Custom cabinet makers in Bend

It depends on size, wood, finish and how much detail you want, so local shops rarely post prices. One Bend shop, Deschutes River Cabinet & Closet, publishes a $12,000 project minimum. For a fair comparison, get two or three bids on the same written spec rather than comparing totals.

Plan on a few months from first call to working kitchen for a full custom job. Design takes weeks, the build queue and fabrication usually takes the longest, and countertops cannot be measured until cabinets are installed. Ask each shop for its current lead time and put a target week in your contract.

Swapping cabinets and countertops in the same spots is generally finish work that does not need a building permit under Oregon's residential code. Moving or adding plumbing, gas, electrical circuits, or removing walls does need permits. Ask the City of Bend Permit Center for addresses inside city limits, or Deschutes County for rural addresses.

Yes, if they install in your home. Oregon law requires anyone paid to do construction work on real property, which includes carpentry, to be licensed with the Construction Contractors Board. Look up the license number for free on the CCB website.

Neither is better built. Face-frame has a solid wood frame on the front and a traditional look. Frameless (European) has no frame, so doors cover the whole box, drawers are a little wider and the look is cleaner. Pick the look you like and the shop that does it well.

If the boxes are solid, dry and the layout works, painting or new doors costs a fraction of new cabinets. Replace when boxes are water damaged, sagging, or the layout does not work for how you cook.

Knotty alder and hickory for a lodge look, and white oak and walnut for modern homes. Painted cabinets are common on the perimeter with a wood island.

The Habitat for Humanity ReStore at 224 NE Thurston Ave in Bend sells donated cabinets and takes donations. There is a second store in Redmond.