Questions about custom cabinets, built-ins and millwork

Yes, the cabinet side of it. We design, build and install the cabinets, the island, the pantry and the trim. Countertops, plumbing, electrical, walls and floors usually belong to other trades, and they are part of our job only when your written scope lists them. Even then, the plumbing and electrical are done by licensed trades we coordinate. For a bigger remodel, tell us what else is changing, and we will tell you what we can take on.

Yes. We design, fabricate and install made-to-order kitchen cabinetry from our Spring Grove shop. Bring photos of your space, your layout concerns and a few examples you like, and we'll start from how you need the kitchen to work.

Refacing can make sense when the boxes are sound and the layout already works for you. New cabinets let you change the storage, the sizes and where the appliances go. If you're weighing the two, we look at the boxes at the visit and tell you plainly whether they're worth keeping.

It depends on the layout, materials, door construction, finish, hardware and installation scope. A wall of simple cabinets and an island with finished panels and custom storage are not the same project. We price from a visit and drawings. At the free visit you get a straight number, and the drawings give you the final price. Photos of the room help us get ready before we come.

Stock cabinets come from a fixed product range, semi-custom allows some modification, and made-to-order gives full control over dimensions and details. Custom is worth it when your room, storage needs or architectural details call for more than standard sizes can deliver. We look at your actual space before assuming custom is the right call for your budget.

Select your appliance and sink models early enough that their real specifications can guide the cabinet design. Coordinate final openings, panels and countertop templating with your suppliers so a late appliance swap doesn't force a cabinet change.

Yes. We build the lip that hides the lights and drill the holes for the wires. Your electrician supplies the fixtures and wires them.

Walnut, white oak and the other species available in this market, stained or painted. Our European-style frameless cabinets come in solid colors and wood-look finishes. That is a narrower range than painted or stained wood. Finish samples are at the shop, by appointment.

A framed cabinet has a face frame across the front of the box, and the doors sit on it or inside it. A frameless cabinet has no face frame, so the doors hang on the box sides and the openings are wider. We build both, and frameless is our specialty and the more budget-friendly route to a full custom kitchen. See how we build cabinets.

Yes. Architectural millwork and finish carpentry are part of what we do: trim, crown molding, wainscoting and wall paneling. Send room photos and the details you'd like changed so we can separate the woodwork itself from any wall repair or painting needed around it.

Often, yes. We can reproduce trim and molding profiles, including discontinued or custom ones, using our own router setups rather than only stock trim. Send clear photos and a physical sample if you have one; matching the profile and matching an aged finish are two separate challenges, so we review both before promising a result.

Yes, including built-ins beside a fireplace. Share the fireplace model and its installation manual along with room photos. The layout has to respect the appliance's clearances and any applicable local requirements.

Yes. We take on cosmetic updates, such as new treads, railings and balusters, and full structural stair rebuilds when that's what the project needs. Send photos of the full stair, landings and railing and tell us what you want changed so we can scope the fabrication, installation and any engineering or permit work involved.

Yes, including spaces where standard cabinet sizes leave awkward gaps. For a bookcase, media wall or other built-in, tell us what it needs to hold and send photos showing nearby windows, outlets and existing trim so we can design around the actual room.

Yes, custom closets and mudroom storage are part of our regular work. Tell us what needs a place, such as coats, boots, backpacks, hampers and seasonal gear, so the layout is sized around how you'll actually use it, not divided into equal-looking cubbies.

Yes, alongside fitted cabinetry. A reference picture is a good starting point. Share the size, intended use and details you like, and we'll talk through a piece suited to your room and budget.

Yes, including floating vanities with proper wall-mounted support. A custom size helps when a stock unit is too wide, too shallow or awkward around the plumbing. Send wall dimensions, sink information and plumbing locations, and let us know if you're considering a floating design so we can plan the mounting. See custom vanities.

Da Vinci Woodwork is based in Spring Grove, Illinois, and serves homeowners, general contractors, interior designers, developers and architects across McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage and Cook counties. Our finished work includes kitchens, built-ins, closets, vanities and stairs in Barrington, Long Grove, Glencoe, Evanston, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights and Crystal Lake. Send your project address along with the scope so we can confirm the fit for fabrication, delivery and installation.

Yes. We offer fabrication and installation, and we also fabricate for general contractors and builders whose own crews handle installation. Tell us which arrangement you need up front so the quote clearly assigns measuring, delivery, installation and final adjustments.

