SEATTLE CUSTOM CABINETS

Working with Seattle Custom Cabinets – Tim and his crew – was an absolute pleasure. I undertook the remodel without a GC and having put together the rough kitchen design myself. To say that Tim was an ally in all things for our remodel would be an understatement. He has a tremendous amount of knowledge working with kitchens and older homes and his advice and suggestions were priceless. Coming from the design I’d put together, they helped make it a reality, finding the best ways to work with our old house’s plumbing challenges and out-of-square everything. There was constant communication via e-mail, phone, and site visits both to our kitchen and us to the shop a few times. We’d receive mails at all hours, presenting several options for a wainscoting piece, often with a recommendation or some guidance. Questions to them would be answered very quickly. Having custom cabinets, they were able to help maximize space and keep the feel of the house intact, including using high quality of materials throughout. The completed cabinets are truly fabulous, in places shallower to accommodate a waste pipe and in others just deep enough to cover another. At times when the project would start to stall, Tim would help give it a push or even to take the lead himself in coordinating some custom steel fabrication for counters and a range hood bend. Talk about going above and beyond. Tim recommended a painter and installer, both of whom did very nice work, that came in on budget and on time. The kitchen Seattle Custom Cabinets built for us was very well communicated, came in on time and on budget, and at a quality that greatly surpasses our expectations.

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The owner, Tim, was AMAZING.  My kitchen functions perfectly because of his suggestions and designs. Tim spent several hours interviewing us to see how we would use the space and asked critical questions to guide our thinking and to extract from us precisely what we needed to accomplish.  He optimized every bit of space.  His attention to detail was fantastic.  His follow up was the best we have ever experienced.  We had never done any remodeling at this scale before and were spending a great deal to remodel this kitchen.  Tim's advice and suggestions gave us confidence throughout the entire process that all would be well. Really top notch from beginning to end.

Working with Tim is an engineer/wood-worker's dream. After the initial bid we wondered whether the cost was too high, however, our contractor encouraged us to visit Tim's shop, see the product quality, and meet Tim. And so we did... and we were impressed!
All you have to do is spend a few minutes with Tim and you get the sense that he is some sort of "Cabinet Whisperer." His shop is absolutely amazing in terms of the equipment, stations, wood, and overall space. This is the real cabinet deal... you might think the shop was turning out custom Stickley furniture (which he could probably do if he was inclined). He'll go into the science of wood glue and wood drying if you ask him. We spent over an hour with him in his shop the first time.
He welcomed our ideas and worked them into his design... where we thought we were done with our design/build/contractor in terms of design, Tim came to the house and after very precise measurements, actually delivered another 'round' of more specific cabinet designs which was more detail. Communication was iterative via email (he's very quick to respond), with more detailed architectural drawings until we had confirmed and closed out a whole range of decisions. (Don't be alarmed by all the questions, it's just the nature of getting a perfect set of cabinets that fit exactly.)
In addition to a fabulous set of cabinets, there were two unique elements that Tim delivered: The first element was a hanging cabinet sliding shelf, floor to ceiling, that really made the space we had efficient (see the picture). We had seen something like this in a magazine and Tim embraced it as a challenge and really delivered in an amazing way. The second element was a hanging pot rack that slides under the counter. Something different, unique, and really usable.
Tim really cares to get the cabinets 'right' – both in terms of form and function. He asks a lot of questions about how the space will be used, what are your kitchen cooking and cleaning habits. Questions like "will the drawers still open when the dishwasher on adjacent face is sticking out?" and "how wide is the trim on the door?" He ultimately convinced us to pick our sink based on balancing aesthetics vs. usability, as well as a number of other dimensions based on factors that we hadn't considered. I guess what I'm saying is that his cabinets aren't just about the cabinets... but he worked with us to rebalance our larger design in the context of the stuff we have in our kitchen and our habits.  Another example of details that he added were stainless steel on a cabinet bottom where we have pans, as well as a cool trash can/recycling pull out.
We had questions along the way like "What would an original craftsman have looked like?" and "where are knobs typically placed?" Tim was a great resource and quick to help out in those contexts.  He's great at responding to email, often with lots of detail.
At the end of the project, Tim came through with some very high-end camera gear to photograph his work in its new environment. He takes a lot of pride in his work, and it shows. Tim's time and attention is well worth the cost.

My overall experience was good.  Their price was excellent.  The quality of their work was excellent.  Their responsiveness and punctuality was good.  They were very professional.  I would use them again in the future.