinets | Our crew, on a full-service install |
| Setting, leveling, scribing and hanging the new cabinets | Our crew |
| Countertops, templated to the installed cabinets, then installed | Our crew |
| Knobs, pulls and soft-close adjustment | Our crew |
| Bathroom vanities in the same project | Our crew |
| Sink, faucet, disposal and dishwasher hookup | A licensed plumber |
| New outlets, lighting or circuits | A licensed electrician |
| Vent hood insert and ducting | A licensed mechanical contractor |
| Flooring, tile backsplash, drywall and paint | Your contractor or the trade you choose |
| Appliances | Your appliance store |
Already have a contractor running the job? That works too. Plenty of customers buy cabinets only for a crew that is already on site, and we deliver up to 250 miles from San Antonio. Tell us and we quote it as cabinets only.
What the cabinets cost, and how the rest is priced
We won't put a made-up total on a whole remodel, because the trades you add change it too much. What we can give you is the cabinet number, which is usually the biggest single line, and an itemized quote for everything we do. "10x10" is the industry's standard sample kitchen: two walls of cabinets, 10 feet each. It is how stores compare cabinet prices apples to apples.
| Kitchen size or level | Typical cabinet cost* |
|---|---|
| 10x10 cabinet package, in-stock Shaker | from $1,750 |
| Small kitchen (8 to 10 ft of cabinets) | $1,750 to $2,800 |
| Medium kitchen with an island | $3,000 to $5,000 |
| Large kitchen or premium finishes | $5,000 to $8,000+ |
*Cabinets only. These are typical San Antonio estimates; your free quote reflects your exact layout, door style and add-ons.
Countertops are priced by the slab you pick, your square footage, the edge and the cutouts, and they sit on the same estimate as their own line. So do hardware, delivery, assembly and installation, which includes the tear-out on a full-service job. Our kitchen cabinet cost guide covers what moves the cabinet number, and the cabinet and countertop packages page explains buying both together.
Four ways to bring the total down:
- Keep the sink and the range where they are. No moved plumbing, no moved gas.
- Pick Shaker White, Shaker Gray or Navy Blue. They are the three finishes we keep in stock, so they are the best value and the fastest to get. Every other finish takes 1 to 2 weeks to come in.
- Go RTA. Ready-to-assemble cabinets cost less if you or your contractor will put the boxes together.
- Mention military service. Active-duty military and veterans get 25% off the whole invoice: cabinets, countertops, hardware, delivery, assembly and installation.
Financing doesn't lower the price, but it can spread the payments. Affirm financing is available, subject to an eligibility check, and the military discount still applies.
How long it takes, and the holiday math
Most of our projects run about one to three weeks from the day the order is placed to the day it is installed. Where you land in that window depends mostly on the finish and the size of the job. A straightforward galley or single-wall kitchen moves faster than a full kitchen with an island and a vanity. Here is the order things happen in:
- Measure and design. A free in-home measurement or your own numbers (our measuring guide shows what we need), then a layout you can see in 3D.
- Itemized quote, in writing. Cabinets, countertops, hardware, delivery, assembly and installation on separate lines.
- Order. Stocked finishes are ready to go; other finishes arrive in 1 to 2 weeks.
- Install day. The crew protects your floors, tears out the old cabinets, then levels, scribes and hangs the new ones.
- Countertop template. The stone is templated to the cabinets actually in your kitchen, not to a drawing.
- Countertops and hardware go in. The countertop install is usually one day. Plan for 24 to 48 hours of curing before you run the sink at full pressure, and book your plumber's hookup around that.
- Walk-through. Before we leave, we walk the whole job with you so nothing gets missed.
Between tear-out and the sink hookup you won't have a working kitchen sink, so plan a few takeout nights and set up a coffee spot in another room. Ask us for the install and template dates in writing, and book the plumber the same day you get them.
Hosting this year? Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, and Christmas falls on a Friday. Count back from the day you need the kitchen working. With one to three weeks from order to install, order by the first days of November for Thanksgiving and by the first days of December for Christmas. Countertops are templated after the cabinets go in, so for the safe end of that window, order in October, choose one of the three stocked finishes, and line up your plumber the week you order.
Permits in San Antonio: what the city actually requires
Good news for the cabinet-first route. The City of San Antonio's Development Services Department lists installing cabinets and countertops as work that typically does not need a permit (see the city's no-permit-required list). The same department's homeowner FAQ says installing sinks and faucets is plumbing permit work, new receptacles and light fixtures need an electrical permit, kitchen hoods need a mechanical permit, and only state-licensed contractors can pull those three. Adding or taking out a structural wall needs a building permit and an engineer's report.
Three local wrinkles. If your home sits in one of the separate cities inside the San Antonio area, such as Alamo Heights, Castle Hills, Leon Valley, Shavano Park, Helotes or Fair Oaks Ranch, that city's own building office sets the rules, so call them before you plan anything beyond cabinets and countertops. If your home is in a Historic, Neighborhood Conservation or Corridor District, the city says there may be restrictions on the design and materials used, even for work on the no-permit list, and its homeowner FAQ says permit applications there are reviewed by the Office of Historic Preservation, so check before you order. And some HOAs have renovation rules of their own, so read yours. Rules change, so confirm for your address before work starts.
San Antonio houses: four things to check before you order
- Walls and floors that aren't square. A '70s or '80s ranch in Leon Valley that has settled over the years, a newer builder-grade home in Alamo Ranch, an older home near downtown: none of them have perfectly plumb walls or flat floors. That is why we measure on site, and why scribe pieces and fillers are part of a proper cabinet installation.
- The sink base. Summer humidity, stove steam and a dishwasher venting heat cycle moisture through a kitchen every day, and a slow drip under the sink can go unnoticed for a month. A plywood box swells a little, dries out and keeps its shape; particle board swells and doesn't recover. Our core lines use 1/2" cabinet-grade plywood boxes, and our guide to plywood vs particle board boxes explains why that matters here.
- Older footprints. Castle Hills is full of 1950s and '60s ranch homes, many Windcrest houses still have their original 1960s kitchens, and Alamo Heights has homes going back to the 1920s with tight footprints. Rooms like these usually need field-fitted scribe pieces and filler strips, so measure carefully, or let us.
- The soffit above the uppers. A lot of local ranch kitchens box in the space over the wall cabinets. Before you plan cabinets to the ceiling, have someone open a corner of it. Sometimes it is framing and air; sometimes it hides a duct or a wire run, and that changes the plan.
A short checklist before you call anyone
- Decide whether the sink and the range stay put.
- Measure the room, or book the free in-home measurement.
- Try the layout in the free 3D kitchen designer (no signup).
- See doors and countertop slabs side by side at the showroom, in the same light.
- Book your plumber, and your electrician if you are adding lights, around our install date.
- Empty the cabinets and clear the counters before install day.
If your cabinets are solid and only the color bothers you, paint may be the cheaper answer; our page on painting vs replacing kitchen cabinets runs that math. We don't paint, reface or refinish existing cabinets, and we would still rather tell you when a repaint is enough.
When you are ready, ask for a free, itemized estimate or come see the doors in person at our showroom on Bandera Road: 5601 Bandera Rd, Suite 100, open Mon–Fri 8–6 and Sat 10–3, Sunday by appointment. Call (210) 378-8009.