Custom kitchen cabinets for McHenry homes

McHenry's homes, from river cottages to new subdivisions

McHenry grew up at an old ford on the Fox River. In the 1920s, summer cottages spread along the river and boat builders set up shop. After the war the city grew on every side, annexing subdivisions from the late 1940s on. The population rose from about 2,000 in 1950 to more than 21,000 by 2000, and the city crossed to the east bank of the Fox in 1995.

So McHenry houses range from river cottages to new subdivisions, and each asks something different of its cabinets:

• Cottages along the river. If your house began as one of the 1920s cottages, we measure every wall ourselves and size the cabinets to the room: drawers instead of deep base cabinets, a pantry pull-out, cabinets to the ceiling.
• Houses from the postwar decades. The city tripled in size between 1950 and 1970. If your kitchen is closed off from the rest of the house, the first question is whether a wall comes out. That decides the layout, and whether an island or a peninsula fits.
• Newer subdivision homes. The city kept growing on every side, and its limits crossed the Fox in 1995. Our McHenry kitchen is in one of these newer subdivisions.

Do I need a permit for new cabinets in McHenry?

The City of McHenry issues permits inside city limits; the county's building division covers only unincorporated areas. The city's building permits page says: "Building Permits are required for most home improvement/remodeling projects." Its residential permit guides do not name kitchens or cabinets. (City of McHenry, as read 2026-10-28; confirm for your address.) We check the rule for your address with the city, and we pull the permit ourselves when one is required.

Work we have done in McHenry

• A white shaker kitchen in one of the newer subdivisions.
• A closet and an entertainment center in a house on the Fox River.

Nearby finished projects:

• A cream raised-panel kitchen in Bull Valley.
• A built-in home office in Crystal Lake.

Small jobs are welcome in McHenry

We are close enough that a small job still makes sense: a single vanity, a mudroom bench, one built-in. Tell us on the form which part of town you're in and whether the house is on the river or a lake.

Planning a McHenry kitchen: river house or subdivision

• River or lake house, or a subdivision house. Tell us which at the visit. Near the Fox River or McCullom Lake, we ask how the house is used and what comes in from the water. In a subdivision house, we start from how your family uses the kitchen now.
• Year-round or part of the year. If a river house sits closed up in winter, tell us at the visit. It guides the boxes, the finish and the hardware we choose.
• Walls that come out. If a wall is coming out, decide early who handles the wall, the wiring and the permit, so it is done before the cabinets arrive.
• What goes with the kitchen. Our river-house job in McHenry was a closet and an entertainment center. If you are planning a kitchen, ask about the mudroom, the laundry or the family room at the same visit, so the drawings cover them together.

Closets, entertainment centers and more for McHenry homes

• Entertainment centers and media walls.
• Closets, walk-in or reach-in, with drawers, shelves and hanging space planned around what you own.
• Mudroom storage for coats, boots and the gear that comes in from the water.
• Vanities for the bathrooms, floating or on the floor.
• Pantries and pantry walls for kitchens that are short on cupboards.

Nearly every job we do includes the trim around it, fitted to the walls as they are.

How a McHenry project runs, 15 minutes from the shop

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. The shop is about 15 minutes away, and the first visit and consultation are free.
2. Drawings and the final price. The design package covers the detailed measuring and the drawings, with one major revision, and ends with the final price.
3. The city permit, if one is needed. We check the rule for your address with the City of McHenry and pull the permit ourselves when it is required.
4. The build. Roughly 6 to 8 weeks from signed drawings for an average kitchen; built-ins and closets usually 4 to 6.
5. Delivery and installation. Usually 1 to 3 days for a full kitchen, less for a vanity or a single built-in.

McHenry's districts, and nearby towns

McHenry's downtown has three districts, Green Street, Riverside Drive and Main Street, linked by the Riverwalk. Around them are the houses along the Fox River and named areas such as Lakeland Park and Boone Creek. We serve all of McHenry. Nearby, see our pages for Johnsburg, Spring Grove and Richmond, or all the towns we serve.

McHenry questions

Do you build for houses on the Fox River?

Yes. We built a closet and an entertainment center for a McHenry house on the river. Tell us if the house is used year-round; it guides the materials and the finish.

Will you take a small job?

Yes. A single vanity or one built-in is work we do.

Can you work in an older cottage with crooked walls?

Yes. We measure ourselves and fit the cabinets to the walls you have, with scribed panels and fillers where the walls wander.

Do you build entertainment centers?

Yes, along with media walls, bookcases and home offices. See custom built-ins.

My kitchen is small. Is custom worth it?

It can be. In a small kitchen, cabinets sized to the room leave no wasted filler, and drawers and cabinets to the ceiling add storage.