Custom cabinets and trim for Richmond's old houses and new ones

Richmond's historic homes, and what they ask of a cabinet maker

The village was founded in 1844 beside a mill on Nippersink Creek. Its own historic-homes page describes a "great wealth of architecturally significant historic homes," most of them 75 to 150 years old and in the original plat. The styles run through Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Stick, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Foursquare and Bungalow. Two buildings are on the National Register, Memorial Hall and the Queen Anne L.B. Covell House. Around the old village are newer subdivisions.

An old Richmond house brings its own work:

• Trim that no store sells any more. We can reproduce custom or discontinued trim and molding profiles, so new casing, baseboard or a built-in matches what is already in the house. Nearly every job we do includes the trim around it.
• Walls and floors that are out of level. If yours are, we fit each cabinet to the room and scribe the panels to the walls.
• The kitchen as it stands now. In a house this old, tell us what has already changed: an addition, a moved wall, a lowered ceiling. Painted or stained framed cabinets and inset doors suit these houses.

Does Richmond's historic overlay cover cabinet work?

Richmond has a Historic Overlay District, and its Appearance Review applies to "all new construction, additions or exterior alterations"; the page does not mention interior work. For permits, the village says they are needed for construction of any type and for remodeling that changes a building's structure, plumbing, electrical or heating. A kitchen with new circuits or moved plumbing will need one. We confirm with the village building and zoning department for your address and pull the permit ourselves when it is required.

Work we have done near Richmond

Our nearest finished jobs, in the towns around Richmond:

• Spring Grove: a kitchen, and a full basement bar in stained oak with glass doors and a wine rack.
• Johnsburg: a stained wood kitchen.
• McHenry: a white shaker kitchen, and a closet and an entertainment center in a house on the Fox River.
• Bull Valley: a cream raised-panel kitchen.

Planning a kitchen in an old Richmond house: what to settle first

• What stays. Decide early which original pieces are worth keeping: the door and window casing, the baseboard, a built-in cupboard, a staircase. New cabinets and trim can be made to match what stays.
• Where the kitchen is. If your kitchen sits in a back addition, the floor and ceiling may not line up with the rest of the house, and the cabinets have to be fitted to that.
• Wiring and plumbing. A kitchen with new circuits or moved plumbing needs a permit in Richmond. Plan the electrician and the plumber before the cabinets, so their work is done when we arrive.
• The outside of the house. The village's Appearance Review covers new construction, additions and exterior alterations, so a new window or a bump-out for a bigger kitchen goes through it. The village page does not mention interior cabinets.

What we build for Richmond's older houses

• Framed cabinets, painted or stained, which suit a Greek Revival, Italianate or Victorian house.
• Stained wood inset cabinets, where each door sits flush in its frame.
• Matching trim: casing, baseboard and crown made to an existing or discontinued profile.
• Built-ins that look original to the house: a bookcase beside a fireplace, a window seat, a cupboard in a dining room.
• Vanities and closets for bathrooms and bedrooms that were never designed for them.

How a Richmond project runs from our 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 8 minutes south, and the first visit and consultation are free.
2. Matching what is there. If trim or a profile needs to match, we measure it at the visit.
3. Drawings and the final price, through the design package, with one major revision.
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, usually 1 to 3 days for a full kitchen, with the trim fitted as the last step.

The towns nearest Richmond

Richmond is about 8 minutes north of our shop. We serve the old village and the subdivisions around it. Nearby are Johnsburg, Spring Grove and McHenry; see all the towns we serve.

Richmond questions

Can you match the trim in my 1800s house?

Usually, yes. We reproduce custom and discontinued profiles. Show us the profile at the visit, or send a photo of it with the form.

Do you build inset cabinets?

Yes. We build stained wood inset cabinets, and we can also offer frameless inset. See how we build cabinets.

Do you build only for historic houses?

No. We build for houses of any age. Our nearest finished jobs are in Spring Grove, Johnsburg and McHenry.

Can new cabinets look like they were always there?

Yes, if they are built for the house: framed or inset doors, a profile that matches the trim, and a finish chosen against the woodwork you keep.

Is my house in Richmond's Historic Overlay District?

Ask the village building and zoning department; it can tell you for your address. The village's Appearance Review covers new construction, additions and exterior alterations, and its page does not mention interior cabinets.