Yes. We work with homeowners and with general contractors, interior designers, developers and architects. Share any plans you have and tell us who's making the design decisions, so the work stays coordinated and nobody gets conflicting instructions.

We price trade work project by project rather than applying a fixed discount. Send us the drawings, quantities and division of responsibilities you need priced, and we'll quote the actual scope.

Not always. Homeowners come to us directly for cabinets, built-ins and trim. If walls, plumbing or electrical are changing, decide early who handles that work and its inspections, because it has to be done before the cabinets arrive.

Yes. We are insured and licensed where required.

Compare our written scope against the rest of your remodel: cabinet boxes, doors, finish, hardware, delivery and installation should each be spelled out. Countertops, demolition, plumbing, electrical and painting are not automatically included just because the room needs them. Ask us to point out what's excluded before you compare our proposal to anyone else's.

If you take the design package, that payment comes first and counts toward your deposit. Before materials are ordered, the deposit brings the total to 30 to 50% of the cabinet price: closer to 50% for a new client, and closer to 30% for a returning client or one who already paid for a design package. The rest of the cabinet price is due on delivery. Installation is quoted separately and is due after it's complete; on larger projects it's paid weekly or biweekly. We take checks and bank transfers; we don't take credit or debit cards.

Send us your project location, photos, rough measurements or plans, and a few examples of the look you want. Include your timing, budget range and whether you already have a GC or designer, so the first conversation can focus on a workable scope.

A kitchen usually takes about 6-8 weeks from signed drawings to delivery. Detail, materials and shop workload can move that. Built-ins, closets and millwork usually take 4-6 weeks from signed drawings. A full kitchen installs in 1-3 days. With the signed drawings we give you an estimated delivery window. See every step, from visit to install.

Yes. We provide a 2D layout, and 3D renderings where useful, for you to review and approve before production starts. One major revision is included in that approval stage. After that, or once the project is underway, changes go through a written, approved change order.

Yes. Schedule your free visit and consultation. We come to your home, measure, listen, and give you a straight number at the visit. If you go ahead, the paid design package gives you the drawings and the final price. If you or your GC already have drawings and measurements, we price from those. Remeasuring adds time. See every step, from visit to install.

Typically 1-3 days for a full kitchen, and less for a single vanity or built-in. Ask us for an installation estimate for your specific project rather than treating the delivery date as the completion date.

Plan for clear access, a protected space for the cabinets, and a room that's ready for the work we've agreed to do. Confirm with your GC which wall repairs, blocking, rough-ins and inspections need to be done first, so finished cabinetry doesn't sit as job-site storage during dusty or wet work.

Tell us as soon as you want to change a dimension, finish or feature. One major revision is included before the project starts. Beyond that, changes go through a written change order, and the cost of each change is confirmed before we proceed.

Our cabinet boxes are built from plywood or melamine (brands like Tafisa), and doors are typically solid wood or melamine depending on the cabinet style. Each material serves a different purpose: a paint-grade door and a sink cabinet near water call for different choices. Ask us to break down the box, door and drawer materials for your project rather than relying on a general "all wood" description. How we build cabinets compares frameless, framed and inset construction.

Paint gives a more uniform color; stain keeps the wood's natural grain and variation visible. We finish with Renner, an Italian high-end finish. Compare physical samples against your room's light, and think about visible wear, grain and future touch-ups as well as the color in a photo.

We warranty our workmanship (fit, joinery and finish) for one year from installation. Hardware, such as our Blum soft-close hinges and Salice full-extension drawer slides, carries its maker's own warranty. If something comes up, send us photos, your project details and when you noticed it.

Usually not, just to install cabinets or built-ins in our area. We pull one ourselves when the law requires it. If walls, plumbing, electrical or a staircase are changing as part of a bigger remodel, decide early who handles that work and its permits.

The detailed measuring and drawings for your approval: a 2D layout, 3D renderings or both. It also gives the cabinet, material and finish direction, a written scope, one major revision and the final price. It is paid before the drawings start and counts toward your deposit. If you move forward with Da Vinci Woodwork within 90 days on substantially the same project, the full design-package fee is credited toward your contracted work.

Yes. Once the design package is paid, you keep the drawings, and you can share them for pricing, other shops included. Having another shop build from them needs our written OK.

Our written estimates are good for 30 days.

Often, yes. We have no minimum job size, and we look at each request on its own. A single vanity, a bookcase or one room of trim is work we do; tell us the scope on the form.

Yes, by appointment. There is no walk-in showroom. At the shop you can see material samples, finish samples and past work. For a new kitchen we usually come to your house first, so we can measure the room.