Custom kitchen cabinets for Deerfield homes

The Ott log house, the 1903 village and the Edens years

Settlers came to the Deerfield area in the 1830s. The Caspar Ott Log House of 1837, the oldest standing building in Lake County, stands in the Deerfield Historic Village with four other buildings from the 1800s and early 1900s. Deerfield took its name by a vote of 17 to 13, after Deerfield, Massachusetts, and incorporated on April 14, 1903. The Edens Expressway, completed in 1959, drew Chicagoans north, and the village grew from 7,009 people in 1957 to 11,786 in 1960. Subdivisions filled in through the 1960s, 80s and 90s, and by 1987 the village was mostly single-family housing, with little land left to build on. Deerfield sits in both Lake and Cook counties, about 28 miles north of downtown Chicago.

Postwar or newer, the house sets the job:

• In a house from the 1950s or 1960s: a new kitchen, in the same layout or a new one.
• In a house from the 1980s or 1990s: replacing the builder's cabinets with painted or stained wood, framed or inset, or European-style frameless.

Deerfield: cabinets alone or a kitchen remodel

Deerfield's "When do I need a permit?" guide says CABINETS: NO, "INSTALL OR REPLACE WITH NO ELECTRICAL OR PLUMBING AND NOT IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANY OTHER WORK," and KITCHEN & BATH: YES, "NEW, REMODEL, OR COSMETIC (IN-KIND) REPLACEMENT." The guide adds that it "is to be used only as a guideline and does not reflect the full scope of permits required." The village's interior remodel checklist lists "Kitchen/bath remodel (to include cabinetry/fixtures/appliances)" under "Permit is Required." (Village of Deerfield permit guide and remodel checklist, as read 2026-10-28; confirm for your address.)

So the guide lists cabinets on their own, with no electrical or plumbing and no other work, as no permit, and a kitchen remodel, cabinets included, as a permit. It is a guideline; confirm with the village. When the remodel needs a permit, we pull it.

Cabinets only or a remodel: planning a Deerfield kitchen

• Cabinets only or a remodel. The village's guide treats new cabinets with no electrical or plumbing work and nothing else done differently from a kitchen remodel. Decide which yours is first, and confirm with the village.
• The style. Painted or stained wood doors, framed or inset, or European-style frameless flat-panel, our specialty and the more budget-friendly way to a full custom kitchen.
• Appliances. Send us the models before the drawings; we size the cabinets to them.
• Drawings. From your architect's or builder's plans, priced as given, or our design package.
• Trim. Nearly every job we do includes the trim around it.

Kitchens and more for Deerfield homes

A couple of kitchens are our work on record in Deerfield. Other work we take on:

• Built-ins: bookcases, window benches, libraries and media walls.
• Vanities, closets, mudrooms and laundry rooms.
• Pantries and bars.
• Stairs, mantels and trim.
• Garage cabinets and storage.

From the visit to a new Deerfield kitchen

1. The visit. It starts with a visit. We measure, we listen, and we give you a straight number. If it works for you, we design it with you, and only then do we build. Deerfield is about 45 minutes from the shop. Your first visit and consultation are free.
2. Drawings. Drawings from your architect or builder, priced as given, or our design package, which ends with the final price after one major revision.
3. The permit, when the job is a kitchen remodel and not cabinets alone.
4. The build. Roughly 6 to 8 weeks from signed drawings for an average kitchen; built-ins and closets usually 4 to 6.
5. Installation. Installing a full kitchen usually takes 1 to 3 days; a vanity or one built-in takes less.

The Historic Village, the two counties and nearby towns

Deerfield straddles Lake and Cook counties, split at Lake Cook Road, with two Metra stops on the Milwaukee District North line. The Deerfield Historic Village keeps the Ott log house and the other early buildings. We serve all of Deerfield. Nearby, see our pages for Riverwoods, Highland Park and Northbrook, or all the towns we serve. We also serve Bannockburn and Lincolnshire.

Deerfield questions

Is a permit needed for new kitchen cabinets in Deerfield?

The village's guide lists cabinets replaced alone, with no electrical or plumbing work and nothing else done, as no permit, and a kitchen remodel, cabinets included, as a permit. Confirm with the village; we pull a permit when one is required.

Can you build a kitchen for a 1960s Deerfield house?

Yes. We build in the layout you choose, and we tell you at the visit whether the change makes it a permit job.

Do you build European-style kitchens?

Yes. Frameless flat-panel is our specialty; we also build painted and stained wood, framed or inset.

How far is Deerfield from your shop?

About 31 miles, roughly 45 minutes from Spring Grove.